Any Price Read Online Free Page B

the festival. We’re going to act like we never found the note.”
    Lore paused as something that might have resembled a smile in an alternate universe touched his face. It made Kenna shrink back a fraction. There was lethal intent in his tone as he continued softly. “Game on.”
    Lore stood and gently grasped her clutched hands, pulling her up. She had no confidence in her knees being able to perform normally but apparently he did. Surprisingly steady on her feet gave her time to digest his statement.
    “Game? What game? This isn’t a game,” Kenna protested hotly.
    “Sure it is,” he responded smoothly, once again the picture of concentrated purpose. “Bad guy told us what he wants. Arrogant mistake. We’ll go to the joust. You’ll be sitting with me as if nothing has happened. Now we force him to alter his plan, make another mistake.” He outlined his plan in bullet statements. Confidence dripped from each word.
    Lore turned to the two men in the room as he finished removing the bomb suit. It was the warrior in fatigues and a black t-shirt who continued. “Yuri, the U.S. team is wheels down in under two hours. Make it low profile. Thomas, you’re at the joust as planned. Keep the note between us. The U.S team will see it, but I know them. There will be no leaks.”
    Both men nodded, but it was Yuri who spoke. “No time for you to change here. Arrangements have been made for both of you at the event. Julianna is waiting for Miss MacKelsey.”
    “Excellent. Thank you for taking care of that.” Lore led them out of the room, his large hand folded around hers naturally.
    “I’m bait? Things never turn out well for bait. Anything called bait dies right before the real target gets blown to bits,” Kenna explained to the man with a firm grip on her hand. Fighting him would have been stupid and she wasn’t that much of an idiot…yet. Behind them strode Yuri and Thomas. It felt vaguely like being herded.
    “No, honey. You’re the prize. It’s the rest of us who are bait. He has to get rid of us to get you.”
    His logic made sense, but it didn’t do a thing for the terror reaction. Kenna didn’t want to be the reason someone died, almost as much as she didn’t want to die. When had she stepped through a portal into the land of warriors and hunters?
    Being attracted to her captor was some sort of insane syndrome she’d read about, but she didn’t think it could start long before one was captured. Also, she had to admit her hand in his grip wasn’t exactly involuntary.
    Wait, did this make her his stalker? No, but she kinda suspected she could be if he weren’t forcefully dragging her with him.
    They exited the spacious hall into a large, round entrance. Beyond a set of lovely double doors with intricate leaded glass windows sat a black limousine. In front of those doors stood a small group of men, in the center of which was an angry-looking individual who seemed to be talking fast. He was perhaps six feet tall with elegantly graying hair slicked back in an expensive cut. As he turned a frowning face to them, it seemed titled authority draped all over him.
    Kenna’s eyes were drawn to the angry man, the others faded. Her hand tightened in Lore’s as the impact of this person’s gaze hit her. Her feet stopped moving until Lore released her hand to swing his arm around her shoulders, tucking her into his side and moving forward.
    “Gentlemen,” the low timbre of Lore’s voice inserted iron into his greeting as they stepped into the marble entry.
    “Your highness!” The elegant man managed to make the cultured tones of his voice convey dismayed shock. “I’ve been very concerned. Where were you? None of these men seemed to have a clue.”
    “There was something I needed to take care of. Thank you for your concern but there was no need,” Lore responded smoothly.
    Kenna clenched her teeth and glanced away from the man. He was projecting anger and something else. When he looked at her, she felt a