Blindsided Read Online Free Page A

woman. Pace would say he’d gone soft. Him, Ethan Rhodes, an ex-hoodlum from South LA whose absentee father had hardened him to granite, soft. He scoffed.
    Franco whipped around. “Problem, Gunn?”
    Ethan stretched his fingers to make a grab for his holstered weapon. Staying undercover was crucial until his men made their appearance. If he blew it now, he wouldn’t be the only one dead. There were others working this ring from other places. Corrupt nail salons, massage parlors, even country clubs. The message would be out that the investigation was compromised. The runners of the business fronts would retaliate, and the FBI agents working them would pay. Not to mention, the whole investigation would be botched and back to square one.
    Ethan gave his uncaring shrug. “No problem. Just amazed at the elaborate digs the Boss has.”
    Guerra’s snarl turned to an agreeing smile under the spotlights beaming down on them and most likely recording their every word. Ethan looked forward to confiscating the surveillance to see who else had come through these doors in the past. He wouldn’t stop until this whole outfit—and everyone a part of it—was disassembled. He looked at the back of Roni’s black leather coat, her long silky hair cascading down it, and thought whatever it took, he would deliver...even her.
    The huge wooden door ahead of them opened slowly on silent hinges. A man dressed in a black suit with jet-black hair waited on the other side. He stood tall with his arms down in a relaxed pose. The cavernous room behind him displayed the heads of elk and bear. Ethan judged the bear to be a grizzly but didn’t dare take his eyes off the man to be sure.
    “Bring her into the light,” the man ordered. Franco went to push Roni forward, but she stepped up willingly.
    Too willingly, Ethan thought. Was there any fear in the woman at all?
    Or maybe her involvement was more than opening her track to the organization. Maybe she’d been here before. Would he find her on the surveillance?
    Ethan gave a last hooded search to the tree line. Anytime, boys, he thought. But no hint of backup didn’t mean they weren’t out there. He trusted his team to show up when he needed them most.
    The man at the door said, “Veronica Spencer, is it?”
    Ethan perked an ear for the direction of the conversation in front of him. It would determine his next move. If things went south his gun would be coming out with or without backup.
    “Yes. I’m Veronica Spencer.” Roni lifted her chin, her voice clear of any hesitation.
    “You’re very pretty.”
    Ethan couldn’t see Roni’s face as he waited for her response...which didn’t come.
    So, flattery was all it took to silence Roni Spencer’s tongue? Fancy that.
    The man pressed in close to her, and Ethan moved up, as well. The guy lifted a hand to her hair. Ethan spread his fingers to make ready for a grab.
    “I said, you’re very pretty. Has anyone ever told you that?”
    She shrugged. “Sure, but I never believed it.”
    The man smiled from one side of his mouth. “Let me assure you, you are.”
    “Oh, well, if you assure me, then it must be true.”
    Sarcasm. Thick as the wood beams holding this cavern up.
    Ethan stifled a cough. Was the woman blind to the danger? Why would she throw the man’s compliment back in his face?
    If this was the Boss, Roni could have just signed her death warrant. If the woman kept this up, Ethan figured saving sand from slipping through his fingers would be easier than keeping her alive.
    The silence in the room thickened as the man studied her face. Her response confounded him just as much as it did Ethan.
    Was this even the leader of the organization? Or another scout?
    The man cleared his throat. “I’ve arranged a room for you upstairs. You’ll find it comfortable...and what you’re accustomed to, I’m sure.”
    So the guy knew who he had. Maybe that would help Ethan keep her alive.
    “I don’t plan to be here long,” she said