Body Thief Read Online Free

if he didn’t. Lock me up forever, I don’t care. Just let him go.”
    Mercer seemed to take his time replying. “You work with us, with me, and we’ll clear all charges against both of you.”
    She turned to glare at him. That explained a lot. She’d been set up; she should have figured it out sooner. They were using her, blackmailing her, and she had no choice. Her father was sick. Maybe they knew that, maybe they didn’t. She couldn’t be sure. Either way, it didn’t matter. She needed to get her father out of here as soon as possible.
    It took a lot more effort to formulate a plan that didn’t include kicking someone’s ass, but she finally settled on cooperation. As much as she hated being used, she’d give them what they wanted. But she was going to make damn sure that she got something in return.
    Somewhere during the plotting, it occurred to her just how big this was. The time and effort they’d put in this whole capture wasn’t normal. They’d targeted her specially, and she knew why. She could do things other Shifters couldn’t.
    First off, she was female, which was highly prized. There were literally a handful of surviving female Shifters. She could hold myriad human forms, which was also unusual. Most Shifters could only handle one or two additional forms. And to top it all off, she’d shown them firsthand that she was capable of shifting in daylight, which she now regretted. All of those characteristics made her valuable to XCEL. She wasn’t afraid of much, but that scared her.
    “We’ll discuss the details of the operation first thing tomorrow morning,” he said. “Get some sleep.”
    Cam glared into his dark eyes with every bit of animosity she felt. He didn’t ask her if she was in. He knew she was trapped, and he was the trapper. Bastard . “Whatever happened to justice for all?”
    “If you’re looking for justice, you came to the wrong planet,” he replied calmly, and he shut off the lights, turning the glass to black.

     
    That could have gone better, Griffin admitted to himself. She was willful and intelligent, and the only reason she’d stayed in control was to save her accomplice. Which was good for Griffin, because otherwise, he’d have bigger problems.
    “You want a refill?” Lyle, the bartender, asked him over the Celtic music playing in the background.
    It was ten P.M., and the bar was sprinkled with an odd assortment of executives and lovers and diners tucked into the corners. It was Lyle’s place, and Griffin liked it. The walls were covered with everything Irish—flags, banners, signs, you name it. It wasn’t really an Irish pub any longer. Lyle just never bothered to redecorate when he bought it.
    “Sure,” Griffin told his friend, and Lyle reached for the scotch. He poured Griffin a double and put the bottle back on the shelf. Lyle was tall and rail thin, with a long face and short red hair. His eyes were a little too close together, and a scruff of a beard hugged his chin. He leaned both his boney elbows on the bar in front of Griffin.
    “Rough day?” Lyle asked.
    Griffin wanted to laugh. Every day was a rough day. The best parts were when he was in danger or otherwise occupied by his work. The worst parts were when he came home to a quiet, cold, dark apartment. Probably explained why he spent so much time here.
    “Got my Shifter,” he told Lyle, keeping his voice low.
    Lyle’s eyes widened. “No.” He checked to see if anyone was listening. “The female?”
    Griffin nodded, and Lyle blew out a long breath that smelled of cigarettes. “I gotta say, I haven’t ever seen a female Shifter.”
    “They look like the males, only smaller,” Griffin said. “And they smell better.”
    Lyle laughed, a familiar sound. Lyle laughed at everything, even when it wasn’t that funny. It made Lyle a good bartender, and one of Griffin’s few friends. The fact that Lyle could also see Shifters, and bore that curse along with Griffin, made them even closer. They