Classified Read Online Free Page B

first.
    “Triple,” Green Eyes countered, his gaze glued to Casey’s, his hands in the air while Fernandez’s cohort frisked him.
    Who the hell was this guy? Ignoring the muzzle biting into her scalp, Casey twisted to face Fernandez. His ruthless grip tightened in her hair. She gritted her teeth to restrain a wince. “You double-cross me and you won’t live to regret it, my friend.” Anger, mostly at herself, scorched away any trace of common sense she had left. Kicking this guy’s butt was going to feel so good. Even if it kills you? Her uncle’s voice echoed in her ears.
    Fernandez snorted. “Perhaps you are the one who will not live to regret it.”
    “Watch out!” Green Eyes shouted a split second before a blow rattled Casey’s brain.
    Pain shattered her skull. Her mind willed her to strike back but the blackness swallowed her too fast.
    She was down.

Chapter Three
     
    She wasn’t dead.
    That was good.
    Maybe. Levi wasn’t so sure. So far this woman appeared as much an enemy as the guys driving the truck but since she and Levi were in the same predicament he’d give her the benefit of the doubt.
    The pickup bumped over the rutted road, tossing him against the woman. He tried to roll away from her but with his hands and feet bound, he had little control over his movements.
    He had no idea who she was. Fernandez had refused to give her name when he and Levi had conducted their first on-site meeting. Levi had tried getting a shot of her with his cell phone to send to Victoria at the agency for possible identification but this chick was too smart for that. She stayed meshed with her surroundings, limiting photo ops. He couldn’t exactly send the description that best suited her. Long, silky blond hair and radiant blue eyes, and a body that made her hard to ignore. Lean but with just the slightest gentle curves in all the right places. The woman was striking, there was no denying. Levi savored a deep breath of her scent. And she smelled like flowers right after a rain. Not a gaudy, cloying scent. A delicate, honeyed fragrance that had him leaning closer when he knew better.
    As good as she smelled that didn’t mean she wasn’t as thorny as the award-winning roses his mother nurtured in her garden back in Tallahassee.
    Another bounce of the truck and Levi rolled against her, a little harder this time. She groaned and her eyes fluttered open. It took a second or two for her to assess the situation before he felt the tension ripple through her. She started to squirm. Not exactly an unpleasant thing but definitely a dangerous one.
    “Hey, hey!” he whispered, infusing as much urgency as possible into his tone. “Take it easy.” If she started screaming the driver would likely stop to shut her up. For good this time. With his hands tied behind his back Levi couldn’t stop her from yelling if she decided to go for it. “Don’t scream, okay?” He held his breath, braced for the worst.
    She stilled. No screaming, thankfully. He dared to breathe.
    “I don’t know where they’re taking us,” he explained, “but I’m reasonably certain they intend this moonlight drive to be our last ride.”
    There wasn’t enough light to read her expression much less her eyes as she analyzed his warning for a beat or two. “Who are you?”
    Persistent, wasn’t she? They really didn’t have time for this but if it would gain her cooperation for now it would be worth the inconvenience. “I’m a private detective. I believe we’re looking for the same person.” She started to squirm again. “I’m not your enemy,” he reassured her. She ignored him and kept wiggling. She was going to get them killed earlier than already scheduled.
    “If you draw their attention—”
    Before he finished the warning she had fidgeted around until her bound hands were behind her bent knees. With some soft swearing and more struggling she worked until she slipped her right leg free of the loop her arms made, then she did the same