Dark Wolf (Shadow Pack Book 1) Read Online Free

bears. There were plenty of black bear trophies scattered about his home, even though he considered the endangered bears pedestrian in terms of hunting. Unfortunately, he would have to make do, as they were the closest option for big game hunting, and he could not afford to be far away from his base at the moment. His hunting partner and helicopter awaited him on the helipad. But there was something he had to attend to first.
    The expanse of windows behind him showcased a magnificent view of the windswept Atlantic, the ocean alight with moonbeams. He enjoyed the best view from his office. He had designed the entire house with that thought in mind.
    A heavy crystal glass filled with sixty-year-old scotch glittered on the suede desk pad. He did not offer a drink to his visitor, who stood on the other side of the desk. Ambrose crossed his massive arms in front of his chest, waiting for the other man to acknowledge him.
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    The employee who stood in front of the desk was even larger than his boss, a human brick wall whose size usually made people assume that he was not intelligent. This was a mistake. The small blue eyes embedded in the man’s granite features held a grim intelligence that he took care to veil in the company of those he didn’t trust. Kane Black trusted no one, but his loyalty could be bought, and had been purchased by Hugh Ambrose. The gray suit that covered his body was chosen with the care of a connoisseur. His blond hair was trimmed into a crew cut, and his erect posture betrayed his military background. Although usually a consummate professional, Kane impatiently awaited his master’s permission to speak. He had just completed a grueling search and a turbulent flight back to report to Ambrose in person, as his boss preferred. Kane was beginning to get annoyed.
    Ambrose’s stare caught Kane’s and held for a moment—the older man’s power absolute—before giving a brief nod. “She’s here in this state, sir, near a resort town called Blowing Rock. Katie is pretty sharp to have thought to hide this close to home after all of this time. It’s the last place we would look. She is a bartender at a place called the Laughing Bear. She’s alone.” Kane spoke matter-of-factly, not wanting his boss to see his dislike just yet. He didn’t bother to mention the wounded wolf or the girl’s suspiciously large “uncle.”
    “Of course she’s sharp. I raised her.” Ambrose turned his back on the other man to stare out of the window. His sausage-like fingers twitched as if they wanted to strangle some small helpless animal. “Good. I would hate to find out that she had taken up with someone who I would have to kill.
    “Close. I can’t believe she’s this close. I figured she would stay out of the country, but then—she probably knew I would think that. Tell the good doctor to be ready out on the island. Take her immediately. I want her now.”
    Kane felt a frisson of disgust for this intemperate man to whom he owed his livelihood, but he was trapped by his own complicity. If the old man ever discovered that Kane had developed the annoying beginnings of a conscience, he was a dead man. His first transgression was when he purposefully relaxed the guard on his boss’s stepdaughter, allowing her to slip away.
    Kane would play along, for now. To be a team player at this junction meant only one thing.
    “Sir, I think it might be wise to wait a day or two. The powers that be are watching you very closely. And there is the meeting to think of.” Kane referred to the upcoming meeting in which Ambrose, one of the world’s most ruthless arms dealers, would be selling shares to the highest bidder in the biggest development in modern warfare since gunpowder.
    The large vein that crossed Ambrose’s temple began to pulse. Spittle flew across the desk as he spoke. “I want her now .” He picked up the glass and took a long swallow of the amber liquid and appeared to try to get himself under