Hunted (Riley Cray) Read Online Free Page A

you.”
    “The hell I’m not!” I replied, glaring at the older agent. “I’ll sprout wings and fart fairy dust before I leave without him. So you can suck it up and let me bring him, or you can explain to your boss and the media that I got torn apart by Samson because you didn’t want me to bring my kitty-cat.”
    From the corner of my eye I saw Holbrook’s face flush with the effort not to laugh, a small chuckle escaping his lips before he was able to smother it with an unconvincing cough. Johnson’s features soured, his lips pursing as if he were sucking on a particularly tart lemon, but he didn’t offer any further protests.
    “Fine. But I’m not scooping its shit,” he growled before storming out the door to go stand in the cold.
    “Argh! Why’s he such a humongous tool?” I asked, rounding on Holbrook with a snarl. The burning itch in my eyes and the look of alarm on his face let me know that they had begun to bleed over to wolf gold.
    Embarrassed by my lack of control I turned my back to him, closing my eyes as I drew several slow breaths, urging my pulse to slow as I pushed the wolf down. My hands clenched and unclenched at my sides, my palms hot and sweaty, but thankfully still human. Tension sang in my hunched shoulders as they trembled with the need to shift, to run and get as far away as possible.
    Not now, not now , I chanted, fighting to push the wolf back into the dark as I clung to the fraying remnants of my humanity.
    After what seemed like an eternity she obeyed, sliding back into the darkness, but not before letting me know that next time she wouldn’t go without a fight.
    “Sorry,” I whispered. “I’m not normally so easily riled. It’s just...”
    “It’s okay,” Holbrook said, his hand a tentative, but warm and welcome weight on my shoulder. “Johnson’s an annoying jerk at times, but he’s a good agent. You’re lucky to have him watching your back.”
    “Couldn’t he do it without being such a gigantic douche nozzle?” I asked, still too embarrassed to turn around and face him.
    “I think that’s about as likely as you sprouting those wings,” he replied, his voice light with barely suppressed laughter.
    Scooping up my bags, Holbrook flashed me a dazzling smile. “Ready?”
    “As I’ll ever be.” Grasping the handle of Loki’s carrier, his rollicking motion stilled the moment I picked it up.
    A big black Suburban with government plates was parked in the driveway next to my green Jeep Wrangler. The black behemoth lurked in the snow like a great hulking beast, shining menacingly in the sunshine.
    Real inconspicuous, guys , I snorted, barely refraining from rolling my eyes.
    “You okay?” Holbrook asked, pausing beside me, his eyes squinting against the mid-morning sun reflecting off of the snow.
    “Yup, just peachy,” I replied, forcing a smile that I was sure looked more like a grimace.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER THREE
     
    ALTHOUGH MY CABIN was nestled in the woods north of Leadville, a spot that was pretty damned remote and far removed from the prying eyes of the media, the FBI, in all their wisdom had decided that staying put was simply not an option. Instead they wanted me moved to an “undisclosed location” where I could be kept under the watchful eyes of Johnson and Holbrook.
    Their idea of a safe house left a lot to be desired.
    A collection of four buildings designed to look like quaint little alpine chalets, The Knotty Pine Motel sat just off of Highway 9 a few miles outside of Breckenridge, the dense forest looming over the cluster of buildings as if the surrounding wilderness was slowly reclaiming the land. The motel had probably seen its last significant facelift sometime in the eighties and was gradually succumbing to the stresses of time and neglect. A flickering neon sign hanging crookedly over the door of the office proudly proclaimed ‘Free Cable Available!’
    “Classy,” I muttered as I slid out of the back of the SUV, my