No One Lives Forever Read Online Free Page B

her hips, she stooci over a bag of groceries strewn across the floor. Eyes flared.
    "How did you—" He knew by the look of her. For Raven to have been his seductress, she would have to possess skills in teleportation. She had just stepped through the outside entrance off the fire escape using a key he'd given her as backup if the elevator was out of commission.
    A woman's voice came from behind him.
    "I am sorry for my innocent deception. Seeing you in that blindfold, I could not resist."
    He turned his head to gaze upon a familiar face marred with a nasty bruise on her left cheekbone. The beautiful Asian woman slipped a hand conspira-torially through his arm.
    "Innocence and you parted company long ago, lady," he said. "I don't appreciate you barging in here." He yanked his arm from her in protest and stepped aside. His reluctance only amused his intruder. And she wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it.
    "And I thought you and I were such good friends." Her eyes appraised him. "It's nice to see you in daylight, my love. You are even more handsome than I remembered." The woman smiled like an accomplice, no doubt enjoying her hoax. Dressed in a vivid red silk pantsuit, she looked stunning with her dark features and shoulder-length black hair. "And you are well skilled in the art of Kenjitsu . . . among other things. This pleases me."
    Sidestepping a carton of cracked eggs and a melon, Raven narrowed her eyes in disbelief and bounded across the floor in record time.
    "I've got skills too, and I'd sure like to demonstrate a few, but by the looks of your face, someone beat me to it. Pun intended." Raven stepped closer to the woman, standing nose-to-nose. "Must be your charm. So who the hell are you?"
    Raven's ploy had little effect, despite her attempt at intimidation. Jasmine only returned her glare, not backing down. Having seen the deadly assassin in action, Christian would not have expected otherwise.
    "My name is Jasmine Lee. Although I did not share my identity at the time, Christian remembers how we met, don't you?" She shifted her gaze to him, her eyes taking in the length of his body. The gesture added fuel to an already blazing fire.
    Not one to back down, Raven inched closer. But before she voiced an opinion, Christian interceded by answering the woman's question.
    "Yes, I do," he said, his voice tempered by the gratitude he felt. In reaction to a memory, phantom pain radiated from the scar on his belly, a souvenir from his brush with death nearly a year ago. "I owe her more than I can ever repay."
    "I'm glad you remembered, lover . . . and that you are so very grateful." She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "I was afraid your memory might be a little . . . vague on some points."
    He understood the underlying meaning in her cryptic message—heard it loud and clear.
    He could tell by her expression and the innuendo in her voice. Jasmine suspected he hadn't told the complete truth about what happened. Being a cop, Raven wouldn't have understood why he kept his involvement with an assassin to himself. Their pact had been unspoken, for they both had killed that night. He understood his motivation, but why Jasmine killed was still a mystery.
    In the meantime, ground rules had to be set.
    "No matter how grateful I may be . . . that doesn't mean you can barge in here unannounced. I don't appreciate your head games." He pointed a finger at Jasmine. His raised voice reverberated off the walls. "So knock it off."
    Slowly, she nodded in acknowledgment, making a graceful gesture with her hand. A sign of her concession. But the smile lingered, flavoring her truce with a heaping dose of ridicule.
    "I have come to collect on my marker. You owe me, Christian. And I am afraid no is not an option. I do not have the luxury of time on my side."
    Something in the woman's eyes changed, almost imperceptibly. He heard the urgency of her message. Yet laced between her words, he found an intriguing vulnerability. And in that instant