Of Shadow Born Read Online Free

and Kade's team became the go-to gang for retrieving artifacts. He’d had Garamendi's personal number on speed dial.
    Then everything went wrong. He'd lost his father, his brother, and his purpose in one night. He walked away, gave it up, tried to forget who he'd been. He should have known they were still watching. Maybe they'd set up the take in Rio in the first place.
    "Kade, you've got to see this." Farris had moved ahead and stood by the railing, a pair of binoculars in his hand. He held them out toward Kade and waggled them in invitation. "You're going to miss her. Come on!"
    Kade set his jaw but moved to catch up. He'd agreed to this, no matter the means by which he'd been convinced. He'd do this job and then he'd decide whether he came back or not. Even if he had to go toe to toe with Garamendi again.
    He fitted the binoculars securely against his eyes. The swipe of a thumb focused the view through the lenses until he could clearly see across the gap to the other pier Farris faced. He got a good look at people shopping. A little girl sharing her lunch with a pushy seagull. No fights, no fear, not a trouble to be seen. He glanced down at the other man, now leaning against the railing, elbows supporting his weight, and what was that smug look about? "You want to tell me what I'm supposed to see?"
    At least that straightened him up. "What do you mean?" He snatched the binoculars out of Kade's hand. "They were right — no, they're still there. Just moving." He sighed like the sight made everything right with the world. "And just watch them move." His focus didn’t waver as he offered the binoculars back, which meant he bounced them off Kade's chest. "Look again."
    Movement was a clue at least. Kade refocused and found his attention drawn to two women talking animatedly. Well. The shorter of the two was animated, hands moving almost as fast as her mouth. The taller looked more collected. Reserved, but interested...and interesting.
    They were both professionals, judging by their clothing, and good friends if he was reading their body language right, but there most of the similarities came to an end. The taller woman looked serious, more focused. She looked like the sort determined to get ahead by relying on knowledge and skill, not her people-charming talents. The smaller woman was bright and enthusiastic, everything she said punctuated by a grin. She'd be the life of the party and always craving attention. She probably laughed too loudly. A real high-maintenance type.
    The tall one would be the observer, a woman with secrets a smart man tried to pry loose. She might not flash or dazzle every day, but he was willing to bet when she did, she'd take the air out of a room. Despite the fact she walked with her shoulders back, there was something fragile about the way she moved, like she might just crumble if her steps got too broad. Like if she breathed too deeply, she might crack apart.
    Like she knew she was being watched. She stopped mid-stride, her posture stiffening, and turned to look behind her like she’d heard something. Nobody approached the women. No one waved or jogged to catch up. She turned her head slowly, scanning the people passing by. Her friend doubled back, smile faltering, but the tall woman still didn’t move. She continued her cautious scan of the surroundings, then her eyes met Kade’s and she stopped with a flinch.
    He felt the jolt as surely as she did, a solid shock of something low in his gut, then vibrations like a semi-truck rolling down the boards behind him. Kade hadn’t done anything to draw her attention. There was no way she could see him from this far away, and yet he watched her eyes — a dramatic hazel-green — narrow as she squinted, then widen in alarm. The color drained from her face and Kade’s heart kicked hard in response, urging him to vault the distance, get to her before she fell.
    “That’s the girl I’m going to marry.”
    He moved without thinking, dropped the