Raven (Kindred #1) Read Online Free Page B

didn’t see him exit the building, and the street below was empty. Giving up hope of seeing the intruder, she sank down to sit on her heels and reflect on her night.
    This afternoon she had been a normal, boring executive assistant. Now she had witnessed a murder and been hijacked in her own bedroom. She could try to hope that she’d experienced all of the oddities she ever would, but after what her apparent guardian angel had said, she doubted the veracity of that.
    Embracing the abandon of a flirtation with a stranger in a bar was an invigoration that she hadn’t experienced for a long time and after how the night had ended, Zara doubted she would be throwing caution to the wind again anytime soon.
    Dedicating all of her hours to Cormack Industries had meant fast promotion and she was respected in the firm, but didn’t have any associates who could make sense of this night for her. The stranger in her bedroom had given her advice meant to save her life, and at least for now, she couldn’t risk defying it.

THREE
     
     
    Zara didn’t need to worry about telling anyone what had happened on Friday because she didn’t see anyone for the rest of the weekend. This wasn’t unusual as her life was dedicated to doing a good job and that meant she spent more time with paperwork than with people. Immersing herself in work kept her from thinking too much about Tim or the stranger who’d intruded upon her private space.
    Because she felt jumpy alone at home, she’d come into the office knowing she’d be protected in the towering black glass and steel building that was covered by twenty-four hour security. No one could get to her here. Every time she pressed her fingerprint to one of the glowing pads on each internal door, her paranoia lessened.
    The cocoon of modern décor and strict operating procedures gave her a reprieve from watching the walls of her home, which no longer felt safe. So she’d spent her weekend at CI catching up and giving herself a head start for the following week.
    Grant McCormack was supposed to return first thing on Monday. Mid-morning she got the call to say that he’d been delayed. When her bedroom stranger commented on Grant’s itinerary, she hadn’t given it much thought. But his words rushed back to her after Grant’s call. The stranger had known before her, and maybe before Grant, that her boss’ timetable would change.
    That unsettled her further. Being Grant’s chief assistant, Zara knew everything there was to know about Grant’s professional life. She couldn’t figure out how an apparent stranger could’ve known that Grant would stay in New York later than originally planned. Either Grant had known it too and hadn’t clued her in, or the stranger had somehow sabotaged Grant’s itinerary to delay him. Neither possibility appealed to her.
    But she couldn’t ask her boss too many questions, especially not ones that might be personal. They had an informal rapport, but their relationship had always remained professional. Grant McCormack was fair and direct, though he didn’t like to have too many people buzzing around him, so Zara—being the most senior—was the only assistant allowed in his office, which gave her sway. But even she wouldn’t test the limits of his patience.
    Now that she was thinking about it, Grant’s behavior over the previous week had been odd. He usually took an assistant with him on business, this time he hadn’t. Grant made his own travel plans, which was another first. He reserved the hotel and requested his jet be prepared without any assistant support. She’d thought it was weird, but guessed the trip included some kind of romantic interest, and so didn’t ask questions.
    While sitting at her desk throughout that Monday the stranger’s assertions pounded against the inside of her eardrums and she found herself wondering if Grant could be a part of this war the stranger had referenced. There was something sinister about the whole affair, which made