Tainted Hearts Read Online Free

eroding her composure.
    “I’ll do whatever I can for your daughter,
Mr.…” She risked a glance at his face. Suspicion tingled through
her again. Where had she seen him before? “What’s your name?”
    “Call me whatever you like. I’m irrelevant.
All that matters is my daughter.”
    He stood before her, arms clasped behind his
back, features carefully schooled, revealing nothing. What was she
missing? Either he was nuts—which was a distinct possibility—or
something had driven him to this desperate act.
    “I don’t control the Priority Matrix,” she
tried again. “I have to understand the specifics of your daughter’s
circumstances or I have no way of helping her.”
    With two quick steps, he brought them
toe-to-toe. “Her classification is triple Z.”
    Tuesday gasped. “Triple Z? I’ve never heard
of anyone with a triple Z classification. What are her complicating
conditions? What is compromising the installation?”
    His eyes flashed, then clouded. “Her only
diagnosis is Methuselah Syndrome. Her health will be completely
restored by the procedure.”
    “Then why has it been withheld? There has to
be a reason.”
    He trapped her between his arms, clasping
the breakfast bar on either side of her waist. “All you need to
know is she’ll die within a few days if—”
    “I can’t convince the committee to
reconsider—”
    “I don’t expect them to reconsider! You’re
going to find a way to sneak her through.”
    He wasn’t really touching her, just invading
her personal space, making her unavoidably aware of his big body
and superior strength. His warm, faintly spicy scent drifted around
her, unexpectedly pleasant, masculine. “It’s not that simple.”
    “You hold all the patents and licenses for
the SP-64. Find a way!” Pushing off the counter, he rounded the bar
and entered the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”
    “Am I hungry?” She laughed, the sound hollow
and disbelieving. “Are you insane?”
    “The answer to that is widely debated.” He
faced her across the breakfast bar, his gaze inscrutable. “My
question, on the other hand, requires a simple yes or no.”
    “You expect me to sit down and share a
casual meal with you?”
    “I’ve explained what I need from you. The
ball is in your court. Tell me what it will cost me.”
    That was easy. “My freedom.”
    “Done. The minute my daughter’s procedure is
complete, I’ll set you free.”
    Maybe not so easy. “I can’t arrange it from
here.”
    He grinned, one dark brow arched in silent
challenge. “How do you know? You don’t know where you are. What do
you need to arrange it? I can be very resourceful; tell me what you
need.”
    He was impossible.
    He was insane. No, he was utterly sane. He
knew exactly what he was doing. “I need to think.”
    “Do you think better with food in your
belly?” He moved to the refrigeration unit and studied the contents
through the transparent door. “I’m famished. Do you want something
to eat or not?”
    “How long do you intend to keep me here?” He
didn’t turn to face her, but she could see his reflection on the
surface of the door. His jaw worked and his lips compressed.
    “As long as it takes.” He slid the door to
the side and gathered eggs, cheese and some vegetables, then set
the ingredients by the stove. “Or as long as she has,” he added
without turning around.
    The flicker of pity building within her
sputtered out. She hated to be manipulated. “That’s so unfair. I’m
not responsible for what’s happening to your daughter.”
    He spun to face her, a chopping knife in one
hand, two eggs in the other. Fury gleamed in his wide teal eyes.
Was he going to stab her with the knife or throw the eggs? Only his
thunderous expression kept her from smiling.
    “You want to talk about unfair? My daughter
has never been allowed to play with other children. They might
excite her, or upset her, and her heart couldn’t take the strain.
Her first pacemaker was installed when