The Devil's Game Read Online Free

he’s been delayed slightly. He should be here any minute though,” he said hurriedly, as though reassuring her. “He’s asked that I help you get settled and make sure you’re comfortable. May I show you to your seat?”
    “Um, okay.”
    The interior of the plane was the most luxurious thing Karina had ever seen. Warm beiges and sleek wood paneling made it feel inviting to her. There was only a single row of seats along each side of the plane, but each one was roomy and plush with padded armrests and high backs. As she sat in the one she was led to, Karina suspected it even reclined.
    “Can I get you anything?” Tom asked as she sat down. “Coffee? Sparkling water? Champagne, perhaps?”
    “Just water is fine,” she said. “Plain water. Not sparkling.”
    “Very well, then,” he said and disappeared into the back of the plane only to quickly reappear with a glass of ice and a bottle of water.
    Tom placed them both on a flat, recessed area of the paneling beneath the window.
    “Will that be all?” he asked, and Karina nodded. “Damien should be back any minute,” he repeated just as something out the window seemed to catch his eye. “Oh look, there he is now.”
    Tom rushed to wait by the door, and Karina looked out the window to see a black limousine parked outside. A man climbed out of the passenger side front and opened the rear door. Karina inhaled sharply as Damien emerged. He was laughing and appeared to be talking to someone still in the limo. He nodded to whoever it was and walked away, letting the other man close the door before following Damien to the plane.
    Tom greeted Damien just as exuberantly, but Karina could only stare at the empty seat facing her, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
    “Is everything ready?” she heard him ask Tom.
    “Yes, sir,” Tom replied. “Jim is just waiting for your word, and Miss Watson has arrived and is seated.”
    “Good. Tell him to take off. And bring me a glass of scotch as soon as we’re in the air.”
    “Of course.”
    Karina heard the soft footsteps coming her way and thought for sure that her heart would burst, it was beating so furiously.
    Damien sat down opposite her, facing her, and Karina couldn’t not look him in the eye. It was the same intense look he had given her at the coffee shop. Good god, was that really only three days ago?
    “Karina,” Damien said in that sensuous voice of his.
    It was hunger, she realized. The look in his eyes was hunger. For her. And Karina feared she wouldn’t survive it.
    “Damien,” she said, fighting to keep her voice even.
    The plane started to roll forward, and Karina found herself gripping the arm rests.
    “Everything okay?” he asked, tilting his head.
    “It’s fine,” she said a bit harshly.
    “Have you ever flown before?”
    “Don’t you already know the answer to that?” she asked, and he frowned. “You seem to know everything else about me.”
    He sighed. “I only gathered the info that I needed to help you.”
    “That’s what this is? Helping me?”
    “You’re here, aren’t you? Of your own accord, I might add.”
    The engines started to roar, and Karina felt herself sink deeper into the chair as the plane accelerated. She closed her eyes, waiting for it to be over with, and felt something on her knee.
    She opened her eyes to see Damien leaning forward with his hand on her.
    “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Damien told her.
    Karina wondered if he meant the plane ride or him.
    “How long until we land?” she asked.
    He leaned back in his seat. “It’s about a three-hour flight depending on the wind.”
    Karina dared a look back at the other three passengers. “So who are they?” she asked.
    “Tom is my personal assistant. The other two men are part of my security team. You’ll undoubtedly see a lot of them, but they don’t talk much.”
    “Do you always travel with bodyguards?”
    “I do.”
    “I see,” she said when he didn’t elaborate. “How did the