Kaye Chambers Tiger by the Tail (On the Prowl)

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Stop. I get the point.
No, you don t. I put you in this position. I planted the seed on the drive over last
night. Of course, if I d known you were going to jump right in and stage your own little
revolution, I might have kept my mouth shut. But I didn t know you were that wild at
heart. Lord knows, your file didn t even hint at it. But I did it all. It was my plan that put
you in this position, so it s my job to keep you safe. Safe means letting the people who
are qualified to do their jobs, do them. It means you will have a security system. It means
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Kaye Chambers
there will be guards in the house and on the grounds. It means that Tori will screen your
mail and your messages. It means that you will be alive in six months to sit at that table
and give the tigers a voice. Do you understand me?
I guess the gloves had come off, or rather, maybe I was seeing those black stripes on
that black coat, after all. Instinct made me ask the question in the back of my mind.
Who are you so afraid of?
Everyone. You re such a wild card. I wouldn t put it past the other groups to put out
a mark against you. Unfortunately, you re not safe among our own society, either. You
have enemies. People who hated your parents will carry that grudge against you. Worse,
people who were aspiring to climb the status ladder will hate you, too. Women who are
after the strongest of us will be out to get you, because you ve just become the most
eligible socialite simply on power level, alone. They may not be willing to front an
official hit, but they ll be weak links for anyone who s willing to buy them a drink and
talk to them. There are a handful of people I will trust with your safety and I m bringing
them all here. Your house is big enough to accommodate them. If you ve got a problem
with it, we can open up the house on Grant. It was designed to be easier to defend, but
this is where you re most comfortable. If we put guards in the woods and make sure you
never run alone, we should be able to work it out.
Were the others in the house on Grant?
He blinked at me and nodded. Yeah. It s one of those big status mansions that sit
off the river. Why?
Because it didn t do them any good, did it?
He saw my point with a reluctant half smile.
I ll agree to take the necessary steps to make sure no one gets me, but there have to
be limits. I m a very private person. I bought this place because I love my solitude. I love
running in the fields and swimming in the surf. I can t have everyone under my feet all
the time.
I watched him weigh the options before he sighed.
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Tiger by the Tail
You ll never know we re here. Think of it this way, it s free labor on getting the
kinks out of this place. You need someone who can put a bit of the sparkle back into it.
Someone you recommend?
My relief was obvious. I should be scared, but I wasn t. Cole and company would
keep me safe. I had a feeling he didn t understand the meaning of the word failure.
I know an architect who would love a chance to get his hands on this place from a
restorative angle.
Really? Who?
He grinned at me and this time it bled all the way up to his eyes.
Me.
You re an architect?
You sound so surprised. Did you think I ran around escorting ladies for my living?
I flushed with the realization that I honestly hadn t thought about what he might be
in his day job. Live and learn. I made the resolution not to make any more snap
judgments and turned to walk into the house.
Do what needs to be doing, Cole. I m going to get that lunch and take a nap.
We need to start going over things, Sasha. Can the nap wait?
Glancing over my shoulder, I frowned at him. You dragged me out of work for
lunch and an afternoon. A nap won t crimp your style while you get everyone squared
away on the way things are going to run around here, now will it?
His sigh was loud as he followed me into the house. I found a deli tray in the kitchen
with sandwiches and a fresh gallon of iced tea. Shaking my head, I looked around at the
changes already being done. I walked out onto the back porch with a glass of tea in one
hand and a sandwich in the other.
What are they doing?
I waved my hand to a small cluster of men who were hanging something in one of
the downstairs windows.
Those are your camera receivers. It s all wireless. We re turning that room into our
security command center. It was empty, so it was the most likely candidate. I ve got the
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Kaye Chambers
guards bunking two to a room upstairs and Tori claimed your guest room. She likes the
way you decorate, by the way. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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