Alpha One by Cynthia Eden Read Free Book Online Page A

had the burn marks on his skin to prove it.
    “Your relationship to her is key. You know that. Get her trust, and we can close this case and finally put Guerrero away.”
    But could they keep her alive long enough to do it?
    A pause hummed on the line. “Does she realize what’s happening?” Mercer wanted to know.
    “She realizes that she’s targeted for death.” Any fool would realize that. Juliana wasn’t a fool.
    Once, she’d been too trusting. Was she still? The idea of using her trust burned almost as much as those flames had.
    “Have you told her about John?”
    The shower shut off. His jaw clenched. “Not yet.”
    “Do it. The sooner she realizes that you’re her only hope of staying alive, the sooner we get her cooperation.”
    It wasn’t just about keeping her alive. The EOD wanted to use her. They were willing to set her up if it meant getting the job done.
    Logan exhaled. “When are we moving her?”
    “Ten minutes.”
    The line died.
    Ten minutes. Too little time to convince Juliana that he was the only one she could trust to keep her alive.
    * * *
    J ULIANA WAS CLIMBING OUT of the shower when her cell phone rang. She’d washed away the blood and ash, but the icy water had done nothing to soothe the aches and pains in her body. She’d cried beneath that pounding water. Juliana hadn’t been able to hold back the tears any longer. Her whole body had trembled as she let her grief and pain pour out of her. Part of Juliana had just wanted to let the grief take control, but she’d fought that instinct. Gathering all of her strength, she’d managed to stop the tears. Managed to get her wall of self-control back in place.
    As the phone rang again, she grabbed for the dress she’d tossed aside moments before and pulled her phone from the near-invisible pocket. Her fingertip slid across the smooth surface. Ben McLintock. Her father’s aide. The guy had to be frantic. She answered the call, lifting the phone to her ear as she said, “Ben, listen, I’m all right. I—”
    The bathroom door crashed open. Juliana gasped and jumped back. Logan stood in the doorway, eyes fierce. “End the call.”
    “Juliana!” Ben’s voice screeched. “Where are you? I searched for you after the explosion, but you’d vanished! Oh, God, at first—at first I thought you were in the car!”
    She almost had been.
    “Then a cop remembered seeing you jump into a truck.” His breath heaved over the line. “They’re saying it looks like a car bomb, it looks like—”
    “I’m in a motel, Ben. I—”
    Logan took the phone from her. Ended the call with a fast shove of his fingers. A muscle flexed in his jaw. “GPS tracking. Your phone just told him exactly where we are.”
    His gaze swept over her. Crap, she was just wearing a towel, one that barely skimmed the tops of her thighs even while her breasts pushed against the loose fold she’d made to secure the terry cloth. He’d seen her in less plenty of times, but that had been a long time ago.
    Juliana grabbed her dress and held it in front of her body. It was a much better shield than the thin towel. “No one is tracking me, okay, Rambo? That was just Ben. He was worried and wanted to make sure—”
    “Guerrero has a man in your father’s office. Someone willing to trade you for a thick wad of cash.” His eyes blazed hotter, and they were focused right on—
    “Eyes up,” she told him, aware of the hot burn in her cheeks.
    Those eyes, when they met hers, flashed with a need she didn’t want to acknowledge right then.
    “I know how this works,” he told her. “And I sure as hell know that we have to move now.”
    GPS tracking. Yes, she knew that was possible, but...“Why? Why can’t they just let me go?” Her father was dead. Shouldn’t that be the end with Guerrero?
    Logan didn’t speak.
    “Turn around,” she snapped.
    His brows rose but he slowly turned, giving her a view of his broad back. Juliana dropped the dress and towel and yanked on her