Flameout by Keri Arthur Read Free Book Online

in PIT’s midst?”
    â€œAnd Rochelle and I can keep an eye on each other.”
    Meaning they were locked up
together
. Annoyance—or maybe even jealousy—flitted through me. It was a useless emotion, given the situation, but one I instinctively couldn’t help.
    I briefly looked away. “That being the case, why were you allowed out tonight?”
    He shrugged again, and again his arm brushed mine. Awareness and desire cascaded through me, and I silently cursed both Luke and fate for bringing this man back into my life.
    Because, really, who was I kidding? I couldn’t remain friends with him—not if I wanted to retain any sort of sanity. I might not be human, but I wasn’t without a heart and a soul, and there was only so much pain I could stand in one lifetime.
    â€œIt wasn’t a PIT mission, as such. It didn’t really matter if Luke was aware of our actions.”
    Was there a hint of awareness in the soft rumble of his reply? Perhaps even a sliver of yearning? Or was that merely my endlessly hopeful heart hearing what it wanted to hear?
    I took a breath and slowly released it. “That almost sounds like you were being used as bait.”
    â€œIn many respects, I was.”
    I raised an eyebrow. “So where is the backup team?”
    â€œThere wasn’t one. As the vamps noted, this whole situation has stretched PIT’s resources to the limit.”
    â€œIt hardly makes sense to use you as bait, then leave you without a backup team if the wolf comes calling.”
    He smiled, but it was a cold thing, containing little in the way of amusement. That hint of awareness and yearning—if indeed it had even existed—had very definitely fled.
    â€œIn this particular case, the bait is very capable of taking care of himself.”
    â€œIn normal circumstances, yes, but there were too many red cloaks here tonight for even you to handle. They would have taken you—”
    â€œMaybe not,” he cut in. “Maybe they only attacked because
you
were here.”
    I blinked. “Why on earth would you think
that
?”
    â€œBecause of the vamps.”
    â€œI’m not seeing the connection—”
    â€œThey came here to kill
you
. And the information that you were here could have only come from Luke.”
    â€œYes, so?”
    His gaze met mine, blue eyes gleaming like ice in the darkness. “Given the speaker and microphone I found, Luke was obviously aware of both my presence at the grave site and the fact that I was all but alone. If snatching or killing me
had
been his sole goal, he could have ordered the cloaks to attack earlier. But he didn’t—not until you arrived.”
    Given Luke had already told me his plans to capture—and torture—me, that was certainly more than a possibility. “Either way, PIT basically hung you out to dry, and that’s not particularly nice of them.”
    He half smiled, but again, there was little in the way of humor in it. “You can hardly expect them to worry about the safety of someone who may be giving information to the enemy, even if unknowingly.”
    â€œIf they thought
that
,” I snapped, “they’d have killed you.”
    He didn’t immediately say anything, but when he did, his voice was oddly wistful. “
That
option is still very much on the agenda.”
    Another of those almost prophetic chills ran through me. “You can’t be serious! If anything, you’re their best means of
capturing
Luke. If he’s using a link to gather information, surely you—and they—can do the same?”
    â€œHe’s the hive master, not me.” He wasn’t looking at me, wasn’t looking at anything, really. Whatever he was seeing, it was internal rather than external. “I see nothing. Nothing beyond what he wants me to see.”
    The chill got stronger. “Meaning what, exactly?”
    He glanced at me. Just for an