Hard as You Can by Laura Kaye Read Free Book Online Page A

in the back?”
    “I’ll see what I can do.” Shane slid the metal folding chair under the makeshift table, glad he’d found a mission-critical reason to check on the woman who had put her neck on the line for him last night. He didn’t need his gut to tell him she was in trouble. She’d all but admitted it. Crystal’s wide eyes, long red hair, and beautifully delicate features came to his mind’s eye, and Shane couldn’t get to her soon enough. “Thanks again for a great meal, Becca.”
    The weight of several gazes lit on his back as he crossed the gym to the door, but he paid the sensation no mind. He was doing what they needed done. So what if it also gave him a shot at learning what might be happening to the women who landed in that godforsaken basement?
    He crossed the industrial hallway to a door on the other side of the landing, punched a key code into the box at the side, and entered the Rixeys’ apartment. With its brick walls, high ceilings, and exposed ductwork, the space retained the old warehouse’s character, but Jeremy had done a helluva job renovating to make it an inviting place to hang and shoot the shit. Too bad they weren’t here for that.
    At the very back of the large apartment, Shane found the no-frills guest room where he’d crashed the past few days. A row of duffels lined one wall, and he rifled through one until he found what he needed. In the hall bathroom, he spiked out his hair with the gel he only ever used for darkening his hair color and, with the right clothes, subtly altering his appearance. It was a testament to his belief in Nick that he’d brought all his guns, equipment, and supplies with him. But six years of living and fighting and bleeding with someone meant you trusted his gut when it sounded the alarm. Simple as.
    A few minutes later, he was in black from head to toe. Boots. Jeans. Tee. Holster. Beat-up leather jacket. He slipped the butterfly necklace he always carried into his pocket, tucking it deep so it couldn’t fall out. Back at the mirror, he threw on some shades to see the effect. Nothing like the clean-cut look he’d sported the previous night. He grabbed a fake ID, his Sig Sauer, an earpiece, and a blade, then made to fly.
    Anticipation flashed through his veins. If the gang had roughed Crystal up after they rescued Charlie last night, that damage would rest on his shoulders. At least partly. At this point, he couldn’t not go back and check on her. Just his sense of duty at work. What else would it be?
    Nick was waiting for him in the living room, ass propped against the back of the couch and ankles and arms crossed. “I don’t like your going in alone.”
    “Won’t be alone. I’ve got the communication equipment from last night’s op. And this is strictly fact-finding. No intent to engage.”
    Nick gave a tight nod. “Good. That’s good.” They clasped hands, a familiar understanding passing between them. Shane turned for the door. “And Shane?”
    He paused. Too much to hope for a clean getaway.
    “Eyes on the prize, brother. Are we clear?”
    Shane hated that Nick thought he needed a reminder to keep focused on the mission, but after Shane’s outburst, part of him wasn’t surprised to receive it. He reached the door and tugged it open. “Crystal.”
    Shane bit out a curse under his breath. The pun wasn’t lost on him as the door clanked shut.

Chapter 4
    O n a short break, Crystal leaned into the dressing-room mirror and tilted her face into the light. The swelling had gone down, so between her makeup and the dim lights of the club, the customers didn’t seem to be noticing that she’d been struck. Bruno was too damn strategic to use his fists on her face, but he had no qualms about using an open palm, nor about taking out his frustrations on the rest of her body.
    And last night, having lost Church’s prisoner and the guys who’d stolen him, he’d had frustration to spare.
    Of course, he’d apologized, wrapped her in his coat,