Kuma by Kassanna Read Free Book Online Page B

could fall back on the profession should her other sources of income suddenly dry up. Lately, she’d had to resort to stripping more than she cared to but the money was good and right now the outfit was coming in handy. She snatched the utility belt from her suitcase and buckled it on her hips, wiggling the heavy accessory to settle it.
    She didn’t see the final piece of her costume and started digging through her things to find it. Her fingers slid across the straight razor she concealed in the lining, she palmed it and quickly slid it in one of the belt’s pockets. Gripping the sides of her case, she bit the inside of her cheek trying to remember where she’d last seen the item.
    “Somebody’s got an exciting night planned.” Fre strolled into her room and dropped on the down on the bed.
    “Not really just a little payback for a dumb-ass, cheating bear.” Nix walked to the closet and pulled out her smaller luggage bag.
    “You sound way too excited to be planning some sort of retribution. Usually when it comes to getting even you’re coldly calculating.” Fre blinked innocently up at Nix.
    Nix stopped and met her friend’s gaze before shaking her head. “I’m enjoying all the different scenarios of how I will make him pay. What are you doing here anyway? I thought Rhys took you for a little vacay?” Nix dropped the case to the floor and fell to her knees to unzip it.
    “He heard about your little altercation with the knife. I told him as long as you didn’t kill anyone it wasn’t that serious, but he didn’t believe me.” Fre sighed. “So here we are.”
    Nix nodded in agreement. “Maybe one day men will learn to listen to us.”
    “Perhaps. So what’s your plan?”
    Nix found what she was looking for and rose. With a flick of her wrist she cracked her whip. She looped it in her hand and attached it to her belt, then raised her head to look at her friend. “I intend to do a little bear training.”
    She left Fre smiling from her seat on the mattress, murmuring, “If you say so.”
    She disregarded the comment with a flip of her hand and sauntered down the hall, the coat whipping around her legs and the hard soles of her shoes clicking against the tile as she moved through the manor. Nix passed a small group of guards coming in from outside. Strolling along, she glanced at them and offered a hint of a smile. The guard closest to her placed a hand over his heart. Nix winked in return and kept walking. She dipped her head and snickered as she made her way to the wing that encompassed the game room.
    The French doors were open and beyond them she could see the huge flat-screen TV that hung on the opposite wall. Brown leather couches were scattered through the room and between a pool and air-hockey table. A bar was situated along one wall with a mirror backsplash. Nix scratched her cheek and stepped into the dark, deep pile carpet. She peered around the door and saw that Boris was leaned over the far end of the pool table playing, alone.
    Her steps were soundless as she moved, she hovered as he made the shot and the clank of the balls hitting each other filled the room. Boris lifted his face and pinned her with his stare. She felt goose bumps raise on her skin everywhere his gaze touched. She swallowed and raised her chin in challenge. Nix simply wasn’t sure exactly what she was daring him to do. He straightened and rested the stick against the table.
    “That’s an interesting outfit you wearing.” He moved away from the table and closer to her.
    Nix walked farther into the room while keeping the heavy furniture between them. “You cheated. I thought you should see what you’re missing.”
    “I didn’t cheat. You didn’t say how we could return. And I can’t miss something I never had a chance to sample.” Boris shut the doors and turned to face her. “Either way I won. Tell me, beautiful, what’s your real name?”
    “Play a game with me…Can you win two-for-two?”
    Boris crossed his