Payback by Vanessa Kier Read Free Book Online Page A

much. Too soon.
    Damn him, she didn’t have time to be attracted to him.
    When he started to protest, she put a hand on his thigh. “Mark, I have a safe place to stay tonight.” She suspected he wouldn’t approve of the beachside hostel and its young, hippy clientele. But she’d fit right in. And she doubted Jamieson or Mark would look for her in such a public place.
    “Just drop me anywhere on Main Street and I’ll be fine.”
    “I—”
    “And don’t try to follow me.”
    He glared at her again. For some reason, that only made her hot.
    “It’s dangerous for me to be seen with you,” she reminded him. “Give me a secure way to contact you. After you give me some sort of a sign that you’re actually working toward finding Toby, we can arrange a time to meet later in the week.”
    His fingers tensed on the steering wheel. “If you feel any sense of threat,” he snapped as he pulled alongside the sidewalk, “you call me immediately.”
    “Agreed.” Plenty of people were still milling about, enjoying the balmy evening. They’d give her cover and help her disappear faster.
    To her surprise, he leaned over and gave her another hard, possessive kiss. Then, just as abruptly, he sat back. “Go. Before I decide to keep you here whether you want it or not.”
    Blinking in surprise, Faith let herself out of the car. Still reeling from the impact of the kiss, she watched him drive away. Then she shook her head and vanished into the crowd.
    T wo and a half hours later, Mark let himself into his apartment. So much for being clever. He’d been so proud of himself for slipping a tiny tracking device into Faith’s sweater pocket when he’d kissed her. After dropping her at an all night coffee shop in the center of the small bayside town, he’d quickly found a place to park, then followed her on foot.
    But within half an hour not only had he lost visual on her, he’d lost the signal. She must have found the device and destroyed it. Making him wonder just what kind of training she’d had.
    He tossed his keys into the ebony bowl sitting on the teak side table, then turned and looked at his reflection in the gold and black inlaid mirror.
    Hmm. He still looked the same. Brown hair, brown eyes. Aristocratic face showing no more than mild puzzlement. Shaking his head, he walked toward the living room, examining his hands as he went. He desperately needed a drink, but even his hands showed nothing of his inner turmoil. There wasn’t a tremor to be found.
    He poured himself a shot of vodka and threw it back.
    The burn down his throat made him feel more like himself, instead of the aroused, possessive stranger he’d turned into the second he’d laid eyes on Miss Faith Andrews. For God’s sake, she possessed information that might help him nail Jamieson, and all he could think of was how soon he could get her into bed.
    This wasn’t him. He didn’t let his emotions dictate to him. He was civilized. Logical. Controlled.
    Of course you are. That’s why you planned to kidnap Susana Dias last month. You were dreaming of a life with her at your side. You were star-struck.
    Mark frowned and poured another shot. Jamieson had ordered him to kidnap former supermodel Susana Dias because, during an appendectomy, a microchip containing critical research had been implanted into her stomach. But the moment Mark had met Susana, he’d felt like an awkward teenager. He’d been so overcome by her vibrant beauty that all he could think of was making her his own.
    In hindsight, what he’d felt had been the need to possess a pretty object, thus improving his status.
    With Faith, however, he’d been someone else entirely. Someone he didn’t know. She brought him to full arousal just being near her, making him want to taste her again and again until she became a part of him. But it went beyond physical need. He wanted to get to know her better. To listen to her talk and to touch her skin and see how soft it might be. He wanted to