Satan by Jianne Carlo Read Free Book Online Page A

them while you shower and change. Going to loan you one of my coats too. It’s freezing out.”
    She rolled her eyes. “A tich on the over-protective side, are we? Thanks though, for the coat.”
    He waited until she closed the bathroom door, grabbed his cell, sweats, and a T-shirt from the dresser. Taking the steps two at a time, he hustled down to the library. He found her purse wedged under the sofa, fished out the business card for the limo, and made the arrangements for the vehicle to be there within thirty minutes.
    The clutch had an external cell pocket. He removed the phone and frowned. Why would she still have a disposable cell after living in the U.S. for four months? Not only that, the woman hadn’t password protected the damned phone. And she had only about a hundred contacts in total. Curiosity piqued, he filed the information for later research.
    Satan added his name and info to her list of contacts. The temptation to snoop proved irresistible. He searched on the word.org and found one organization listed—Haven. Ten-to-a-dozen Haven was her ISIS-fighting foundation. He entered Haven’s data into his phone, along with her cell number. He located her red shoes and placed them and her purse on the table, and then snapped her phone into the all-of-a-kind fast charging unit the Hades Squad utilized.
    After showering in the cabana bath adjacent to the kitchen, he dressed and brewed two cups of coffee. He returned to the bedroom to find Angelica wearing her little black dress. Unaware he stood in the doorway, she fluffed her hair in front of the mirror, straightened, and jumped when she caught his gaze in the mirror. She met his reflected stare with a shy smile, and her glance dropped to the cups he carried.
    “Coffee.” She whirled around and padded to him hands outstretched for the mug.
    “It’s black.”
    When he offered her the brew, she wrapped her fingers around the cup and waved the steam curls wafting from the liquid to her nose. “Perfect. That’s how I take my java.”
    “Limo’s on the way. Should be here in fifteen. Want breakfast? I can heat up an egg and cheese frozen sandwich. You can eat it on the way in.”
    They stared at each other over the rims of their cups.
    “Can’t face food first thing in the morning. I know, I know, breakfast’s the most important meal of the day—yada, yada. I force myself to have a power juice. You know—berries, coconut milk, fresh herbs, and kale.”
    “I have a juicer, but haven’t got a clue what fresh veggies are in the fridge.” He waved her into the corridor. They walked side-by-side to the landing and down the stairs in cozy companionable silence, sipping their coffee.
    “That’s okay. I’m sure there will be some sort of food available during the meeting. Bagels and stuff. I’ll grab something then. Where’re we going for lunch?”
    They entered the library together.
    Angelica made straight for the sofa. She sat, set her mug down on the coffee table, grabbed her shoes from said table, and strapped the red stilettoes onto her feet.
    “Katz’s Deli. It’s a block away from your condo. I’ll pick you up in the lobby of your building. What time do you expect the meeting to finish?”
    “Around noon-ish, if I’m lucky. You know how it is with meetings. If you get one idiot who likes the sound of his own voice, you’re done for. I’ll have a better idea of how long it’ll go on once I see the agenda. Shall I call you then?”
    He put down his cup, reached for her hand, and tugged her into his arms. “I charged your phone. It’s got enough juice to get you into the city. I also put in my contact information and took yours. Call me when you get to your place and when you know it’s going to end.”
    “Okay.” She kissed his chin, fingered his stubble, and shot him the sexiest up-from-under-peep. “Thanks.”
    She ducked out of his embrace, grabbed her purse, and stood just as the doorbell rang.
    Satan unsnapped her cell from the