Steele by Sherri L. King Read Free Book Online

his hand so wide and large that it nearly spanned her entire back.
    Steele walked her up to the front porch, lingering as they reached it. He bent down and kissed her, his tongue delving deep. He pulled her into his arms, lifting her feet off the ground, and held her tight, his lips demanding on hers, as if he would never let her go.
    He set her back down on her feet and pressed one last lingering kiss to her lips. “If I don’t leave now, you won’t get any sleep tonight.”
    His wicked promise made her knees turn to water and she leaned against him to keep from falling. He steadied her then turned to go. Dazed, euphoric, Marla turned to go into the house.
    The door opened with nothing more than a push. She must have forgotten to lock it, though she’d never forgotten it before. She hated having such a short memory for ordinary things like this. More than likely, she’d be feeling these aftereffects of her coma for the rest of her life. It was a depressing thought.
    All this was happening just because she’d tried to change a lightbulb. It sickened her how easily she’d been brought low by a simple fall.
    She turned on a light in her living room and gave a loud scream when she saw the man waiting there for her. Marla backed up, wanting to distance herself from the stranger standing in her home as though he owned it. The man watched her and slowly put his hand beneath the suit coat he wore. He pulled out an impressive-looking gun—big and silver, it glinted in the dim light—and pointed it at her.
    “Have a seat, Ms. Rivers,” he said softly, menacingly.
    Marla plunked limply down on her couch, keeping her eyes focused on the gun at all times. “Who are you?”
    “I’m Daniel Press, the acting junior director of Siren Corp.”
    Marla felt her eyes go wide. “I thought I’d seen the last of you people?”
    “I decided to try and persuade you, personally, one more time to allow us to study you.” His teeth glinted in the light. A razor blade smile. The smile of a predator.
    “I’ve already told you no. My answer hasn’t changed,” she said bravely, feeling anything but. “A gun isn’t going to make me change my mind, either.”
    “I could shoot you.”
    “Killing me isn’t going to help you understand my quirks.”
    “Who said anything about killing you?” He fired the gun at her feet and she jumped up on the couch with a shriek, the explosion ringing in her ears. “The next bullet will be in your kneecap. You can count on it. I’m an excellent shot and we’ve doctors on standby in case it becomes necessary.”
    Marla’s heart went cold with fear.
    There came a sound at her door. “Marla? You forgot your purse in—” Steele halted mid-sentence as he saw Daniel. Daniel, surprised by the interruption, squeezed the trigger of the gun, pointing it squarely at Steele. Marla screamed at him to move, but it was too late. The gun went off with another mighty roar.
    Steele didn’t even flinch. He stood there and took the shot, unafraid of any damage it might cause. Miraculously, magically, it didn’t cause him any harm at all. The bullet bounced off him, the slug falling uselessly to the floor at his feet.
    Marla’s jaw dropped in shock. The light in the ceiling blew with a loud popping noise in the sudden stillness, plunging the room into a shadowy darkness.
    “Damn it, Steele. Don’t interfere. This isn’t any of your concern.” Daniel growled from the shadows.
    Steele ignored him and stepped further into the room, reaching Marla’s side and stepping protectively in front of her. Daniel had the gun trained on them as they stood together united against him. “I beg to differ. She’s working with us now. Leave her be. We both know you don’t want blood on your hands over this.”
    “One day, Steele, I’m going to find a way to hurt you. And when I do…” He made a dramatic slicing motion across his throat.
    Daniel kept the gun trained on them as he walked around them to the door. Steele