Stone Cold Heart by Lisa Hughey Read Free Book Online Page A

brother? "Jack?"
    His mouth tightened. "Yes."
    "How?"
    He shifted and arched a brow at her. Finally he answered, "The Spec op community is rather small."
    About as specific a non-answer as she was liable to get. "So what's the favor you're doing for him?"
    Colin's shoulders tensed and his fingers tightened on the hard plastic steering wheel. "We need to talk about the plan."
    Suddenly she couldn't stand the tension in the truck. They weren't going to talk about the plan until they'd discussed what happened in his tent. "What was last night about?" she asked.
    He gave her a steamy look. "You have to ask?"
    "I find it more than a little suspicious that right after I tell you that I don't want to take out the country's leader you happen to have sex with me."
    Colin down shifted the gears as he drove over a particularly bumpy spot in the crumbled road. "Seriously?"
    It was suspicious. "You have to admit the timing sucks."
    His laugh was a harsh bark. "I don't think you've thought this through princess."
    "Don't call me princess."
    "It's exactly how you're acting. Like a spoiled princess."
    In that moment, Jess could hate him. She had never been a spoiled princess. Ever. She was more like Ariel, searching for a world where she belonged. "Fuck you."
    "Already did." He shot back. "And I'm going to have the bruises to prove it if your brother finds out."
    "My brother?" Jess said incredulously. "Besides being our boss...what does my brother have to do with what happened last night?"
    Colin shifted the truck into a lower gear to bobble over the worsening road conditions. At first, Jess thought he was just concentrating on driving.
    But after five minutes of silence, she realized he wasn't going to answer.
    Screw that. "What. Does. My. Brother. Have. To. Do. With. Last. Night?" she ground out through gritted teeth.
    Colin checked the rearview mirror. "We need to discuss the plan."
    "You're not going to answer."
    "Nope."
    "Fine. I'll just ask Jack when I have the chance."
    Colin drummed his fingers on the cracked leather seat. "I'd advise against it."
    "Okay," Jess said abruptly. But then she considered what he'd implied, bruises. Did he mean her brother would hurt him? That seemed flat out ridiculous. Jack was her half-brother. He was her hero, but he still wouldn't care about her sex life. So she decided to go with his original topic. "Let's talk about the plan."
    "About time," he grumbled. "You're secondary backup."
    Relief swelled, she wasn't first up to eliminate LeRoy. "So...."
    "The plan is to poison him," Colin said softly. "With water."
    "Shows a distinct level of irony."
    "Yeah."
    "So I'm really superfluous?"
    "No. You're a world-class sniper, and if we need to take LeRoy out with lethal force, we need you." His pale gray gaze seemed to skewer her.
    But she heard the unspoken caveat, if she refused to target LeRoy, they weren't in a complete bind.
    "How's the poison going to be delivered?"
    "I'm going to a reception tonight. While the reception is going on, Keisha is going to sneak into the mansion and slip the poison into LeRoy's bath salts."
    "How does the poison work?"
    "It's slow acting. LeRoy ingest the poison through his skin during his nightly bath. Then he'll go to bed and never wake up."
    "What about staff and collateral damage?"
    "He has a fetish about being seen naked. When he bathes, he is all alone and drains the tub himself. So everyone else in the mansion should be safe."
    "You're sure?"
    "Yes."
    "So what's my role?"
    "If, for some reason, Keisha can't get into the bathroom, I'm going to need you to shoot him." Colin hesitated. "And I need you as backup for Keisha in case she's discovered."
    Jess snorted. "You'd think she'd be a little nicer to me then."
    "What are you talking about?" Colin frowned.
    "Nothing." Jess crossed her arms over her stomach and rubbed her biceps with her palms. "What's the comm situation?"
    "I've got wireless earpieces. And voice transmitters that look like buttons. You'll be able to hear