Talon/Xavier (Bayou Heat) by Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright Read Free Book Online Page A

enemies.
    What else had he expected?
    With a shake of his head he forced himself to concentrate on silently stepping into the room. The men might be mere humans, but Raphael had discovered that their enemies had weapons that could weaken a Pantera and make their cats dangerously vulnerable.
    “Am I interrupting?”
    With a flurry of curses both men jerked their gazes toward the doorway.
    The blond on the table was the first to recover. “Hey, this is a private—”
    “Fuck,” the one with the branding iron breathed. He had lanky black hair, a narrow face that had a rat-like quality, and brown eyes the color of mud, but there was an intelligence in his gaze that was missing from his companion. “Run.”
    “I don’t think so.”
    Talon stood in the doorway, bracing himself as the blond pulled a knife and charged forward. He waited until the man was in striking distance, grabbing the arm holding the knife and using the attacker’s own momentum to his advantage as he spun and slammed him face first into the doorjamb.
    Having momentarily stunned his opponent, Talon spoke directly into his ear.
    “Drop the knife and sit in the corner like a good boy and you might make it out of here alive,” he offered.
    Possessing the tedious belief that his size made him the toughest guy in the room, the blond wrenched his arm free and swung the knife toward Talon’s face.
    “Fuck you.”
    Dodging the blade, Talon grabbed the man’s bloated head and with one efficient twist broke his neck.
    He’d given the moron a chance to live.
    Allowing the dead man to drop to the floor, Talon turned his attention to the slender, rat-faced man clutching the branding iron as if it could protect him.
    Talon stepped forward, a lethal smile curling his lips. “We need to chat.”
    “I don’t know who the hell you are, but—”
    “Don’t lie,” Talon overrode the arrogant bluff. “I’ve seen you with Raphael.”
    “Yes…” A cunning light glowed in the mud eyes. “Yes, that’s right. I’m Derek and I spy for him. He’s going to be pissed if you blow my cover.”
    With a blur of motion, Talon was standing directly in front of the man, the tip of his dagger beneath his chin.
    “Here’s the deal,” he said in soft, lethal tones. “You’ve been working with Suits. I’m a Hunter. Do you know what that means?”
    The man licked his lips. “No.”
    Talon allowed his cat to glow in his eyes, watching the man with a hunger that would terrify any human.
    “It means that my job description is tracking down enemies and killing them.” He allowed the dagger to pierce the man’s skin. “I don’t negotiate. I don’t heal. I don’t nurture. I kill. And I do it very, very well.”
    “Fine,” the man hissed, his expression sullen. “What do you want?”
    “Answers.”
    “To what?”
    “Who do you work for?”
    “Isi,” he answered without hesitation. “She owns this joint.”
    Talon clenched his teeth, pretending his cat wasn’t snarling in disbelief. What did his cat know about human treachery?
    “She trained you to brand traitors with that mark?”
    Something flickered in the mud eyes. A warning that he was about to lie.
    “She—”
    “The truth or I’ll start cutting off body parts.” He lowered the dagger to press it against the man’s dick. There was nothing like threatening to take an idiot’s manhood to put him in the mood to share. “Starting here.”
    A layer of sweat coated the man’s face, but his expression remained defiant. “No. The bitch has no idea what’s going on.”
    Talon’s grip tightened on the handle of the dagger. Did he believe the man?
    Actually…he did.
    Derek might pretend to be a tough guy, but at his core he was a coward.
    If he could try to throw blame on Isi to cover his own ass, he would.
    Refusing to dwell on the surge of relief that rushed through him, Talon nodded toward the iron rod still held in Derek’s hand.
    “Then who gave you the brand?”
    “I made it myself.” He