Two To Go: Bayou Heat (Pantera Security League Book 2) by Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright Read Free Book Online

Orleans.”
    “Do you have the address?”
    With a press of his hand, he urged her to move to the other side of the cage. At the same time, he studied her with a puzzled gaze.
    Max frowned. He sensed that the questions weren’t just casual conversation. She was searching for information.
    “They move them around,” he answered.
    “Is there any way you can find out where they are right now?”
    He halted, turning to face her. “What’s going on?”
    She bent down, studying the area beneath the cage in an effort to keep anyone watching them through the camera from reading her lips.
    “If you can give me a location, I can have them rescued with one text.”
    Max laughed bitterly, then sobered as he took in her expression. “You’re serious?”
    She arched a brow. “Always.”
    “Why should I believe you?”
    “Mmmm… You probably shouldn’t.”
    It was all she said. No convincing, no assurance, no nothing. Crazy. He released a shaky breath. What the hell did he believe? For so many years he’d been responsible for the welfare of his parents. Every morning he woke up with the burden of knowing their security was dependent on his willingness to obey whatever order he was given by his captors.
    It was staggering to imagine a future where they were free.
    Or shit, himself.
    But if it was possible…
    With supreme effort, he squashed the urge to grab Elyon, look into her eyes, hard and desperate, then maybe kiss her in relief if he saw what he needed to see. Instead, he prayed he wasn’t walking into a trap, and carefully considered the best way to share what little information he had.
    His gaze skimmed the room, landing on the electronic equipment that was set up in the corner. Victor made additional money on the fights by streaming them to paying customers.
    “Let’s watch some TV,” he said.
    She sent him a startled glance. “What?”
    He gave her a slow smile. “Come with me.”

 
     
     
CHAPTER 5
     
     
    Elyon absently followed behind Max, assuming that he had a plan. The majority of her brain was focused on his refusal to leave until he knew his parents were safe.
    On one level she understood loyalty.
    She would do anything for Raphael and the other members of The Six. But the fact that she’d been raised with no true family meant she struggled to fully comprehend the complexities of that dynamic. That bond.
    Early on, guilt had been a constant knife in her gut. After all, if she had been a good female, a decent female, she would’ve gone looking for her mother and father as soon as she’d returned. Asked them questions, listened to their answers. Maybe forgiven them for not being the ones who’d found her. Or, if what she’d believed turned out to be true, for not searching for her every day that she’d been missing.
    But things were different now. She rarely thought about them. She was…fine, good on her own. Great even. No burdens, no collateral damage if shit went south.
    Max, however, had gone above and beyond. He’d remained imprisoned, been tortured and used, followed every order and demand, to keep his parents safe. He was clearly capable of true loyalty and deep love.
    The thought made her feel a strange sort of longing.
    “Here we go,” Max said, pulling her from her thoughts.
    He stood next to a long panel and was already flipping on switches. When he was done, he pulled out a phone from the pocket of his shorts and pressed his finger against the screen. A few swipes later he had a video pulled up and was syncing it to the gym’s monitor, which was set at the end of the long table.
    “I’ll put on my last fight,” he said in absent tones, still sliding his thumb over the screen of his phone. “That should keep the guards from wondering what we’re doing.”
    Elyon wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but before she could ask, the monitor flickered to life and the image of Max filled the screen. He was standing in the nearby cage, dressed like he was now, in a pair of loose