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

shorts with his chest bare to reveal his stunning tattoos. A few feet away from him was a behemoth of a man. Six foot seven at least, with ropy muscles and a thick coating of hair over his body that made him look like a gorilla.
    “Christ on a cracker,” she breathed. “Where did they find your opponent?”
    “Fresh meat from Siberia,” Max said, not bothering to glance up. “He had an iron jaw, but one punch to the gut and he went down like a sack of potatoes.” He crooked a finger at her. “Look at this.”
    Pressing close to his side, Elyon pretended to be watching the match on the monitor even as she covertly glanced toward his phone.
    She could see an elderly couple with silver hair and the lined faces of people who’d lived through hardship. They were standing close together, their arms wrapped around each other as they stared at the camera with resigned expressions.
    “Those are your parents?” she asked.
    “Yes. Peter and Catherine Kudrow,” he said, waving a hand toward the monitor as if they were discussing his fight. “I demand a picture to prove they’re still alive at least once a week.”
    Elyon nodded. Smart of him to get proof of life. It made sure the enemy couldn’t lie.
    She turned her attention from the couple who had a faint resemblance to Max and instead studied what little she could see behind them.
    “When did you get this one?” she asked.
    “Just a couple hours ago.”
    She felt a flare of hope. “So there’s a good chance they’re still there?”
    “That would be my guess,” he agreed. “Usually they only move them once a month or so. They’ve been at this location less than a week.”
    “Good.” She narrowed her gaze, staring at a blurry spot in the background. “Can you zoom in on the window behind your mother?”
    “Yeah.” Using his fingers, he enlarged the window to reveal the glowing sign of a restaurant that was next door.
    “Abel’s Po-Boys,” she read out loud.
    He glanced toward her, a wary hope in his eyes. “Do you know where it is?”
    “Nope. But I can have someone find it.” She pulled out her phone and typed out a swift message. Once she hit send, she put the phone back in her pocket and glanced at her companion with blatant impatience. “Now can we go?”
    He stared at her, trying to read her. When she said no more, he put his phone away and folded his arms over his chest.
    She sighed. “I’m thinking that’s a no.”
    “Not until I’m sure they’re safe,” he said, his tone warning he wasn’t going to argue. He wasn’t budging until his parents were released.
    Again she was fascinated by his fierce loyalty.
    “You’d sacrifice your own freedom for them?” she asked in hesitant tones. “Even now?”
    “Without hesitation.”
    She offered a slow nod.
    He stared at her, curious. “Have you never loved, Elyon?”
    The answer came, swift and unapologetic. “No.”
    “Not even your family?”
    “I have none.”
    For a moment, his eyes remained on hers. They were deep amber and probing. “Well, I hope that changes. I hope you know love some day. It can chew you up and spit you out, for sure, but it’s worth it in the end.” His mouth softened. “My family is worth it. They’re worth everything.”
    Elyon’s heart swelled inside her chest at his words. She might not fully understand this love he spoke of, or his dedication to his parents, but she admired him with an intensity that was unnerving.
    This was a male of worth.
    Even if he hadn’t been born Pantera.
    He was—dare she even think it?—mate material.
    Not that she was looking or wanting.
    Job to do, Ely. “We have Hunters spread around New Orleans, but it could take an hour, maybe more, to rescue them,” she warned, forcing a professional tone. With the current troubles plaguing her people, they’d pulled most of the Pantera back to the Wildlands. But there were always a few left in larger cities to keep track of what was happening among the humans. “It all