Code Red Read Online Free Page A

prostitute.”
    Her voice hardened “I am not—”
    “Exactly. If I frown at you, keep your
distance. I haven’t seen their intentions yet, and I’m not sure
which way will help you more. Just follow my instructions and you
should be fine.”
    The door opened again, and Kieran heard
someone talking about Mark and an accident. Which meant Mark was
dead. They didn’t have anyone to trade, so they’d grabbed Max,
panicked, and taken him and Red as well.
    They lifted off his hood, and Kieran could
see the back of Red’s fiery hair. Two men untied them and pushed
them into an old barn. The barn was empty except for some bales of
moldy hay and two long wooden benches. He and Red were tied to a
post next to each other on one of the bales.
    Max sat on a bench being questioned by
someone. Dmitriyev. The man never lowered his voice, and Kieran
listened. The frequent assumption that stupid Americans know only
one language had helped him become one of the more successful
negotiators in the field. He listened to the Russians speaking and
finally understood why he’d been taken.
    “Weld is dead, so we cannot make a transfer,
and you, my friend, have outlasted your utility to the
organization.”
    “I’ll get you any information you need.” Max
sounded panicked. He should be. He sucked at his job.
    “You don’t understand two things, Glazkov.”
Dmitriyev dropped his voice enough that the other Russians in the
room probably couldn’t hear him. “One, you’ve already been
replaced. And two, once I collect on your death, I’m headed south
to Venezuela. I prefer beaches and beautiful women to cold climates
and dusty office buildings. Everything’s set.”
    Kieran saw the assassin point his gun at Max
then, so he curled his torso into Red’s and kissed her. She
appeared shocked but kissed him back with only a slight hesitation.
Kieran didn’t stop. He deepened the kiss and didn’t allow her to
break for air. She gasped and tried to pull away but he persisted.
Then he heard the shot.
    Red flinched. Kieran kept kissing her, partly
to hide Max’s assassination from her for as long as possible,
partly to comfort her. And a small part of him wanted to stay
absorbed in this incredible woman’s aura for a few more minutes
until reality crashed down on them.
    ***
    He was kissing her. People had pointed guns
at her, kidnapped her, tied her up in an old barn, and this
smooth-talking guy thought now was the best time to kiss her. He
must be crazy.
    His kiss, however, was amazing.
    A gunshot exploded somewhere in the barn, but
Kieran’s mouth wouldn’t release hers. Jess panicked and pulled
back, but his head stayed in front of hers, blocking her view of
the room.
    “I guess we’ve decided you’re my girlfriend.
I’m a pretty lucky guy.” His hushed voice was deep, sexy, and calm.
She could also hear lots of movement and men speaking Russian in
front of her.
    “What happened? There was a gunshot.”
    “Don’t look. Keep those beautiful eyes locked
on mine. I hope you’re not in a relationship with anyone else. I
like my girlfriends monogamous.”
    “I’m not your girlfriend. I’m single for
life.” She hated the disgust that spewed from her mouth when she
spoke about Robert, but he was an ass and she hated him for it,
even if he was dead.
    “I doubt that. You’ll meet the right guy
someday, and he won’t take no for an answer.”
    His face remained in front of hers, and his
breath smelled sweet from the soda he’d had at the bar. She tried
to breathe him in, but her throat had tightened after the gunshot
and her stomach was revolting from her excessive drinking coupled
with stress.
    “No,” she said. “My Mr. Right will move to
another city, leave me in limbo for years and have a little girl in
a pink dress with the woman he really loves.” Her body shook. From
detailing Robert’s deception or the guns being fired around her?
Probably both.
    Kieran leaned forward and kissed her again.
Soft this time, nothing