The Hunted (The Chronicles of the Hunter Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

looking back at him. He hadn’t known she slept? Maybe she wasn’t such a failure, after all.
    “I’ve never brought anyone here...especially a woman. It may create some interest.”
    She choked.
    “Actually, it will engender a lot of interest. Conjecture. Nothing I want to address. So, no screaming. No yelling. And no fighting me.”
    “I’m just supposed to be docile?”
    “Would you rather be unconscious?”
    One of his brows lifted above the sunglass frame as he asked it. Nothing else moved. On him. Her reaction was the opposite. Her eyes widened. Every limb went ice-cold, her belly dropped nauseatingly. Her heart stopped. And her breathing was right behind it, as if on cue, making an audible gasp.
    He smiled. It didn’t make him look more approachable.
    “That’s what I thought.”
    LeeAnn forced a breath as he just sat there, watching her. There wasn’t a descriptor for how these shivers felt as they coursed her skin.
    “We good, then?”
    He waited for her nod before exiting. The vehicle rocked as he released it from the burden of his weight. Shut his door. It seemed like a moment later her side door opened. He reached across her lap, unfastened her belts, and wrapped an arm about her middle. She was hefted atop his shoulder again. Got a narrow view of polished floor. She didn’t fight. She didn’t struggle. She didn’t make a sound.
    He walked through the garage. A whir sounded as a door must have opened. Kane passed through it and she squinted as her vision got overwhelmed with artificial light. The floor turned into a span of light shaded tiles that matched the fence stones outside. Light gray. Off-white. Some pink. The room echoed with his steps. LeeAnn turned her head. Caught a glimpse of stainless steel. A lot of big kettles. Rows of what looked like marine gear. Lifejackets. SCUBA tanks. Spear guns. She couldn’t see it all. They entered another space, this one dark. Carpeted. Muted. His steps didn’t make much noise. He crossed another portal, and entered a space ablaze with sunlight. LeeAnn narrowed her eyes and tipped her head toward the source, and her jaw dropped. The wall was a solid span of big windows. At least two stories high. They showcased an outside swimming pool that was larger than her entire apartment. It was framed with lounge furniture. Palm trees. Rimmed by more of the privacy wall. And beyond that was a solid horizon of ocean.
    Holy crap.
    This wasn’t a safe house. It was a mansion. The kind featured in stories about the rich and famous. Overpaid celebrities. Rock stars. Billionaires.
    He entered an area with a cream colored floor. The walls matched. It was a rotunda. Round. Could be the entranceway. Kane didn’t give her any time to decipher it. He was moving so rapidly, she felt queasy. Her head was starting to pound, too. And her abs hurt from contact with his shoulder. They reached a staircase. He began climbing, two steps at a time. Then a voice hailed him, stopping his progress.
    “Kane! You’re back.”
    “Rafael.”
    Kane spun. LeeAnn got a quick panorama of more sunlit windows attached to what looked like a second floor landing, leading to a lot more space. But the way she viewed it was sickening. She wasn’t the motion-sick type, but this method of transportation was definitely testing it.
    “What you got there?”
    “Complication.”
    “Need any help?”
    “No.”
    He turned back around. LeeAnn’s head dropped to the middle of his back. Leon? And now Rafael? They had very interesting and unique names in this house. That was one thing she could list for the authorities.
    “Wait.”  Kane spun back as he said it. His back vibrated with the word. LeeAnn swallowed.
    “I need women’s clothing.”
    “Any particular size? Type?”
    “Just send Jezzie. She’ll know.”
    Jezzie? The relief was palpable. Like a wash of cool water. It didn’t help the pounding in LeeAnn’s head, but it relieved the anxiety. She wasn’t the lone woman here. But then the