[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Considering they saw one another only a few times each year, the man’s trust in Irelyn was admirable.Very soon he would realize the blind trust he’d given her had been misplaced.Irelyn had switched her loyalties years ago.The first time Grey had seen the man who had caused heartbreak for so many, he remembered being surprised at how very ordinary and uninteresting he looked.Evil could be disguised in many forms and faces.Still, one would think there would have been something to indicate the wickedness that resided behind that average-looking exterior.Of course, that was how the man had been able to hide for so many years.Medium height, medium build, non-descript features.When he wasn’t causing destruction and heartache, he was just a face in the crowd.Their meetings always included a meal—one that Irelyn cooked.The man didn’t trust restaurant food prepared by strangers…for good reason.There must have been countless people who would have loved to kill the bastard.In previous encounters, Grey would listen intently during their dinner conversation, hoping to pick up clues or nuances of upcoming events the man might care to discuss.He was always very careful in his language, but if one listened closely, there was usually a gem or two that could be used.This time Grey’s inability to hear was of no real consequence…after all, this meeting wasn’t meant to elicit information.This would be the last conversation the man ever had with anyone.Their easy camaraderie was something Grey had never been able to understand or comprehend.Intellectually he could, but deep within him, knowing what this creature had done, it was hard to swallow.Irelyn saw something in the man that Grey couldn’t.She saw safety and affection.Grey saw a cold-blooded killer.Irelyn laughed, and Grey caught his breath.Even though he couldn’t hear the sound, he was mesmerized by the animation on her beautiful face.Joy filled her eyes—something she never had with him.He’d heard her laugh from time to time, but that had been when they were out in public and, as always, she had been acting a role.Laughter when they were alone was non-existent—not that he’d ever given her a reason.At last the dinner ended.As was their custom, the man seated himself on the sofa while Irelyn went to the bar across the room and poured cognac into two snifters.Though he couldn’t see the deed, Grey knew she had added an additional ingredient to one of the drinks.She carried the glasses to the sofa, handed one to her companion and then sat across from him.Grey kept his eyes on the glass in the man’s hand, watched as he swirled the liquid around, staring down into its depths.Hell, what was taking him so long? Why wasn’t he drinking? Did he detect something off? Being in the death business for most of his life, the man had to have good instincts.Grey put his hand on the door lever.If this went sour, he would have to act fast.The man raised his glass in some kind of toast to Irelyn, then at last tilted it to his mouth and took a long drink.The instant he swallowed, Grey released a heavy sigh tinged with both relief and sadness.In the next few moments, two lives would change forever, and one would end.Grey waited.He could do nothing until the event was over.The two people on the screen continued to talk for several more minutes.The poison wasn’t the fastest-acting, but it was unidentifiable in blood tests and the most effective for the desired result—death.Without warning, Irelyn did something extraordinary.She shot up from the sofa and stared directly at the camera, which was inside the small clock on the mantel.Fear like he’d never seen before was flashing in her eyes.What the hell?A movement to her right caught his attention.The man on the sofa clutched his chest, his face a deep red.He keeled over, landing in a heap on the hardwood floor.Irelyn tore her eyes away from the camera and dropped to her knees beside the man.She loosened his tie, pulled a pillow from the sofa and shoved it under his feet.None of those actions were part of the plan.She was supposed to leave immediately.A cleanup crew would be there in minutes to erase all evidence of her presence.So why the hell was she repositioning the body and giving CPR to the bastard?Grey jumped from the van that had been parked half a block from the luxury apartments.If the man revived and realized Irelyn’s betrayal, what she had done, she would be dead in seconds.Dammit, he would never forgive her if she went and got herself killed.Cursing every floor of the thirty-story building, he sprang from the elevator the moment it shuddered to a stop.Inserting the key into the lock, Grey pushed the door open, ready to kill the bastard with his bare hands if he’d put even one finger on Irelyn.He heard soft, rasping sobs and huffs of labored breath.He ran toward the sounds and found what he had seen on the screen.Irelyn was on her knees, giving CPR to the man on the floor.Only, it was apparent the lifesaving act was a useless endeavor.The bastard was most definitely dead.Aware that she was as dangerous as she was volatile, Grey sat on the sofa a few feet away from her and said in a calm, firm voice, “It’s over, Irelyn.He’s gone.”The ravaged face of a stranger, eyes wild with horror, looked up at him.“He didn’t do it.He had nothing to do with Jonah’s death.He said he was in the process of arranging the hit when another inmate jumped Jonah and killed him.”When Grey said nothing—hell, what could he say—she leaned forward and grasped his knee, clawing into his skin with her nails.Inches from his face, she shouted, “He didn’t fucking kill him, Grey!”“It doesn’t matter anymore.He’s dead.There’s nothing to be done.”“Yes, there is.We can call an ambulance.They can revive him.Help me with the CPR.We can save him.”“No.He was never meant to survive this night, Irelyn.It’s what we agreed on.”“That was when we thought he was responsible for Jonah’s death.”“He might not have killed Jonah, but how many others has he killed? How many lives has he destroyed? He had to die.”The truth finally hit her.She collapsed back onto the floor and stared down at the body of one of the most ruthless and heartless contract killers in the world.“I loved him.”“I know you did.”Hearing a noise at the door, Grey sat up.The cleanup crew had arrived.He needed to get Irelyn out of the apartment so they could do their job.He went to her, pulled gently on her shoulder to help her stand.“Come on.Let’s go.”Instead of resisting him, she surprised the hell out of him by falling into his arms.A wave of tenderness threatened…Grey shoved it aside.It was an emotion he didn’t allow in his life anymore.Still, he was extraordinarily gentle as he picked her up and cradled her in his arms.Eyes closed, skin ashen, she pressed her face against his neck and said softly, “I hate you for this.”“I know.”“I’ll never forgive you.”“I know that, too.”And with that settled between them, Grey carried Irelyn from the room [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl przylepto3.keep.pl
.Considering they saw one another only a few times each year, the man’s trust in Irelyn was admirable.Very soon he would realize the blind trust he’d given her had been misplaced.Irelyn had switched her loyalties years ago.The first time Grey had seen the man who had caused heartbreak for so many, he remembered being surprised at how very ordinary and uninteresting he looked.Evil could be disguised in many forms and faces.Still, one would think there would have been something to indicate the wickedness that resided behind that average-looking exterior.Of course, that was how the man had been able to hide for so many years.Medium height, medium build, non-descript features.When he wasn’t causing destruction and heartache, he was just a face in the crowd.Their meetings always included a meal—one that Irelyn cooked.The man didn’t trust restaurant food prepared by strangers…for good reason.There must have been countless people who would have loved to kill the bastard.In previous encounters, Grey would listen intently during their dinner conversation, hoping to pick up clues or nuances of upcoming events the man might care to discuss.He was always very careful in his language, but if one listened closely, there was usually a gem or two that could be used.This time Grey’s inability to hear was of no real consequence…after all, this meeting wasn’t meant to elicit information.This would be the last conversation the man ever had with anyone.Their easy camaraderie was something Grey had never been able to understand or comprehend.Intellectually he could, but deep within him, knowing what this creature had done, it was hard to swallow.Irelyn saw something in the man that Grey couldn’t.She saw safety and affection.Grey saw a cold-blooded killer.Irelyn laughed, and Grey caught his breath.Even though he couldn’t hear the sound, he was mesmerized by the animation on her beautiful face.Joy filled her eyes—something she never had with him.He’d heard her laugh from time to time, but that had been when they were out in public and, as always, she had been acting a role.Laughter when they were alone was non-existent—not that he’d ever given her a reason.At last the dinner ended.As was their custom, the man seated himself on the sofa while Irelyn went to the bar across the room and poured cognac into two snifters.Though he couldn’t see the deed, Grey knew she had added an additional ingredient to one of the drinks.She carried the glasses to the sofa, handed one to her companion and then sat across from him.Grey kept his eyes on the glass in the man’s hand, watched as he swirled the liquid around, staring down into its depths.Hell, what was taking him so long? Why wasn’t he drinking? Did he detect something off? Being in the death business for most of his life, the man had to have good instincts.Grey put his hand on the door lever.If this went sour, he would have to act fast.The man raised his glass in some kind of toast to Irelyn, then at last tilted it to his mouth and took a long drink.The instant he swallowed, Grey released a heavy sigh tinged with both relief and sadness.In the next few moments, two lives would change forever, and one would end.Grey waited.He could do nothing until the event was over.The two people on the screen continued to talk for several more minutes.The poison wasn’t the fastest-acting, but it was unidentifiable in blood tests and the most effective for the desired result—death.Without warning, Irelyn did something extraordinary.She shot up from the sofa and stared directly at the camera, which was inside the small clock on the mantel.Fear like he’d never seen before was flashing in her eyes.What the hell?A movement to her right caught his attention.The man on the sofa clutched his chest, his face a deep red.He keeled over, landing in a heap on the hardwood floor.Irelyn tore her eyes away from the camera and dropped to her knees beside the man.She loosened his tie, pulled a pillow from the sofa and shoved it under his feet.None of those actions were part of the plan.She was supposed to leave immediately.A cleanup crew would be there in minutes to erase all evidence of her presence.So why the hell was she repositioning the body and giving CPR to the bastard?Grey jumped from the van that had been parked half a block from the luxury apartments.If the man revived and realized Irelyn’s betrayal, what she had done, she would be dead in seconds.Dammit, he would never forgive her if she went and got herself killed.Cursing every floor of the thirty-story building, he sprang from the elevator the moment it shuddered to a stop.Inserting the key into the lock, Grey pushed the door open, ready to kill the bastard with his bare hands if he’d put even one finger on Irelyn.He heard soft, rasping sobs and huffs of labored breath.He ran toward the sounds and found what he had seen on the screen.Irelyn was on her knees, giving CPR to the man on the floor.Only, it was apparent the lifesaving act was a useless endeavor.The bastard was most definitely dead.Aware that she was as dangerous as she was volatile, Grey sat on the sofa a few feet away from her and said in a calm, firm voice, “It’s over, Irelyn.He’s gone.”The ravaged face of a stranger, eyes wild with horror, looked up at him.“He didn’t do it.He had nothing to do with Jonah’s death.He said he was in the process of arranging the hit when another inmate jumped Jonah and killed him.”When Grey said nothing—hell, what could he say—she leaned forward and grasped his knee, clawing into his skin with her nails.Inches from his face, she shouted, “He didn’t fucking kill him, Grey!”“It doesn’t matter anymore.He’s dead.There’s nothing to be done.”“Yes, there is.We can call an ambulance.They can revive him.Help me with the CPR.We can save him.”“No.He was never meant to survive this night, Irelyn.It’s what we agreed on.”“That was when we thought he was responsible for Jonah’s death.”“He might not have killed Jonah, but how many others has he killed? How many lives has he destroyed? He had to die.”The truth finally hit her.She collapsed back onto the floor and stared down at the body of one of the most ruthless and heartless contract killers in the world.“I loved him.”“I know you did.”Hearing a noise at the door, Grey sat up.The cleanup crew had arrived.He needed to get Irelyn out of the apartment so they could do their job.He went to her, pulled gently on her shoulder to help her stand.“Come on.Let’s go.”Instead of resisting him, she surprised the hell out of him by falling into his arms.A wave of tenderness threatened…Grey shoved it aside.It was an emotion he didn’t allow in his life anymore.Still, he was extraordinarily gentle as he picked her up and cradled her in his arms.Eyes closed, skin ashen, she pressed her face against his neck and said softly, “I hate you for this.”“I know.”“I’ll never forgive you.”“I know that, too.”And with that settled between them, Grey carried Irelyn from the room [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]