The Huntress: full-length sexy romantic suspense (31 page)

“What?” Vega asked.

The attack came from behind. A blade tore into the front of her jacket. She chopped the attacker’s wrist before the steel tip could bite into her skin. The dark-haired attacker shouted a pained sound and looked up in shock.

“Finn?”

He tore away in a hard run.

She pulled her father’s Glock out of her purse and took pursuit. Finn was fast, but she was faster. Even Grayson struggled to keep up.

At the water’s edge, she closed the gap, grabbed the back of Finn’s shirt, and spun him around. He kicked out and knocked the side of her hand. The Glock spun end-over-end sailing over the railing, falling toward the dark, swirling Detroit River.

“No!” Vega watched helplessly as her last link to her father spun away. Finn slipped from her grasp.

“You okay?” Grayson asked as he leaned over the railing. Her father’s gun landed in his outstretched hand.

She drew a deep breath and held it while staring dumbly at the pistol.

“My dad’s Glock,” she said at last.

“Yeah?” He gave her a queer look. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah.” Vega shook off the ghosts of the past. Grayson had given her what she’d been chasing all those years. By being there for her, she finally found safety in love. She trusted him not only with her life, but also with her heart. “Nothing’s wrong at all.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Vega smiled. “Let’s go follow Finn.”

They traced his trail down a long stretch of the promenade to a dim, narrow alleyway leading between a row of brick buildings.

“I think I saw him take off that way,” Grayson said and insisted on going first.

She didn’t argue. Finn would be long gone.

At the end of the alley, behind a new green dumpster, they found him. Color her wrong. He hadn’t gotten very far at all. His body was sprawled out in a muddy puddle. His own stiletto knife stuck obscenely into the center of his chest. The first thing Vega noticed was a glossy photo of a neon green spider that appeared ready to leap lying on his forehead.

“Spider,” Grayson said.

“Looks like they’re cleaning up loose ends.” She called the police and gave them the briefest of details. They would arrive on the scene within a few minutes. There was no need to stand guard over the body, and Vega had no desire to stare at it.

“They better not consider you a loose end,” Grayson grumbled as they walked away.

“My guess, Finn was acting alone today. After losing Six-Star as a financial base, Spider will need to regroup. According to Snitch, the organization’s gone to ground. Finn coming after me would naturally cause problems. I’m a danger to them. They don’t want me interested.”

Grayson stopped her then. “Are you?” he asked.

“Interested?” A smile warmed Vega. She could not seem to take her eyes from Grayson’s open expression. His concern touched her in places she’d once thought untouchable. “Not today,” she said. “I think I’m distracted.”

Grayson slipped his arms around her shoulders. “Good.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. Exquisite shivers hummed down her chest and spread a seductive heat throughout her body. “Let’s go home then.”

Vega snuggled closer, burying her face in his thick cotton sweater. The soft fibers tickled her nose. She ignored the sirens, growing louder and the drizzling rain that had begun to fall, and breathed in Grayson’s spicy low-country heat.

Her world felt so very safe and quiet here, wrapped in his arms. And for the moment at least, safe and quiet suited Vega just fine.

Thank you for reading

THE HUNTRESS

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About the Author

For Regency and mystery author, Dorothy McFalls happily-ever-after is more than just a fictional ending, having enjoyed every day of marriage to her sexy sculptor husband. Formerly an environmental urban planner, she now writes full time. For information about Dorothy's upcoming books, visit her website at
http://www.dorothymcfalls.com/

Dorothy also writes cozy mysteries as Dorothy St. James, including the White House Gardener Mystery series, which critics have called “spunky” and “fast-paced.” Learn more about her mystery releases at
http://www.dorothystjames.com/

Acknowledgments

I'd like to give a special thanks to Tracey West and Luisa Pugliano for helping this book finally make its way into publication.

And to Judy Ashley for helping revise this book and giving me the encouragement to stick with it!

Copyright

THE HUNTRESS

Copyright (c) 2006 by Dorothy McFalls

Cover art and design (c) 2012 by Razzle Dazzle Stock

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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