Cherokee Marriage Dare. Sheri WhiteFeather

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СКАЧАТЬ say.” That, of course, had rubbed her the wrong way. Rafe had made her feel like a child rather than a grown woman. Then again, she had behaved badly in front of her brother, her Irish temper flaring.

      “That’s right. You’re supposed to follow my direction, and I’m supposed to keep a close eye on you.”

      “Really?” Somehow that pleased and irritated her all at once. She liked the idea of spending time with Luke, but she didn’t appreciate having him as her keeper.

      He lowered his chin, glaring at her through narrowed eyes. “Do you have a problem with that?”

      “No.” She decided she would turn his guardianship against him. She would use every opportunity she could to make him smile. To save that tortured soul of his.

      “Good. Then I need some information from you.”

      An angry breeze blew his hair, dragging it away from his face. He had a natural widow’s peak, which gave him a rather ominous appeal. Like the maze, she reminded herself. The silver earring caught a glint of the gray winter light.

      “How many residences do you have?” he asked.

      “Me or my family?”

      “You, Maggie. Where do you sleep?”

      The question had been posed in a professional voice, but there was still a note of intimacy attached. She couldn’t seem to ignore the tingle it gave her.

      “I have a room here,” she told him. “But most of the time I stay at a loft downtown. I own the building.” It was her sanctuary, her home and her studio. Maggie was an artist. She painted because she needed to, because the images she created stemmed from her emotions.

      Luke shifted his stance, and she imagined painting him where he stood, the wind ravaging his hair, daylight reflecting the torment in his eyes, the silver earring catching a glint of gray from the sky.

      A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Do you have a current lover? Someone who has access to your loft?”

      A sensuous shiver streaked up her spine. “No.” She wanted him as her lover. She wanted him thrusting inside her, clawing at her with the heat and power she knew he possessed. She met his gaze, felt her heartbeat stagger. “Do you have a current lover, Luke?”

      He squinted, causing the lines around his eyes to imbed themselves deeper. “This isn’t about me.”

      She tossed her head, but the image she’d created in her mind wouldn’t go away. “So you get to pry into my life, but I have to stay out of yours?”

      “That’s right. And do you know why that is, Maggie?”

      She didn’t respond. There was no need. Clearly he intended to enlighten her.

      “You’re too young and too emotional,” he said. “You don’t observe the world through calculating eyes. You wouldn’t have the slightest idea if the person following you was a cameraman or a hit man. So it’s my job to know where you are and who you’re with.”

      Counting silently to ten, and then to twenty, she suppressed the urge to fire her temper at him. “Which basically means I’m a thorn in your side.”

      “You’re not exactly the partner I would have chosen.”

      Maggie saw a shadow cross his face, and she knew he was thinking about Tom Reynolds. Luke had left town for a while after his partner’s funeral. He had seemed enraged at the time, barely in control of his pain.

      “You’re emotional, too,” she said.

      “Not like you. I’m not playful one minute and pissy the next.”

      No, she thought. He was never playful.

      “Come on.” He motioned to the courtyard, his demeanor stern and strong and businesslike. “Let’s sit down, and I’ll fill you in on the case.”

      Ten minutes later, they occupied a glass-topped table, each with a hot drink in front of them.

      Maggie’s mocha cappuccino tasted rich and sweet, flavored with a splash of raspberry syrup. Luke drank his coffee strong and black. Which suited him, she thought.

      He lifted his gaze and looked directly into her eyes. For an instant she held her breath. Lucas Starwind never failed to accelerate her heartbeat.

      “We’re dealing with the possibility of a biological weapon,” he said.

      The air in her lungs rushed out. “That’s what’s on the CD I discovered? Some sort of scientific formula that could kill people?”

      He gave a tight nod. “We’ve recovered six CDs in all, including the one you have, but there’s more out there. The files they contain were pirated from the Rosemere Institute.”

      “That doesn’t make sense.” Maggie’s grandfather, King Thomas, had founded the Rosemere Institute in hopes of discovering a cure for cancer. “How could the Institute have anything dangerous in their files?”

      “Because they’ve been focusing on viral genetic research,” he explained. “The idea is to tailor a virus that will destroy cancer cells without debilitating the patient the way radiation and chemotherapy do.”

      Waiting for Luke to continue, Maggie placed her hands around her coffee cup, drawing warmth from the porcelain.

      “Last year the Institute made a breakthrough in their research,” he said. “But they also explored a number of dead ends. And one of those dead ends led to the accidental creation of a virus that stimulates a fast-growing cancer. A virus that’s vectored through the air.”

      Momentarily stunned, Maggie stared at him. “They created a cancer? Did King Thomas know?”

      “Yes. He made sure the original virus was destroyed, along with the final codes needed to fabricate it. But if a top-quality lab had all of the Institute’s data, they could figure out the final codes and re-create it.”

      “How many of the CDs are still missing?”

      “Enough to worry about. Whoever has them intends to sell them on the black market. That’s what this whole scheme is about.”

      Her pulse pounded in her throat. Biological warfare wasn’t what she had expected. “So this is why King Thomas and Prince Marc were killed?”

      Luke paused, gauging Maggie’s expression. She looked pale, sad and worried. He decided now wasn’t the time to tell her that Prince Marc had most likely been involved in stealing the files. In a roundabout way, her uncle’s treachery had cost him his life.

      “Rafe and I aren’t clear on all the details,” he said. “We know the Kelly crime family is responsible, and even though they’re in prison now, they still have ties in Altaria.”

      She lifted her coffee with both hands. “So solving this case means recovering the rest of the CDs and putting the Altarian traitors behind bars?”

      “That’s exactly what it means.”

      A moment of silence stretched СКАЧАТЬ