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."I'm sorry, baby, I can't helpthe way I walk, but you're not supposed to be doing this anymore.I thought we agreed."She rolled her eyes but didn't pull her hand away.He was stroking her inner wrist, histouch both soothing and sexy at the same time."Is that what you call it? I think it wasmore a decree at the time, but of course, you couldn't have been serious.""I rarely am anything but serious."That was probably true.Tansy gave an exaggerated sigh."I came here to give youinformation on the killings."He tugged her hand to his mouth, his eyes watching hers."Your mission has changed."She took back her hand."My mission is the same.You can't find them all by yourselfand you know it." Her frown came back as her gaze flicked to the ivory figurines.Theywere beautiful, yet each represented a killer."There's something important here, reallyimportant, that I'm missing.I have to figure it out, Kadan, because without it& " Shetrailed off, looking more distressed than ever.Kadan touched her mind, trying to make sense of her jumbled thoughts.Her mind wasracing, analyzing and discarding data, chooses pieces to put together and then breakingthem apart again.Tansy had a high-speed, complex computer for a brain when it came tomurder.It was no wonder the police departments who had used her had written suchconfusing reports.She got the job done, but it was impossible to follow her train ofthought, her jumps from one conclusion to the next, or even her uncanny ability to ferretout and identify the threads of the case that really mattered.Her mind wouldn't let go once it started.That revelation sent a wave of apprehensionthrough him.She wasn't going to let go of it, not because she was being stubborn, butbecause she couldn't.It didn't matter how much he ordered her, or even if he took heraway from the evidence; she couldn't back off now until the killers were caught.That hadnever been mentioned in the reports on her he'd studied.Not that he would have doneanything different even if he'd had the information.He hadn't met her, hadn't known whatshe would become to him in such a short time.In some ways, Tansy was a lot like him.Once started on a mission, he found it nearly impossible to back off.Her mind wasprogrammed the same way.He could feel the pressure tugging at her relentlessly.An escaping thread in a largertapestry she tried desperately to unravel to find the other end.He took a breath, let it out,ABC Amber LIT Converterhttp://www.processtext.com/abclit.html ABC Amber LIT Converterhttp://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlbreathing for both of them as he rested his chin on top of her head."I'm sorry I got you into this, babe." His hands slid up and down her arms in a soothingmotion, but he was soothing himself, not her, and he knew it.Damn, emotions weredifficult to deal with.She waved away his apology."Let's just go after another one right now.Maybe I canfigure out what's bothering me.There are two different& "Again she trailed off and he got the same impressions in her mind: a chaotic whirl, toomuch data triggering her alarm buttons, but nothing tangible she could grab with bothhands.Kadan glanced at his watch."We've only got about two hours and then we'll havecompany.You're going to be hitting the headache just about the time they arrive."She shrugged off his warning and reached for another of the ivory pieces."Damn it, Tansy." He caught her wrist and all but yanked her to the table's edge."Put onthe fuc " He made an effort to stop himself."Gloves.Just get them on."She pulled on the gloves and, without pause, reached for the snake.The figurine wasvery detailed, the long body coiled and covered in a pattern of scales, the head up, mouthwide open to show curved fangs.Even the eyes seemed to blaze with defiance and amenacing threat.The tongue was long and forked.When her fingers curled around thegame piece, the oil poured into her mind, a fast torrent, carrying malice and glee.Thisone liked to see pain.Where Frog wanted his victims to acknowledge his existence, hispower, this one simply fed off the pain of others.And it mattered little to him if his preywere an animal, a child, a woman or man.He just needed the pain and the screams.The breath slammed out of her lungs as the thick, bloody mud rushed into her mind, andfor a moment she couldn't remember how to breathe properly.There was the terrifyingsensation of being dragged under, of gasping, desperate for air, pulling in filthy, oilymuck instead, so that it filled every corner of her mind and packed her lungs so solidthere was no hope of breathing.She was drowning drowning and she wouldn't be ableto get back.It happened too fast; her quarry was too strong.She felt a mouth move against hers.Feel me, baby.I'm with you.Warm breath pushedinto her lungs.She inhaled, took air in to push out some of the thick goo coating herinsides.Another breath.He can't have you.I'll breathe for both of us.She could do this! She accepted another stream of air, shuddering with effort, forcing itinto her lungs, concentrating on pushing past that first wave of violent energy thatthreatened to consume her mind.Snake couldn't have her because she had her ownpersonal guardian angel.Kadan Montague was the strongest man she'd ever known.Andhe was on her side not only on it, but at it, breathing in and out, sharing air with her.ABC Amber LIT Converterhttp://www.processtext.com/abclit.html ABC Amber LIT Converterhttp://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlShe found him there in her mind, and a tiny part of her held tight to him while sheallowed the familiar expansion to push her own spirit out, to make room for the beastpouring into her, threatening to devour her.He was eager for the kill.Couldn't wait.He wanted them alive, lasting a long time whilehe hurt them.The places he'd been where he'd discovered appreciation of his talents werelong gone, but now he could have fun again.This cool opportunity brought backmemories of the tunnel inVietnam where he'd trapped the two farmers.They'd lasted twodays.Glorious fun.Both were babbling when he ended them and he almost hadn't.He'dbeen so tempted to leave their raw, bloody bodies for the rats to find, but he hadn't, andhe'd thought of that ever since.Maybe this time and he'd set up a camera where no onewould find it just so he could go back later and watch them being devoured alive.Suchfun.The pleas were starting, growing stronger, although Tansy tried to keep the victimsaway for just a little longer.She needed to escape the snake and look for the other one, the master behind thepuppets.All powerful killers, tied to strings.He pulled they danced.The masculinewhisper grew stronger.She found the thread, faint but there.The master.She had himnow.She was an elite tracker and he wouldn't escape no matter how subtle he was
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