Free Price of Surrender by Unknown Page A

beginning that Jeff Carrigan wasn’t good husband
    material.
    „Not that Holt is, either,“ Adena added aloud to the silent dog. „He doesn’t even understand about love yet. You
    can bet marriage isn’t at the top of his list of most-wanted-items for Christmas!“
    Which brought up the uncomfortable notion of what it would be like to have an affair with him. Adena had the
    impression it would be an all or nothing relationship Holt would eventually demand. She suspected he was being
    relatively patient with her now but sooner or later he would want everything from her.
    What would she do when that time came? Not wanting to think about it, Adena buried her face in the pillow and
    added up columns of imaginary numbers in her head until she fell asleep.

5
    Adena was putting the finishing touches on the Belgian endive, beet, and avocado salad the next evening when the
    doorbell sounded. Holt was early, she thought in amusement, wiping her fingers daintily on a tea towel and heading
    toward the door.
    She moved gracefully in a wine velvet skirt which she had paired with a romantic, high-necked, long-sleeved
    blouse trimmed in ruffles and lace and buckled with a smashing Mexican silver and turquoise belt Congratulating
    herself that she had started dinner preparations a bit early, Adena rounded the comer of the kitchen door to find that
    Max had already reached the front door ahead of her.
    It was the schnauzer’s distinctly forbidding air which told Adena that whoever stood outside her door, it wasn’t
    Holt Her eyebrows drew together In a troubled frown as she depressed the intercom button.
    „Who is it?“
    The shock she experienced when Jeff Carrigan’s voice came back over the speaker told Adena just how far out of
    her mind she had managed to put the man who had once been so important to her.
    „Open up, Adena. We have a little matter to discuss.“
    „Jeff! What in the world!“
    Reluctantly she opened the door, intending to send the man on his way, but before she could say anything, he
    pushed into the apartment, crowding her back.
    In an instant she realized he was furiously angry. His handsome features were twisted into an angry threat and she
    was almost certain he’d had a few drinks.
    „Just what the hell kind of game do you think you’re playing, Adena West,“ he raged tightly, coming toward her.
    „Jeff, calm down,“ she snapped, surprised at his show of temper. She wouldn’t have given him credit for such
    depth of emotion. „What’s the matter with you? And stop yelling at me. The neighbors will hear!“
    „I don’t give a damn who hears! Did you think I’d let you get away with a cheap trick like this? You little bitch! I’m
    going to wring your neck!“
    A warning growl interrupted the furious monologue. Max was standing stiff-legged with aggression. He watched
    the intruder with the inborn hostility of a dog whose ancestors had been used for centuries as guard dogs.
    „Max! Down!“ Adena said sharply, sensing that in another instant the dog would be leaping for any part of Jeff he
    thought he could reach. Max obeyed to the point of not springing at the man, but he didn’t back away. Another low
    growl sounded dangerously far back in his throat „Call off your damn dog, Adena! He’s not going to do you much
    good anyway!“
    „Jeff, stop raging at me and tell me what’s going on! Why are you behaving like an animal yourself? We have
    nothing left between us and you know it I told you so the day I came to you about those payoffs!“
    „And took off to find Sinclair so you could peddle your information to him!“
    „That’s not true!“ Stricken, Adena drew back a step. „I… I gave you a chance to stop those payoffs, and when you
    made it clear you weren’t going to do any such thing, I felt an obligation to inform SinTech of what was going on! But
    I didn’t sell the information, I only did what I thought was right under the circumstances!“
    Jeff closed in on her and Adena