Free Skin Dive by Ava Gray

light for the former, the most purely androgynous tone he’d ever heard. The verbiage wasn’t quite right, either, but maybe this wasn’t a native speaker. Some smooth, awful thread ran through it, something . . . not quite human, as if it came from a mouth with too many teeth. But surely he was tired—imagining things. A job was a job.
    “Lay it out for me.”
    “It desires two fugitives remanded to its custody.”
    Cale hesitated. “I take it you don’t work in law enforcement?” “It does not. This contract would prove lucrative.”
    “Are they dangerous?”
    “Yes.”
    A thrill of interest surged through him. It had been a long time since he had a worthy hunt. Most of his targets were stupid and predictable. They ate, fucked, and slept in the same patterns, so it was child’s play to snatch them. He could use a challenge.
    “I’ll need a full dossier on each of them, last known location, and half a million dollars.” He always started high. Any employer would be prepared for that, and haggling was fun. But within five minutes, this creepy fuck should come to an agreement if he or she was serious.
    Instead, the voice said, “Half now, half when the job is completed.”
    Holy—
    All of his alarm bells went off. When the other party showed no interest in negotiation, it meant the task was so difficult as to be impossible—that, or they wanted it accomplished beyond any rational reason. It whispered of obsession, which was never good in his line of work. Business was business, and it was best not to chase it with a crazy cocktail.
    “How did you get this number?”
    “The hunter worked for Gerard Serrano, yes?”
    “Once,” he admitted.
    The bastard was dead now, and good riddance. He’d tried to cheat Cale out of his bonus for completing the job within the ten-day deadline. Regardless, Serrano had all kinds of shady connections, so there was no telling who might be on the other end of the line. His silence must have communicated some misgiving.
    “It represents a consortium called the Foundation, which funds scientific research. Serrano was one of the initial members.”
    That sounded particularly spooky; scientific research covered a lot of ground, but the money was too good to pass up, just the job he’d been looking for in order to top off his nest egg and get out of the game entirely.
    Cale swallowed his qualms and said, “You have a deal. Send me the paperwork.”
    “Excellent. Tickets to New York wait at the airport. One of its people will be at LaGuardia with everything needed to complete the task.”
    Damn. They were fucking sure of me, weren’t they? That made him uneasy, too. Focus on the money, mate. It’s keen and green, and soon you’ll be done with this shit for good.

    Puerto Vallarta was gorgeous this time of year. Some people preferred Cancun, but Tanager didn’t like the tourist influence. She thought it was more like an American colony than a true reflection of Mexico. PV still had the feel of a quaint beach town, where she could stroll along the malecon and pretend she had nowhere else to be. There were also gorgeous resorts here at reasonable prices, private beaches, plus fabulous service. Not that she ever paid for anything. All she had to do was walk in the door, ask to speak to the manager, and then say, You want to comp your best suite, an all-inclusive package. Her siren voice did the rest. Though it only worked on men, there were enough males in the world that she always got what she wanted.
    Which was why she found Mockingbird’s resistance intriguing. Maybe it was the electronic interference on the line, but she had never been able to get him to do anything he didn’t want to. That didn’t stop her from trying. Everyone needed a hobby.
    “Come on,” Tanager said. “You know what you want to tell me.”
    She was the only one who got away with teasing Mockingbird. Lying in the chaise lounge with her feet crossed at the ankles, she sipped at her foamy piña