Free Dark Lily: Shadows, Book 4 by Jenna Ryan Page A

rather than acknowledge.
    It was dangerous at the best of times to shut out her surroundings. Gaby realized she’d made a mistake when something cold, like an icy finger, slithered down her spine. She had no time to react, no chance to scream or even take a breath, as a leather-covered hand slammed across her mouth. A second hand grabbed her right wrist and yanked her arm up behind her back.
    “One sound, one twitch, one shiver I don’t like, and you will know pain,” a man’s rough voice said in her ear. “You’re all alone in this godforsaken swamp. I’m not. Do you understand me?”
    Terrified, but not beyond her capacity to think, Gaby gave a quick nod. Despite the pain, she forced her mind to relax. If she jolted him, he might break her arm. If Billy appeared and startled him, same result. Better to do as he said and keep thinking until something came to her that wouldn’t end with any part of her being damaged.
    He uncovered her mouth, but only so he could curl his fingers around her throat. “Very good,” he congratulated. “I was told you’d be smart.”
    She steadied her breathing, before venturing a calm, “Told by Leshad, or by Senator CJ Best?”
    “Told by the person who hired me,” he growled. “That’s all you need to know, and all I care about.”
    “Really? You don’t care about Sherry Lynn?”
    His fingers jerked. The hand holding her wrist tightened. “Where’d you get that from?”
    “From you.” She scrambled to dig out his name. Couldn’t quite. “You think I smell real good. You want Sherry Lynn to smell like me and pour the drugstore perfume she wears down the toilet.”
    “You do not know that.” He yanked her arm up higher, hissed through his teeth. “You can’t.”
    Okay, this wasn’t working the way she’d hoped. Gaby tilted sideways, trying to ease the pain that raced up and down her arm. She would have spiked him, except she wasn’t wearing heels. And he was muscled to the max, so ramming an elbow into his stomach was pointless. He’d probably scoff at the attempt. Then break her arm.
    He raised his voice. “Get over here now, Baxter. This bitch is creeping me out.” When his partner didn’t answer, he barked. “Baxter, you candy ass. You get over here before I snap her arm in two.”
    He was doing that already. Wincing, Gaby leaned farther to the side. “Damage the goods, pal, and you run the risk of Leshad and/or Best doing the same to you.”
    He kicked her with his knee. “You’ve got a big mouth, lady.”
    “That’s not all I’ve got…” His name came to her on a slash of pain. “Stubbins.”
    The sound of his own name froze him. “How the hell do you know that?” He shook her roughly and whipped her around. “How?”
    She was about to go for a strong mental punch coupled with a physical shove when he flung her to the ground.
    Stars exploded in her head. She landed in mud that sucked on her limbs when she tried to roll. Okay , she thought woozily, need a moment to lose the stars and collect my thoughts.
    Very slowly, the sound of fists colliding with bone worked its way through the mental fog. Her head continued to spin. Billy’s face, grinning like a ferocious animal, slipped in and out. Mitchell’s face came and stayed.
    She made it to her hands and knees, focusing on the movement ahead of her. Mitchell and Stubbins were gridlocked. Stubbins broke free and landed a double-handed blow to Mitchell’s shoulder.
    Gaby felt the pain as if it were her own. It surged along Mitchell’s arm. Shaking her own, she shoved the hurt away and pushed to her knees.
    The dizziness began to fade. A smile stole across her lips. Mitchell was doing just fine by himself. But… “Guy has a glass jaw,” she shouted.
    Mitchell’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. Oh, yeah, he knew how to handle himself, all right. When Stubbins fumbled a gun from his boot, Mitchell kicked it away. Gaby heard it splash in the water.
    Locking her gaze on the big man, she took a