Free Red Night ((Book 1) Timewalker Chronicles) by Michele Callahan Page A

helpless. Her father and brothers had known better than to mess with her and her mother had made sure she had both the knowledge and the will to back it up. Still, his worry was endearing. Too bad she couldn’t allow the poor man to keep that delusion. Being a pampered princess for the rest of her life didn’t sound too bad. Especially, if Luke was going to be the one doing the spoiling.
    Enough daydreaming. The Plaza Club had twelve private rooms and she’d only checked half of them.
    She cracked the door open on another dark and empty room. The sign labeled this one The Colonel’s Room. Fitting. Light from the main dining hall’s chandeliers and wall sconces was enough for her to see that the room was empty. Her teeth bit down on her tongue to tame the curse struggling to fly from her lips. A mere three feet away stood a group of extremely old, incredibly wealthy women. Wouldn’t do to give one of the old bats a heart attack. One of those obnoxiously large diamond rings they were all flinging around as they spoke would have to be handed down. Unless, of course, they requested to be buried with their jewelry. That wouldn’t surprise her at all.
    Stomach rumbling, she lifted a gourmet treat from an unattended waiter’s tray and popped it into her mouth. At least she wouldn’t starve. Seven rooms down, five to go. Methodical. Logical. Her father would be so proud. And it felt dead wrong.
    She was thankful for the piano music and the noisy chatter all around her. Her gut instincts told her she could check rooms all night and she wouldn’t find him. Time to stop looking for the weasel, and start thinking like one.
    Where would she be if she wanted to infect everyone in this room? Who here had the most access to the most people? She stopped moving and just watched the natural rhythm of the room. The guests seated in heavy walnut chairs for dinner, chatting, laughing, showing off. The wait-staff, silently and efficiently keeping everything clean and everyone’s glass full. Several couples were dancing to a slow, sad number the piano man and his mistress softly layered into the noise of the room.
    The sight of all those couples dancing made her wish she was here just to enjoy the party like everyone else. She took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. Duty demanded otherwise. Once Kline was stopped, she could dance with Luke every night if she wanted to. The thought of her lover made her birthmark flare to life. Great. Just what she needed right now. Distraction.
    “Dance with me.” Rock-solid arms slid around her waist and pulled her bare back against a wall of warmth.
    Biting back a scream, Alexa realized Luke had found her. He pulled her around, his broad shoulders hid her from view of the party so she could reappear without scaring anyone. She released her hold on the light and scowled up at him. “How did you find me?”
    Damn, but the man had a killer smile. Full of secrets. “Come on. Dance with me. There are thirty professional spies, sneaks, and assassins here. All looking for one little boy. Let them handle it, angel. Just for five minutes.”
    No woman in existence could have turned him down in that moment. Not with those sexy bedroom eyes devouring her like she was a special treat. She could see everything that happened in the room from the dance floor. Why not kill two birds with one stone? “All right. But just one dance.”
    He whirled her onto the floor and wrapped his arms around her like he was never going to let her go. A slow, sultry number was playing. Her body rocked against Luke’s. His breath played over her neck when he dipped his head down to completely enclose her in their own private world. The soft fabric of his tuxedo rubbed against her cheek. The smell of his spicy shaving cream lingered on his skin. His lips dipped to brush her bare shoulder with a barely-there caress. He held her right hand in his, trapped between their bodies, right on top of the mark over his heart. It was