Free Punishing for Pleasure by Avery Gale Page A

sweetheart?”
    “Well, if you are asking me if I have any enemies, I can only think of a couple of people who really dislike me. But would it be enough to want to really hurt me? I just can’t see either of them going that far. I mean, they would both lose everything if they were caught and I honestly think their egos would stand in the way of that. Not to mention they’d see it as beneath them to have to do anything dirty themselves, and hiring someone else sets them up to be blackmailed later.”
    The last fragments of daylight had finally faded from the sky, but Meri’s face was illuminated by the full moon, highlighting her perfect features and giving her skin a soft glow that made her look almost ethereal. Even in the dim light, Ash could easily see her wrinkled brow and knew she was trying to decide how much more information to share.
    “Let me help you out with your decision, pet. Spill it all—don’t hold anything back, even if you think it is something we really don’t want to hear. We can’t help if we don’t have all the Intel.” Ash hoped she’d make the connection between their ability to help and their former jobs as Navy SEALs. Having all the available information usually meant the difference between success and failure. And when failure means people die—you have to develop a very high regard for those who supply your Intelligence. He saw her draw in a deep breath and could almost feel the last bit of fight drain away as she resigned herself to telling them everything. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, her phone starting vibrating and then ringing in his pocket.
    “That’s my dad’s ringtone. It overrides the vibrate only setting. He wasn’t supposed to call until Sunday night, so I need to answer that.” Ash reluctantly handed over the jiggling device and listened as she greeted her father. “Hey, Dad, what’s up? Is everything all right?”
    Ash could hear her father’s rapid-fire words, but was only able to make out a few. The longer Meri listened the more visibly upset she became, she was quickly on her feet and moving toward the pickup. She’d forgotten her shoes and Ash knew from experience the rocks they’d spread on the road had to be shredding the bottoms of her delicate feet. He grabbed her shoes and struggled to get to his feet, biting back the urge to curse out loud at the pain that shot up his forearm when he pressed against the dirt to stand up. Dex was already on the move and scooped her up without ever missing a step, his long stride eating up the last few yards between them and his truck in a couple of seconds.
    As the motor caught, Ash heard Meri repeat the fact she was safe and her promise to call her dad with an update on Tony as soon as she found out his condition. Tony? The man I tossed her keys to when we left the hospital? What could have happened to him in such a short period of time that would have her dad calling from South America?

Chapter Six
     
    After Dex set Merilee on the seat, he’d gently pried the phone from her shaking fingers and slid it into his shirt pocket before scooting her into the center seat and fastening her safety belt. He smoothed her hair back from her face and double-checked that he’d heard their destination correction. She was white as a sheet and he wanted nothing more than to hold her against him and assure her everything was going to be all right. But since he had no way of knowing that was true, and he wouldn’t mislead her, he kept quiet. He planned to return a call to Merilee’s dad as soon as they reached the hospital he’d heard her mention. Damn if it wasn’t the same facility they’d just left a couple of hours ago. They hadn’t gone far when traffic slowed to a crawl. He was nearly blinded by all the flashing lights, but he’d glanced over to see a small red sports car that looked like it had been put through a metal compactor. Hearing Meri’s gasp was all the confirmation Dex needed that the mangled ball of