Ivory (Manhatten ten) (15 page)

Authors: Lola Dodge

“I stayed out of sight,” she said.

“I’ll bet.” He sighed. “Look, I know Jack’s real. I know I need to catch him. That’s why I’m listening to you. But how do I know your information is good? For all I know, you’re as crazy as he is.”

“I can tell you what kind of equipment Jill uses for her lab and some of the chemicals she needs. Would that help track her down to where the hostage might be?”

“It would.” It definitely would. Crazy or not, it was the best lead he had, and that missing bank teller wasn’t getting any safer as time passed. But he needed more to go on.

Al set the empty can on the counter. “The thing is, I need a reason to trust you. For all I know, you could be working with Jack and Jill. Or making them up. Or have a hidden agenda. Right now, all I have is someone who broke into my place. You see the problem?”

She stood and the cape swirled around her. “I’ve got to stop them. I’ve got to save the hostage.”

“Why you?” he said. “What’s your angle?”

She said nothing.

“Maybe you have a speech ready about great power bringing great responsibility?”

She snorted. “Not likely.”

“At least let me see your face. I can’t trust someone who won’t look me in the eye.”

“You’ll be waiting a long time for that.” She put out a hand. “But, yeah, I see your problem. I know I sound crazy—” She began pulling off a glove, finger by finger. “Like I said, Jill’s playing with altering DNA. I don’t know exactly what she’s doing. I didn’t pay enough attention in science class, I guess. But I’m familiar with the results.”

Noir finished taking off the glove and held up her arm for inspection. “Jill did this to me.”

There was no hand above the wrist cuff.

“She cut off your hand? Fuck!” Al walked closer.

“No, you’ve got it wrong,” she said. “Hold out your hand and I’ll show you.”

He did as she asked. She extended the arm that ended at the wrist to him, as if she meant to give him a phantom handshake.

His hand was gripped by…something. It felt just like a handshake. He could feel the impressions of her fingers on the back of his hand.

But he couldn’t
see
them.

His mouth fell open. “Your hand is
invisible
?”

“Not just my hand.” Her grip tightened. “My whole body is invisible.”

Ivory

Lola Dodge

That cold day in hell? It’s here…

Manhattan Ten, Book 2

If Ivory’s fellow flight attendants whisper that she has ice in her veins, they’d be right. She’s spent years ruthlessly suppressing her dangerous ice powers, pretending she didn’t grow up wild on the tundra.

Her legendary coolness has held solid—until a crazed attacker snaps her composure, unleashing her ice beast and blowing her cover. And she’s not sure if the man who defuses the situation is any less dangerous.

When Panther’s trans-Atlantic catnap is interrupted by Ivory’s ice spear through his mark’s gut, he doesn’t hesitate to claim her as one of the Manhattan Ten. It’s the only way to shield her from prosecution. It doesn’t hurt that the Nordic beauty puts his inner cat on the prowl.

Panther tempts Ivory in every smoldering way, but to let him melt her resistance is a risk she can’t afford. But when her past rises up to claim her, Pan is caught in the crossfire…and the only way to save him is to let the beast claim her, body and soul.

Warning: Contains one smoldering ice vixen and the sexy beast man who wants to get his claws all over her. Make sure your icemaker is in tip-top shape before reading. Mukluks optional.

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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B

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Ivory

ISBN: 978-1-61921-441-5

Edited by Amy Sherwood

Cover by Kanaxa

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First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: April 2013

www.samhainpublishing.com