Read Mercury's War for Free Online Page A

here?”
        The “we” in question meaning Vanderale Industries, Sanctuary’s more than generous benefactor.
        He nodded shortly.
        “Your lab files didn’t hint at mechanical knowledge. Your specialty there was recon and weapons with a significant talent in assassination and torture.”
        He lifted a brow. “You make it sound like college.”
        She stared back at him silently, her expression unchanging.
        “The ability wasn’t listed because there was no chance to develop the talent.” He finally shrugged. “When I came here, there were some old cycles in one of the sheds. I spent my time fixing them.”
        Jonas had said to cooperate with her. Fine, he’d cooperate. And he had to admit he liked that little flare of interest in her eyes whenever he gave her what she wanted. He’d like to give her a whole lot more than what she was asking for.
        “So you found the talent while you were recuperating?” She straightened and turned toward him, her hands sliding into the pockets of her slim skirt as she leaned a hip against the table.
        Recuperating. Now there was a word for it.
        He nodded. It was hard to talk to her when all he wanted to do was growl with lust. He could feel the urge rising in his throat and fought it back. Damn, he must have been too long without a woman. Maybe he should find one. Fast. Or he was going to end up in bed with a potential disaster. Vanderale’s emissary was no one to screw around with. Literally.
        “You requested six more of the cycles, with advanced electronics, weapons and power. Did you come up with the specifications?” she asked.
        He nodded again. Those cycles would be a terror in the mountains the government had ceded to the Breeds.
        The cycles were stripped down to only necessary weight to allow for the small, mounted gun barrels and ammunition. GPS and advanced satellite links were contained in bulletproof shields on the bikes, and the engines themselves were modified for a vast increase in power.
        “And what would be the consequences if the cycles weren’t approved?”
        That question threw him. They needed those cycles.
        “More Breeds will die,” he answered her. “Keeping up with the tricks the Supremacists use to get into the protected area is paramount. Those cycles will aid the teams that have to patrol the perimeters, which have grown in the past few years.”
        “The advancements you’re asking for raise the price of the machines by several tens of thousands of dollars per cycle,” she pointed out. “Not to mention ammunition and satellite time they’ll be using. At this rate, Vanderale will need to place a satellite in orbit for Sanctuary alone. Do you know the cost of that?”
        “Vanderale profits as well,” he reminded her. “How many of our people do you already have working security for the new facilities you’ve placed in the Middle East?”
        “People we pay an excellent wage,” she argued. “There’s no exchange of favors, Mercury.”
        Bullshit. He stared back at her mockingly. “Tell that to your executive we rescued from Iran last month, Ms. Rodriquez. The Breed community did for free what no other team could have done for any price. How much was his life worth to you?”
        Her lips twitched at the point.
        “You’re right.” She shrugged. “Mr. Vasquez is very important to Vanderale. He’s doing fine, by the way. Considered it a hell of an adventure.”
        She shifted again, crossing one ankle over the other as she leaned against the desk, and he swore he heard the sound of silken flesh rubbing together. And that couldn’t be happening, because unlike other Breeds’, his hearing just wasn’t that advanced.
        God, he wanted to lift her to that damned table and bury his head between her thighs. He wondered if she would taste as sweet as he imagined she did. If