Read Paradise Fought (Abel) for Free Online Page B

turned it on in the ring. It made him a champion.
    “I need a favor,” he spoke, dryly, not taking his eyes from the girl on stage. My eyes hadn’t left him. I didn’t want to see the jiggle and jutting of tassels and thong. She was a shapely girl, too shapely. The room was somber despite the display. The music blared on.
    “What do you need?”
    Regardless of the distance between us, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Cain. I owed him, as my older brother. I felt the obligation as he felt one toward me. I never understood why. He was stronger, that I knew. But why he did it, why he took it, was always beyond me.
    “I’m looking for a girl.”
    I snorted. He had to be kidding. He could have any girl he wanted. In fact, I was certain the girl on display would please him if he wished. Girls were not an issue for him, like they were for me.
    He turned on me and hard dark eyes paralyzed me. That was the thing about Cain, he had earned his name. Cobra. Those eyes froze me solid. Hypnotized, I didn’t move without his direction. My laughter was seized and my throat constricted as I held my breath. I shouldn’t have laughed. He was serious.
    “I’m sorry,” I muttered. “How can I help?” It took strength to speak. Cain’s forceful glare was paralyzing.
    “She’s a senior at Preston. She was abroad in the fall, but she should be back with the new semester. I need you to find her for me.”
    I stared at him. Disbelief was the emotion inside me. Why couldn’t he find her himself? I wondered. He could have anyone he wanted. Before I could ask that obvious question, he answered me.
    “I don’t want her to know I’m looking. I just want to know where she is. How she is.”
    Cain slid me a piece of paper with a name. It was so mysterious, like a spy movie or something, and I wanted to laugh again. It was like we were playing a game, only he wasn’t horsing around. His serious expression proved it. I’d never heard of the girl. As he said, she was a year older. Preston was a large university.
    “I know she’s studying to be a doctor and she took human anatomy last year. That’s all I have.”
    There was something in Cain’s voice that let me know he was in earnest. He wanted to find this one.
    “Why her?” I questioned.
    “She’s…I have my reasons,” he stammered and faced the stage again. He’d raised his hand to signal another drink, but the waitress hadn’t approached yet. My eyes drifted to the stage as well. A new song filled the space. It was slightly older, sultry, and sinful. It made you want to have sex and so did the backside of the dancer on stage. She wiggled one way then dragged her ass back. She shyly peered over her shoulder with a hat shielding her eyes. When the music shifted, she spun and strutted to the pole at the edge of the stage. Tossing off the hat, blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders and I stood instantly.
    “Elma,” I groaned. Her attention turned to the darkened crowd, but she didn’t miss a beat. She wore a vest, with apparently nothing underneath, and high cut panties that bared half her ass cheeks. The men around me sat up at greater attention. Sin was on display, and they were interested in her performance.
    “You know this one?” I could hear the smirk in my brother’s tone. My blood flowed cold to think he knew her, too.
    “Do you?” I bit, turning to look at him. A rare smile had tweaked his lips. His dark eyes sparkled with mischief as he watched the display before us. A thick finger tapped on the new glass of amber liquid while he contemplated his answer.
    “I’ve heard of her.” The corners of his eyes pinched.
    “What did you hear?” I growled. My brother’s expression dropped and he turned to me again.
    “She’s good. Dances here a few nights a week.”
    “But how do you know her?” I was still standing, but now I was leaning over the table. My hands were braced on the hard surface as I pressed forward, closing in on Cain’s space. He