Baited (The Chronicles of the Hunter Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  About the Author

  CHAPTER ONE

  Hundreds of years in existence and she had a jumper. These were usually assigned to the novices. Worse still, his name was Biblical. Adam. That was an uncomfortable reminder she didn’t need. Or want. Adam was leaping off the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, no less. And she’d had less than three hours to get here.

  Jezzie regarded the orange-painted landmark rising out of the fog-choked bay. She wore her statement dark glasses, but that didn’t hamper vision. She’d made it just before dawn. The city already pulsed with energy about her as it awakened. She considered the bridge. Checked for any movement. Perhaps she should have done more than scan the file sent to her, but that was hindsight, and Jezzie detested anything about the past. She’d rather face everything head-on. Without the slightest warning. Made things a lot more interesting…

  She faced a lot of iron. Cabling. Solid streams of car lights flowing along the roadway. She had seconds, at best. What was it with humanity anymore? They couldn’t wait for death? They had to go and chase it?

  She hoped Adam wasn’t a suicide attempt. Those were usually doomed to fail. Even if a hunter stepped in, they couldn’t stay with the assignment forever. Most aborted suicide attempts ended up being dress rehearsals for the real thing.

  But there was the occasional success.

  Maybe this would be one.

  She caught a flash of movement, much higher than expected. It turned out to be sunlight sparking on a metal clasp…attached to a large blob. That must be Adam. Everything on him was in shades of black. If he was fit, it didn’t show. He was encased in a lot of material. It flapped about him in the wind, hampering his movement. He neared the top of a post, climbed over the last bit of railing, clearly intent on his fate.

  Jezzie didn’t hesitate.

  A leap took her to the bridge. Another one got her halfway up the maintenance steps. With the next, she was at the lip of iron, and materializing in front of Adam. He jerked backward, lost his balance and would have toppled off if Jezzie hadn’t snagged his belt. She pulled him back upright, as if he didn’t loom over her by several inches and outweigh her by a lot. His eyes were as wide as his mouth, and he was sucking for breath. Jezzie snickered. She always did love the look of shock she got when she first showed up.

  “Hi there.”

  She winked as she greeted him. Hmm. Adam was rather attractive. She almost blew him a kiss before discarding the idea. It was a violation. No engaging.

  “Who the—? What the—? How in the—?”

  “Name’s Jezebel. Jezzie for short.”

  “But, how—? What—?”

  He had a nice voice. It rumbled through the air, adding to the strong wind lifting strands of her hair.

  “Your name is Adam Ballantine. You are twenty-nine. Have a nice balance in your bank accounts. Seem to have things together. Which does beg the question, why are you jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge?”

  “Because it’s here.”

  “Oh. Please. Think this through. Things aren’t that bad. They never are. And the alternate is worse. Trust me.”

  “Who the hell are you?”

  “Suicide is final, Adam.”

  “What? Look. I’m not committing suicide, all right? Let’s get that straight right now.”

  “Then what...? Oh! Wait. I get it. You are one of those idiot thrill-seekers, aren’t you?”

  “Whoa. Lady. Get your words straight. I’m an adrenaline junkie.”

  “Well. I have news for you, Adam Ballantine. You have a lot more than adrenaline in your immediate future.”

  “Good.”

  “You are not going to survive this jump. That’s why I’m here. To stop you.”

  “Why don’t you just get out of the way, little girl?”

  Jezzie clamped her hands on his upper arms and lifted him off the iron a good six inches. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. Jezzie couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing. Oh! This was such fun, sometimes! Adam clamped his mouth shut and narrowed his eyes in response. That expression stopped any hilarity in its tracks. Nothing about him looked laughable. She lowered him back to his feet, but didn’t release her grip.

  “Questions?” she asked.

  “Who? The hell. Are you?”

  He separated the words. A shiver ran up her spine. That was odd. Unwarranted. And entirely too pleasant.

  “Guardian angel,” she finally replied.

  “I have a guardian angel?”

  “You could say that.”

  “And you’re named Jezebel? You have got to be kidding me.”

  “Nope.”

  “Doesn’t that mean something like harlot?”

  Jezzie didn’t respond. Now she remembered. Just before she’d shut the file, words had flashed across her screen. Adam Ballantine was considered a world class jerk. Complete ass. The kind of man people avoided. Well. Somebody should have been more succinct.

  “You ready to go now?” she asked in a deceptively sweet tone.

  “I’m jumping. You’re not stopping me. Got it?”

  “You’re a pain in the posterior, Adam.”

  “Yeah. So?”

  He’d recovered from the surprise of her appearance. It was apparent. He had a killer grin. Nice dimples. Jezebel considered him without any expression. His smile gradually waned. She’d been a little mistaken earlier. He wasn’t just attractive. He was big. Bold. Dark. And incredibly handsome. That was before she factored in the bad-boy, bad-ass, sexy part.

  And the worst part was, Adam was very aware of all that.

  Jezzie had always been drawn to this type of male. That’s why she was in this predicament in the first place.

  “You really want to jump?” she asked.

  He messed with something on the harness at his belly. Adjusted the little lens atop his helmet. “Yep.”

  “You are courting death.”

  “It’s what I live for!”

  Jezzie sighed. Shook her head. Grabbed him to her and launched backward. She didn’t give him any room to work any of his equipment, or whatever his attire contained. Adam was six foot three. Probably 220 pounds. Entirely more male than she was used to. Contact with him sent a sliver of something through her belly that startled. And then it frightened. She didn’t know what the reactions meant exactly, and she wasn’t interested in finding out.

  Jezzie took them straight down. Head-first. Toward a span of ocean that might as well be concrete. She didn’t have to do it this way, but he deserved it. He wanted to face death? Said it gave him a thrill? Fine. He could just experience the full package. Adam didn’t have any reaction until about midway down. That’s when he realized he couldn’t get her arms loose. The winged suit was not going to save him this go-around. He was plummeting toward certain death.

  She expected a scream. An expletive. Maybe a gasp. Adam didn’t do any of that. He narrowed his eyes and scowled at her, focusing a lot of enmity with the look. He didn’t even act frightened, although his heart was a thudding presence against her breasts. They reached the fog laye
r. Adam didn’t move his gaze from hers. Jezzie returned the favor. She heard, rather than saw, the wave-tossed surface of the Pacific Ocean as they neared. Getting close.

  Closer.

  At the last possible moment, Jezzie jerked sideways, her behind grazing water as she took them upright. The only sign he gave was a hitch in his breathing.

  “So, Adam. Tell me...can you swim in this suit?” she asked nonchalantly.

  “I don’t know.”

  He was scowling. That added a sense of sexual enticement to him that she didn’t want or need.

  “Oh. I think it’s time you found out. Don’t you?”

  She opened her arms and dropped him. His arms were flailing before he disappeared beneath the waves. His entrance sent up a lot of froth and bubbles. Jezzie hovered above him, counting. If he didn’t surface within two minutes, she’d have to go down and drag him up. That could be entertaining. But it would also be disappointing, she realized. His helmeted head broke the surface of the water. He sucked in a huge gulp. Called her a name before swimming for shore. The water was probably cold. She hadn’t factored that part in.

  Hmm.

  She hadn’t factored a lot of things into this morning.

  Adam Ballantine was extremely well built. Every bit of him was defined as he clung first to the rocks at the shoreline, and then scrambled over them. He was on his hands and feet next, crouched in an awkward crawl. That was even more unfortunate. It showed off his fitness level. Adam was certainly fit. Ripped. He caused undue havoc in her ability to think. Jezzie mulled that as she waited for him to reach her. Adam Ballantine’s physical attributes definitely tipped the scale. The guy was an alpha male. Big. Gorgeous. Incredibly sexy. He equaled trouble. She’d be well-advised to leave. Pretend she’d never met him. And then stay clear. The moment she could.

  The day was severely overcast. Sunlight barely dented the chill of fog-wrapped bay. Adam was breathing hard as he reached her, dropped to his knees. He lifted his torso, put his hands on his thighs, and then he glared up at her. He had a lot of glossy black hair beneath his helmet. It was glued to his neck and shoulders. He also had some riveting dark eyes. Her heart reacted with a stutter.

  This was really getting scary.

  Jezzie tipped her head down so she could look over the sunglass rim at him.

  “Well. Looks like you have one answer,” she told him.

  “To what?”

  He snarled it. Jezebel slipped her glasses back into position and looked out over the bay, frowning as she did so. It didn’t help. She had to look back at him, and then she had to ignore a whisper of reaction that raised goose bumps as she did so.

  “Your jumping suit is worthless in water.”

  “Are you for real, lady?”

  “Oh. I think we’re done here, Adam. You survived the jump. Have a nice life.”

  Jezzie blew him a kiss.

  And disappeared.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Adam stared for some time at the spot vacated by the woman. His brain was stuck in a cyclical regurgitation of what had just occurred as if it had really happened. It wasn’t possible. Yes, it was. No. Guardian angels didn’t exist. They couldn’t. But, they must. He was on the ground. He was wet. He hadn’t just materialized here. That jump had to have happened.

  No, Adam. No.

  No. Frickin’. Way.

  But, it had. He knew it. And what was even weirder, he hadn’t even been scared. That could be because he’d been in the arms of the woman the entire time, protected somehow. He’d never felt such a sensation. He didn’t even know how to describe it. The only thing he could think of was she might truly have been his guardian angel.

  Oh. Bull.

  That woman was the farthest thing from angelic he could imagine. She was way too sexy-sweet. Had perfect skin. Long dark hair. Lips that called for kisses. A voice he could still hear. She possessed some major curves, too, including a really nice set of—

  What was he doing?

  Just thinking lustful thoughts felt wrong somehow. That was beyond weird. He wasn’t affiliated with any world religion. His entire repertoire of angels came from movies. The occasional documentary. It wasn’t anything he’d studied or ever thought about. But one thing was certain. That woman had not been an angel. For that to be true, shouldn’t she have had a halo? Or a harp? And maybe even a big-ass set of wings? He knew she hadn’t possessed those, because she’d have used them to glide down. They wouldn’t have fallen like a rock. Head-first. What kind of guardian angel would do that?

  This is crazy, Adam.

  It couldn’t have happened.

  But it had to have. He reiterated the obvious facts. He was on solid ground right now. He was alive. He was wet.

  You’re dreaming, Adam.

  He smacked his cheek. That stung. It also proved he was fully awake. And completely energized.

  This was not possible.

  But it had to be.

  His body was pumped full of adrenaline. His pulse was moving so rapidly it sent a long vibrato note through his ears. A mass obstructed his throat, throbbing in place. It matched the heavy pounding of his heart. His swallow was painful but it dislodged the knot. Adam blinked several times. Focused on the spot where the woman had been...just before she’d disappeared.

  Holy crap.

  The footage of this was going to be worth a fortune.

  He reached for the helmet strap. Had to concentrate to feel it between his thumb and fingers. Somehow got the clasp open. Cradled the helmet in his hands. The camera was still recording. Adam flipped it down and pressed the play-back button. Swiveled it so he could watch the miniature screen. And saw nothing but water. A bit of sky. And a lot of static.

  Shit!

  What a time for equipment malfunction.

  The adrenaline rush must be fading. Reaction was on its heels. With that, came awareness of the elements. It was cold. Fog shrouded the water and base of the Golden Gate. He was soaked. Goosebumps lifted along his skin as he watched, and then the shivers started. He’d been off a hair. He wasn’t just cold. He was freezing. All of which was not remotely imagined.

  Adam fumbled for the cell phone in his back pocket with a hand that barely worked. Scrolled past Ryan’s name twice before connecting. It wasn’t due to the phone. The waterproof, shatterproof case had done its work. Everything worked perfectly. His fingers were the issue. They were having trouble cooperating.

  Ryan answered on the first ring and his voice a lot louder than necessary.

  “Adam!”

  “Yo.”

  Adam’s voice had a distinct tremor. His jaw was clenching and unclenching as Ryan started spouting words to the others in his vicinity.

  “Guys! Guys! It’s Adam. He’s on the phone!”

  “Ryan!” Adam interrupted him with a wheezed breath that led to a short coughing fit.

  “Oh. Sorry boss. We’re in shock or something. You’re alive! We just can’t believe it!”

  “Please…tell me…you got that.” Adam was having trouble speaking. That was due to chattering teeth and uncontrollable shaking.

  “What...that? You’re fading in and out!”

  “Ryan!”

  “We still can’t believe this!”

  “Did you get...anything?”

  “You’ve been off-radar for forty-seven seconds. And those were the longest seconds of my life!”

  “No.”

  “Yeah. We lost visual first. Then audio. Got nothing but static on both cameras. I’m telling you, it may have been seconds, but it felt like hours!”

  “What?”

  “We thought you’d bought it, man! For real, this time.”

  “You didn’t get any of it?”

  The last words were barked. Emotion was starting to replace reaction, making Adam feel a lot warmer. He lumbered to his feet. Stretched. Took a deep breath. Listened to his body respond. It felt good to be alive right now.

  Really good.

  “Wait a sec. You’re saying yo
u’re down?”

  Without seeing, Adam stared out across the fog-shrouded water. He was definitely down. Despite how unbelievable it was. And lack of proof. He hadn’t imagined the woman who had materialized before him and taken him for a dive that still kicked his heart into overdrive.

  Adam smirked slightly. That chick was probably the guardian angel he deserved.

  “Why didn’t you call? Did you slip?”

  Adam worked his legs up and down, feeling the squish of each shoe. “Come, get me,” he answered.

  “Where are you?”

  “Uh...East bay. Beside the pilings. I’m wet. And cold. Hurry. Okay?”

  “Loading the van now. Double-time, guys! Hey! Adam? Does this mean you landed in the ocean?”

  “Uh. Yeah. Pretty much.”

  “Suit must have worked, then? What do you think, Clint? Is that feasible?” Ryan addressed one of the other team members. Adam didn’t hear the reply. “Clint says he needs more details.”

  “Maybe somebody should have kept their cameras on me. That way, they wouldn’t need to ask.”

  “Oh, come on, man. You never even waved. We had you at the launch spot, and then poof! You disappear. We feared the worst! So, tell me. How did it go? Suit work right? Landing acceptable? Oh—! Crap. I gotta stop Chuck. He’s on hold with a 9-1-1 operator.”

  “You called 9-1-1? Have you guys lost your minds? You want to get arrested?”

  “Yeah. Yeah. Well...we thought you’d bought it. Give me some directions, will you?”

  “Looks like…I’m just past the Marin Visitor Center. Near the beach.”

  “You’re on the other side of the bay? Hope you have a back-up plan, man. We’ve got morning traffic. Might be awhile.”

  “That figures.”

  “You were supposed to direct the fall.”

  “Just come get me, okay? I’m frickin’ freezing! Out.”

  Adam slipped the phone back into his pocket and started doing cardio. He started with a hundred jumping jacks, and then added another fifty. Moved to push-ups with the same count. And then he started jogging, evading any ankle-spraining rock. He had every manner of weather gear in the van. Shark suits. Moisture-wicking fabric. Heat-packs. And what did he wear right now? A t-shirt and denims. But he hadn’t dressed for a dunking in the San Francisco Bay sans his suit. It probably wasn’t even that cold. That’s why he liked the bay area. Moderate temps. Year-round. Fog and humidity were the culprits behind his current state of misery.