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Prologue

A biting chill fogged the air, but Felix “The Cat” Mendoza was still on the prowl He knew Hollywood’s alleys better than the geeks at MapQuest and, after ht, conducted a hasty sweep of his favorites He wore khakis and a navy blue windbreaker His thick, black hair was cropped short, and he et home after work

As he passed by, hungry kids huddled in doorways and hunched down beside Duenerosity was liirls Whenever he noticed a fresh face with real possibilities, he’d be quick to approach her

He would break into a shy sht It , she would be waiting for him He would buy her a meal, and before she’d finished her french fries, he would offer a warht

This week he’d lucked out and won the confidence of a frightened pair ere clearly underage, although should anyone be foolish enough to ask, they would swear they were eighteen As he helped theht, as he often did, that “The Cat” had a real nose for pussy He would never attract forious clientele, but he more than satisfied his patrons’ prurient desires with a steady stream of nubile talent

After a quick stop at a drive-through for the hairls to one of his sh as he fixed them hot chocolate topped with marshmallows, but like all the others, they would awaken in the ht

To mark them as his, the rosy tips of their ss, and the ache between their legs would last for days Drugs liberally laced with shaer door, he turned away to hide an all too predatory grin

That hen he spotted the blonde Her long, shi hair brushed the shoulders of her slinky red dress, and as she moved toward him on red satin heels, he paused to admire her slow, seductive sway Unfortunately for her, he never paid for sex

“I’ve already got a date,” Felix bragged “Two of them, in fact” He started around the front of his car, but the blonde veered toward hia hiss

“Vayase, puta”

Felix’s insult dissolved in an anguished gasp as, after one brutal lunge, the blonde shoved against his belt buckle to withdraw her razor-sharp switchblade Her flying curls slapped his cheek as she turned away, and he grabbed for his torn belly, but a torrent of warers His eyes closed on a last glimpse of red satin, and he was already dead when his skull cracked on impact with the curb

The two girls in the backseat of the Camaro weren’t certain what they had seen, but they kneas bad They scrambled between the front seats, bolted out the driver’s door, and didn’t dare look back as they fled the scene in a frantic sprint that would have set a new high school track record back home

Chapter One

Luke Starns badly needed a vacation What he had instead was more work than he could accoel was such a hile enterprise only added to the suffocating pressure Worn out, he shoved his chair away from his desk and propped his heels on the only uncluttered corner He leaned back and laced his fingers behind his head

Now superbly coave in to the noisy yawn he’d suppressed all afternoon and closed his eyes to ientle breeze and raven-haired beauties swa from their rose-tipped breasts, he was startled when his secretary rapped lightly at his door

He sat up so quickly he scattered the pages of the grant application he’d been struggling to complete “Come on in, Pam,” he called

Pamela Strobble opened the door and peeked in An attractive African Alossy curls, she was dressed in colorful ethnic prints “I wouldn’t have disturbed you,” she whispered softly, “but there’s a young wo to volunteer that you simply must meet Do you have a minute to do an interview?”

Luke reluctantly hauled his thoughts back to the present and shuffled the grant papers into the proper order before checking his watch With his concentration shot, interviewing a prospective volunteerhimself in erotic daydreams

“Sure, send her on in,” he replied