Wiser Than Serpents by Susan May Warren Page A

demeanor, the set of her face, he saw the anger, the frustration. And knew exactly how she felt. He’d been up close and personal with exactly those feelings, seeing her handcuffed and bruised at the hands of Kwan’s man.
    “I did some research on the so-called dating service she used, and I think it’s a front to lure Russian girls out of the country and into human slavery.” She took a breath, met his gaze. “So I impersonated one of their clients—a girl named Olga. I was intercepted in Korea by men who drugged me and took me to Taiwan. I woke up on Kwan’s yacht. And that’s when you appeared.”
    David closed his eyes, his heart thumping, his thoughts torn between wishing he’d put a bullet between Kwan’s eyes and the relief that Yanna hadn’t been raped.
    Because, until this moment, he wasn’t sure he believed her. He knew her, knew she prided herself on being tough. Above emotion.
    Apparently they both stood guilty of perpetuating that myth.
    “My sister might still be in Taiwan, and I’ll bet Kwan knows where.” Yanna stared at her handcuffs. “I’m not leaving until I find her.”
    David stared at the cuffs, at the welt across her pretty face, at her crazy leather boots. “You were nearly killed.”
    “No, you nearly had to watch Kwan kill me. But you didn’t, and I’m here, safe.”
    “But what if it wasn’t me standing there? What if some other creep, a real creep—the kind that does take Kwan’s bribes and sells weapons to terrorists and hurts women—had walked in? Do you think he would have thought twice about letting Kwan slit your very pretty neck?”
    She blinked at his harsh words. Her eyes narrowed. “You’re assuming I would have let him.”
    He stared at her, disbelief choking his voice to nearly nothing. “Yanna, you would still be on that ship if it weren’t for me.”
    Her mouth opened and a laugh that contained humor escaped. “Listen, sea dog, like I said, you’d just shown up. If you’d given me a little time, I would have figured something out. I’m not a total wreck as an agent.”
    “Did you just call me a sea dog?”
    “You look like a pirate.”
    He glared at her. She smiled, not nicely.
    “For your information, Little Mermaid, you would not be okay. Kwan had every intention of killing you, and still does. In fact, I’d say he’s even more committed. So, you’ll hop a plane like a good little AWOL agent and let me look around for your sister.”
    “Not on your life. And what makes you think I’m AWOL?”
    “Roman would never let you—”
    “Roman drove me to the airport.”
    David stilled. “I’m going to kill him.”
    Yanna watched him, her eyes dark. “Last I checked, I went through survival school, too. I know a few tricks. Like the fact that Roman is right now tracking me through the GPS I’m wearing.”
    “You lost your phone, sweetie.”
    “You must think I’m an idiot.”
    He clamped his mouth shut before he really destroyed their friendship. As it was, he wondered just how long it might take before she ever answered his e-mails again.
    “I’m wearing GPS earrings.”
    He raised an eyebrow. “And they work in water?”
    She seemed to want to speak, but when no words came out, she glared at him.
    “I’m calling Roman first thing we get to shore. And I’ll keep you in those cuffs as long as I have to in order to get you on a plane and to safety.”
    Yanna’s gaze never wavered, and if he wasn’t already chilled to the bone, he’d be an iceberg at her look. “We’ll see about that.”
    Contrary to current popular belief, Gracie Benson didn’t go looking for trouble. But as she pulled up to the Hotel Ryss, an incarnation of ancient Russia here in the seedy side of Seattle, she knew Vicktor’s accusations were probably, reluctantly, true.
    She knew how to find it.
    Or maybe, she just couldn’t ever leave well enough alone. Like, for example, her offer to meet Yanna’s sister—her absent sister, Elena—at the airport. When