Body thief, p.1
Body Thief, page 1
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements
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
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Berkley Sensation titles by C.J. Barry
PRAISE FOR BODY MASTER
“I devoured Body Master like really good chocolate: in big, happy chomps. A tough yet sympathetic heroine locks horns with a mysterious, sexy hero—oooh, yum! Barry’s skillfully structured story delivers all kinds of delicious pleasures—and zero calories. What more could a girl want?”
—Angela Knight, New York Times bestselling author
“In this novel, the action is nonstop and the sexual tension between Max and Seneca sizzles. Barry has created a butt-kicking yet vulnerable heroine and a story that keeps readers going until the last page.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Barry returns with a near-future, action-packed tale of extraterrestrials that also explores troubling social unrest. Through her protagonists, Barry explores the gritty reality of a reluctant alien invasion and the resulting fallout. These star-crossed lovers have sparks aplenty and baggage galore. Barry’s world just begs for future exploration, so readers can expect to take this thrill ride once again.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Action, adventure, and romance abound in Body Master. C. J. Barry weaves together an intriguing tale that captures the reader’s imagination from the first page. Pick up your copy and see for yourself.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“The high-stakes story line is full of action and danger. The world she has created has plenty of intricacy, and enough hidden agendas and fully realized characters to fuel the series for some time to come.”
—Fresh Fiction
PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF C. J. BARRY
“Sexy, intriguing, and a pure delight to read.”
—Catherine Spangler, national bestselling author
“This awesome book roars out of the starting gates and never looks back. Along with telling social commentary, it is chock-full of danger, adventure, and romance—a terrific keeper!”
—RT Book Reviews (4 ½ stars)
“Ms. Barry’s storytelling alone makes her an author not to be missed.”
—Fallen Angel Reviews
“Simply put, Unmasked is one awesome book. Action, adventure, love, danger. Books just don’t get better than this, and C. J. Barry proves once again why she is such a staple in this genre.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“This is without a doubt the best otherworldly book that C.J. Barry has written thus far . . . Action-packed adrenaline-rushing adventure kept me glued to the pages of this book.”
—The Best Reviews
“Ms. Barry takes us on a wild trip through space . . . This is a must read for any fan of futuristic romances, as Ms. Barry’s world-building technique is right on target.”
—Romance Junkies
Berkley Sensation titles by C.J. Barry
BODY MASTER
BODY THIEF
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Copyright © 2011 by C. J. Barry.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
BERKLEY SENSATION® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation trade paperback edition / November 2011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barry, C. J.
Body thief/C.J. Barry.—Berkley sensation trade paperback ed.
p. cm.
ISBN : 978-1-101-55871-3
1. Shapeshifting—Fiction. 2. New York (N.Y.)—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3602.A777549B63 2011
813’.6—dc22
2011030539
http://us.penguingroup.com
This book is dedicated to my grandfather, Elwood
Dishaw, who taught me the power of quiet wisdom.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’d like to thank the many fine people who made this book possible. My terrific agent, Robert Brown, for believing in me no matter how crazy the pitch sounds. My awesome editor, Kate Seaver, and the good folks at Berkley Sensation for pulling it all together. My beta-readers, Patti and Jill, who get the first ugly cut and still talk to me. My family, siblings, and parents who support me without question. And of course, every reader who takes my book to heart. Thank you.
Please visit me online at www.cjbarry.com. I’d love to hear from you.
CHAPTER ONE
“Next time I use the valet service,” Cam muttered to herself as she dragged her suitcase to her car on the fourth level of the self-parking garage. The Atlantic City morning sun gleamed across car hoods and the smooth concrete in the open garage. It was bright and quiet, and a long frickin’way from the hotel and casino.
It was her own fault. She should have opted for valet parking, but then again, she was trying to be a normal human being. Blending in with the locals was an important part of her modus operandi. Swoop in, make tons of money off the casinos, and sneak out. It’d worked for the past year, and unless proven otherwise, she was sticking with it.
She finally reached her Honda Accord and popped the trunk. As she threw her suitcase in the back, a prickle of foreboding spread across her body. In a split second, her senses heightened. Heavy footsteps shuffled behind her. She concentrated on the movements. Pants legs brushed together; three, maybe four of them, quiet by human standards and moving fast. Her nose picked up aftershave and sweat, definitely human males.
Maybe they were here for her, maybe not. She wasn’t taking any chances. Slowly, she bent over her suitcase and reached inside the outer pocket for her Glock 17 9mm. It was small, but a gun was a gun in close quarters. She pretended to look for something in the trunk and tilted her head just enough to pick them up in her peripheral vision.
Three men, one in front wearing a gray suit, two behind in military clothes and carrying assault rifles. Yup, they were definitely here for her.
She had about one second to weigh her options—make a run for it, or stand and fight. Cam smiled; she’d never been one to run. After all, there were only three of them. She’d bet on those odds any day.
She stood up, slipping the Glock into the back of her jeans as she turned around to face them. Then she tried to appear as innocent and naïve as possible for her.
The gray suit stopped ten feet away, and she inhaled a quick breath when she met his eyes for the first time in bright daylight. Deep brown, confident, and serious. Nice, aside from the predatory gleam. He appeared to be about thirty. Just from the way he moved, she could tell he could handle himself well in a fight. Military-trained, perhaps. The two other men regarded her with dutiful intensity. She could take them, but the suit was different from your run-of-the-mill human, which intrigued her. Could be an exciting day after all.
He said, “I’m Special Agent Griffin Mercer working for the local extraterrestrial law enforcement agency.”
Her pulse quickened. XCEL agents. Shapeshifter hunters. That explained all the guns. “Exciting” just jumped to “dangerous.”
“You’re under arrest,” he added firmly.
“I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong person,” she blurted, her eyes widening in horror. It was a damn fine acting job, if she did say so herself.
While Cam talked, she glanced around the parking garage for casino security or guests that could provide an easy diversion. She noticed the black van parked two spots down. That’s how they’d snuck up on her. Her hopes for any diversions faded.They’d planned this, and probably shut down the entire garage. Plus she was alone, and it was daylight. Daylight was a problem for a shapeshifter.
Agent Mercer said, “Today, you’re Camille Solomon. Alien shapeshifter, twenty-eight years old, five feet five inches tall, no permanent residence, fake identity, you make your money by cheating casinos, and there’s a gun tucked in the small of your back.”Then he smiled like the devil. “How am I doing?”
Not bad, she conceded. “I’m five-six.”
“I’ll note that in your file,” he said, and his smile vanished. “Throw the gun in the trunk please.”
Behind him, the van had pulled up, and every molecule in her body aligned for battle. She could see a driver and a passenger who got out and opened the back doors. That made five. The odds were stacking against her fast.
“What am I under arrest for?” she said, dropping the innocent act. “Being different?”
A hint of irritation crossed his features, ever so slightly, but she saw it. Ugh, he was one of those XCEL agents. The ones who hated shapeshifters with a vengeance and noble intent. She despised noble intent. It was highly overrated.
He replied, “Cheating the casino. Federal offense.”
She laughed at the irony. “Right, like the casino doesn’t cheat anyone.”
“They report the odds. It’s all legal and everything,” he said. “Gun in the trunk.”
Now she was getting pissed. Damn, how had she tipped them off? She was very good at cheating. Like, the best. On the other hand, it didn’t matter how they knew, and she really needed to focus. It was time to get this show on the road. She had a dinner date with her father in SOHO tonight.
“Of course,” she said. “Anything for XCEL.”
Mercer’s eyebrows raised a fraction, but he didn’t respond to her acknowledgment of his agency. She knew all about XCEL and their weapons against Shifters—disrupters for localized paralysis, UVC grenades that mimicked the sun’s rays to prevent shapeshifter transformations, and tranquilizers that no one ever woke up from.
Fortunately, she didn’t see any of those weapons, just assault rifles. And that was because they thought those would be enough to capture her. A human form was a human form, and she’d suffer the same damage as any human would. Shifters couldn’t shift to their native, dangerous forms in daylight.
Boy, were they ever in for a surprise.
Every rifle pointed at her as she reached around and tugged the Glock out of her jeans. She held it out in front of her with two fingers on the gun butt.
“You want it,” she said to Mercer. “Come and get it.”
His eyes narrowed dangerously. “Trunk. Please.”
“Here,” she said. “Please.”
“Trunk,” he repeated, more tightly this time. “We don’t want to hurt you.”
She smiled. As if that could happen. “Have it your way.”
Cam hurled the gun against the open trunk top with all her might, which, considering she was a shapeshifter, was pretty mighty. It bounced hard off the metal and fired indiscriminately.
Every man ducked, which gave her the split second she needed to shift into Primary form. A collective gasp arose once she’d transformed.
Surprise, she thought, reveling in the look of disbelief on their faces.
And then everything moved really fast. Someone shot at her. She thinned her molecular structure, and the bullets passed through harmlessly. Her form remained vaporous but whole, prepared for anything else they might throw at her.
“Don’t shoot!” Mercer yelled. “We want her alive!”
His orders made her only more determined. She thinned her structure even more and “popped” through the thick air, reforming in front of the men with the rifles. She grabbed both their rifles and jammed the butts to their heads, knocking them out in tandem.
Someone screamed, “Get the disrupter!”
She popped to the van and wrenched an agent out of the back by his belt, tossing him across the garage concrete floor. He rolled a few times, struck a support column, and didn’t move. The driver came around the corner with a disrupter, and she kicked it out of his hands. It hit the ceiling and shattered into pieces.
Then he had the nerve to get all pissy and reach into his jacket for a gun. She grabbed his forearm and broke it with a loud snap. He yelled, dropped to his knees, and cradled his arm, and she dropkicked him in the face. He flipped backward and landed ten feet away.
Then Cam spun around to find Mercer standing behind her, holding the disrupter, looking stoic and dark. Everyone else was down, and she didn’t see or hear reinforcements. Too bad for them.
“That’s quite a trick you have,” he said. “Shifting in daylight.”
She took a step toward him, wary of the disrupter. It wouldn’t slow her down for long, but it would hurt like hell. “I find it comes in handy when someone tries to kill me.”
“We just want to talk to you.”
She laughed. “Right. And the rifles and disrupter are, what, conversation pieces?”
He stared her down, which was pretty unusual. A normal, sane human would have been afraid. He definitely wasn’t, and it worried her just a little.
He said, “I know you don’t trust us—”
“Why would I?” she snapped. “XCEL has spent the last two years hunting us, freezing us, killing us, and moving the lucky ones to prisons.”
“They aren’t prisons,” he said. “They’re safe zones.”
That did it. The disrupter would hurt for a moment, but it would totally be worth it to kick his ass. “When you lock someone up and don’t let them leave, that’s a prison. Even for humans.”
“You’re not human,” he said, challenge in his eyes.
Her temper flared. Cam popped a split second before he dropped the rifle. When she re-formed beside him, he gripped her arm. Shocked by his speed and strength, she froze. How did he know where she was going to re-form?
She tried to strike him, but her arms wouldn’t move. In fact, nothing would move. She stared at him in disbelief and panic. What was happening to her?
“I have a few surprises of my own,” he said softly.
Then he jabbed a tranquilizer dart into her shoulder. The tranquilizer swamped her senses, and she couldn’t do anything to fight it. Her body simply wouldn’t respond, and it occurred to her that he was the reason.
Just before she blacked out, she heard him say, “So sorry.”
Griffin stood on the safe side of a bulletproof, shatterproof, Shifter-proof glass wall and watched his captive sleep off the tranquilizer. She hadn’t moved since they dumped her on the bed in the holding cell two hours ago.
Her Primary form was a charcoal black humanoid-like body that was just female enough to be interesting. Her skin was smooth and tough, like a formfitting bodysuit. Her face was more delicately featured than the male Shifters he’d seen, her body leaner, and her frame tall and leggy. In Primary form, shapeshifters were like blank canvases. All they needed was a little bit of DNA to replicate any human they wanted, and they didn’t care what they did as that human. Who they hurt. Who or what they ruined. They were opportunists. Like vultures, only bigger.
