Burnout: A Legal Heat Novella Read Online Free PDF

there’s something else—”
    A door splintered and Jason bolted, running for the back gate.
    Ace slid his hand beneath his cut and drew his weapon. This was one protection job he was going to thoroughly enjoy.
    *     *     *
    “Jason!” Sophie’s eyes widened as Jason ran past. “What’s wrong?”
    “Work emergency,” he shouted over his shoulder. “Have to end the party early and get to the… paper factory.”
    Only then did the silence register. No music. No guests visible through the patio doors.
    Work emergency? Did he think she was that stupid? “Jason…”
    He pushed open the back gate, pausing only to yell, “Ace will look after you. I’ll explain later.”
    Ace clamped a hand around her arm and tugged her forward. “Let’s go, babe. Party’s over.”
    “What’s going on?”
    “Jason’s getting some unexpected guests.” He pulled open the back gate and gestured her through.
    “I should stick around, make sure his place is okay…”
    Ace’s jaw tightened. “Not your business, babe. Jason wants you out of here, and he tasked me with keeping you safe. Now, let’s go.”
    She took one look back over her shoulder at the house, now empty save for Ace’s biker brothers visible through the patio doors. “I don’t need anyone to keep me safe. I can make my own way home.”
    “I got a job,” Ace said. “And that job is you. I’m taking you home and sticking around until I get the all clear from Jason. I don’t go back on my word, so it’s not a choice. It’s a given.”
    “Anyone ever tell you that you’ve got a bossiness problem?” Unsettled and worried about Jason, she pushed past Ace and into the back alley.
    “Bossy?” The amusement in his voice rankled, but not as much as the hand he placed on her lower back to guide her forward. With those long, lean legs, he had no problem keeping up with her. “Is that why you’re trying to run away?”
    Run away? Only fifteen minutes ago, she had been trying to decide whether to invite him home. But now, alone with him in the narrow alley, she realized just how big he really was. Although she was used to being around strong, muscular men, she had never really felt disadvantaged by her height. Maybe it was the uniform, or the weapons she carried, or her tactical training. But she felt small beside Ace, in every sense of the word. How could she invite this man—an outlaw—into her home? How could she strip off her clothes and put herself at the mercy of his powerful body?
    Because she sensed that a man like Ace could give her what she’d been looking for—a chance to let go, to fly and not fear the fall. But afterward, would he go away? She had misjudged Ryan, and the mistake had almost cost her life.
    After finding him in bed with another woman and kicking him out of the house, she’d been lulled into a false sense of security when he didn’t even try to call. Assuming he was happy in his new relationship, she’d moved on with her life, initiating divorce proceedings so her lawyer could make arrangements to split up their stuff. But he’d just been biding his time. Only during the trial had she discovered he’d been watching her, illegally using police surveillance equipment to bug her phones and her house, parking outside her house at night, and following her around after work. The divorce papers had tipped the balance. He’d come for her the very same night he’d been served.
    If I can’t have you, then no one else will.
    She’d felt small that night, too, with Ryan on top of her, a knife in his hand.
    Her breath caught and a wave of panic gripped her hard. “I’ll just call a cab.”
    “I promised Jason I’d take you home.” He gestured toward a Harley-Davidson Softail parked at the side of the road.
    Sophie breathed out her appreciation, and for a moment her tension eased. “Your Breakout?”
    “You know your bikes?”
    “My dad was really into bikes. Somehow it rubbed off on me. Other women buy Cosmo . I buy