Convicted (Entangled Ignite) Read Online Free PDF

Cade forced his leaden legs to move back toward the house. To climb those steps and head back inside.
    Rick was kneeling in front of Shana, a bowl of water in one hand, a hand towel in the other, carefully washing the blood away. “He would have killed you this time, Shana.”
    The woman watched Cade carefully, seeming to ignore Rick entirely. Her eyes fluttered shut as he wiped at the corner of her mouth. Thankfully, most of the blood was washed off already.
    “She didn’t want her son to see her like that,” Rick explained without looking back at Cade. “It’s not like he won’t see the bruises.”
    “He’s used to those.” Shana’s voice was flat. Soft, but flat.
    Rick swore, dropping the towel into the bowl Cade now saw was full of pink water. “What are you going to do if we don’t get here fast enough next time?”
    Blue eyes, faded as the house she lived in, flickered. “I’ll figure it out when that happens.”
    “No, you won’t. You’ll die. You’ll disappear. And there won’t be anything I can do about it.” A fact that seemed to have Rick’s teeth grinding as he spat out the brutal words.
    They finally seemed to be enough to make her forget her distrust of the stranger in her house. She turned to Rick with a whisper of a smile on her swollen lips. Her hand, the swollen knuckles red and scuffed, found Rick’s on her lap. Right then, Cade wondered if he was invading on something. These two shared a look that spoke of secrets. Bad ones.
    “There never was anything you could do about it.”
    Rick made a sound akin to a growl before getting up so fast he almost knocked the bowl over on her. “Cade, take a look at her. She never lets the EMTs near her, and I don’t want to leave until I know she’s okay.”
    He stalked into the kitchen, leaving Cade and the woman who was struggling to hide her hurt with long, shaking breaths pushed through swelling lips.
    She looked away from Cade, but he could tell she was still watching him. Still aware, trying to decide if he was someone to allow within reach.
    Wary seconds ticked by as he let her assess him. He knew better than to move closer until there was some sign she would allow it. Nothing was more dangerous than a wounded animal, except maybe a wounded maternal animal. Cold to see a person that way, but he had yet to find much difference between people and animals when it came to instincts.
    She swiped impatiently at a tear slipping down her cheek, her hand still trembling, and gave some kind of resigned snort. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were more afraid of me than you were of Frank.”
    “I can punch Frank if he attacks me, ma’am.”
    She eyed him, the blue of her eyes still sharp enough to be piercing. “But not me?”
    He shook his head slowly.
    A longer study. “You might actually mean that.”
    “If that surprises you, ma’am, you’ve been spending too much time with the wrong kind of people.”
    Her brow rose, the effect ruined when she winced from the hurt. “You have no idea.”
    She gestured him over and though the last thing he wanted to do was look at her wounds, Cade made himself do it. He knelt carefully, forcing the bile down as the smell of blood hit. Rick had washed most of it away but the smell, that fucking smell , might as well have been thrown in his face.
    All of a sudden, he couldn’t breathe. Could barely see. His vision narrowed to needle points, leaving him in darkness so thick he could feel it on his shoulders. On his chest. His head. Crushing. Crushing …
    “Deputy? Are you okay?” Muffled words. Far away. But not far enough…
    Cade reared back from that voice, stumbling toward the vague memory of a wall. He tried to remember where he was, but his body was moving too fast for his mind to keep up with. Things broke under his booted feet as he kept moving, his body starting to jerk and twitch. God, he was going to be sick. Right there, wherever the hell there was. He could feel the acid