Deadly Desire (Carrington-Hill Investigations Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

her hiding spot. Garrett was stalking toward her with purposeful strides. A look of relief swept his face when he spotted her. He tugged her into his brotherly embrace. “You had me worried, kid.”
    He threw his arm around her shoulder and steered her back to the highway and her abandoned and now beaten -up SUV. “Did you get them?”
    He lifted the hand he had resting on her shoulder and glanced at his red, sticky, wet fingertips. “You’re hurt.”
    He stopped walking and turned her gently , lifting her arm for a closer look.
    She poked and prodded around the bleeding wound. “I’ll live . It’s just a scratch.”
    She shoved her gun back in her holster and s tood, taking a moment before they started walking back toward the asphalt and into the chaos that waited.
    “Did you get a good look at the driver?”
    She shook her head. “No, but they were on my ass from the time I left Collin’s until they rammed me off the road.” She stepped over the tree she’d vaulted over on her jaunt through the woods. “I don’t know if it’s related to Collin’s stalker or not. Hell it could be in retaliation from the Senator case or any other lunatic from my past with the FBI.”
    Garrett rubbed the stubble on his square jaw. “Sounds like you might need some help on this one.”
    ****
    Collin collapsed back into his chair and tossed his trusty baseball in the air. Having to rehash his past always made him cringe and , even more so, now that his decisions were being dissected under a microscope. He wasn’t a womanizer. There had been only a handful of relationships that lasted longer than a year. He growled in frustration, not knowing how to stop this asshole.
    “Tough day?”
    He glanced up to find Regina leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest and the mail tucked underneath her arm. “You could say that.”
    Regina sauntered into his office and plopped the mail in to his inbox. “I gave Ms. Johnson your itinerary so she knows what she’s getting into.”
    Having Sara around should have eased his mind about finding the killer, but the thought of making her a target was slowly gnawing away at his conscience and eating at his very soul. Putting another woman in danger, even if she was capable of protecting herself, was a crazy idea. What the hell had he been thinking? “Thanks. I gave her the keys to the pool house and an extra key to the main house, so you’ll probably be seeing more of her.”
    Collin picked up the mail and started flipping through it.
    “You know…she’s not really your type. You prefer blondes. Do you think the press is going to buy into the charade?”
    Her uncanny regard for speaking the truth , no matter the consequences, was exactly why he’d agreed to keep her on after Maureen had hired her. It was refreshing and welcome, even if her statements sometimes gave him pause.
    “I didn’t realize I had a type.” He s et the mail down on his desk, overwhelmed with the unfamiliar need to defend himself against having a specific type. There was nothing wrong with the investigator. He would have taken her out on a date, if he’d come across her under different circumstances. “She’s attractive, smart, and knows how to shoot a gun. What’s not to like?”
    Regina walked back over to the door and paused. She glanced over her shoulder. “Exactly my point, Collin. She carries a gun. I’m just worried about you. If she’s a good actress, I don’t want you to forget the real reason she’s here. I’m saying this as your friend.”
    Over the last three months, Regina had become more than an assistant. She was his friend , and he confided in her more than his own brother. It was sweet that she was concerned, even if it was unfounded. “The relationship is just a ruse, Regina. Nothing more.”
    Regina nodded. “I know.” She cleared her throat , masked the concern on her face, and turned from friend back into assistant so fast it would have given many whiplash,