Final Surrender Read Online Free PDF Page A

her head and drowned out the rest of what Mark so animatedly talked about.
    The smile she plastered on her face hid the shock and horror eating away at her insides.
    She had to get out of this agreement she’d just made.
    Bargain with anything she had.
    Anyone else could do the job.
    Not him.
    Not Clay.
    Angela forced herself to take a breath and heard Mark say, “…so he’ll be perfect for the job. Hey, Ang?” He waved a hand in front of her face. “You all right?”
    She shook away the shock threatening to knock her to her knees. “Yeah, sorry, just kind of zoned out there.”
    Mark rolled his eyes as he tugged her out of the spot she stood rooted to, and she silently continued to freak out as he hailed a cab.
    After they got in and Mark had given the cabbie the address back to Angela’s studio, she asked, “Why Clay again? Wasn’t he military?”
    “Hello, did you miss everything I just said?” he asked sarcastically. “He was active military for more than five years, but then decided he could do more in the private sector in security. His business partner Campbell just finished a really big contract on some foreign guy visiting the States and is going to keep everything else going in Texas so Clay can come here. Isn’t that something?”
    Angela was so shocked, she barely heard herself mumble, “Yeah, something…”
    Mark continued talking as Angela thought, What is Clay doing? Why did he ever agree to this? How do I get out of it now?
    Angela turned to face Mark and opened her mouth to tell him the truth, as he said, “I trust him with you, Angie. I trust him to keep you safe and protect you. I don’t know anyone else that I could say that for. He is a good man and a great friend. I just know this is going to work out.”
    Angela shut her mouth with a snap.
    Damn!
    She made a promise to Clay many years ago, never to tell a soul of their one-night stand.
    Her brother’s face was so filled with happiness, relaxing with the notion of her finally being protected. She couldn’t bear the thought of ruining it for him. If she told him the truth, everything he thought of his best friend would come into question.
    “We’ll see how it goes tomorrow,” she stated as they got out at her studio.
    Tomorrow , her mind screamed, as she tried to unlock the door with shaking hands.
    Oh, God. What have I done?
    Angela picked at her food during dinner. Mark didn’t seem to notice, she didn’t think. He just chatted on about life in general and some of the buildings he’d worked on, plus a public library project coming up. Any other day his excitement would’ve been palpable.
    She tried to listen and ask intelligent questions, but in the back of her mind all she could think was, Oh God, Oh God , as her nerves kicked in. Tidal waves of panic threatened to drown her.
    After dinner they watched a funny B movie on cable. Earlier than usual, she hit the sack, complaining of being tired.
    Rest was a hard commodity that night. Tears were always close to the surface and a couple times spilled over. Angela cried for what she lost and what she thought could have been if Clay had been anyone but Mark’s best friend.
    The past played behind swollen eyes when her mind finally succumbed to sleep.Chapter Four
    Twelve Years Prior
    Angela sat in the dark movie theater with Rebecca Brown, her best friend. At fifteen they could have passed for sisters with their similar slender bodies and facial features. The only difference was Angela’s hair lay midway down her back and a shade lighter then Becca’s shorter layered do. It was about the only way people could tell them apart.
    Rebecca relished the attention she got from guys and she used her assets to her advantage on a regular basis. Angela, on the other hand, was content with her books, athletic pastimes, and almost nightly dreams of a guy she shouldn’t want.
    Angela didn’t pay much attention to the movie. It was some shoot-’em-up sci-fi thriller that just really wasn’t