Hiding Jessica Read Online Free PDF

off-white sweater with a crimson-and-blue scarf draped artfully around her neck. She looked at once earthy and elegant, a look he was sure only someone like herself could ever completely pull off. And whereas the sweater should have made her look shapeless and bulky, it had a habit of moving with her, offering short, tantalizing glimpses of curved hips and rounded breasts before it swung back into place. He realized he was much more aware of these things than he really should be.
    On the other hand, she seemed totally oblivious to him. She’d hardly spared him a glance upon sitting at the table. She’d simply passed around the food, eating in complete silence that was only occasionally interrupted by a polite “Please pass the rice.”
    She’d eaten her small, sparrow-size servings of everything. Then she’d sat back and, with her cool, expressionless features, patiently waited for everyone to finish.
    The only redeeming quality he could find was that once everyone had finished, she’d risen silently and begun doing the dishes without discussion. At least the supermodel wasn’t spoiled.
    She seemed determined to make up for that in stubbornness, however.
    “What about family?” he pressed on now. From all his research, he’d never come up with anyone. But then again, he knew nothing of the woman before age sixteen. “Is there anyone that can be held against you? Anyone Les can use to manipulate you?”
    “No,” she informed him coolly, her chin coming up defensively. This, of course, was a blatant lie, but she had no intention of telling him that.
    “What about other lovers? Friends?”
    “Look,” she stated flatly, her patience clearly running out as her blue eyes darkened. She didn’t want to be pressed and quizzed. Despite the long years of practice, lying disturbed her. Deep down inside, she knew it wasn’t right, even as she knew wrong could become right, and right become wrong, all depending on the circumstances. “I have no ties, no commitments,” she said out loud, keeping her eyes focused on the tabletop in front of her. “Which was one of the reasons I considered the Witness Protection Program such a viable solution,” she continued. “Now let’s move on.”
    “Fine,” he answered curtly. He should be glad she didn’t have any family or friends left. That simplified matters considerably. But for some reason he didn’t feel comfortable about the subject yet. Still, it was getting late and they did have a lot of ground to cover.
    “I want to start training you on your new life in the morning,” he informed her bluntly. “Tonight we’ll go briefly over the profile so you know what it is. Tomorrow the drilling will begin. At the end of the two weeks, you will be your new identity. Is that clear?”
    “I’m not an idiot,” she said in clipped tones, her eyes flashing arctic fire.
    Her rest certainly hadn’t improved her mood at all, Mitch thought dryly. At least she wasn’t as dispassionate as before. Instead, she seemed to be driven by some icy anger he did not understand any more than he could avoid. Funny, the way she was acting, one would have thought he was her enemy, rather than the man working to save her beautiful blond life. At least public relations wasn’t a required part of the job.
    Keeping his own mood curt enough to match hers, he tossed her a manila file.
    “There you go, Jessica,” he informed her. “Meet the new you.”
    The expression in her eyes was wary as she picked up the folder. She looked at him once, but he merely sat there at the kitchen table, arms folded across his broad chest. The other agents had gone out on rounds, leaving the two of them alone in the kitchen.
    She didn’t like just the two of them, Jessica thought as she opened the file. She didn’t like sitting with this man a scant two feet away. He was too big, too powerful. His presence filled the tiny space, crowding her. The effort at maintaining her control was beginning to drain her, and