High Noon (Between the Veils Series, Book Two) Read Online Free PDF Page B

heading through the main room. Payton’s grip tightened as they stopped at the door, but it gave easily beneath his weight and he ran along the path, ushering her to the passenger door.
    Payton climbed in, locking the door as he jumped in the other side. The engine roared to life and the truck lurched forward, peeling into the street in a cloud of burned rubber.
    Payton glanced behind them, her lips a thin line across her face. “What the hell was all that?”
    Blake spared her a quick look before banking the truck around a corner. “An angry spirit who seems to have taken quite a liking to you.”
    “Did you kill it?”
    He shook his head. “You can’t kill what’s already dead, sweetheart. But I did disperse its energy for a while.”
    Her face paled. “What happens when he gets it back?”
    “He comes looking for you.”
    He heard her sharp inhale as she stared at the road ahead. “So now what?”
    “I take you somewhere safe for the night. Then, with any luck, we can learn more about your friend tomorrow…maybe find a way to put his ass to rest. Permanently.” He smiled at her concerned frown. “Don’t worry. I know just the place.”
     
    Payton sighed and leaned back in the seat, watching Blake as they headed across town. His features blinked in and out of focus as the passing streetlights lit the interior, shading half his face in bright light. He didn’t seemed fazed at all by their encounter, and she couldn’t help but feel as if she’d somehow let him down. Despite all she’d claimed, she’d still needed to be rescued like some dime novel damsel. Hell, she might just as well change her name to Daphne and be done with it.
    The thought made her frown, and she tried to distract herself with the passing scenery. But every shadow seemed to jump out at her, the blurred edges holding a promise of the creepy apparition they’d left behind. Or had they?
    “Blake. Wait!”
    The truck lurched as Blake’s attention faltered, but he recovered quickly before looking over at her. “Jesus, Payton. Don’t scare me like that.”
    She suppressed the hysterical giggle that bubbled in her chest. “Me scare you? We just fought off some kind of evil ghost and me saying your name is what scares you?”
    “You didn’t say it, you screamed it.” He shrugged. “I don’t like ghosts, but at least I know how to deal with them.” He nodded at her. “You, on the other hand, are one of those alien creatures called women. I don’t have a clue about your kind.”
    “Men.” She huffed out an exasperated breath. “And I didn’t scream. I just spoke loudly…to get your attention.”
    “You’ve got it.”
    She resisted rolling her eyes. “You said before that this—thing might be attached to my energy?”
    “I’d say that’s the safest bet. For it to have followed us across town and back, not to mention dragging you upstairs like it did. It’s got to be bound to you somehow.”
    “Then how are we going to find a safe place? Are we even safe inside the truck?”
    He grinned at her, patting her thigh. She ignored the way her body heated at his simple touch, or how her stomach fluttered at the thought of his hand moving up her leg. Though he’d flirted during dinner, he hadn’t made any concrete indication that he’d agreed to come here for any other reason than to help her out. But she had to admit, the thought of them being lovers was more than tempting.
    His fingers squeezed her gently. “I’m fairly certain our tactics back there drained him of his available energy. By the time he refuels, we’ll be okay. Besides, I made sure this truck has enough bits of iron placed through the frame to ward off most evil spirits.”
    “Iron. Salt. How the hell do you know all this stuff? And what is that tube strapped to your belt that seemed to make him disappear back at the gallery?”
    Blake loosened the device and handed it to her, smiling at the frown she felt curving her lips. “It’s a modified potato