Into Temptation (A More Than Men Novella) Read Online Free PDF Page B

around and make millions in business.
    But Evie knew differently. She’d read the files. Each and every account of molestation and sexual assault he’d perpetrated on innocent children. He was the worst kind of monster, one parading around disguised as an average joe. Those were the ones you had to fear. The psychopaths who didn’t wait for the shadows to attack, but swallowed you whole right in broad daylight.
    And why did thoughts of shadows bring up the vision of Brone asleep on her sofa?
    “Mmmm,” Monroe buzzed in the back of his throat. “I lost you for a moment. I wonder what caught your attention. Perhaps it was thoughts of your daughter.”
    Evie’s heart stuttered. She wheezed, the sound rattling in her chest.
    “Megan. She’s such a beautiful girl, just like her mother.”
    The sound of her daughter’s name on his lips made her want to scream, but she didn’t. She knew she couldn’t hide her reaction completely — her body betrayed her with little signs that this sociopath was clearly calculating enough to pick up on.
    “Don’t say her name.” Evie’s voice was hard and brittle, the instinctive promise of a mother’s wrath while protecting her child. “Don’t you ever say her name again.”
    A sick smile played at his lips, and the light of blissful euphoria glittered through his eyes. “Tsk, tsk, tsk,” he admonished softly. “You should be more friendly, Evangeline. We both know I’ll be free of here in a matter of days. After everything I’ve been through, I’m looking to move. Perhaps we’ll be neighbors. I would so love to finally meet your daughter.”
    He was threatening Megan. Alarm and frustrating rage bubbled uselessly inside her. And there was nothing she could do about it.
    He hadn’t said anything they could use against him. Not really. Although his intent was clear to anyone who’d studied his patterns.
    Her boss would be happy to assign her and Megan protection, at least for a while. But after reading Monroe’s file, she realized better than most that he thrived on the patience of the chase. He’d simply wait until budgets got tight and the case faded from memories and everyone else thought the threat was gone. Months. Years. It wouldn’t matter to this man. He’d wait until the perfect time to strike.
    Megan would never be safe. For the briefest moment, she wondered why the hell she hadn’t let her boss reassign the case when he’d offered. But she knew why. She didn’t believe in backing down because a fight was hard. That was when you dug in and pushed harder.
    Her parents had taught her that. The value of fighting for what you wanted, what you believed in. Doing the right thing even when it was easier not to. In that moment she wished they were there beside her, supporting her.
    But they’d been gone for a long time.
    Megan was all she had, and no matter what, she wouldn’t let the calm, deadly man sitting across from her touch her daughter. She’d find a way to protect Megan…no matter the cost.
    They could leave the city. She’d run.
    As if sensing the thoughts flying through her brain, the corner of Monroe’s mouth twisted up into a harsh expression of glee. That’s what he wanted. A hunt.
    That’s what he liked most. He enjoyed the wait, the anticipation and buildup. It’s why he only kept the children a few hours. He did what he wanted, established his dominance and superiority and then, when he was finished with the game, magnanimously let them go. Another show of strength and power. Everyone realized he could kill them, easily, but he didn’t.
    Instead he consigned them to a lifetime of invisible scars.
    And her daughter had just become his newest obsession.
     

 
    Chapter Four
     
     
    She was flustered. Brone knew it before she’d walked in the door. The way her keys shook as she tried to slide them into the lock. The moment she was inside, she slammed the door behind her and sagged against it.
    Her eyes closed. She stayed there, completely