Point of No Return Read Online Free PDF Page A

paper.
    "Something like that."
    I opened the folded paper to find it wasn't any kind of incident report. It was an address and phone number.
    And three words.
    Dinner. Eight o'clock.
    I folded the paper and couldn't help but smile. I hid it in my hand just as Mitch walked over. He was mumbling at me, something about it being my turn to buy at the bar.
    "Frankie," my partner said, "you should come to the bar with us. Elliott here owes you a drink for the fat lip."
    Kira looked at me then back to Mitch. His swollen lip curled into a smile. "Thanks. But it'll have to be another time, guys. I've got a date tonight."

    35
    Point of No Return
    NR Walker

Chapter 4
    I pulled up at Kira's apartment complex. It was big enough that if I was spotted parked here or even seen going inside, there was no way anyone could know who I was visiting.
    But I was still nervous.
    This was about to breach the rules I'd lived by for years.
    But there was something about him, his dark eyes, his smile…
    There was something about him that had me sitting in my car, all nervous about going inside. Part of me was thinking this was reckless. He was too close to the guys at work, the gym, my real life. If it ended badly, or if he was careless with a look, a touch, a comment, he could expose me. He could out me.
    I was waiting for the rational part of my brain to tell me to keep driving and forget about him.
    But he was just as vulnerable as I was. He wasn't out at work either. He was keeping the same secret.
    There was that something about him. Something I was drawn to the second I saw him. Maybe it was his black hair, his dark skin, his smile…

    36
    Point of No Return
    NR Walker

    The next thing I knew, I was walking across the street into his apartment building and knocking on door 7F.
    "Ah, hang on," his voice called from somewhere inside.
    Bouncing on my toes, I briefly asked myself what the fuck was I doing—when he opened the door.
    And he was standing there.
    Fuck.
    Dark blue jeans, a white button down shirt—and bare feet.
    "You're early," he said.
    I looked at my watch. seven fifty-two PM. "You said eight?"
    And when I looked at him, he was smiling. That steal-my-breath, make-my-dick-twitch kind of smile. I exhaled slowly, and he stood back, silently inviting me inside.
    There were shoes at the door, and given he was barefoot, I took it he had a no shoe policy. I quickly pulled off my shoes and left them by the door, and when I looked up at him, he was still smiling.
    His eyes glimmered. "I wasn't sure if you'd turn up."
    I nodded. "Neither was I."
    He grinned at me. I was nervous, and he could tell. I took a deep breath and looked into his apartment, looking

    37
    Point of No Return
    NR Walker

    for a distraction. It was nice, not huge, but light, tastefully decorated and clean—and something smelled fantastic.
    "Something smells great," I told him.
    "Something's gonna burn," he said, walking into the kitchen. "I hope you like paella."
    My stomach growled, right on cue. "Um, yeah. I do, actually."
    And when I followed him into the small kitchen, I could see the huge pan on the stove. "You cooked it?"
    He stirred the pan and chuckled. "Sure did." He looked at me, and again, I was struck by how close we were… how alone we were.
    "Want a beer or wine?" he asked. "Or there's soda or water. "He nodded pointedly toward the fridge, and I presumed I was to help myself.
    There was an almost empty bottle of Sam's on the counter beside him, so I picked two from his fridge and handed him one. I figured the beer would relax me and give me something to do with my hands so my nerves didn't give me away.
    He seemed to pick up on my nervousness—either
    that, or I was just really obvious—because he started talking.
    He talked about sports, his work, my work, and the guys at the gym as he dished up two plates of paella. By the

    38
    Point of No Return
    NR Walker

    time we were sitting at the table, I was much more at ease around him.
    I still got lost