Say No To Joe? Read Online Free PDF

dangerous his life had been at times. “I should have taken Bruno apart when I had my chance, but by the time I’d recaptured him almost a year later, I felt law abiding again and stupidly turned him over to the authorities.”
    â€œLaw abiding again? ”
    He shrugged. “The injury forced me off police work, which put me in a . . . bad mood.” What an understatement. He’d been in a killing rage for months. “I admit to being a little unruly for a while there.”
    â€œThey fired you?”
    â€œWorse. They offered me a desk job.” And he hadn’t been able to stand it. He liked to get in the thick of things, not fill out the endless paperwork after the dust had settled. “I was plenty pissed about it for a while there. Then I got over it and became a bounty hunter instead.”
    â€œA bounty hunter with a limp?”
    â€œNo, smart ass. Well, only when I overdo it.” Damn it, what had she expected him to do? Sit around and twiddle his thumbs? Not likely. He’d have gone nuts in less than a month.
    â€œRight. So you caught this Bruno character and turned him over to the police.”
    That was simplifying it a bit, but Joe didn’t say so. Luna couldn’t understand about the hassles of tracking someone who didn’t want to be caught, and who had the resources to stay hidden. Especially a petty, ruthless bastard like Bruno. “That’s about it.”
    â€œYou two have quite a history, it seems.”
    â€œYou could say that. I arrested him and got shot in the bargain. He jumped bail and went missing for a while, until I caught up to him again. He was locked up until he hijacked a truck during a work detail, and now he’s hiding again. Or rather, he was hiding until he decided I was a problem he had to get rid of.”
    â€œMy God. You think he wants to actually kill you?”
    Joe shrugged as if it didn’t really matter. Truth was, he didn’t intend to get caught off guard again. From now on, he’d be ready for Bruno. And when he caught him again, the son of a bitch would pay. “He doesn’t have much choice if he wants to stay free. He knows I’ll get him. Eventually.”
    Luna slumped up against the dresser and her voice went weak. “If he doesn’t get you first.”
    Joe used her obvious concern to his advantage. “Exactly. If I’m staying with you for a while, in North Carolina no less, I’ll be out of reach.” At least until I’m fit enough to retaliate in kind. “Bruno would never think to look for me there. It’ll also throw the more persistent ladies off the track. They won’t be able to find me, and they’ll give up, too.”
    Luna began pacing again. “Just until you come back.” As she paced, she picked up his jeans, his T-shirt, his socks.
    Acrimony filled her tone, and that pleased Joe. Could she be jealous? He hoped so. “Yeah, well, I was thinking of relocating to Kentucky anyway, to be closer to the cousins.” And to you. “You know, I do believe Zane misses me between visits.”
    That gigantic falsehood had her pinching her mouth together to keep from snorting, or spilling the truth as she knew it. Zane liked Joe more now than he had a year ago, but he would forever be leery of him. In their younger days they’d competed for women, and too often, Joe had won.
    Now that Zane was in love, he refused to see beyond that. He knew Joe didn’t poach, and he trusted his sweet little wife, Tamara, but it still made him uncomfortable to let Joe too near her.
    Twitting Zane was about as close to honest fun as Joe had these days.
    â€œJoe.” Luna dumped the clothes into a pile on the foot of the bed. “You’re trying to make this sound like I’d be doing you the favor, instead of the other way around.”
    â€œYou will be doing me a favor.” You’ll be giving me the opportunity to wear you down.
    She