Trust Me: The Lassiter Group, Book 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

out of the truck, Max.” He pointed the gun at her chest. “Now.”
    Her answering sigh was quintessential drama queen, but she obeyed and hopped out.
    “Hands on your head.”
    “I suppose you want to frisk me too,” she quipped.
    Lucas ignored her, clamping down on the frustration lodged in his chest. She wasn’t the first person to shoot her mouth off at him, and in his six years in Special Forces and three as part of the Lassiter group, most of those people had been more dangerous than Max. Heads of drug cartels, terrorists, arms dealers, even a who’s who on Interpol’s most wanted list.
    But few who purposely goaded him had a fraction of the success she was having. Which meant he needed to get back in control and focus.
    “Get the gas can out of the back of the truck.”
    “What gas can?” she drawled.
    “The one I saw back there a while ago.”
    “It’s empty.”
    “Get the can,” he growled.
    “Whatever you say. You’re the one with the gun.” She flung a leg over the side and hauled herself up.
    Lucas ignored the way her jeans molded snuggly to her ass. He might have helped her out with a soft push if she were anyone else.
    Max picked up the can. “I told you, it’s empty.” She carried the orange jug to the edge and straddled the side of the truck, glaring at him. “Is that scratch on your arm leaving you a little slow on the uptake or are you always so thick headed?”
    He checked the urge to drag her out of the truck. Barely. “Get. Down.”
    Her eyes narrowed. “You could say please, you know.”
    “Don’t push it.”
    “Or what?” Max lifted her other leg over the side and jumped down. “No, wait, don’t tell me. It might be so terrifying I’ll pee my pants.”
    “Listen, smart ass—” Lucas stopped at the widening of her eyes as she glanced past his shoulder.
    “They found us,” she whispered.
    Lucas followed her gaze but saw only darkness.
    Too late, he realized the amateurish mistake. Pain ricocheted through his head. Stunned by the unexpected blow, Lucas staggered a few steps, tripping over the very full gas can she’d blindsided him with.
    He fell against the truck, his injured arm taking the brunt of the impact. Pain sliced across his shoulder.
    Fuck.
    He was seriously going to enjoy restraining her.
    It took him a few seconds to see past the blinking colored lights popping behind his eyes, and he raised his head. He caught a glimpse of Max’s pink sweater disappearing into the woods. Shit.
    Lucas stumbled after her, ignoring the way the world still dipped and wobbled. Judging by the pressure pounding at the back of his skull, like someone had slammed his head in a door a few times, he had a concussion to go along with his scratch .
    Stepping into the woods, he paused to listen. Crickets, an owl hooting, something scampering over branches in a nearby tree.
    Silently he slid between the trees, his eyes slower to adjust to the dark than he liked. Probably had something to do with getting nailed by a gas can.
    Resourceful was turning out to be pretty damn accurate.
    Every few steps he stopped and listened before continuing. She couldn’t have gone far and she wasn’t tearing through the underbrush, meaning she had to be close, hiding somewhere in the surrounding shadows. Sooner or later she’d give herself away. She’d want to be on the move.
    Another branch snapped, heightening his senses. Grateful for the clear night and full moon, he scanned the darkness, breath held as he waited…waited…
    A muted crunch came from his left, then another. Watching his steps, he moved toward the sounds inch by inch. Dull scraping, like someone rubbing two sticks together to get a spark, echoed through the trees.
    What the hell was she doing? Either she thought he was still clinging to the truck, trying to stop the stars from circling his head, or she wanted to draw him closer.
    Having been blindsided once this evening, he sure as hell wasn’t going to make it easy for her to