Worth the Risk Read Online Free PDF

pavement, careened over a lawn and turned. He revved the engine and kept going. Up one street, down another, looking in the rearview every few seconds. So far, the sedan hadn’t caught up. The sirens, though, were getting closer.
    Maybe they’d scared off the redheaded driver.
    Hopefully.
    Sam took the Bronco up another street and scanned for a place to hide the vehicle. He spied a narrow alleyway behind them.
    Good enough.
    He shifted to Reverse, but Meredith’s soft hand landed on his wrist. The contact made his pulse jump even higher than the increasingly loud sirens. It also made him pause. Which, judging by her next statement, was her intention.
    “Not that alley.”
    “No time to be choosy, sweetheart.”
    Meredith rolled her eyes and released his arm to point at a sign. “It’s a dead end. We’ll get stuck.”
    “Fine. A little time to be choosy.” Sam put the truck back into Drive and sped past the next two buildings, then stopped in front of another alley. “This one meet your needs?”
    “ Our needs,” she amended. “Unless you suddenly stopped wanting to get away from that creep. And yes. It’ll work. Sweetheart.”
    Sam fought an unexpected grin as he made the turn, pulled the truck out of street view and cut the engine. He closed his eyes for one second, but before he could take a single, calming breath, he heard the telltale squeak of one of his rusty doors.
    Seriously?
    His eyes flew open just as Meredith’s door slammed into the building beside them. She sent a guilty look his way, then slipped toward the narrow opening.
    Sam smacked open his seat belt and reached out a hand, which found purchase in the waistband of Meredith’s jeans. She pulled forward, exposing skin and lace. Sam pulled and his knuckles brushed both. With the contact, a jolt of heat shot up his arm, and he let go, startled by the force of it.
    Holy hell.
    He barely managed to recover in time to see Meredith fall forward. Her legs slid to the ground with a thump, while her upper body stayed in the car. Sam continued to watch for a minute as she wiggled futilely.
    At last she turned and glared at him. “Little assistance?”
    He raised an eyebrow. “You want me to pull you back in or push you out ?”
    “Are you giving me a choice?”
    “Not really.”
    “Then why bother to offer?”
    “I didn’t.” He couldn’t cover a grin. “You asked for help, remember, sweetheart?”
    “Can we call a truce?” she replied with an eye roll. “And can you stop calling me ‘sweetheart’?”
    “Hmm. Let me see. No to the second part. And maybe to the first part.”
    “Sam!”
    He liked the way his name sounded on her lips. Even when she said it in such an exasperated way.
    “Yes, sweetheart?”
    “Are you going to help me?”
    “I will. If you agree to stop stomping on my feet and running away.”
    “You’re chasing me!”
    “I’m just trying get some information on Tamara’s whereabouts.”
    “Why?”
    “I don’t suppose if I tell you it’s confidential you’ll accept that as an answer?”
    “My day looks like this so far. A mild wine hangover. A weird—bordering on scary—call from my sister, who hasn’t talked to me in months. You, on my doorstep. And now a crazy man chasing me down with a car.”
    “You spoke to Tamara? Today?”
    “Yes. Briefly. But that’s not my point,” Meredith replied.
    She’s alive.
    The confirmation filled Sam with relief. He itched to know more about the conversation, but he doubted Meredith would tell him a damn thing. Not until they established some trust. Which wasn’t going to be easy. He still had to try.
    “Look,” he said. “Would you be willing to give me the benefit of the doubt? At least until I get you unstuck?”
    She wrinkled her nose. “Fine. Just...pull me back in. Please?”
    For a second, he considered leaving her there, just to prove a point. Then he reminded himself that he needed her help, if he wanted to solve his case. If Meredith had a good side, he