“So you’re staying alone.”
She blinked up at him. Perhaps not surprisingly, she seemed surprised by his interest. If she had any sense, she’d be slightly terrified by his interest. But either she had no sense or she was altogether far too trusting of strangers.
“Yeah, for the next month, at least. Why, you need a place to crash?” She was smiling. Teasing. Yet, there was genuine concern there. Like…if he actually needed a place to stay, she was offering.
Didn’t this woman have any sense of self-preservation? He was tempted to take her up on the offer just to make sure no one else did. But then his brain took off on another tangent. His mind conjured up delicious images of what exactly it would mean to share a place with this woman with her lavender scent and her slender figure. How she’d look coming out of her bedroom in the morning, all tousled and sexy. In a nightie that just skimmed those thighs…
And there he went again. If this woman could glimpse where his mind kept wandering, she’d run out of there. Which would be for the best, actually. But he couldn’t have her running away, not while she still had the camera in her possession.
So instead of telling her his dirty thoughts, he got down to business, shoving a book filled with graphics in her direction as he worked on a rough sketch. After a few minutes she ditched the book and came over to where he was standing to watch him work.
He’d always hated it when people watched him draw. It was personal. But as her clean, untouchably perfect scent wrapped around him and he heard the sound of her quiet breathing, he found he didn’t mind. When she murmured how much she loved the final image, he may have even liked having such an appreciative audience.
They made arrangements for her to come back later in the week when they both had time for the actual tattoo. When she was getting ready to leave, he moved closer, ready to strike. She slung the camera and her bag over one shoulder and picked up her jacket. It had been a long time since he’d picked a pocket or stolen a purse, but it turned out robbery was like riding a bike.
He moved close to her as if he was escorting her out. Very gentlemanly move. Then, right as she reached the door, he bumped into her, slipping the camera off her shoulder as she righted herself with a laugh. She made a self-deprecating comment about being a klutz but he was too focused on simultaneously hiding the camera behind his back while scoping out the street for any sign of Anthony or his lackeys.
No one. The street was surprisingly empty for a Friday evening.
She called back her goodbyes and he waited in the open doorway until she was safely inside the cab. The moment she was gone, he took the camera to the back office, gathered his things and headed out the back door. The sooner he could get this image to Eddie, the better. He had a battered old laptop at his makeshift apartment around the corner and he figured he could scrounge up the cord he’d need at the pawn shop two blocks over.
Stu had slipped out the back earlier so Cole was the last one at the shop. He started to lock up when a car speeding too fast caught his attention. He saw the passenger side window start to lower and instinct kicked in. He dove for the trash cans just as a gunshot went off. Two. Three. Then the car was screeching off. It had never slowed down—a classic hit and run.
He heard voices in the ensuing silence. Then doors opened and people rushed toward the street. He had to get out of there.
It wasn’t until he’d hit the end of the block that the adrenaline started to wear off and he realized that his thigh was killing him. He’d known what happened before he saw the evidence. Still, the sight of blood seeping through his jeans had him cursing under his breath.
He’d been shot.
To keep reading, check out Saving Rose Red
About the Author
MAGGIE DALLEN IS a big city girl living in Montana. She writes romantic comedies in a range of genres including young adult, historical, contemporary, and fantasy. An unapologetic addict of all things romance, she loves to connect with fellow avid readers. Subscribe to her newsletter at http://eepurl.com/bFEVsL
IG: Mag_Dallen
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