Darkness Torn Asunder Read Online Free Page A

They’d only spent a few minutes in each other’s company although there was something about this particular woman that really appealed to him. Granted, it had been a decade and a half since he’d had a physical relationship with anyone other than his own right hand, but it was more than that.
    Hell, he didn’t even know all that much about her except for the few tidbits he’d picked up eavesdropping on people talking in the bar. Jana had been working at the clinic for four years, and he’d yet to hear anything negative about either her or the services she provided. On the other hand, a couple of people had expressed concern about how long the clinic could afford to keep the doors open unless they found a new source of funding. Emmett bet Jana hated having that worry hanging over her head all the time.
    They reached the clinic door and picked up the last four boxes. She protested when he insisted on taking three himself, which left her with only one to carry. They weren’t all that heavy, especially for him, but he couldn’t resist teasing her a bit. “If I had to guess, I’d think you filled these things with rocks.”
    She nodded. “Right on the first guess. I find a good knock on the head gets the attention of even my most stubborn patients. Say, for instance, this one guy who still hasn’t answered my question about taking his antibiotics.”
    Should he lie or let her find out that he wasn’t exactly normal? In the end, the answer was easy. He waited until after they’d reached her car and shoved the boxes inside. “No, I didn’t bother with the antibiotics for the simple reason I never need them. Not only does my body burn through pain meds, I heal way faster than other people do.”
    To make his point, he moved directly under a nearby streetlight and yanked the bandage off. It was hard not to shove his hand in his pocket out of sight, but he finally held it out for her inspection. She stared down at his nearly unblemished palm for the longest time before raising her dark eyes back up to meet his. “If I hadn’t stitched it up myself, I would think you’d never tangled with that broken bottle at all. That’s—”
    When she hesitated, he filled in the blank for her. “Freakish, bizarre, weird.”
    She smacked him on the arm. “Emmett! Stop that. I wasn’t going to say any of those awful things.”
    “Why should you be any different? It’s what I’ve heard my whole life.” He curled his hand into a fist as the memories came flooding back. “Hell, it’s part of the reason I was convicted in the first place. Even my own lawyer had a hard time believing that those punks I fought got in their fair share of good punches and kicks. By the next day, they were still bruised up and hurting while I looked as if I hadn’t even been touched. If some reporter hadn’t snapped a couple of pictures at the time, I would have been totally screwed.”
    She reached out to cradle his fist with both of her hands, her touch gentle and warm. “Let me look again. Please.”
    He slowly unclenched his fingers, his breath catching in his throat as she traced the faint line of the scar with her fingertip. “It’s not sore or anything?”
    “It was tender for a couple of days, but that’s all.”
    Finally, she entwined her fingers with his. “I always carry a few extra bandages in my purse. Do you want one to cover it up again before you go back to work?”
    He hadn’t thought that far ahead. Dan would notice for sure since he’d banned Emmett from washing any dishes until Jana gave him a clean bill of health. “It might be a good idea. I’ll tell Dan that you said I could go back to regular duties on Monday.”
    “Let me know if you need a signed release or anything. Meanwhile, I think I’ll head on over to the bar with you. I’ve had a hankering for one of Dan’s double cheeseburgers and a big pile of sweet potato fries all week.”
    They crossed the street together, but Emmett stopped short of going in