Deadly Vows Read Online Free Page B

he didn’t lose her again. No one, not the Martinos, not the FBI and not the U.S. Marshals would keep him from doing that.
    “So let’s say you can. That doesn’t mean I want you to.”
    “You’d rather I let you face this alone?”
    “I’d rather you’d stayed in Chicago. I’m sure your business is suffering without you there.”
    “I don’t care about my business. I care about you.”
    She laughed, the sound short and sharp. “We both know that isn’t true.”
    “Olivia…”
    A quick rap at the door interrupted his words, and Ford was almost glad. There were so many things he wanted to say, so many ways he’d imagined saying them. Somehow, though, none of them seemed like enough. Not to convey what he felt or to express his sorrow for the pain he’d caused Olivia.
    She started toward the door, but Ford put a hand on her arm. “I’ll get it.”
    He was a foot away when the door swung open andtwo men stepped inside. Tall and dark-haired, the older of the two flashed his badge. “I’m U.S. Marshal Sebastian James.”
    “Ford Jensen.”
    “And I’m Olivia Jarrod,” Olivia said, offering her hand to the tall, dark-haired marshal as if having marshals barge into her home was an everyday occurrence. For all Ford knew, it was.
    “Nice to meet you, Ms. Jarrod. Marshal McGraw said he’d contacted you about relocation?”
    “That’s right.”
    “Good. You’ve got ten minutes to pack a bag. Then we’ll head out. Mr. Jensen, you’ll be going with Marshal Louis. He’s going to escort you to Billings where you’ll be briefed to enter the witness protection program.”
    “Sorry, but I’m staying with my wife.”
    “Wife? You two are separated, right?” The second of the two men spoke up, his gaze shooting from Ford to Olivia and back again.
    “We are,” Olivia said.
    “We were. ”
    “Sorry to have to break off the discussion, but we’ve got to get moving. Headquarters wants you both out of Pine Bluff. The sooner the better.” Marshal James smiled but there was a hardness to his expression that Ford didn’t miss. He seemed on edge, his gaze darting from one corner of the room to another as if he expected to find danger hiding there.
    “You think the Martinos know Olivia is here?” Ford asked, his muscles tensing at the thought. The men they’d sent to question him about Olivia had been more than willing to murder to get what they wanted. That knowledge had driven Ford from Chicago to Atlanta, from there to Marylandand finally to Montana following leads from the private investigative firm he’d hired to help him with the search.
    “If you found her, someone else might. Better to relocate now than regret that we didn’t tomorrow.”
    “I just need to pack a few things, and I’ll be ready to go,” Olivia said, cutting into the conversation and stepping toward the hall.
    “I’ll give you a hand.” Ford followed, ignoring the hard look she shot in his direction.
    “Thanks, but I’ve been packing for myself for a long time.”
    “An extra set of hands will get it done more quickly, and I agree with the marshals. The sooner we all get out of here the happier I’ll be.”
    “I’ll work more quickly without a distraction.”
    “Is that all I am?” he asked quietly so that only Olivia could hear.
    “We’re in a hurry, Ford. I don’t have time for word games or deep discussions about what you are to me.”
    She was right. They didn’t have time to hash things out, but they would. There were things he needed to say, promises he still needed to keep. He’d been given a second chance. He wouldn’t waste it. “Go ahead and pack. I’ll wait here.”
    She nodded and disappeared into a room at the head of the hall. He wanted to stand in the threshold, watch her pack and assure himself that she wasn’t going to disappear the way she had in December, but there’d been too many times in their marriage when he’d disregarded her feelings and ignored her requests. He wouldn’t do it