Hunted Love (A Dangerous Kind of Love Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

up to the scar on her cheek. “I didn’t go anywhere. I stayed locked up in my bedroom. I didn’t see anyone and I didn’t want to talk to anyone.” She lowered her gaze to the table. “I finally realized that I couldn’t hide in my room for the rest of my life, so I decided to do something. I got up, dressed, and made my way to the pub to get some lunch. Trust me, it doesn’t seem like much but it was a major accomplishment at the time. I had to force myself to get out and talk to people again. I saw the help wanted sign and I applied. You could say it’s therapy.”
    “Sarah, you’re not some shy wilting flower. You’re one of the friendliest most outgoing people I’ve ever met. You don’t need to stay at the pub. It’s time for you to move on.”
    Her eyes flashed. “I’ll decide when it’s time for me to move on. Right now, I’m perfectly happy where I am.”
    His brow furrowed. “Why are you so determined to stay there?”
    Because of you , she thought, unable to say the words as she met his eyes.
    He looked confused at first but then comprehension dawned. “Oh, I see,” he said softly.
    She felt her face flush. “No, you don’t see,” she said, suddenly embarrassed. Nothing was worse than confessing your true feelings to someone who didn’t feel the same.
    “So, you’re not hanging around because you’re hoping we might have a future together?”
    “No, that’s not the reason,” she lied, desperately trying to save face.
    He smiled sadly. “Baby doll, you are betting on the wrong horse. I am not the guy for you. So, if you are sticking around for me, you are wasting your time.”
    “I’m not staying for you. I happen to like what I do.”
    “Sure, you do.”
    She crossed her arms. “I know this might come as a huge blow to your enormous ego, but my world does not revolve around you. You were the one following me around the last couple of months, remember?”
    “Only because you paid me to. That’s the only reason, Sweetheart. The only reason.” He stood up and started pacing again. “Do you have any idea what your employers’ parents did for a living?”
    “I’ve heard rumors that Kristen’s dad was involved in some shady things but—”
    Jamie chuckled. “Shady? That doesn’t begin to cover what Patrick O’Malley was involved in.”
    “But Kristen and Nathan aren’t mixed up in anything illegal, are they?”
    “No, not now, but some of the people that they surround themselves with are the same people that hung around Kristen’s old man. Kristen and Nathan don’t want that life, but those people… they miss it.”
    She looked at him. “Do you miss it?”
    He gripped the back of the chair. “What makes you think that I was involved?”
    “You lied to me,” she said.
    “About what?”
    “You told me that you went to prison—”
    “Which was very true.”
    “Yeah, but you told me you went to prison because you stole something. You didn’t tell me it was because you… because you murdered someone.” She glanced at his hands, which were gripping the back of the chair so hard his knuckles were turning white. “You didn’t tell me that you used to work for…well, that you used to kill people for a living.”
    Jamie’s jaw tightened. “So, that detective your sister hired found out all about me. Didn’t take him long to tell you the truth. I was wondering if he had. I thought he had, but then when you saved me, I thought that maybe he hadn’t gotten around to it yet.” His face tightened. “I’m surprised you came out to rescue me last night. You must have been afraid of me.”
    “No,” she said, quickly shaking her head.
    “Then why did you lie to me this morning? I don’t blame you. I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes. You should never tell a convicted murderer that’s been lying to you for the last six or seven months that you know the truth now. Bad things can happen. Better just to play along until you can get away. I