Scarred (Unlikely Heroes Book 5) Read Online Free

office. “I’m taking an early lunch. We don’t have any more appointments until one.”
    “Great. Thanks.”
    Sebastian sent Emily and Peter to lunch, locked up, and went home. He returned an hour later and everyone was already back, ready to get to work.
    They had a busy afternoon filled with patients. Both interns did well and Sebastian was pleased with their performances. At the end of the day, after their final patient left, Sebastian thanked them both and told them they could go home.
    Peter glanced at Emily. “Can I walk you to your car?”
    She shook her head. “Thanks, but I’m fine. You go ahead.”
    Disappointment flickered across Peter’s face before he headed for the door. He paused and turned back to Sebastian. “Same time tomorrow?”
    Sebastian nodded. “Eight o’clock.”
    Peter went out, his dejection painfully obvious. Sebastian almost felt sorry for the kid.
    Emily hovered beside Sebastian, her gaze darting up to his. “Um, don’t you need help feeding the animals? Julia said you no longer have a vet tech and it would be part of my job to feed the animals.”
    Sebastian glanced at Julia, who was rising from her desk with her purse. She shrugged. “You should tell her why we no longer have a vet tech, don’t you think? See you guys tomorrow. Shall I lock the door on my way out?”
    Sebastian nodded. “Yeah, go ahead. We’ll go out the back.”
    Julia went out the front door and locked it behind her.
    Emily pierced him with that dark gaze. “What happened to your vet tech?”
    Ignoring her question, Sebastian turned toward the kennels. “You can go home, Emily. I can feed the animals by myself.”
    “You’re good at avoidance, you know that?”
    He halted and turned back around.
    “It would have been nice to know who you were before I started working here.” Her eyes sparkled with annoyance. “I feel like I’ve been deceived. How did Peter know, but I didn’t?”
    Sebastian cleared his throat. “Peter is a distant relative of Julia’s. He was supposed to keep his mouth shut. I happen to value my privacy. I couldn’t have you blabbing to all your friends like Peter did.”
    He cringed at his bluntness. That had come out a little harsher than he’d intended.
    Her face filled with color. She plopped her hands on her hips. Cocking her head, she glared up at him. “Blabbing to my friends? Seriously?”
    Shit. Could he have insulted her more? Where the hell was his tact?
    “Would you honestly have agreed to work here if you’d known?”
    That tripped her up. She lowered her gaze. “I…don’t know.”
    “That’s another reason why I didn’t tell you who I was. I knew you would prejudge me, that you would have this misconception of who I really was. I’m not the person people write about in the tabloids. I’m not one of the characters I’ve portrayed in a movie. Whoever you think I am, I’m not. You don’t know me at all.” His words sounded defensive, and maybe they were, but now that he’d said them, he couldn’t take them back.
    She pulled her gaze back to his, narrowed her eyes. “And I probably never will, right? I mean, you’re an actor. You’re good at pretending, good at being someone else. How will I ever know if you’re being you or if you’re just pretending ? How will I know if you’re being real?”
    Ouch.
    The kitten had sharp claws. And she’d just slashed him open.
    But he deserved that. He should have been honest with her. He shouldn’t have been so defensive.
    He lowered his gaze, studied the gray and black vinyl flooring. A small crack trickled between two squares, darkened with dirt and age.
    Cracked. Breaking apart. Dirty. Like me.
    He jerked his gaze back to hers. “I only act when I’m on set. The rest of the time, I’m me.” Mostly. Right now he was so lost, he had no idea who he was anymore.
    She stared searchingly into his eyes for a long moment, then nodded, apparently happy with his response. “I want to work here. I enjoyed