Shatter Read Online Free Page A

of her way, tail swaying, eyes bright. She rushed into the garage and ordered Dex to load up with a breathless “ Zagruzka. ”
    He beat her to the car and jumped in the back. Heather slid into the front seat, slammed the door, dropped her three weapons into the center console, and jerked the transmission into reverse.
    A dark car swept in from the street like a rabid raven, screeching to an angry stop and blocking Heather’s driveway. She slammed on the brakes, Dex slid along the smooth leather backseat.
    Her stomach plummeted. “No.” She slammed her hand against the steering wheel. “No!”
    A low growl vibrated in Dex’s throat.
    “Dammit.” She pushed the gear into park and left the car running. If she had to, she’d smash that rental to get out of here without him. “Dammit, he doesn’t understand.”
    And she couldn’t make him fully understand without risking everything.
    By the time she’d opened her door, Mitch was rounding the hood of his car. The combination of moonlight, streetlights, and headlight side beams turned the rage on his handsome face into shadows of menace. Skin taut, brows pulled low over fiery eyes, he advanced up her driveway. He’d pulled on a T-shirt, jeans, and running shoes, but hadn’t bothered to fasten the jeans or tie the shoes.
    “Don’t pull any of your self-defense shit on me, Halina, because I won’t hold back from hurting you this time.” His voice was as threatening as Dex’s growl. So much fury rasped through his tone, the hair on Heather’s arms rose. “And don’t even think about pointing a gun at—”
    Dex launched into a ferocious barking fit. His attack bark, enraged and vicious, included glaring teeth and guttural snaps that made even Heather flinch.
    Mitch froze midstep. His gaze darted past her and held on the car. She didn’t have to look to know Dex was clawing and snapping at the windows. She’d trained him. Hours and hours of training, just like her fighting. And her shooting. She should have spent more time developing emotional barriers to Mitch. Would have if she’d thought this confrontation was ever a possibility.
    “What the hell is this, Halina?” he demanded from several yards back.
    “Stay away, Mitch, or I’ll open the door.” She kept a grasp on the handle, though she had no intension of releasing Dex.
    “Who the hell are you?” He jammed his hands on his hips. “You’re acting like a goddamned Russian spy.”
    The taunt created a dull, dirty ache in her chest, as if she’d been stabbed with a rusted knife. But even she was having a hard time not thinking of herself as Halina since he’d shown up. As the deceitful Russian who’d come from a murky past.
    She held up a closed fist. Dex’s bark ceased immediately. A few residual mewls rolled out of his throat before he went completely quiet and still. He remained sitting tall in the backseat, his gaze burning into Mitch through the slobber-smeared rear window.
    “I don’t know what to think about you anymore,” Mitch said. “All the lies. The hiding. The secrets. Everything that happened back then. Everything that’s happening now. I swear to God, Halina, I’m seriously reaching here. I’ve seen my share of crazy shit and I’ve discovered my mind can bend in ways I used to think would make it break, but you”—he tossed his hands in the air—“I don’t get.”
    Heather glanced at the neighbor’s windows. “Shh. You’re going to wake the whole damn neighborhood.”
    “Your dog has already done that, or did you miss the whole Cujo scene?”
    “You don’t have to get me.” She spoke slow and steady in hopes of holding herself together. “And I don’t have time to explain myself to you.”
    She turned for the car. In her mind, she was already out the driveway, on the freeway, headed toward the storage unit. She’d have lots of time to get this mess straight in her head once she was on the road.
    “Halina.” The hard edge to Mitch’s voice stopped her from