TheFugitivesSexyBrother Read Online Free Page A

I’d thought you’d want it, I’d
have called you.”
    “Thanks. The vote of confidence means a lot to me. And I’m
sunk without your leads.” Emily drummed her fingers on the steps beside her,
then picked up her sandwich for another big bite.
    After a minute, Neva cleared her throat and took Emily’s
hand. Her long, manicured nails dug into Emily’s palm. “Why did you take
this job?”
    “I need the money, Neva. You know that.”
    “I’ve heard you turn Guy down before when he offered you
bigger bounties. A lot of them weren’t half as dangerous as Bonavita and you
still wouldn’t take them. It can’t just be the money.”
    A half-grin slipped through Emily’s guard. “Well, Matthew
was really pissing me off that day.”
    Neva let out a laugh. “That’s all it took? I’ve heard Guy
practically beg you.”
    Emily frowned. “Guy’s always had faith in me. He’s always
said I can. And I love him for it, don’t get me wrong. I think he’s a really
good man. But there are so many more people in my life who say I can’t. Matthew
is just the latest addition. And…I’m tired of it. Really, completely done with it.”
    “That’s great, Emily. That’s what I mean when I say you’re
stronger than me.” Neva nodded, her approving expression firm. She reached into
her purse and pulled out an envelope.
    Emily opened it and blinked. “Jeez, you’ve got everything
here except what color lunchbox he carries.” She paused on a picture—much more
flattering than the mug shot Guy had shown her. In a business suit that
strained to contain his muscles, Fernando Bonavita’s image provided another
sharp reminder of the emptiness in Emily’s bed.
    “He’s cute, isn’t he?” Neva dissolved into giggles
immediately at Emily’s glare.
    Emily rolled her eyes. “‘Cute’ is the last thing I need to
be thinking about my quarry.” She swallowed hard. “But yeah, he looks really
good.”
    “Right?”
    “There’s something about his eyes though. They’re too hard.
He looks too much like a killer. I couldn’t be with a man like that. And look
at that suit! Obviously he takes himself way too seriously.”
    Her friend clucked her tongue. “You’re so picky!”
    “Are you sure you don’t want to bring Bonavita in? I
hear the money’s good and I bet he’s a better date than our friend Matthew.”
    It was Neva’s turn to roll her eyes. “Unlike you, I don’t
know the first thing about self-defense. But I think I’m earning my share,
right?”
    Emily grinned back. Her afternoon suddenly looked a lot
busier.

Chapter Three
     
    Javier’s smart phone buzzed in his pocket. He paused his
video game and glanced at the screen. The vibration originated from the custom
application he’d written to monitor the motion sensors he’d set up around the
perimeter of Fernando’s house. Returning his attention to his computer, Javier
quit the game and pulled up a view of the exterior cameras.
    A girl was crawling beneath Fernando’s hedge. Even with the
cameras, Javier would never have seen her if the motion sensor hadn’t
pinpointed her exact position. She held her body low, wore clothes that blended
in perfectly with the hues of the yard’s greenery, and moved slowly enough that
she wouldn’t attract the casual eye.
    Game time.
    Plans and strategies tumbled through Javier’s head, but he
remained still for a moment, frozen by discomfort. No jilted lover Javier could
imagine would act this way, approaching the house like a single-member SWAT
team. He squinted at the grainy image of her. He supposed she was a woman, not
a girl, but she was a slip of a thing. Her body seemed slight in comparison to
the thick, tawny hair bound at the back of her head. Skin only a shade lighter
than the hair peeked out of the camouflage clothes in a few places—Javier
caught a glimpse of a light-brown shoulder blade and the back of a thigh. He
remained glued to the screen, fascinated by her strange grace. She didn’t seem
like