Hit Man: A Bad Boy Romance (Hunted, Book One) Read Online Free Page A

“See anyone?”
    “No one yet—wait.” I clutched the back of the seat. Two cars had just pulled out from a side street and were accelerating— fast.
    “Talk to me.”
    “Two cars. I mean, it’s probably nothing.” But it wasn’t nothing, and we both knew it. I narrowed my eyes at them, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. Facts helped dull the roar of adrenaline. “Um. One’s taller. A big SUV? The other looks like a sedan.”
    “Good. Now, hold on, and keep your eyes on them.”
    Yes, sir. I clamped my lips shut on that, but it seemed like the thing to say. He had an aura of command about him that I couldn’t understand. I clutched the back of the seat as he switched lanes quickly, and my breath hitched when the two cars swerved as well.
    “They’re following us.” My voice was quavering.
    “Lara, I need you to focus.” Whatever tumble of emotions I had seen in his eyes on the stairs, they were gone now. He was all facts. “Just tell me what you see . Don’t say anything else. Don’t even think anything else. Just what you see.”
    That sounded a lot more manageable than literally anything else about this night. I gulped. “Right. They’re going…wide. Flanking?” Was that even a thing?
    It must have been, because he speeded up.
    “Are they picking up speed?”
    “Yes, but they’re having trouble. The one on the right is going faster. I mean, your left.”
    “Thank you. Hold on.”
    “Wh—” But a second later, as he gunned the gas and the car jerked to the left, I knew why. Honks sounded as the rest of the traffic missed up by inches, and the car that had been tailing us tried to screech to a stop. It didn’t quite make it, and I saw it speed off to try to cut us off.
    “Get ready to get out,” the man called over his shoulder. “We have a few blocks, but get ready, okay? You’re going to get out of the right side of the car, go in the door, and go up the stairs. Don’t look back.” He tossed some keys over his shoulder. “It’s the one with the blue marking.”
    I sorted them with trembling fingers and clutched the correct key in one hand, holding his coat shut with the other. “What about you?”
    His eyes met mine for a moment in the mirror and I saw a sudden warmth there. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be right behind you.”
    “Okay.” I was shaking again now that I wasn’t looking at the road. I needed to focus, or I wouldn’t be able to get the door open. Head still down, I scooted to the other side of the backseat, and earned another approving nod.
    “We’re going to take a sharp turn, and as soon as you hear me apply the brakes, get your door open, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I can be.”
    “As soon as you—” But the car turned and screeched to a stop, and I was already following his instructions. I tumbled out, bare feet on pavement, and fumbled to open the door. His car was already gone, and I had only just pulled the door closed behind me when I heard the screech of tires and another car speeding down the alleyway.
    They had almost seen me. My breath froze in my lungs, and only one thought managed to emerge: he’d said to go up the stairs. How far up, I didn’t know. He’d just said up.
    I ran, stairs creaking and me jumping at every moving shadow on the wall. There were apartment doors on every level, but no one seemed to notice the sound of someone running like the hounds of hell were after her.
    I ran until I was out of stairs, and then I huddled in the only patch of shadow I could find. Time crawled by, interminable; I tried to count my breaths and lost the count almost immediately. I didn’t cry. I didn’t think.
    I heard his footsteps before I saw him, and when he pushed his way out of one of the doors, I took time to study him before I moved. I knew it was him in an instant—the air of command, the easy self-assurance, the gorgeous profile—but this man was a mystery, and I wanted to know more.
    He jerked around when I sat up, and came to