A Match of Wits by Jen Turano Read Free Book Online

self. Her compulsion to explore Colorado had obviously been God’s way of sending Zayne the assistance he so desperately needed.
    However, she had the sneaky suspicion Zayne wouldn’t appreciate her racing to his rescue. That would injure his pride and offend his chivalrous nature, but . . . perhaps she could use that nature to her advantage.
    He’d never once disappointed her when she’d requested his participation in some of her madcap plans. She’d always known his agreement had stemmed from a desire to keep her safe, which meant all she had to do was stir up that old desire.
    Garnering his cooperation would be difficult though. He’d always been stubborn, and if he realized what she was trying to do, he’d probably turn difficult. Turning her head away from him, she practiced a few flutters of her lashes before she turned back to him, placed her hand on his arm, released what she thought was a credible sigh of distress, and—with eyes she’d forced as wide as they would go—batted her lashes at him.
    “I’m hesitant to tell you this, given your troubles at the moment, but . . . someone back in New York wants me dead.”
    She felt his arm stiffen under her hand. “Dead?”
    Sending him another flutter of lashes, she added a small sniff for good measure. “Indeed. I’m beyond distressed about it.”
    He held her gaze for what seemed like forever, and then, to her complete disgust, he began to laugh . . . uproariously.
    Her eyes went from wide to mere slits in a flash. “Did you not comprehend what I just divulged?”
    Swiping a hand over eyes that were watering, Zayne let out a snort. “It’s a good thing you’re a talented writer, Agatha, because you’d never find success on the stage.”
    “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re suggesting.”
    He grinned. “I know you, my dear, know exactly how you like to manage people. You’ve decided I need saving, but you might as well put that idea right out of your diabolical mind.”
    Annoyance chugged through her veins, and not all of it directed at Zayne. She had forgotten how well he knew her, which meant this whole “saving him” idea had just gotten remarkably tricky.
    “What gave me away?”
    “The innocent look and, well, the wide eyes.” He laughed again. “Oh, and the ridiculous distressed business. I don’t think you’ve ever been distressed a day in your life. You also could have come up with something better than the whole someone-wants-me-dead nonsense.”
    “I knew as soon as that distressed part came out of my mouth I’d made a mistake,” she muttered before she brightened. “But someone really does want me dead. I wasn’t making that up.”
    Zayne’s lips immediately thinned into a straight line. “Who?”
    “If I knew that, I wouldn’t have been forced out of the city.”
    “You really were forced out of the city?”
    “ Forced might be a bit of an exaggeration, since my editor was looking for someone to write articles about the West right about the time the threats began to escalate. Theodore brought Mr. Blackheart on board to travel with me and keep me safe while he’s been continuing to investigate the threats back in New York. I’ve been traveling longer than anticipated because there’s been little progress made in tracking down the culprit who wants to see me harmed.”
    “And the reason it’s been so difficult would be . . . ?”
    “I’ve annoyed quite a few people,” Agatha admitted. “It’samazing how testy people get when I write articles that don’t show them in a favorable light.”
    “Maybe it’s time you stopped writing.”
    Her mouth opened, but no words came out for a few seconds. “Writing is my life.”
    “It sounds to me like it might become your death.”
    “Which is exactly why you should offer to assist Mr. Blackheart with keeping me alive, especially since my journey out here has become somewhat tedious and I long to return to New York.”
    “I’m not going back to New