A Wedding Story by Dee Tenorio Read Free Book Online Page A

shuddering grooves. “Whose attention did you have today?”
    “Everyone’s.” Trina’s thick lashes rose, her mouth quirking as she brushed unwanted moisture from the corner of her eye.
    Would she slap his hand away if he tried to do it for her?
    Without question.
    Didn’t stop him from wanting to, though.

    “Tel me something, Evigan,” she demanded, clearing her throat and shifting restlessly against the couch. Moment of weakness over, apparently. “You ever pul a train in a dirty bar?”
    That raised his eyebrows. “Not that I remember, no.”
    “Wel , I haven’t either and today wasn’t going to be my first time.” Her body went taut beneath the swipes of the towelette he used to clean the blood, before relaxing with decided effort. Which sucked because that was the easy part. “Carter doesn’t kil people that piss him off, not right away. He’s a big believer in making them pay three times over first.
    His plans for me involved ambushing the shit out of me and throwing me like a chew toy to his men.”
    He daubed the wound with a gauze pad, forcing himself to keep his hands steady. Strangely enough, being so angry he could strangle someone went a long way toward derailing his usual reaction to the smel of blood and antiseptic. “How’d you get out of it?”
    “Wel , it turns out that when two guys are holding you in place by your arms, your legs are free to kick other people in the face and bal s.”
    He wouldn’t have thought it possible, but she managed to draw a grudging grin from him.
    Something about her always seemed to pul the humor out of him, even when he’d thought it long gone. “I’m guessing you’ve known that for a while.”
    Her
    answering
    smile
    was
    tinged
    with
    exhaustion. “It’s come in handy every now and then.”
    “Doesn’t look like it did you much good this time.”
    “That’s what you think. If they’d managed to get me down, at least Frank wasn’t gonna get any. Steel toe, baby. If he’s not in the hospital right now, it’s a friggin’ miracle.” She hissed as he irrigated the shal ow—thank God—wound. “Shit, Cade, why don’t you just pour the whiskey in? Might hurt less.”
    “You wouldn’t have come here if you didn’t want it done right, Tee.”
    She made a face at the name. She usual y complained that it made her sound like a four-year-old. As if the moniker “KK” sounded so much more mature.
    “Maybe I came for the company.”

    He grunted again. “We both know I’m not fit for that.”
    She sighed, the way she always did when he said things that irritated her. “You’re about the only one in this town worth spending time with and you know it.”
    “That’s not true. There’s good people here.”
    “You always say that, but no one believes you.
    They’re al cowards and drunkards who turn their backs rather than take a stand.”
    “I wouldn’t be here if there weren’t people needing protection.” From her gang. Even if he didn’t say it, he knew she heard the accusation.
    “Why’d he ambush you?”
    Her face turned toward him, her usual cocky grin nowhere to be seen. Instead a seriousness drew lines around her mouth and shadows in her eyes.
    Didn’t seem right, real y. He was the one who did maudlin and brooding. She was the one who dragged him into using the side of himself he’d almost forgotten about. Worse, if he didn’t know better, he’d think the shade of those shadows was guilt.

    “He found out I’m not who he thought I was.”
    Cade let his hands fal to this lap. This couldn’t be good. “Who are you then?”
    “Undercover DEA.”
    For an entire three seconds, elation fil ed him.
    Pure, excited relief that he hadn’t gone off the deep end for a criminal who may or may not kil him in his sleep. But then he remembered who he was dealing with. Suuuure she was undercover. He shook his head, going back to his work, irritated. “You don’t need to lie for me to patch you up.”
    It wasn’t like he had a