Bayou Heat by Georgia Tribell Read Free Book Online

retrieved her
pistol from the holster strapped to her right calf. She’d worn the holster,
with jeans to cover it, because she didn’t want to deal with her purse.
    “You know how to use that thing?” She felt him watching her
every move as she chambered a round.
    “Yes and I even have my carry permit, thank you very much.
I’m guessing you’re carrying?” She hadn’t seen him wearing a shoulder holster
or side arm that morning.
    He gave her a knowing smile and reached behind him to pull
out his gun. “Amazing that we find common ground in the guns that we carry.”
    She watched as he pulled his pistol from its holster. It was
a larger version than hers, but they were both top-quality pieces. “I’ve tried
carrying mine at my back but I find it bothers me too much. It doesn’t bother
you?”
    “I’m a good four inches taller than you, which gives me more
room to work with. I also like the fact the gun can’t be seen like a shoulder
holster can when wearing a jacket.”
    At five-ten she’d always had the problem of finding a man
she could look up to. That wasn’t a problem with him. She was still staring up
at him when there was a muffled scream and the sound of glass breaking from the
other side of the door. Rob gently pushed her to the side, stepped forward and
kicked the door open before she could stop him.
    Bedlam broke out inside the apartment as Rob disappeared.
Eris took a deep breath and followed. The apartment was a single room that
smelled of sex and drugs, had holes in the walls and ceiling and should have
been condemned years ago, such as so many others in the city. A roach crawled
across the two-burner stove and disappeared into a crack in the wall. Eris
turned her attention back to the rest of the room. The bed was shoved into a
corner and huddled there was a sobbing woman with the covers pulled to her
chin.
    Between the bed and Rob stood a naked man brandishing a
large, wicked knife and shouting threats.
    “Drop the knife. We only want to talk to the lady.” Rob’s
voice was barely distinguishable above the woman’s hysterical crying.
    “I paid good money for the bitch and I ain’t done with her
yet.”
    Eris watched as Rob holstered his gun, never taking his eyes
off the man.
    “Your time just ran out, so why don’t you hit the road.”
Rob’s words were hard and cold.
    “Like hell.”
    The man jabbed and her heart did a double flip as Rob
grunted and moved back. In the small confines of the apartment, there was
little room to avoid the attack. The man pulled back and smiled before lunging.
This time, instead of moving away from the attack, Rob stepped into it, taking
the man by surprise.
    Before she could tell what Rob was doing, the man was
sailing through the air directly at her. Eris hit the floor as the body flew
over her and slammed into the wall behind her. The stunned man dropped his
knife as he slid to the floor and she quickly scooped it up.
    Rob stepped over her, grabbed the man by the arm and slung
him out into the hall. He slammed the apartment door, turned the lock and then
leaned one shoulder against it. The man bellowed and cursed from the other
side, demanding his clothes and threatening to call the police.
    “Find his clothes before a neighbor calls the cops,” Rob
ordered. “I really don’t want to explain this.”
    “Maybe you should have thought of that before you kicked
down the door.” Eris scrambled to her feet and gathered the man’s pants, shirt
and shoes. The underwear and socks he could live without because she wasn’t
about to touch them. She bundled the items together before handing them over to
Rob.
    He took the clothes from her and held them casually in one
hand. It was then she noticed how cool, calm and collected he was about
everything. The noise from the other side continued as the man resorted to
slamming his entire body against the door. Rob remained unfazed. “If I wanted
to think about every action before doing it, I’d have stayed