Blackblood Bear (A Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (The Agency Book 2) by Amelia Jade Read Free Book Online Page B

middle of the street. Around him tires squealed as cars slammed on their brakes, followed a split second later by horns filling the air with their angry voices.
    “Are you fucking kidding me?” he asked, moving off the street without thinking about it. His attention was locked elsewhere.
    “What? Everything okay?” Connor’s voice came back almost immediately.
    “I’ll call you back. I owe you big time,” he said, pulling off his helmet and snagging the key from his bike’s ignition.
    He jogged up the sidewalk a short way, laying his hand on the shoulder of the person who had caught his eye, and spinning them around.
     
     
     
     

Chapter Five
    Shay
    She spun at the touch, jumping in shock as her gaze locked onto a pair of grayish-blue eyes set into a gorgeous face. It was mounted atop the body of a god, with more thick muscles and bulging power than she thought was fair to exist in a single man.
    “Hi,” Justin Renne— like the pasta , she thought—said to her.
    “Hi,” she echoed, words failing her as she realized she was still holding onto his hand, having grabbed it when it fell on her shoulder.
    Awkwardly she let it drop from her grip, her own hands staying down at her sides.
    “What are you doing?” he asked.
    His voice washed over her like the fresh water of a spring, bringing her skin to life as tingles broke out all over her body. Swallowing, she worked some saliva into her suddenly dry mouth, forcing it to make noises that he could hopefully understand.
    “I’m, uh, looking to see if anyone has seen my father,” she said. “He mentioned coming to the harbor several times.” She shrugged. “It’s a long shot, but I have to try. So far though, I’m coming up short. I was just about to give up and have some dinner.”
    Justin brightened visibly at the change of subject.
    “Let’s go get some food,” he suggested, “then, if I can get off work, I’ll help you look for your father.”
    She frowned. “You’re working right now?”
    He shrugged. “Sort of.”
    Shay thought she heard a buzzing in his ear. “Is everything okay?”
    Turning, he pointed out the earbud lodged into his right ear. “Just my partner asking who I’m talking to.” He then reached up to his neck and seemed to flick something. “There, now he can’t hear us.”
    She smiled. “What do you do, Mr. Renne? So mysterious. Your partner, earpieces, and secret communications. So mysterious.”
    Her voice was light, but Shay knew she should be very worried by everything she had just said.
    So why do I suddenly feel calmer, safer, and more at ease with him around?
    “I try,” he said with a wink. “I can tell you that what I do helps many others. I’m a good guy,” he said seriously.
    To her continued surprise, Shay found that she believed him. Realizing that she was still holding the picture of her father in her other hand, Shay stuffed it away into a pocket and smiled at him.
    “Dinner you say?” she asked. If she got him to sit down for a period of time, then perhaps she could get a bit more information out of the secretive shifter. “Know anywhere good?”
    Justin positively beamed at her words, looking extremely happy. “I sure do,” he said. “This way,” he said, gesturing with one arm down the street, toward the thick of the marketplace. “You’re okay with seafood?”
    Shay laughed. “Well, we’re in the harbor district. So I may as well see what your city has to offer.”
    They walked along the street. Around them, the signs of commerce were everywhere. Vendors hawked their wares at passersby. Fresh fruits and foods from dozens of countries were on display, each one looking more tantalizing than the next. Elsewhere store owners proudly served customers, showering them with gratitude for their purchases.
    Flags of all shapes, sizes, and colors whipped in the wind, creating a craze of color that should have assaulted her senses, but instead made her feel like she was exploring a new country with