Conned by Jessica Wilde Read Free Book Online

just doing my job. It had to
be because something was off about her, I could at least tell that much.
But I was going to be living with her for the next few months and the thrill I
was getting at the thought of that was dangerous.
    That's why I called Luke the minute I felt the urge to go
find her. Gus and Dad were out back in the shed looking for some extra chairs
for his 'surprise' retirement party and there was no way in hell I was going to
Gus about it. Not yet.
    "Shade."
    "Hey, man. You got a minute?"
    There was a pause, probably of disbelief and uncertainty
that I just called to chat. I rarely spoke to him on the phone at all. I wasn't
a talker, not to anyone but Ash, but that's because she was too talkative and no one could help not joining in the conversation when she was so
damn adorable all the time. Luke loved it about her and so did the rest of us.
Reminded me of Mom.
    "Yeah, Con. I got a few. What's happening? Is
everything alright?"
    I grinned, "If you are asking if anything is up with
Ash that I am warning you about, you can rest easy. She's packing and happy as
a sunrise."
    "Damn it! I told her to wait for me, she's gonna tear
apart all the work those doctors did," he growled in my ear.
    Like I said, he was good to my sister. Hence, the reason I
proceeded to embarrass myself.
    "Yeah, good luck with that. I have a problem and I need
you to give it to me straight, like always."
    "Shoot."
    I raked a hand through my hair, feeling how long it had
gotten over the last few months. I usually kept it short and spiked, but long
before the shit that went down with Ash and my dad, I hadn't cared enough to
get a cut. It hadn't been in my schedule either, but it was really starting to
bug me.
    Right. Keep thinking about your hair. That won't make it
any worse.
    "Alright, well you know that assignment I got, with the
witness?"
    "Yeah?"
    "She's here this morning."
    "Yeah?" When I didn't say more, he pressed a
little. "And?"
    God, this was pathetic. "Shit, Luke."
    I heard his laugh and dropped my head in my hands. I was
going to catch some major hell with this. No way he wasn't going to tell Gus
and then make my life miserable over the next several weeks.
    "Con, what exactly are you trying to tell me?"
    I groaned and leaned back in my father's desk chair and
stared up at the ceiling. "I have no clue, but I can almost guarantee that
Ash has already talked to you in the last hour so I can also guarantee that you
know exactly what I'm trying to tell you."
    "I haven't talked to Ash yet, but she did tell me you
were nervous about the assignment this morning and from what Gus told me, I can
understand why."
    "What the fuck does that mean?"
    He laughed again, leaving me to wonder why the hell I called
him in the first place.
    "Holy shit, Con! You've got a crush on her already and
you said Ash and I moved too fast? Put that out of your mind because you've got
a job to do, Con."
    "Yeah, so did you ," I growled.
    Silence.
    He sighed and I felt a little guilty about what I said, but
not enough to let him off the hook. I needed some advice and if he was feeling
all warm and fuzzy about me, he wouldn't be completely honest about it.
    "That was different and you know it," he muttered.
    He was right. It was different. Ash and Luke had been
in love with each other for years without the other knowing about it. After all
that wasted time apart, nothing could stop them from being together, even the
job.
    "Luke, there is something about this girl. In just the
short time I've been with her… I don't know what to do about it. Maybe I should
just tell Miller to find someone else."
    "That's not possible from what I understand about this
assignment. The marshals don't even know where she is, am I right?"
    I nodded even though he couldn't see me, but he got his
answer anyway.
    "Do your job. You haven't messed around in a long time,
man. Don't go back to it now. Otherwise, it can get messy, you already know
that."
    "I'm going to be living with her," I