Convicted (Entangled Ignite) by Dee Tenorio Read Free Book Online Page B

them. Marketta’s mine now. And the sooner you figure that out, the easier it gets for everyone.” He smiled again, a vicious show of teeth. “’Specially Shana.”
    Cade glanced at Rick again, but the only response he found was the cord of Rick’s jaw pulsing as he ground his teeth. Then his friend got out of the car and slammed the door hard enough to rock it, both of them still inside.
    “That temper of his is gonna get him killed one of these days,” Carter said conversationally, leaning back in his seat to watch Rick stalk through the parking lot and toward the park surrounding the area.
    “That a threat?”
    Finally, he had the man’s attention. “It ain’t a threat to say you’re gonna wipe the shit off your boots, man. Just a fact a life.” His gaze narrowed on Cade with disconcerting focus. “That was a hell of a cheap shot you took earlier. I’m gonna remember that.”
    Carter might be a monster—and Cade had seen enough of them in his life to know they were real—but he was a smart one. Very smart and likely sociopathic, if the feel of that gaze meant anything. Lifeless, devoid of anything but calculation and possibly boredom. Giving this one anything to use against him would be a mistake.
    “You gonna be shit I gotta scrape, too, big boy? Or you come to my town because you heard there was money in it for you?”
    Cade considered his answer, checking to see how far Rick had gone to cool his temper. Not far, still in sight anyway. Leaning against a tree, smoking. They probably had a few more minutes.
    So he looked at Carter with the same casual glance the man had used on him before shifting to turn and look out the front window. “You don’t want to be wasting your time with me. I’m not your kind of man.”
    “You like breathin’, don’t you? You want to keep doing it, makes you my kinda man right there.” Carter laughed at his own joke.
    Cade pulled his hat down over his face as if he were preparing to sleep right there. Nothing a man like Carter would hate more than being ignored. “Not particularly.”
    Carter’s pause was almost amusing. “Not particularly, what?”
    “You asked if I like breathing.” Sleep didn’t sound like such a bad idea, really. He was tired from that episode earlier anyway. Cade closed his eyes, relieved to further block the sunlight pouring through the windshield. He hated the sunlight, the heat it brought. Every time his gaze caught a blinding glare, he had to struggle to remember where he was. That he wasn’t burning alive under gear and sand.
    “Death supposed to be some kind of favor to you, then?”
    No. Death was as much an unknown as the life he was supposed to be living. He didn’t like unknowns, but at least being alive meant he had some kind of control. Being alive meant holding onto the rules he knew he could stand by, even if he didn’t understand why or what good it did anymore.
    “Everyone has a price,” Carter said into the yawning quiet. “Everyone wants something and in this place, everyone and everything belongs to me. You don’t breathe, eat, shit, or fuck without my say-so. Remember that, deputy. ‘Cause I’m gonna be watching. I’ll find your price. Don’t you worry about that. Man like you, there’s always something you want.”
    Unbidden came the memory of Katrina’s teasing grin, the warmth of her body against his.
    Cade shut it out of his mind. “You don’t have anything I want, Carter. Leave it at that.”
    “And if I don’t?” Another threat. The anger of a monster denied.
    Cade just pushed his hat down farther on his face, effectively dismissing the egotist. Strange to find a moment’s peace with a psychopath at his back, but Cade had long ago stopped thinking about what was strange and what wasn’t. A man like him couldn’t exactly point fingers. Not when he had enough blood on his hands to make his footsteps so heavy they hurt. Not when he had medals he didn’t deserve and couldn’t stand to look at. Not