Dead or Alive by Trevion Burns Read Free Book Online Page A

ease.
    Within seconds.  Violet’s eyes rose to his, amazed at how quickly he’d dismantled and reassembled that weapon. She didn’t ask the questions that danced around in her head.
    Army?
    Marines?
    It had been too fast, too precise.  He knew his way around that gun like it was an extension of his arm.  Perhaps he hadn’t missed his mark back on the roof.  She’d had the distinct feeling that he would never shoot her then, and that feeling was amplified now.
    As he retook the freed gun in his hand, Remy met her gaze and tried to make sense of the look in her eyes. His bad leg shook, sending one terrible shot of pain blazing through every inch of his body after another, but all he could think about was how easily she could have let him drown back there.  He couldn’t remember anything that’d happened between the moment he’d jumped from the helicopter and the moment he’d come to, head above water, cradled against her soft bosom.  She could’ve let him sink to the bottom.  Not a jury in the world would’ve convicted her.
    But she hadn’t.
    Breaking away from the power of her eyes, he retrieved a yellow box from the floor of the boat.  Violet’s eyes followed him. It looked exactly like the box he’d left with the man back in the water, except this one was smaller.  He set it on the edge of the dock before turning back to her, eyes riveted to the floor of the gently rocking boat.
    Violet’s brown eyes doubled in size as she fully grasped what was happening.
    “Get out of the boat,” Remy commanded.
    Her fingers curled unconsciously around the safety handle she’d been clutching for the entire ride.
    Remy continued to avoid eye contact with her, motioning to the yellow box. “Take this E.L.T, and turn it on when I’m gone.  It’s not as powerful as the one I gave the old man, but someone will be here for you soon.  No more than a few hours.”  He couldn’t meet her eyes.  “You’re free, Violet.”  When she didn’t move his voice rose. “Take the god damn E.L.T and go.”
    Violet’s chest heaved, and her nails clawed at the body of the boat. “No.”
    Remy’s eyes finally rose to hers.  They were now filled with anger.  He leaned down until they were eye to eye.  This woman was truly maddening.  “I’m telling you that you can go, so go.  Get the hell out of here. Get the hell away from me, and don’t ever look back.”
    Violet was struck at the forceful tone of his voice.  He’d kidnapped her and almost gotten her killed on more than one occasion in less than 24 hours, but this was the first time she’d ever seen any real honesty in his eyes.  Any real truth.  Her instincts finally read his actions as genuine.  He really did want her to leave him, and never look back. He really wasn’t going to hurt her.  She’d known it all along, but to have it confirmed sent a feeling so powerful washing over her, it nearly bent her spine.
    “I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered, defiantly.  “You’ve terrorized me against my will all day long, Archibald.  You’ve treated me like a total barbarian since the moment we met.  You no longer get to decide when I do or don’t leave.  I decide.  And I’m not leaving.”
    “You’ve lost your mind.”
    “No.  I’m thinking real clear.”
    “Let me make sure I have this straight.”  He motioned to her with the gun.  “I kidnapped you at gunpoint, you spent the better part of the day trying to escape me when I needed you most, you got me shot in the leg, tried to steal my gun, and made me damn near crash a helicopter that had both of us inside of it.  All to escape me.  Now I’m standing here, telling you you’re free to go, and you’re refusing to leave?”
    Violet thought about everything he just said, then nodded.  “Sounds about right.”
    “ Why ?”
    “Because I don’t believe you’re a murderer.  And I want to help you.”
    Remy hated the way her words immediately warmed his heart. “The hell