DeadlySuspicious.epub by Amarinda Jones Read Free Book Online Page A

her aid. Tall, dark haired and the last person she wanted to see. Well, second last. Her father held the first position.
    “Oh, for fuck sake, go away. I’m fine.” She wasn’t but she wouldn’t be accepting his help either.
    “Oh yeah, I can see that,” he murmured, rolling his hazel eyes.
    The man whose hand was held looked at his in awe. “You’re Sirius Tate.”
    “Not anymore,” Sirius responded, his hand bending back the other man’s. “I can either break your hand or you can be a real man and not hit this woman.”
    “But you know we have our orders.”
    Denby wasn’t averse to seeing the thug’s hand broken but she also didn’t need saving. “Yeah.
    They have orders. I expect you do too. Back to seduce me are you? What’s with the long hair?”
    Sirius let go of the man’s hand. “I’ll take it from here.”
    “But her father—”
    “Can get rooted,” Denby told him as she moved away from all three men.
    Sirius moved to her side. “I’ll deal with her.” The men looked hesitant but they left.
    Soon, it was just the two of them outside the clinic. Denby looked him up and down. Despite the long, Rastafarian locks that hung to his shoulders and the open denim shirt that displayed a tanned, bare chest and over-washed denim jeans, he was the same man who broke her heart and she wasn’t about to thank him for saving her. “Well, Sirius, long time no see. By the way, your hair looks stupid.” Secretly she thought it looked sexy. She reached out and tugged harder than she had to on one lock. The hair was softer than she expected it to feel. “Is it real?” Denby wondered why he wasn’t a suit.
    “Yes, and stop pulling on it.” He caught her hand up in his. “And I left the committee.”
    “Sure you did.” She looked him up and down. He wasn’t the clean cut, carefully shaved and smartly dressed men she had once known.
    “I did.”
    “Those men seemed to think you were still a big deal. “
    “Those men don’t think for themselves.”
    Yeah, well. That was true . “What’s the deal? Is this whole laid-back dude look a trick?”
    “No.”
    The one word sounded simple and sincere and yet she wasn’t about to buy it. “Uh huh.”
    “I’m not lying, Denby.”
    “You have before.” Crazy thing was, she wanted to believe him. Stupid heart. It was a surprise to her that she was still dumb enough to love him even though she would have sworn blind ten minutes ago she hated him.
    “As did you,” he murmured, his stance relaxed and his gaze on hers.
    “When?” Hers hands went to her hips in a defensive move. Denby had always thought Sirius had the sort of eyes that could see into her soul. It was hard to shut yourself off from him.
    “When you said you loved me and would marry me.”
    “Yeah, well, life’s a bitch. Call it payback.”
    Sirius moved in closer to her. “You owe me a wedding.”
    She lifted one finger and poked him in the chest. “I owe you zip, mister.”

    * * * * *
Sirius laughed. Still the same Denby. Full of attitude and not afraid to use it. He had heard she was in Brisbane. But then Denby Dumaresq was hardy able to blend in with her long, bright red hair. She stood out because she wanted to. He liked that she wore a red shirt that clashed with her hair and emphasized the fact she wasn’t about to hide and be scared, but rather defy anyone who tried to stop her from being herself. He had been watching her for a couple of days, shadowing her moves and working out why she had come back to town. It was a crazy move to come back to Brisbane but that was Denby and despite their past and the world they were now caught up in, he wouldn’t change her. To many in Brisbane he was now known only as Rabid, the name and persona he took on after Denby had left. He had broken all ties with the Committee, because she’d been right. He had become more and more like them in their single minded efforts to crush women. He had almost forgotten why he had joined them. He had