Dirty Truths by Renee Miller Read Free Book Online Page A

affection. Although Wade thought it sick and ridiculous, he understood how a girl could fall for it. Especially a gentle soul like Kristina. In his youth, Wade had used a similar ploy, but unlike Daniel he’d never wanted to control or abuse them. He’d just wanted to get in their pants. Wade smiled at the memories.
    When he heard Kristina agreed to marry Riley, Wade could do nothing. He couldn’t even tell her how he felt; a married man, friend of her father, and far too old to offer her anything more than sex. She’d have laughed in his face. Amy didn’t care if he slept around. He had done that more than he cared to admit. But he knew she’d have a problem if she found out his feelings for Kristina went beyond sex.
    Remembering how Kristina had been at her wedding made his stomach burn, his hands tightening into fists. He didn’t want to go but Amy had insisted. She made a fuss about appearances. In the end he went just to shut her up. He hadn’t seen Kristina in nearly a year. The difference between the woman in white satin and lace and the girl he knew before had been startling and sad.
    She should have been radiant and hopeful. Instead, her voice was empty, and her skin so pale. When Daniel’s voice turned sharp, she flinched and kept her eyes downcast. How did the guests miss the misery written in every move she made? They’d laughed, danced, and made jokes to the newlyweds. Everyone, except Wade and her parents, behaved as though the couple were normal and happy.
    As the night wound down Wade had hugged her and leaned in close to her ear. “You deserve better than this jackass. Promise me you’ll ask for help if you need it.”
    She’d pulled away, flashed a startled gaze and quickly pasted a false smile on her face. “It was good to see you and Amy. Thanks for coming.” Then she’d turned away.
    After the wedding, the light in those beautiful eyes had gone out completely under a myriad of bruises and insults. He knew what Daniel had done, and he often reminded Joe he could get rid of her problem once and for all. But Joe asked him to stay out of it.
    Wade stayed away from her for months so he wouldn’t have to endure the evidence of Daniel’s cruelty; although Amy loved to tell him everything she heard. He ignored his wife’s gleeful reports as much as he could.
    He’d pushed the fantasy of Kristina away the second she got married, not allowing himself to think about her. Then, a few months ago, Joe mentioned she’d left Daniel. Wade had thought of little else but his old fantasy—and how much he wanted out of his marriage.
    His obsession began in earnest when she went through with the divorce. He stopped by the gas station while she worked, observing her secretly. A few times, he’d waited in the parking lot behind a hedgerow that divided it from the house nestled between a lumber yard and the convenience store. At the end of her shift, he would walk behind her to make sure she made it to her parents’ house safely. She’d looked around a few times, as though aware someone followed her. She never saw him. He was too good, though Kristina was far from his regular prey.
    Who was he trying to kid? No matter how much he wanted her, he’d never have Kristina. Not the way he wanted to. Amy would be around until she died. She knew far too much, and the Brotherhood wouldn’t allow her to keep breathing if she got too far away. He couldn’t sign her death warrant just because he didn’t love her anymore. Amy wasn’t a bad person, not all the time. They just weren’t meant to be. Kristina would only see Wade was a married man.
    When she glanced at the window again Wade turned the key, the paper still in his hand. He had to stop thinking of her in that way. She would never allow what he desperately wanted to happen. Although the way her hand trembled tonight and the flush of her cheeks told him she would like to.
    He backed out of the empty parking lot and turned toward home. Opportunities arose