Exchange of Fire by P. A. DePaul Read Free Book Online Page B

corner her against the wall or simply follow behind like an idiot. Either way, Henry was getting a show.
    The image of Ashlyn’s parents leading a fully loaded moving truck out of the neighborhood roared forward. The FOR SALE sign staked in the front yard advertised how they couldn’t live in the house anymore without their daughter.
I won’t fail again,
he’d vowed to his former best friend’s memory. When they reached the entrance to the Security Room, he snatched Sandra off her feet with one arm while forcing the door open with the other, doing his best to hang on without hurting her.
    “Let me go!” Struggling and bucking. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if you don’t remove your arm right now!” Nails in his forearm. “Damn it, Grady, this doesn’t concern you!” Kick to the shin. “Put me down right now!” Near hit with a head-butt.
    “Uhhh, sir?” Henry stammered as he flew out of his chair. “This was not what I had in mind when we talked earlier.”
    “Last warning,” she spewed, and he felt her muscles coil.
    He kicked the door shut and tossed her away from him.
    She bounced on her feet once, but rallied so quickly, he knew then she was more than she pretended to be. A person didn’t move like that without extensive training. What the hell was going on? He leaned against the door and crossed his arms, widening his stance in case she tried to come at him.
    “Grady?” the security guard asked again.
    “It’s okay, Henry. I have no plans to hurt her, just needed to slow her down a minute.”
    “I can’t say the same for you,” she fumed, running her hands through her hair. She took a deep breath and turned her back on him. Her posture screamed barely leashed rage as she stared at the monitors.
    Henry slowly lowered his body into the chair, his eyes pinging back and forth between the two of them. “Should I leave?” he asked, his voice full of concern and a healthy dose of
what the fuck?
    You and me both, old man,
Grady silently replied. Out loud he said, “No. Stay. I need you to continue watching the monitors. It’s almost closing time.”
    “Crazy time, you mean,” Henry mumbled, and turned back to the TVs.
    “Yep.”
    Throughout their exchange, Sandra remained rigid. The only sign of life was her fingers clenching and unclenching by her sides. So she was mad. Tough shit. His gut was going crazy, and he refused to ignore his instincts.
    “You going to talk to me now?” he asked just to get some dialogue going.
    Silence.
    “So that’s a no then?”
    Nothing.
    “You cold? That why you grabbed your sweater and tore out of your office? Headed to maintenance to tell them to turn the AC down? You know they’re gone for the night, right?”
    Henry’s shoulders started to shake. That rascal. At least someone thought this was funny.
    “You know, I’m going to be sporting a pretty big bruise on my ribs from your purse.”
    Her chin lifted. “That’s your own damn fault.”
    Ahhhhhhh,
the angels sing. Success! “Probably have one on my leg too from your heel.”
    “Guess you shouldn’t have grabbed me then, huh?” Her back remained to him.
    “Probably, but you wouldn’t slow down enough for me to find out how to help.”
    She whirled, flames igniting the green in her irises. Beautiful. “I don’t need your help. If I did, I can speak English. I can even use all the right words in the correct order to ask for it.” She visibly swallowed. “Now move away from the door.”
    “My ass, you’d ask for it,” he replied, cocking his head to the side. “There’s a fine line between pissed and scared, and, toots, right now you’re showing both.”
    She stepped forward. “Getting charged with murder will do that to a person, and that’s what’s going to happen to me if you don’t
move out of my way
.”
    He snorted. “Try again.” He shifted his weight to the balls of his feet.
    Holy fuck.
This woman had just compensated and shifted with him. Who the hell was