Guarded Heart by Anya Breton Read Free Book Online Page B

a damn good chance
of winning.”
    “It’s not Irvin,” Morgan said in a low voice.
    And then he went quiet.
    They rode in silence nearly half the distance to Gary before
he gave into the irritation Brook had sensed steadily growing within him.
    “Why do you hate people so much?”
    Brook didn’t immediately snap that people had rarely done
anything good for her. That wasn’t strictly true. More often than not, people
were selfish creatures she couldn’t abide for any length of time. Morgan
already had bad opinions of her. She didn’t need to play into his hands. But gone
was her earlier amusement.
    “Questioning a person’s motives in a volatile situation does
not mean that I hate people,” she said.
    “You’ve always thought the worst of everyone,” he said as if
she hadn’t answered. His delivery was impassioned, frustration lacing each
word. “And now you’ve found an organization, a job that enables—no encourages— your
bad attitude.”
    Blood rushed to her face. Why was she beginning to feel shame for her beliefs? No one had ever taken her to task for them. No one but Morgan
Seaton. He’d been doing it since they were children. And while she prided
herself on heeding no one’s opinions, the warmth of embarrassment still coated
her neck.
    “My bad attitude has saved many lives.” Her response was
tight.
    “But at what cost, Brook?”
    The casual use of her name caught her off guard. It lasted
only a second before her mind raced for an answer. “No client has complained of
the cost since I began with the Rangers.”
    “What would it get them if they did?” He shook his head
twice. “They’d be seen as ungrateful.”
    Rather than speculate on the motivations of her past
clients, Brook spoke words she hoped would end the conversation. “You can find
out firsthand when I resolve your situation.”
    “Why can’t you just be more aware of the collateral damage
of your actions?”
    “I’m not the same girl you met at six. Stop treating me like
it,” she found herself snapping. “And for your information, any collateral
damage that occurs is the fault of the villain in the scene, not the
Ranger.”
    “I’ll stop treating you like that when you do the same.”
    Brook didn’t bother responding. She was guilty of
behaving similarly. Maybe he’d let the ride continue in silence this time.
    * * * * *
    Morgan wanted to grab her by the ears and shake some sense
into that stubborn head of hers. She thought Irvin was trying to kill
him? It was ridiculous!
    The man had welcomed him with open arms when he’d moved into
the area. He’d been the first to introduce Morgan to every mover and shaker in
the Great Lakes Region. Irvin had been instrumental in Morgan’s rise to power.
He wouldn’t then try to have him killed months after they’d succeeded in
gaining a lofty position.
    Brook was way off base.
    And yet…
    What if she wasn’t?
    Irvin stood to gain the most from his death. He’d even been
nominated for the post the last two times it had been vacated. But his lack of
experience as a priest had seen him passed over in favor of others who knew how
to manage groups of witches.
    Irvin had explained the situation himself. There’d been no
rancor. Morgan would have noted it.
    This new, disturbing twist on the situation displeased
Morgan. His mood made it nearly impossible for him to settle down. Tonight only
a portion of his insomnia was due to the female sleeping on the floor at the
foot of the bed.
    He shouldn’t have been so hard on her. She was only doing
her job. Part of her job was to present every possible angle. She hadn’t done
anything typically Brook-like since she’d arrived.
    Morgan felt bad that she was stretched out on the hard
wooden floor with only a thin mat for cushion. He should have looked for a cot
in the place. Surely there was one somewhere. And if there wasn’t, he could buy
one. Brook shouldn’t have to sleep on the floor.
    Without warning, images flooded his mind