Lace and Bullets: A Hitman Romance by Marie Carnay Read Free Book Online Page A

roof over your head. Food to eat. Clean clothes.”
    Mia frowned. “You didn’t?”
    He pulled back as if he’d been burned. “Doesn’t matter.”
    “It does to me.”
    Damien stared at her and for a moment, she saw the kid inside of him. The young, wide-eyed kid who hadn’t been cared for at all.
    He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I never knew my parents. Grew up in foster care. In and out of juvie.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Juvenile detention.”
    “Oh.” Mia leaned closer. “How’d you end up with the cartel?”
    “They took us in. Fed us, clothed us. It was better than the streets.”
    Mia frowned. “Who’s us?”
    Damien stood up like a rocket. “Enough talking. I’ve got to take a piss. Don’t move.”
    Mia watched him walk away. Part of her wanted to stay, get him to open up and share his life with her. She could see so much more than anger behind the wall he’d built around himself.
    But while they had been talking, she’d gotten a hand free. It wasn’t time to fall for a hitman, no matter how vulnerable he seemed in the moment.
    She had some serious running to do.

7
DAMIEN
    D amien slammed his fist into the dresser. The whole piece of furniture rattled and wobbled and threatened to collapse. Just like his self-control.
    Damn this woman. She’d gotten into his head. Turned on his feelings. Christ . When did he let that happen?
    Feelings were for dead men. Men who didn’t have rap sheets and police files and blood on their hands. Feelings got you killed.
    He paced back and forth in the bedroom, trying to shove it all out of his mind.
    Her gentle voice slipped from her lips like silk. Her big brown eyes looked up at him like he was a person instead of a tool. He wanted to pin her body to the floor and ravage her.
    Damien scrubbed his lips with his hand. He couldn’t get her taste off his skin. All strawberries and cream. Fucking innocence in a damn bottle. She was everything he hated. Everything he couldn’t have.
    It didn’t matter that her childhood sucked. It wasn’t as bad as his.
    Mia Davenport was his chance. He would take her to Marcelo and strike up a deal. The truth and his debts repaid for the only witness to the DA’s murder. The only person who knew the DA’s secrets. After that, Mia would be on her own.
    The thought sent a shudder through him. Damien knew what they would do to her. He knew how far they would go to break her. He’d seen it first hand. First Marcelo would hook her on something good—heroin or meth.
    Then he’d use it like bait. You do this baby, I’ll give you what you need. When Mia had been all used up, when there wasn’t even a shell of a girl left to abuse, he’d let her overdose and throw her out in the trash.
    Just like Melanie.
    Jesus . He was sending her straight to hell. But he didn’t have a choice. Without her, he would never really know.
    Damien checked his watch. Four in the morning. Fuck . He’d been up for almost twenty-four hours. He needed some sleep. His eyes burned and his muscles ached with fatigue.
    Could he trust her not to run? If he tied her to the bed, would she still be there in the morning?
    He exhaled and rolled his shoulders back when a thud made him spin. Oh, no .
    Damien tore the bedroom door open and raced into the kitchen. Shit . The chair lay on its side, chain still wrapped around it. No Mia to be seen.
    With a groan of frustration, he tore through the house. She had to still be inside. From the kitchen to the dining room to the living room, Damien raced, eyes darting back and forth. Nothing.
    Down the hall he went, ducking into bedrooms, closets, bathrooms. He threw open the last door and almost shouted in relief. Mia hadn’t made it outside.
    Her legs and ass hung out of the too-tall window as she kicked and wiggled. She wasn’t tall enough or strong enough to launch herself out. He wrapped his hands around her shins and she screamed. He hauled her back in and she kicked out.
    Something inside Damien snapped. He