Lethal Deception by Lynette Eason Read Free Book Online

could practically hear Micah’s back molar grinding before he said, “Fine. But if anything goes wrong, it’s on your head.”
     
    Cassidy woke with a start. She couldn’t believe she’d actually fallen asleep. The rain had stopped and now she heard only the occasional drip of a raindrop against the porch. Gabe stood by the door, his gaze unfocused and staring. She wondered what he was thinking about.
    She’d always had a little crush on him, but he only thought of her as Micah’s little sister. So she’d dated guys at college—even agreed to marry one. But that love hadn’t lasted.
    Gabe had remained friends with Micah, but always seemed to avoid being around her. And so she’d moved on, and given her life to the Lord. And now He’d brought Gabe back into it. Gabriel Sinclair. The man who’d been there when her brother had been killed, but wouldn’t talk about it. Not with her, not with her family. It hurt.
    Lord, get us there safely. Keep Alexis in Your care. Bring Gabe to You. Let him know You’re more than just God…You’re a Heavenly Father to lean on and trust. And help me deal with my anger. Let him know he can trust me to tell me what happened with Micah.
    She shifted slightly and looked up into his face. The beam from the sun shed enough light in the room so that she could clearly see his face fuzzy with the beard, head resting against the doorjamb. Even though he was motionless, he still seemed restless. The frown lines between his brows stayed pronounced and she wondered if he ever truly smiled.
    Oh, yeah. He smiled when he pushed her buttons and riled her temper. Silence echoed and she sat up with a start. “Gabe?” she whispered. “It’s stopped raining. We can leave.”
    He blinked and she gulped at the longing that speared through her. She did her best to ignore it. Now wasn’t the time. And she still wasn’t sure how she felt about him and his role in her brother’s death.
    He asked, “Are you sure you’re up to it? You’ve only slept about two hours.”
    “I’m fine.” She stood to stretch the kinks out. She ached all over, but ignored it. Alexis was waiting.
    “All right,” Gabe agreed, “we’ve probably stayed here too long anyway.”
    Cassidy joined him. Her hair brushed against his chin and he sucked in a breath. She smelled like rain mixed with sweat. When she turned to look up at him, Gabe wondered what the flickering behind her eyes meant, wondered what she’d do if he leaned down the fraction of an inch separating them and kissed her. No time to find out as Cassidy blinked, pulled away and moved out the door. The moment fizzled. She said, “Come on, Gabriel, we’ve got a baby to rescue.”
    Gabe walked back into the bedroom and gathered up his pack. He came back and handed her the Ruger. He said, “Do you know how to use this?”
    “I can hit what I aim at.”
    He hesitated as though trying to decide if he should leave the gun with her. “I’m going to backtrack a bit and see if they’re on our tail or not. Keep your eyes and ears open. And shoot anything that moves. Except me. I’ll whistle as I get close.”
    Cassidy hefted the gun and its weight felt comfortable and familiar against her palm. She knew a thing or two about guns and shooting.
    “I’ll be all right. I don’t like you leaving me, though. And won’t you need it if you run into them?” She chewed her bottom lip.
    “Don’t worry, I don’t plan on letting them see me. These guys might not let a little downpour slow them down. If not, we’re in trouble.” He gave her a pointed look, a quirky grin and said, “And I don’t need any more trouble.”
    Cassidy rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hold back her answering smile.
     
    “Go,” he said. “I’ll catch up in a minute.”
    Cassidy sighed and did as ordered. Gabe took off in the opposite direction. She thought about how close Gabe had come to kissing her—and how close she’d been to letting him. But this was not the time to explore