Midnight Vengeance by Lisa Marie Rice Read Free Book Online Page A

pretty, turning the parks and lawns into a fairy-tale world like Narnia.
    Enjoy it, she told herself. She’d loved her time here, loved the vibe of the dynamic yet laid-back city. Portland offered tons of cultural opportunities while remaining friendly and walkable. She’d sketched in all corners of the city, not just the wealthy homes Suzanne decorated—skateboarding parks, the tiny gate to the tiny Chinatown, and she’d even followed the changing light in Pioneer Square, though for that she’d worn a big floppy hat that hid her face.
    She’d felt instantly at home here and it hurt so much to know she could never return. Not only that, it would be best to go to another kind of city entirely, so Seattle was out. Certainly the entire Pacific Northwest was out, maybe even the whole West Coast.
    She should go to one of those Sunbelt places where old people lived and iguanas roamed the earth. Or maybe somewhere up north in one of those empty states where winter lasted eight months.
    Somewhere where she would finally heed what her rational mind had been telling her all along. Make no connections. Make no friends. Stay home as much as you can.
    At least she had Felicity. Anonymous, faceless, virtual. But a friend.
    She watched the neighborhoods go by, memorizing the buildings, knowing she could never come back. And knowing that her life would be an empty shell from now on.
    It occurred to her that she would never have a love affair, ever again. The past two years had been of necessity chaste—though she’d never had a wild sex life anyway. Time to face the fact that sex and love were out of her life, possibly forever. Like most women, she’d had it in the back of her head that someday her Prince, or if not her Prince at least a really nice guy, would come.
    But that was crazy thinking. She had to stay unattached. If nothing else, she’d put the man in mortal danger. Unless...she sneaked a glance at Jacko, handling driving in the snow with ease. He handled most physical things with ease. She’d heard Suzanne and Allegra talking about him. He’d been a sniper in the military, was a superb shot. Apparently he was also an expert in several martial arts.
    He’d be a hard man to kill, even for Jorge’s thugs.
    Jacko...Hmm.
    Well, why not? Her last night in Portland, spending perhaps the last night of her life in a man’s arms. Jacko was attractive in an unhandsome kind of way. He was certainly sexy. And though he was stiff and formal around her and acted almost as if he were scared of her, which was ridiculous, something told her he wouldn’t say no.
    When he started hanging around her all the time, she thought maybe he would make a play, and the idea of sex with Jacko had flared up in her head, lodging there. But he hadn’t made a play. He’d actually avoided touching her unless he absolutely had to, so clearly he wasn’t interested in her that way.
    Maybe she could interest him now, though.
    Oh God, yes. A night of heat and passion when she felt so cold and alone. Who would it hurt? If Jorge’s goons showed up for some reason having somehow tracked her down here, she’d be long gone. And Jacko knew how to handle himself.
    Could she do it? Could she seduce him? Did she have the nerve?
    And...how? Well, start by inviting him in for coffee. Or better yet, alcohol. She had a nice bottle of aged whiskey a grateful student had given her. Would it be hard to seduce him? She definitely didn’t have the nerve to strip and curl her finger at him, but maybe that wouldn’t be necessary. Perhaps they could talk a bit, sitting close together on the couch and...
    Jacko pulled up in her driveway, much too soon. She still hadn’t fully planned her mode of attack, thought it through. If he said this, she’d say that...
    He unlocked the doors with a whump, put his hand on the driver’s side door.
    She was taken by panic. Suzanne had asked him to walk her to the door, and he would. And then he’d turn and drive back. The thought