(Once) Again by Theresa Paolo Read Free Book Online Page B

PT, but Liz had already rearranged her schedule for this appointment so I didn’t argue.
    “How’d it go?” she asked with a huge smile on her face.
    “It didn’t.” I tried to storm out angrily but the damn crutches kept getting in my way, so I did my best attempt and continued right out the door.
    ***
    From far away, the eyes of a killer weren’t much different from anyone else’s. You’d never be able to tell. But up close, staring you down, holding your life in their hands, you can see the endless darkness. The abyss of evil. For one brief moment, you get a glimpse of the person they were before they turned.
    I had focused on that. Pleading with a blank stare, devoid of a soul, hoping to reach some inkling of his humanity. Hopeful he would remember the time I helped pick his books up off the floor. Hanging on to that thread of hope that he’d see my act of kindness as restitution.
    “You going to eat that? Or just be mesmerized by my awesome baking skills?”
    I darted my eyes away from the browned butter-pecan cookie and tossed it in my mouth. Liz leaned her elbows on the counter and tried to burn a hole through my face with her intense gaze. She was waiting for a reaction. Anything to praise her as the Cookie Master she believed she was. And she was. But there was no fun in admitting it. It was much more entertaining to watch her sweat it out.
    I chewed slowly, dragging out every single movement of my mouth.
    “So . . .” Liz threw her hands up in the air. “Are they amazing or what?”
    Taking too much pleasure in her impatience, I chewed some more, cocking an eyebrow for my let-me-think-about-this look.
    The front door opened and shut and I continued to chew. Liz’s face lit up, and I didn’t need to turn around to know it was Zach and not some psychopath robbing a house in daylight.
    “Hey you,” Zach said, stepping around the counter to give my sister a kiss. Most brothers would give the “I’ll kill you” glare, but Zach was cool. Which was why he wasn’t just my sister’s boyfriend, but one of my closest friends. “Hey, Josh.”
    I put my fist out for a pound and continued to chew.
    Liz pouted her lip out and crossed her arms over her chest. “Zach, Josh won’t tell me how my cookies are.”
    “They smell delicious.” Zach picked one up and popped it in his mouth. “Yup, delicious just like you.” He leaned in, snaking his hand around her waist, lips hovering too damn close to her neck—that’s where I drew the line. Friend or not, I didn’t need to see that.
    I swallowed. “They’re awesome!” I yelled, and Zach’s hand dropped from Liz’s waist.
    “Yes!” Liz jumped up, throwing her hand in the air.
    Zach smirked. “He was pushing your buttons. You just had to push back.”
    He knew me too well. But that was okay, because I knew all about him too, and he was good for my sister. Hell, if it weren’t for him, Liz probably would still be sitting on her damn couch staring at the “Breaking News” flashing across her TV.
    With my parents out of the country on a cruise when I was shot, Liz was all I had, but according to Zach, she was basically catatonic when he arrived.
    Plus he knocked out that loser ex of hers. Lucky, because if he hadn’t I would have. I wouldn’t have been satisfied with one punch either. I owed Zach a lot. More than he would ever know.
    “You ready?” Zach asked Liz.
    “Yup. Let me just grab my bag.” She disappeared into the living room.
    “How you feeling?” Zach asked with a nod, sliding onto the stool across from me.
    “For being shot, pretty damn good.”
    “That’s good to hear.” Zach ran a hand through his dark hair and then shrugged. “Liz is still worried about you.”
    “It’s what she does.”
    He nodded, letting out an amused breath. “If you need anything, just ask. Even if you just want to talk.”
    Like I said, good guy. Exactly why I’d never tell him anything either. The haunting was all mine. I wouldn’t pass those