One Kiss More by Mandy Baxter Read Free Book Online

anything at my interview today. And as far as I can tell, the marshals don’t have any leads either.”
    “That’s good,” Cesar replied. His jacket gaped away, and Emma caught sight of a gun resting in a holster under his arm. The sound of her pulse in her ears echoed the frantic beating of her heart, and she swallowed down the anxiety that threatened to overtake her. “Keep doing what you’re told and we won’t have any problems. Stay away from those puto marshals. I’ll be watching you, chica . And I’ll be contacting you again soon.”
    Cesar turned to leave and Emma shouted, “What about my father?” How much longer was this to go on? Because at this rate, she wouldn’t last the week. He promised her they’d make the exchange after tonight. “You told me—”
    “I told you I’ll be contacting you soon.” Cesar rounded on her with a snarl, his nose inches from hers. He smelled like bourbon and cigars, and Emma’s stomach convulsed. “You don’t ask me anything, entender ? I make the rules, not you. You do nothing but sit and wait for my call.”
    He turned and strode away, shoving anyone in his path to the side. Yes, she understood Cesar perfectly. She’d screwed up and he was going to make her suffer for it. Emma slumped against the wall, her limbs shaking as her breath sped in her chest. There was no use fighting the undercurrent that was slowly pulling her away from the shore of her composure. It would only be a matter of time before the tide of her actions swallowed her completely. Already she felt as though she were drowning.
    She couldn’t go back to Jeremy and act as though nothing were wrong. Not while she was still so worked up. He’d see right through the act. Emma pushed herself away from the wall, and rather than head for the exit, she made her way down the employees-only hallway. Most patrons didn’t know about the back stairs that led to the roof, but Emma had been coming here for years and the manager let her use the roof access when she needed a little air. Or perspective. And right now, she was desperate for both.
    As she walked out onto the roof, the early summer air cooled by the recent rain was a balm on Emma’s heated skin. She drew a breath into her lungs and held it, enjoying the cold bite. God, how she’d wanted to come clean to McCabe today in the interview room. She experienced a pleasant rush of excitement at the memory of his intense gaze. His blue eyes seemed to see into the most secret part of her, but obviously that wasn’t true, was it? Otherwise he would have forced the truth out of her. Instead, she’d snowed him exactly like she had his clueless partners. They didn’t deserve her honesty. If the U.S. Marshals had done their job right the first time around, none of them would be in the positions they were in now.
    Emma took in the city sounds as she strolled across the roof to the edge of the building. The white noise helped to quiet her tumultuous thoughts, along with the breeze that whooshed over her ears. Her upper arm still ached where Cesar had grabbed her, and she rubbed at her skin, wishing that the gentle wind could banish the memory of his hands on her. He was corrupt, heartless, and soulless, and it made her feel dirty having shared the same air as that son of a bitch. Without thinking, Emma stepped up onto the ledge of the building to look down at the street below. Only a couple of stories up, it still felt like miles from the ground and she swayed on her feet as the heel of her stiletto caught in a crack on the ledge.
    “Jesus Christ, Emma!”
    Before she could make sense of what was happening, strong arms wrapped around her waist and the ledge fell out from beneath her feet as she was ripped from her perch. The world spun in a blur, hauled against a wall of muscle before being deposited back on her feet.
    “What in the hell were you doing?” McCabe’s incredulous voice was warm in her ear. He held her tight against him, and Emma’s head swam