Rules of Survival (Entangled Embrace) by Jus Accardo Read Free Book Online

the left pocket.”
    Fingers numb and shaking, I took the coat and dug into the left jacket pocket. Silky smooth material brushed the tips of my index finger. I thought it was the lining, but when I pulled out a pouch instead, I could hardly believe my eyes.
    “Are those the keys you’re talking about?”
    The smooth, familiar material made all my worries fade in a way that seemed somehow wrong from an inanimate object. It was stupid, really, how something so benign could make me so happy. But it was like an old friend. Reassuring and safe. I opened my mouth to thank him…then closed it with a snap.
    He’d just returned my keys.
    Which had been inside my bag.
    Pouch clutched between my shaking fingers, I stepped forward and poked him hard in the chest. “You stole these from my stuff?”
    He swatted my hand away, glaring. “Pat went through your bag—not me. He thought they might be important.”
    “So the answer is yes then! You stole these from my stuff!”
    “Hey.” He had the nerve to poke me back! “If he hadn’t, you wouldn’t have them right now. And since they seem like they’re pretty important to you—you’re practically drooling on them—how about a thank-you instead of biting my damn head off?” He held up his uncuffed hand. “Oh, and speaking of biting, I fucking owe you for this.”
    I hadn’t broken the skin, but the palm of his hand was beginning to bruise. A small sense of satisfaction washed through me. “Go ahead and bite me back then,” I snapped.
    He grabbed my arm, fingers digging into the skin. His eyes blazed, anger and something I didn’t quite understand. “Don’t tempt me.”
    Holy shit. My pulse quickened, only I wasn’t sure if it was out of fear, or because of the way he was looking at me.
    I swallowed and took a deep breath. They’d raided my stuff like scavengers and rummaged through what was basically my entire life. But if they hadn’t, the keys would have been lost. And that would have been a disaster. “Okay… Whether we like it or not, we’re stuck with each other—for now. A little teamwork will go a long way if we wanna get out of this alive.”
    He nodded, backing down as well. Some of the tension drained from his shoulders, and he let go of my arm. I shivered at the loss of warmth. “Agreed.”
    “So…truce?”
    “Truce,” he said extending his right hand.
    I took it and forced a smile. I didn’t like the idea of calling Patrick, but we didn’t really have anything to go on. The way he’d spoken, he knew my mom. If he knew her, then maybe he knew who Mick was. Maybe even T. The letter was gone—at least for now—but maybe it was still possible to piece this thing together. I was smart. Resourceful. I could do this.
    “Please—for the love of planet earth—can we find someplace warm and dry? I’m turning into a frozen prune…”
    “Yeah,” he said.
    I started walking right. Shaun went left. We each got about one and a half steps before our arms jerked back, sending us off-balance and colliding into each other.
    This wasn’t going to end well…

Chapter Five
    “We need to change.” I poked my head from the alley, around the corner of the building.
    Shaun, shivering as much as I was now, nodded and wrapped his jacket around my shoulders. Hot, smart, and thoughtful. If not for the irritating attitude, and the desire to turn me in, he’d be a seriously drool-worthy package.
    “Yeah.” He cupped both hands in front of his mouth and blew furiously as a strong gust of icy wind hit. “Need to find a store or something, but don’t have much cash.”
    And neither did I. If Mom were here, she’d make me wait outside while she did a little bit of shoplifting. She’d given me the skills I needed to survive, but did her damnedest to keep me from doing anything that could be considered “against the law.” Over the years, and against her better judgment, I’d convinced her to show me a few tricks here and there, but nothing I felt confident