Run From Fear by Jami Alden Read Free Book Online

savagely beautiful woman he’d met for the first time two and a half years ago. Back then she’d been tough as nails, slinking around Club One, ruling with an iron fist and a killer bod.
    Or so he’d thought. It hadn’t taken him long to see the cracks start to show, to realize she was in way, way over her head.
    And with his usual—and sometimes misguided—sense of what his sister called old-school chivalry and what he called an idiotic hero complex, he’d decided Talia Vega was a damsel in sore need of rescuing.
    But he’d drastically misjudged his opponent and nearly gotten her killed.
    So, hell yeah, guilt had driven him, especially at the beginning. But as he’d gotten to know Talia, he’d seen firsthand her drive to protect her sister at any cost, her fighting spirit that helped her survive an attack that would have killed most.
    Then he’d watched her these past two years as she picked up the pieces and built a new life for herself, and his admiration had grown exponentially.
    Admiration and something else he wasn’t quite ready to put a label on. In any case, whatever he felt for Talia was a lot more complicated than simple guilt. “I don’t see why it’s such a problem for me to want to help you out every once in a while.” The truth was, he wanted a hell of a lot more, and a depraved part of him knew she’d probably give it if he asked.
    But it would never be for the reasons he wanted. And he would never settle for anything less.
    “So can you indulge me?” he asked softly. As he gazed into her dark, shadowed eyes, her beautiful face with the high cheekbones and full lips that gave her an exotic air, his hand itched to caress her cheek. Trail down her neck. Tangle in the thick tumble of near-black curls.
    He curled his hand into a fist.
    She nodded. “I don’t want you to think I’m not grateful. For everything—”
    “I don’t want your goddamn gratitude,” he said, harsher than he’d intended.
    To her credit, she didn’t flinch. “But I don’t know why you feel obligated to bother with us, especially now that we’re safe.”
    “But you don’t feel safe, do you?”
    “It’s over,” she said. “There’s nothing to worry about anymore.”
    He wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him or herself, but the fear was still there, along with the scars that had faded but not disappeared.
    And though he knew it would be torture to be around her while knowing he couldn’t have her, at that moment he knew he was going to stick around for as long as it took him to banish her fear for good.

    The light in the penthouse suite was dim, the heady scent of gardenias filling the air. The silk of her dress rustled against her skin as she gazed out the window at the Seattle skyline. She smiled as the strong hands looped the delicate chain around her neck. “It’s beautiful,” she breathed as she held the diamond-encrusted platinum rose charm between her thumb and forefinger so she could better admire it.
    A deep voice rumbled in her ear. “I wanted to give you something to remind you exactly what you mean to me.”
    The voice sent a shiver of dread through her as the walls of the suite started to ripple. Suddenly the room changed, morphing from a luxurious hotel suite into a dank, cold dungeon. The scent of the flowers grew stronger, the sickly sweet scent threatening to suffocate her. The necklace tightened around her neck, digging into her throat, cutting through her skin.
    She clawed at the chain, its razor sharpness slicing through her fingers as the chain sliced its way through her neck.
    “Jack!” She tried to scream but nothing came out except a weak gurgle.
    Talia jerked awake, her body bathed in a cold sweat, her breath coming in sharp pants. Her hand went automatically to her throat. Nothing. She let out a sound, half sob, half laugh.
    Though her fingers and neck still tingled, there was nothing there. The necklace David had given her was long gone, taken from her body the day