The Secret Life of Bryan by Lori Foster Read Free Book Online

switcheroo was over, he just might. “Have you been prostituting long?”
    “Actually, I’m fairly new.”
    He hadn’t realized how tight his stomach felt until she answered. He’d dealt with a lot of ugly shit in his life, most recently in Visitation, North Carolina, where he helped to save Joe Winston’s ass. A woman and two kids had blindsided him then, ruining his plan to use Winston as bait to get the fugitive he wanted.
    They’d found a soft side he hadn’t known he possessed. Now Shay did the same. It shouldn’t have mattered, but knowing she hadn’t been selling herself long filled him with immense relief.
    It also made sense, because a woman like her couldn’t be easily ignored. If she’d been around long, Bruce would have already found her and brought her to the shelter.
    And that thought really perturbed him.
    Bruce wasn’t like him. Bruce was a hell of a lot nicer and therefore more susceptible to female wiles. She would have had Bruce wrapped around her little finger in no time.
    With his own humorless smile, Bryan said, “I’m glad I happened along when I did, then.”
    “Happened along? I had the feeling you were patrolling the area.”
    “I watch out for trouble,” he told her. And for once, he gave the undiluted truth. He sought out criminals, brought them to justice—but usually with a nine-millimeter in hand. Not a Bible. “In this neighborhood, I can usually find it.”
    Hell, he’d found her, hadn’t he?
    “What kind of trouble?”
    A few truths about her newly chosen profession wouldn’t hurt. It might even set her back on the straight and narrow, where she’d be safer. “Sometimes the women refuse help because they’re supporting a boyfriend’s habit, or children, and they figure they can’t make enough in a conventional job, not with their backgrounds.”
    “Meaning?”
    He shrugged. “They lack acceptable work experience and education.” He hoped she would disclose her own reasoning for being here, but she disappointed him.
    “I like how you say that, how inoffensive it is. You go to great pains with your wording, don’t you?”
    Bruce did—and Bruce had coached him on what to say. Bryan studied her. She didn’t squirm, didn’t pose or posture herself—just remained lounged back in that stiff little kitchen chair, at her leisure, perfectly comfortable with the conversation, with the situation, with him and with herself.
    “Why would I want to insult or offend anyone?”
    “I don’t know.” And then with a crooked grin: “You have the look of someone who normally wouldn’t care.”
    That’s because normally he wouldn’t.
    “But you’re actually pretty good at this.” She took another sip of tea. “So go on. Some of the women refuse your help…?”
    Her prompt made him want to reach out and shake her. He wasn’t used to being led around verbally or otherwise. And he wasn’t comfortable giving control, even of a simple conversation, to someone else. Especially not a woman. Especially not a hooker. “They go back on the streets. Sometimes they end up hurt, beaten…”
    He drew a breath. In this, at least, he and Bruce were alike. Neither of them could stomach brutality against women or children.
    Their methods for dealing with it, though, varied by a mile. He told her Bruce’s method. “I try to watch out for them, see that they get help if they need it, when they need it. But it isn’t always possible. Some of the women’s pimps cause trouble. Sometimes I’m not there when I should be.”
    Avoiding his gaze, her eyes on her teacup, Shay said, “A person can’t be everywhere at once.” Then her lashes lifted and she caught him with her innocent gaze. “I think you could use some assistance here.”
    Didn’t he know it. Bruce left himself vulnerable far too many times. “That’s asking for the impossible. Most of society wants to write off this area and pretend the problems don’t exist. If they ignore it, it’ll go away. They’re not