UNEXPECTED compile by Jeana Read Free Book Online Page A

night’s beating, but then her father made sure to hit where the bruises wouldn’t show. “Are you telling me that you didn’t even know Emma was gone?”
    “I think maybe I was asleep,” her mother said. At last, she lifted sad eyes to Karly’s face, and her once pretty mouth twitched in a reluctant smile. “Did you two have a nice time?”
    When her mother smiled, Karly caught a glimpse of the woman she used to be, before the beatings and her father’s drinking grew out of control. Once, long ago, they had been a family who laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. Today, Karly wasn’t sure who those people were or where they had gone.
    Overcome with emotion, Karly sank to her knees beside Mom’s chair and touched her knee lightly. “Mom, are you okay? Did he hurt you badly? Do you need a doctor?”
    “I’m fine, dear.” Her mother patted Karly’s cheek before pointing the remote at the television and resuming her game show, glazed expression in place. “You probably should leave before your father gets home. You know how upset he gets when you’re here.”
    “Yeah, Mom. I know,” Karly replied, but her mother had already retreated into the safety of her fantasy world, oblivious to everyone and everything outside of The Price is Right . With a pang of regret, she gave Emma a kiss goodbye and promised to visit soon. The front door closed behind her with a soft click of the latch, the sounds of the TV bleeding into the front yard through the open windows. At the end of the street, away from the prying eyes of neighbors, Karly sank to her knees and cried.
     
     
     

 
     
    CHAPTER 7
     

     
    As reputations went, Felony Bar had one of the worst. Located on the derelict side of town, it attracted the wrong type of people, served nothing but beer and hard liquor, and conjured up visions of lawless anarchy. Karly stepped inside to find flickering flames on the flat-screen TVs, half-dressed women writhing in cages around the dance floor, and the chaotic assault of hardcore rock music. It was like a sideshow on steroids and promised the distraction she needed to forget about Emma for a few hours.
    The crush of people jostled and bumped her on every side. She struggled across the dance floor like a salmon swimming upstream and tried not to lose sight of Ally ahead of her. In that moment, with the throbbing drumbeats of “Bodies” by Drowning Pool reverberating through her chest, the troubles of her life dissipated.
    The room moved in a surreal filmstrip sequence beneath the strobe lights from the stage. Dancers bounced in unison, a roiling mass of colors and confusion. Randy materialized through the crush in a flash of laser light. Broad shoulders shoved aside the dancers. He shouted something over the music to Ally, but his words were lost in the melee.
    Randy jerked his chin at Karly in greeting with none of the easygoing manner of the night before. Tension, confidence, and watchful wariness exuded from every square inch of his body. He was all business. When he took her hand in his, the intimate gesture caught her by surprise. Large fingers threaded through her smaller ones and dragged her toward the bar.
    As she followed him, Karly tried not to stare at the smooth curve of his back, the play of muscles beneath his tight T-shirt, or at the way his dark hair, short and stubbly on top, glinted copper in the stage lights. Her gaze dipped lower to long legs thick with thigh muscle and his bitable ass. The warm grip tightened on her hand, calloused palm against her smooth one, sending a surge of butterflies into her stomach. When he stopped, his head bent low so she could hear him over the fray.
    “Good to see you.” His voice, deep and rough, reverberated in her ear. God, she could just imagine that sexy voice speaking erotic words while she clutched his back in ecstasy.
    “Yeah, you too,” she replied. His fingers loosened and slid through hers, releasing their proprietary hold as he vanished into the