Weston by Debra Kayn Read Free Book Online

ignored his own needs?
    She already regretted meeting him. The timing was all wrong. Another place and a different situation, and she’d be all over him like cocoa butter.
    A black Lexus pulled around the corner, crossed the lane, and slowed down. Rocki slipped the phone into her back pocket. Dread filled her.
    The car stopped at the curb and the window came down. Darrell leaned toward the passenger seat. “Get in.”
    Panic seized. He knew. That was the only reason he’d known to find her out on the street this early in the morning, hours before her deadline.
    Instead of running, fast and far away, or walking toward the car to hold on to the charade she played, her mind went to Tony. He was the kind of man she’d love to hang out with and get to know better. He’d never use his authority to make her witness beatings, drug deals, or, God help her, the blood of poor Joe without a last name.
    “Camilla,” Darrell said. “Get in the car.”
    She lifted her chin. As Camilla, she was trained to do her job. She moved toward the back door, but Darrell stopped her and told her to get in the front. She opened the door and slid into the passenger seat.
    She remained silent, waiting, fearing what he would say to her. Did he know she’d never slept with Tony? Was Tony the intended hit or had she screwed up? God, she should’ve stayed at Tony’s house until she had more time to come up with a different plan or at least time to call Gino.
    Darrell gave her the forty-minute drive back to his house to contemplate her options, and she used his silence to her advantage. Asking Tony for help was out of the question and calling Gino and having him pull her off the undercover job would ruin all chances of her getting the lead detective’s position when Gino retired, not to mention, make her take time off to lie low until they were sure Darrell wasn’t coming back for her. The most she could do was continue her charade and hope he was lenient on her.
    The sun peeked over the horizon as he pulled into the beach cottage along the pacific coastline. No one would suspect anything from the light blue shingles and white picket fence in a community of retirees and rental places. Even Darrell’s men came during the daytime to keep suspicions to a minimum.
    Darrell drove straight into the garage. He closed the door with the remote and waited until they were out of view of the neighbors before exiting the car. She hurried and followed him into the house.
    He headed straight to his office, waiting for her to come inside, and then closed the door behind her. She stood until he motioned to the chair. He demanded obedience, and she’d learned her place months ago. Still, he forced her to wait to find out why he’d sought her out before her noon deadline.
    She kept her gaze on the floor in front of his desk. Using her time, she blanked her mind, but the picture of Tony waking up and finding her gone plagued her. She dug her nails into the palm of her hand. She shouldn’t care.
    She had a night of flirting, played pool, and told lies. So many lies, she couldn’t remember what she’d told him. Something about doing nails. She opened her hands and glanced down at her nails. No polish adorned the tips of her fingers. Tony knew, yet he let her believe in her babblings.
    “Rocki?”
    Her gaze lifted. She met Darrell’s eyes and realized her mistake. She’d blown her cover.
    Months of preparations and learning every aspect of the underground tossed in her face, because she forgot herself. She’d failed. Caught in the turmoil of what she’d done last night cost her everything. Tony made her remember, for a short time, she was still Rocki Bangli and not Camilla.
    She straightened, hoping to cover her blunder. “Who?”
    “Do you realize what I do to those who’ve broken my trust?” he whispered.
    She shook her head slowly, opening her eyes wide. “I’m not sure I understand what—”
    “Stop the bullshit.” He stood and walked to the door.