Read Online Blindsided by Katy Lee - Free Book Online Page B

confirmation. “The guy must be blind.”
    “Oh, no. His eyes were so keen, he could spot a scar across the room. He was forever righting my scarves. I know it was for appearances’ sake, so I should be thankful, but still.”
    Ethan held in a laugh. She must be joking. “Thankful? Why?”
    Roni shot a look of incredulity his way. “You’ve obviously been living undercover for too long. Out here in the real world people judge. It’s hard finding your place in the world when there’s always someone better, faster, prettier...not a woman,” she finished under her breath.
    The car sped along in silence. Ethan kept his eyes glued to his side mirror. More cars still piled in way behind them but couldn’t catch up. Roni drove at such a high speed with the elegant ease of a queen on her throne.
    “Excuse me for saying, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better, prettier , woman driver as skilled and as fast as you.”
    A giggle erupted from the backseat.
    Ethan whipped around, his gun lifted to shoot the intruder. He drew back at the sight of the black-haired maid from the night before. “You brought your maid? Are you crazy?”
    “Some have said so. And I wasn’t about to leave her back there.”
    “The Feds are there now. They would have taken her to a safe house.”
    “Right. Like they were going to do for me? Hardly. I saw one of your Feds. He looked straight at me and was ready to shoot to kill.”
    Ethan faced forward, resettling the gun to his lap. He tunneled a hand through his hair in frustration. “Pace.” The man was as hard as granite. Working this job your whole adult life left a mark, but add the fact they had come from the rough neighborhoods of South LA and there was only so much turmoil a person could handle before the world hardened them.
    Ethan looked at the flashy woman beside him. She had been through a hard life with the loss of her parents, but she wouldn’t understand the pain of poverty he and Pace had grown up in. The set of her jaw as she gripped the wheel with strength and ability told him her stone could be just as hard as Pace’s, though. Just as hard as his. But he had to think all that bling was just for show. She was still the spoiled little rich girl he’d read about in her files. She didn’t know the pain of poverty.
    “Pace is going to catch you, you know. I’ve known him my whole life. He won’t sleep until he’s got his man. Or woman.”
    “And I won’t sleep until I’ve got mine.” And with that, the car picked up more speed. The world whizzed by in a blur, sending his pulse through the roof. With his heart in his throat, he chanced a glance Roni’s way.
    The woman actually shined. And it had nothing to do with her bling.
    Ethan had to wonder if he was wrong about the racing princess. He’d heard the tales of a few people who had lived through the pressures of pain but didn’t just harden into stone. They came out the other side a one-of-a-kind diamond.
    Did Roni know her shine was the real thing?
    And what did guarding a precious jewel mean for him? A princess deserved high detail. He was a nobody from South LA. A genuine pauper turned cop. He worked alone for a reason. Nobody would miss him.
    But if he failed at this mission, everyone would miss the princess.
    * * *
    Roni spun the steering wheel to the right to escape the sight of cars and SUVs in her rearview mirror. Her throat tightened with trepidation waiting to see if they saw her make the turn. Black cars appeared around the corner behind her and she had her answer.
    They hadn’t given up their chase. Not that she expected them to. She would have to lose them with something other than speed.
    Straight ahead the road led to a main street four-way intersection of a small village. Signs for the interstate signified another right turn and Roni planned to take it, green light or no.
    “Aren’t you going to slow down?” Ethan asked when she hadn’t let up on the gas one bit. “You’re not making