Read Online Darkness Comes by Scarlett Sanderson - Free Book Online

there. Something different, stalking the hallways of her mind. It moved around inside her, pacing, waiting for completion. She took a few deep breaths, calming the raging anger and lust inside.
    She felt more stable and turned toward her desk. The surroundings of the upper level contrasted starkly to the Spartan style that housed the inmates. Up here, the emphasis was on comfort. A sublime elegance.
    Mia snorted as she looked at the antique bookshelves. The oak desk carved in seventeenth-century France.
    It was a façade. A veneer to gloss over the harsh realities of what they housed in the lower levels. A pretense to cover the brutality of the place.
    Her life consisted of the same. A façade. A pretense.
    The mask she wore as Dr. Simon had slipped. Would she be able to put that mask back and go on living?
    No. Not now.
    “Mia, how are you feeling?”
    She hadn’t heard Ramierez open the door. She’d been too wrapped up in her own thoughts. That lack of concentration could be dangerous.
    He stood in the doorway. His thick dark hair was tied at the back of his neck. The ends curled slightly against the collar of his shirt. His brow set in a frown.
    Dear, sweet Ramierez. The only light she had in a dark place. Once, she’d believed he was the only person she could trust, yet she still hadn’t been truthful. Only Dylan knew her true self.
    Mia gave him a weak smile. “I’m fine. Honestly. I’m fine.” She motioned for him to come in and sit down.
    Once seated, he rested his elbows on the arms of the chair. He stared straight at her. Usually this kind of scrutiny made her uncomfortable. Not now. She was becoming comfortable with herself. Just another thing that had changed. She met him head-on.
    “The order for his execution has been given.”
    Nausea washed over her. She gripped the desk. “When?”
    “Two weeks from now. They can’t risk him escaping and disappearing. It was pure luck they got him this time, someone sold him out. They want him dead.”
    They couldn’t break him and they didn’t understand him. Their only solution was execution. Fear of the unknown drove them to the edge.
    Fuck with the Company, and they put you in the ground. How had she not seen their appalling ethics?
    She sensed Ramierez’s hesitance. He wasn’t telling her everything. She searched his face for telltale signs.
    Everything became perfectly clear. “You want him dead too.” She closed her eyes, not wanting her friend to see the pain there.
    A world without Dylan? Unimaginable.
    “Yes, I want him dead.” The passion and hatred in his tone shocked her. “I want him out of your life. I want whatever happened between you two out of your conscious. I want any link between you destroyed. Mia…” He stood and cupped her face. “I want the old you back. The woman who hadn’t been tainted by this criminal.” He sighed. “You seek him. You see him in his cell. It’s not good for you. He’s a criminal. He fucks with people’s minds. I won’t let you be consumed by him.”
    She shook her head. “I already have been.” She tried to remove his grip. She needed to be away from him. The physical contact made her burn. A kindling desire sparked inside her.
    He refused to let her go. “I want the old you back.”
    Something stirred. Desire slammed into her gut. A tremendous need. She moved her body closer to his.
    Dylan’s words haunted her. Take what you need. She didn’t have to be controlled by her past.
    “The old me is dead.” She licked his jaw, inhaled his scent. A purely masculine scent.
    Ramierez stumbled back, collided with the chair. He fell into it. “Mia, what are you doing?”
    She rolled her shoulders and tilted her head to the side. A smile spread across her lips. “You have something I need.”
    She padded toward him and swayed her hips seductively. Her body hummed, sparked alive after years of being dormant. She lifted her arms over her head and stretched, reclaimed her sexuality. She opened her mind to