Read Online Double Vision (Unknown Identities #2) by Regan Black - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Regan Black
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ruthless streak free rein. It was terrifying. The glint in his eyes was as sharp as the knife in his hand. Her stomach dropped and her lungs felt as useless now as they had in the smoke filled apartment.
"Calm down, Jeremy."
"Give it to me."
"I don't have it." She hated the tremor in her voice.
He sneered. "We had a deal, Miss Vaccaro."
"I know." She held up her hands in surrender. "I had it I swear, but someone stole my purse."
Jeremy advanced and she took a cautious step backwards, hoping Adam could deal with the stone-faced man in the dining area.
"And so you went out for a coffee to celebrate your bright idea?" The vile oath that followed proved he didn't spend all of his time in posh locations. "How sweet. No elaborate story will change the outcome for you and your cousin now. Hand it over and I might spare your beloved uncle."
Sh e told herself Torry could hold his own against this bastard. "I don't have it to give. My purse was stolen," she repeated.
"Yes, yes, by your friend out there, I'm sure. You knew what would happen if y ou didn't deliver as promised."
His assessment, given as he raised the knife, just pissed her off. "You didn't bring Renata. You weren't at the showroom!" Her Italian heritage surged forward, to hell with common sense. "I didn't promise willingly, you bullied me." When he sneered, she advanced, ready to take a strip out of his hide if only with her words. Her Sicilian upbringing meant that knife or not, she wasn't completely helpless here. "I went in there and got what you wanted, and got attacked for my trouble. I held up my end of the bargain you miserable fu –"
He lunged, but she'd kept her gaze on his chest, not the blade, as the men in her family had taught her. She dodged the swing and in her mind she saw the rest of it work out perfectly.
But instead of rolling into his legs, she was yanked down and away, her body crashing into someone else. Two against one! " Vigliacco ! Coward!" she spat, fighting against the unwelcome hold until she recognized Adam's scent, the firm and gentle touch.
She heard Jeremy swearing as Adam jerked her away. She stared in awe as he plowed a boot right into Jeremy's midsection when the double-crossing jerk lunged at her again.
"This way." Adam caught her hand and urged her back toward the front of the coffee shop.
The table where they'd been sharing the cookies was crushed, apparently by the body lying on top of it. The aroma of fresh coffee and cocoa was tainted with the sharp coppery scent of blood.
She tried to ask Adam what happened, but he guided her around the service counter and into the kitchen.
"Move. Move. Move."
She did. As fast as she could, she dodged racks and equipment filling the narrow space until they were through the kitchen and out into the alley.
"Left," he barked from behind her. His hand, heavy on her shoulder reminded her of the man who'd snatched her purse. Jeremy was messing with her head. Adam and the purse snatcher were not the same man. Naturally, she doubted her intuition after everything going so wrong, but there hadn't been time for Adam to steal her purse wearing gym pants, change into jeans, and then rescue her from what she'd thought was a fire.
Jeremy could cart himself straight to hell.
Behind them a door banged open and Jeremy's shouts and violent promises bounced off the buildings lining the alley. Her rapid breathing created vapor clouds in the cold night air and she feared their trail was clear to Jeremy. They would never outrun him.
"We have to go to the police," she said.
"Not an option."
It was the only option she could see. "It must be."
He turned a corner, put his finger to his lips in a signal for silence and stared hard in the direction they'd come.
When he shifted his gaze back to her, she shivered. "Are you hurt?"
"No, but as victims the cops should side with us."
"No."
"We can't outrun him."
"We can," Adam insisted. "If you trust me."
Right. Like that was going to happen anytime
"Calm down, Jeremy."
"Give it to me."
"I don't have it." She hated the tremor in her voice.
He sneered. "We had a deal, Miss Vaccaro."
"I know." She held up her hands in surrender. "I had it I swear, but someone stole my purse."
Jeremy advanced and she took a cautious step backwards, hoping Adam could deal with the stone-faced man in the dining area.
"And so you went out for a coffee to celebrate your bright idea?" The vile oath that followed proved he didn't spend all of his time in posh locations. "How sweet. No elaborate story will change the outcome for you and your cousin now. Hand it over and I might spare your beloved uncle."
Sh e told herself Torry could hold his own against this bastard. "I don't have it to give. My purse was stolen," she repeated.
"Yes, yes, by your friend out there, I'm sure. You knew what would happen if y ou didn't deliver as promised."
His assessment, given as he raised the knife, just pissed her off. "You didn't bring Renata. You weren't at the showroom!" Her Italian heritage surged forward, to hell with common sense. "I didn't promise willingly, you bullied me." When he sneered, she advanced, ready to take a strip out of his hide if only with her words. Her Sicilian upbringing meant that knife or not, she wasn't completely helpless here. "I went in there and got what you wanted, and got attacked for my trouble. I held up my end of the bargain you miserable fu –"
He lunged, but she'd kept her gaze on his chest, not the blade, as the men in her family had taught her. She dodged the swing and in her mind she saw the rest of it work out perfectly.
But instead of rolling into his legs, she was yanked down and away, her body crashing into someone else. Two against one! " Vigliacco ! Coward!" she spat, fighting against the unwelcome hold until she recognized Adam's scent, the firm and gentle touch.
She heard Jeremy swearing as Adam jerked her away. She stared in awe as he plowed a boot right into Jeremy's midsection when the double-crossing jerk lunged at her again.
"This way." Adam caught her hand and urged her back toward the front of the coffee shop.
The table where they'd been sharing the cookies was crushed, apparently by the body lying on top of it. The aroma of fresh coffee and cocoa was tainted with the sharp coppery scent of blood.
She tried to ask Adam what happened, but he guided her around the service counter and into the kitchen.
"Move. Move. Move."
She did. As fast as she could, she dodged racks and equipment filling the narrow space until they were through the kitchen and out into the alley.
"Left," he barked from behind her. His hand, heavy on her shoulder reminded her of the man who'd snatched her purse. Jeremy was messing with her head. Adam and the purse snatcher were not the same man. Naturally, she doubted her intuition after everything going so wrong, but there hadn't been time for Adam to steal her purse wearing gym pants, change into jeans, and then rescue her from what she'd thought was a fire.
Jeremy could cart himself straight to hell.
Behind them a door banged open and Jeremy's shouts and violent promises bounced off the buildings lining the alley. Her rapid breathing created vapor clouds in the cold night air and she feared their trail was clear to Jeremy. They would never outrun him.
"We have to go to the police," she said.
"Not an option."
It was the only option she could see. "It must be."
He turned a corner, put his finger to his lips in a signal for silence and stared hard in the direction they'd come.
When he shifted his gaze back to her, she shivered. "Are you hurt?"
"No, but as victims the cops should side with us."
"No."
"We can't outrun him."
"We can," Adam insisted. "If you trust me."
Right. Like that was going to happen anytime
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