Read Online Love you to Death by Shannon K. Butcher - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Shannon K. Butcher
Tags: FIC027010
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felt, even if it wasn’t entirely rational. “You were her neighbor, not her keeper.” Not her sister.
“Maybe, but I knew how scatterbrained she could be. I knew she left her door unlocked most of the time. I knew she was easily distracted and never paid attention to her surroundings. I knew she went to places she shouldn’t. Just like you’re about to do.”
She could hear the guilt making his words clipped and harsh—the same kind of guilt she felt for not being here for her sister. It was a horrible feeling, one Trent didn’t deserve to suffer through simply because he was trying to look out for a woman he barely knew.
In the end, it was his guilt that won her over. If she didn’t let him come and something happened to her, she didn’t want him to feel like it was somehow his fault.
“Fine. You can come. But don’t you dare try to stop me from doing what I need to do.”
He rose up to his full height, which put his abs back on display at eye level. “I won’t let you do anything stupid.”
“Have you seen the shoes I’m wearing? I’d say it’s a bit too late for that.”
C HAPTER F IVE
S ally’s Bar was crowded for a Monday night. Or, at least more crowded than Elise had imagined. Maybe it was always like this.
Based on the decaying brick facade, Elise had expected the place to be a little less like a club and more like a dank little hole where people came to get drunk. Instead, Sally’s gleamed with chrome and glass, giving it a sophisticated industrial vibe that clashed jarringly with the traditional brick exterior.
Music pulsed from dozens of speakers, and lights flashed in time with the pounding beat. Bizarre, fragmented images glowed along one entire wall of connected TV screens, throbbing along with the music, changing color with the tempo.
Trent had changed into a tight-fitting pair of jeans and a T-shirt that clung to his chest. He wasn’t as well-dressed as many of the men here, but he looked a heck of a lot better. Sinful, even.
He carried himself like he owned the place, parting the crowd easily as they made their way to the bar. His hand was warm and solid around hers, giving her something to hold on to as she followed behind him.
There was one empty seat at the end of the gleaming metal bar, and Trent lifted her up onto the high leather perch before she embarrassed herself by trying to shimmy up there without showing off her underwear. He stood beside her with one hand at the small of her back, looming, glaring at anyone who was close enough to see. The feel of his hand on her bare skin, so warm and unexpected, sent a little thrill racing through her, adding to her already frayed nerves.
Elise had conducted plenty of interviews in her lifetime, but she’d never done an investigation like this before. Her insides were quaking with nerves, and she had no idea how Trent could stand there completely calm and unfazed.
He flagged down the bartender and ordered them drinks. He hadn’t asked Elise what she wanted, but it wasn’t as though she was going to drink anything, anyway. Not with her stomach on edge the way it was.
She opened her purse to pay, but Trent gave her a tiny shake of his head as he reached for his wallet. He gave the bartender a tip big enough to make Elise cringe at the thought of paying him back. She’d already offered her entire retirement fund as a reward for information about Ashley, and that was all the financial padding she had. Freelance reporting made her enough to live on, but just barely. She had to be careful about her spending, and hopping on a last-minute flight from Hong Kong had cost her a fortune.
There were always credit cards. Debt would be worth it if she was able to bring Ashley home.
Trent slid his hand up until his arm draped over her shoulders, his fingers dangling down until they were just a hairbreadth away from grazing her breast. Everything about his pose screamed proprietary possessiveness. In the car, he’d told her he was
“Maybe, but I knew how scatterbrained she could be. I knew she left her door unlocked most of the time. I knew she was easily distracted and never paid attention to her surroundings. I knew she went to places she shouldn’t. Just like you’re about to do.”
She could hear the guilt making his words clipped and harsh—the same kind of guilt she felt for not being here for her sister. It was a horrible feeling, one Trent didn’t deserve to suffer through simply because he was trying to look out for a woman he barely knew.
In the end, it was his guilt that won her over. If she didn’t let him come and something happened to her, she didn’t want him to feel like it was somehow his fault.
“Fine. You can come. But don’t you dare try to stop me from doing what I need to do.”
He rose up to his full height, which put his abs back on display at eye level. “I won’t let you do anything stupid.”
“Have you seen the shoes I’m wearing? I’d say it’s a bit too late for that.”
C HAPTER F IVE
S ally’s Bar was crowded for a Monday night. Or, at least more crowded than Elise had imagined. Maybe it was always like this.
Based on the decaying brick facade, Elise had expected the place to be a little less like a club and more like a dank little hole where people came to get drunk. Instead, Sally’s gleamed with chrome and glass, giving it a sophisticated industrial vibe that clashed jarringly with the traditional brick exterior.
Music pulsed from dozens of speakers, and lights flashed in time with the pounding beat. Bizarre, fragmented images glowed along one entire wall of connected TV screens, throbbing along with the music, changing color with the tempo.
Trent had changed into a tight-fitting pair of jeans and a T-shirt that clung to his chest. He wasn’t as well-dressed as many of the men here, but he looked a heck of a lot better. Sinful, even.
He carried himself like he owned the place, parting the crowd easily as they made their way to the bar. His hand was warm and solid around hers, giving her something to hold on to as she followed behind him.
There was one empty seat at the end of the gleaming metal bar, and Trent lifted her up onto the high leather perch before she embarrassed herself by trying to shimmy up there without showing off her underwear. He stood beside her with one hand at the small of her back, looming, glaring at anyone who was close enough to see. The feel of his hand on her bare skin, so warm and unexpected, sent a little thrill racing through her, adding to her already frayed nerves.
Elise had conducted plenty of interviews in her lifetime, but she’d never done an investigation like this before. Her insides were quaking with nerves, and she had no idea how Trent could stand there completely calm and unfazed.
He flagged down the bartender and ordered them drinks. He hadn’t asked Elise what she wanted, but it wasn’t as though she was going to drink anything, anyway. Not with her stomach on edge the way it was.
She opened her purse to pay, but Trent gave her a tiny shake of his head as he reached for his wallet. He gave the bartender a tip big enough to make Elise cringe at the thought of paying him back. She’d already offered her entire retirement fund as a reward for information about Ashley, and that was all the financial padding she had. Freelance reporting made her enough to live on, but just barely. She had to be careful about her spending, and hopping on a last-minute flight from Hong Kong had cost her a fortune.
There were always credit cards. Debt would be worth it if she was able to bring Ashley home.
Trent slid his hand up until his arm draped over her shoulders, his fingers dangling down until they were just a hairbreadth away from grazing her breast. Everything about his pose screamed proprietary possessiveness. In the car, he’d told her he was
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