Read Online One Touch More by Mandy Baxter - Free Book Online Page B

stethoscope.”
    Tabitha let out a chuff of breath. She’d never let Seth know the truth. That if Joey had anything to say about it, she’d never leave that hotel. “That’s the plan.”
    For once, she wished that life could be that simple.

Chapter Six
    Damien collapsed on the bed, ready to put this miserable night behind him. For the past three hours, he’d been reliving his time in the parking lot with Tabitha. His fingertips still tingled where they touched her hair. You stupid, impulsive bastard .
    He hadn’t intended to touch her. Fuck, he barely knew her. And she’d just barely fended off that asshole Tony’s unwanted attention when he’d reached for her. His gut clenched at the thought of how her gaze had warmed. And whereas she’d cringed away from Tony, he could have sworn that she’d leaned into his touch.
    And goddamn it, her hair had been just as soft as he’d imagined. Like corn silk. His eyes drifted shut, and Damien didn’t even bother to turn off the lights as sleep weighed down his limbs. All he felt like doing lately was sleep. Probably a sign of depression. Oh fucking well . . .
    A knock at the door squashed any hope of oblivion and Damien dragged his ass out of bed. He’d crossed the last guy off his list of “appointments” about a half hour ago. From the dresser, he retrieved his Beretta and held it at the ready as he checked through the peephole in the door. On the other side, Joey Cavello stared at the screen of his phone, his expression pinched and impatient. Checking up on him, huh?
    â€œâ€™Sup?” Damien swung the door open wide and tucked his piece into the waistband of his jeans at the small of his back.
    Joey strode through the door and took a quick look around as though trying to catch Damien doing something he shouldn’t. As tonight was his first night on the job, Damien didn’t blame him for being suspicious. “A buddy of mine did some checking up on you tonight, Evans. Found some pretty interesting shit.”
    Adrenaline shot through Damien’s bloodstream and his muscles bunched in anticipation of a fight. The Marshals Service had done a pretty good job of burying his real identity, but hackers could be crafty. If Joey knew a good one, there was no telling what he might have found. “Oh yeah? And what’s that?”
    â€œSaid you were arrested a few months back with a bunch of Mexican arms dealers. That right?”
    To protect his undercover persona, Damien had been arrested along with Teyo Sousa and his crew as they were getting ready to take possession of a dirty bomb near the Port of Seattle. He had a fake criminal record a mile long, and his colleagues never seemed to tire of throwing the cuffs on him. Their entertainment was a hard-core pain in the ass for Damien. “Yeah, that’s right,” he replied with a shrug of one shoulder.
    â€œYou must know some heavy hitters to get out of that shit. ’Cuz I bet none of those other guys are out walking around like you are.”
    True. Sousa and his associates wouldn’t be seeing the light of day anytime soon. “I do.” Again, said as though it was no big deal.
    Joey looked him over, a smirk pulling at his thin lips. “I knew taking you on would be a good move. C’mon, I need some help tonight and Tony flaked out on me.”
    Bastard was probably in a flophouse somewhere coming down from his high. Things were progressing quicker than he’d expected, which in some cases could be considered a bad thing. Since he didn’t consider Joey stupid by any stretch of the imagination, he had to be suspicious of his motives for trusting him so easily. He’d thrown him into the deep end of his business without batting a lash, and now he was taking him out as backup for God knew what. Not that Damien wasn’t pleased. But he wasn’t interested in taking a bullet to the skull anytime soon, either.