Read Online Resisting Velocity by Trinity Evans, Xoe Xanders - Free Book Online Page B

pissing match is exceptionally loud and neither of you seem to be winning.”
    “Can it.”
    The sharp retort burst from Charlie, unbidden, and for a moment she just stood there. Taking a deep breath, she took a step back from the group, not really sure what sort of feelings were swarming through her. Why had this upset her to the point of wanting to get on all of their asses? None of that mattered right now.
    Scrubbing a hand across her face, she raised blue eyes sheepishly towards Zane. “You know what? You’re right. I’m wound tight right now and none of this is any of your faults. There’s nothing that can be done tonight, even though I don’t like the particular outlook for tomorrow. Extra security and an investigative team are going to have to be called in. I’m tired and I think I just need to sleep tonight off. Conner is supposed to call here in about forty minutes, but I’d like all of you to bunk together in Zane’s trailer. It’ll be tight, but that way he won’t have to spread security so thin. Tomorrow we’ll work on hiring some extra crew.”
    Shifting on her now-throbbing feet and cursing her choice of shoes, Charlie gave a simple wave and walked towards her trailer. She was relatively sure that, given her fight with Zane and with what had happened tonight, they would heed her advice.
    “Charlie, wait.”
    She felt an all too familiar hand on her shoulder and she turned without looking to face Zane. His hand cupped her cheek gently, tilting her face up until their eyes met.
    “We’ll be safe tonight and I’ll be over tomorrow morning to talk. Until then… Dream of me.” With that, his lips brushed hers as softly as a butterfly’s wing, a ghost of a caress before he released her. Charlie took off, fighting down a smile when she knew his eyes were watching her walk away.

     

Chapter Seven

    Humming an old lullaby, the words a distant memory, Charlie sipped at a cup of coffee and stared out the window. Last night she’d been haunted by dreams of the concert: Swaying to the beat and feeling truly free to lose herself in that cocoon of music. Those dreams had inevitably turned to nightmares and several times she had woken up startled, the images of the guys lying broken and bloodied on the stage freezing her heart.
    She was not going to let that happen.
    Zane was a good person, even if he didn’t act it sometimes. Underneath the flirting and come-ons, he was a good man. He’d never once forgotten her birthday in all the years she’d worked for the band. And once, when she was so sick that she couldn’t leave her trailer, instead of ostracizing her for fear of losing his voice during their first tour, Zane had warmed up a can of chicken soup and brought it over. There had been no glimpse of his playboy façade; only a soft touch and a tender voice. He’d stayed with her, watching moving into the early hours of the morning, only to catch her cold.
    No. Maybe they’d never be lovers, but she did love him, in her own way, and the idea of someone targeting him rattled her.
    Setting her breakfast dishes in the sink, Charlie checked her watch. She had a good twenty minutes to get ready and while she only needed a quarter of that time, what she really needed was to figure out a way to watch over Zane without him catching on to the fact that he had acquired a babysitter overnight. It wasn’t going to be a particularly simple job.
    Before she had fallen asleep last night, Charlie had replayed in her mind the events of the concert, the blast of the explosion still echoing in her ears, and she’d settled on the conclusion that whoever was doing this was after Zane. The only question was: Why? She didn’t buy for two minutes that it was some bored loser or any of the other bizarre options that Zane had given her. No, budding alpha or not, she felt he needed protection, maybe if only to appease her own worries.
    There was something going on between the two of them and that something could not very