Read Online Save Me by Shara Azod - Free Book Online Page A

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    She was quickly learning to love this new Alicia. The woman she had become was comfortable lounging in a bistro in Paris, sitting unafraid across from the dangerous man who barely fit into the delicate wrought iron chair. A woman secure enough in herself to conquer the last of the demons of her past.
    “After our business here, I’d like to visit home to say goodbye,” she announced out of nowhere. It was harder to get the words out than she thought they would be, but once they were said she couldn’t take them back. And Claus wouldn’t forget, either. Thinking about stepping foot in the tiny rural South Carolina town she’d grown up in caused a rough lump to form at the base of her throat. When she’d run away she’d sworn to never come back.
    “I’m guessing you don’t mean New York?” Claus asked quietly.
    Alicia merely nodded. He knew her story. The sad tale had been discussed not long after they arrived in Denmark during a particularly bad night. She didn’t like to dwell; it was what it was and nothing could change it. But then, she had never really dealt with it either.
    Claus nodded grasping her hand and giving it a squeeze.
    “That’s wise,” he spoke softly. “We will go as soon as I meet with Nadir Amir Afshar de Choiseul.”
    The man who’d paid Grgur for Deja. What kind of man would pay to have a wife raised from a child to meet his specifications? Who had that kind of hubris? There were a great many things Alicia would like to say to this man. But something in Claus’ face gave her pause.
    “You’re worried?” she had to ask. While the names Dieter von Blucher and Claus Littman scared bottom feeders like the Petric family shitless, she understood there were men in this world far more dangerous. The kind who bought their wives, for instance. Grgur had been frantic when Deja had ended up with Dieter; worry had poured from every pore as he scrambled for a way to get Deja back, knowing it was a hopeless cause.
    “Worried, no. Cautious, yes. This is not a man to be trifled with.” Alicia could tell Claus was choosing his words very carefully. That was more than enough to give her pause.
    At one time she might’ve been afraid. Claus was never reckless, but he also wasn’t cautious of much. He strolled through life as if daring someone to take him down. No one ever tried because he gave off the aura of a man who’d just as soon break your neck as to talk to you. She had honestly never seen him concerned about confronting anyone. Yet she knew that no matter what, she was going to be safe. Nothing would happen to them—Claus would never allow it. It wasn’t foolish bravado; it was unshakeable faith in his abilities.
    “Be straight with me.” Holding his gaze with a steady, unwavering stare, she tried to show him she was indeed strong. “Is my daughter still in danger?”
    “Dieter would never allow that.” There was absolute conviction in his statement. “And neither will I. But I will not lie to you. Since I know you’ll insist on coming with me no matter what I say, I need you to be prepared. The duke is ruthless, but prudent. He considered Deja his, and Dieter stole her. It’s an insult that must be answered.”
    “Why did you call him that?” Who they would be dealing with couldn’t be changed; it was what it was. “The duke?” Nicknames weren’t as common as the movies would have some believe. Generally they were reserved for those who were trying to make names for themselves, mostly silly wannabes that ended up dead.
    “Because he is,” Claus answered simply with a casual shrug to his shoulders. “He is a man who walks in two worlds. When dealing in the shadows he uses his mother’s maiden name, Nadir Amir Afhaser Nader. But his official title is Duc de Chioseul.” Claus smiled then—a rueful twist of lips that implied anything but mirth. “The title is very real. His father, the former duke, was flat broke. So he married exiled Persian royalty just before the