Read Online Spirit of Seduction by Wynter Daniels - Free Book Online

silence.
    Somewhere deep inside him, he heard—or
felt—her reaching out to him. She was in trouble. He headed around
the back of the building and found another entrance that looked
like it went to the office they’d been in earlier.
    Without another thought, he slammed his
shoulder into the door, once, twice, finally breaking through on
his third try. Every muscle in his body tensed at the sight of
Emily tied up in a chair in the corner. Her head slumped forward
and her eyes were closed.
    Please let her be
okay .
    He rushed over, knelt in front of her and
touch her cheek. He nearly cried with joy when he felt the warm
moisture of her breath fan over his wrist. “Emily?” She didn’t stir
when he lightly slapped her face and his hope plummeted.
    “Get up,” a male voice said from behind
him.
    He started to reach for the gun in his
waistband until the cold metal of the other man’s weapon jabbed
against the back of his neck.
    “I’ll kill you both if you make a move for
it.” Arnie’s voice was flat and Ryan had no doubt the man would
carry through with the threat.
    But he refused to just give his power up to
the son-of-a-bitch who’d tied up Emily and done God knows what to
her. He clenched his jaw and started to raise his hands in the air.
But instead of surrendering, he thrust his elbow back and it
connected with the other man’s gut.
    Arnie yelped and Ryan spun around in time to
watch Arnie’s gun drop to the floor. Before Ryan could grab his own
weapon, Arnie landed a punch to Ryan’s jaw. Then Arnie bent and
charged him, knocking them both to the ground.
    Arnie straddled him and tried to choke him.
“Why couldn’t you leave it alone? I didn’t want to kill Becky but I
couldn’t make her see reason.”
    Fury supercharged Ryan’s strength. He
knocked the other man off and reached for his gun. When Arnie came
back at him, Ryan fired.
    Arnie froze, then looked down at the tiny
dark hole in the breast pocket of his white shirt. Blood soaked the
fabric in seconds as Arnie slumped to the floor, his eyes wide with
shock.
    Ryan immediately shifted his focus to Emily.
He got her untied then tried to rouse her. She moaned softly and he
knew she’d make it. Holding her in his arms, he called nine-one-one
and cradled her until the emergency personnel arrived minutes
later.
    * * * * *
    “I’m glad Arnie’s dead,” Ryan told Emily as
he helped her into his truck outside the Emergency Department of
Raleigh General Hospital. He’d insisted she let doctors check her
out even though she’d awakened feeling fine.
    “Me, too. Now Becky can rest.” Pink and
orange stripes filled the morning sky as the new day broke, filling
Emily with hope, but she had no idea if Ryan would forgive her for
believing that he’d killed Becky. She glanced across the seat at
him and offered up a prayer that the kindness he’d showed her
through the night would last.
    He caught her staring. Silently, he reached
for her hand then brought it to his lips and kissed it softly. “You
okay?” He pulled out of the hospital parking lot into the empty
street.
    She nodded, suddenly too choked up with
emotion to speak.
    “You’ll have to direct me to your
place.”
    She held her breath, waiting for him to
broach the subject of their relationship but he didn’t say
anything. “I’m on the north side, off Creedmore Road.” She told him
where to go, turn by turn until they arrived at her building.
    She led him inside. Her stomach churned as
she followed him through the small apartment since he insisted on
checking it out for her safety. They ended up in the bedroom.
    “This is nice.” He swept his gaze around the
room. “Cozy.”
    “Do you mind waiting while I take a shower?
I’m still kind of nervous to be alone.”
    He furrowed his brow then pulled her against
him and wrapped his arms around her. “Who said anything about
leaving you alone?”
    She allowed herself a measure of relief.
    “I could go for a shower, too. Mind if