Read Online The Evasion by Adrienne Giordano - Free Book Online

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    All they’d found was a locked, two-story unit that, in his citified opinion, didn’t measure up to being called a building. That thing was no wider than a convenience store. Half of it was occupied by an insurance guy and the other was marked TBR industries.
    TBR Industries, whatever the hell that was, had him all kinds of pissed off. And when he got pissed, he didn’t sleep. Thus, he’d spent the last minutes ripping off pre-dawn push-ups beside the bed where Jo slept, her soft breathing timed perfectly with every other push-up. After this, he’d do crunches, maybe some squats. A few pull-ups if he could find something in this room to hang from.
    He’d love a run. A body-pounding, mind-numbing one that would clear him of the mutilating rage. But after finding that knife in the Barelli bag, leaving Jo alone down here, maybe anywhere, would never happen. He pushed up. Not . Lowered himself. Gonna. Pushed up again. Happen . It would be a debate, as usual. As convincing as she could be, the idea of that knife sticking out of her chest, which Gabe felt one-hundred percent, rock-solid sure, was the implied message, rocked him like nothing ever had. Even seeing her trapped in a burning building hadn’t ignited this fury in him.
    That was weeks ago. Before they’d spent nearly every free moment of their time together. Then was then, now was now. He loved this woman and with all his experience, he’d repeatedly failed to control her, to keep her safe.
    “Hey, Mr. Atlas,” Jo grumbled.
    She rolled to her side, rested her head and the wild blond hair against his pillow, and that same fire he’d felt the moment he’d first seen her tore into him. Should have known then she’d drive me bat-shit.
    Gabe busted off the last push-up and switched to crunches. “Morning. Sorry to wake you.”
    “You were muttering. Something about a dumb ass. What’s on your mind?”
    “Aside from that knife sticking out of you?”
    “Don’t get dramatic on me.”
    He stopped mid-crunch, gawked at her and went back to burning through his anger. “Maybe someone needs to get dramatic. In a few hours, we pay Ellie another visit.”
    “The sheriff said he’d talk to her.”
    “Great. Then we both can. Either way, Ellie will tell us who her supplier is.”
    Jo propped her head on her hand and the sheet slid off her bare shoulder. “You think Ellie is involved in the knife thing?”
    “Don’t know. We’ll find out.”
    “How long are you going to be killing yourself here?”
    He glanced up at her as he crunched. “As long as it takes for me to not feel homicidal.”
    “Ooh, given your foul mood that might be a while. I’m going back to sleep. Unless there’s anything I can do for you.”
    Ha. Sex with Jo didn’t take a lot of convincing. “Twenty more crunches. I’ll need a shower. We always have fun in the shower.”
    She grinned at him, all sly and wicked and so completely Jo. If he hadn’t known it before, he definitely knew now—he wanted to marry this woman. She’d put him in an early grave, but he’d enjoy the ride while he could.
    —:—
    “Morning, Ellie,” Gabe said, striding through the door to the shop.
    Jo latched onto one of his back belt loops and tugged. “Take it easy, sergeant.”
    Ellie glanced up from whatever she was doing behind the register. “Well, good morning folks. How are y’all today?”
    “We’re doing great,” Gabe said. “Well, maybe not great considering we had a package waiting in our hotel room last night.”
    “Gabe,” Jo said.
    “A package?”
    “Yeah. A Barelli purse. A fake one.”
    “I’m sorry?”
    For God’s sake. What was he doing? Jo eased forward, hoping Gabe would take the hint and shut up. “Ellie, has the sheriff contacted you this morning?”
    “No. Why would the sheriff contact me?”
    Jo took a business card out of her purse. If she could keep the madman next to her at bay, she might have a shot at convincing Ellie to tell them where her supplier