Read Online When I Find You: A Trust No One Novel by Dixie Lee Brown - Free Book Online Page A

She forced herself to stop staring at him, but her cheeks didn’t flush with heat, and she didn’t have to swallow the embarrassment that usually made it hard to speak. The Scotch again?
    “How did you come to work for a man like Johnny Fontana?” He put the flask back in his pocket.
    “I didn’t know who he was when I went to work there. By the time I figured it out, I already thought the world of his sons, and Johnny and Gwen treated me like part of the family. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to work. Nick and Eddy needed me, but I think I needed them just as much.” She tucked her legs under her and turned to look at him. “What will happen now?”
    “Someone from the U.S. Marshals office will want to talk to you as soon as possible. Do you know who the shooter was?”
    She nodded and looked at the ground. “Is Johnny dead?”
    “That seems to be the general consensus, but they haven’t found his body.”
    “I should have done something to help him. He might be alive if I wasn’t such a coward.” Guilt stole her breath as she whispered the words that haunted her.
    “If the rumors are true, it was a professional hit. There wasn’t anything you could have done. You did the right thing getting out of there. I think Johnny would have wanted you to live. Don’t you?”
    That’s exactly how Johnny was . . . trying to protect her when he was the one in danger. She blinked back tears, refusing to give in to them. “Thanks for trying to make me feel better. I didn’t think you’d be so nice.” She frowned when she slurred her words. Then she groaned and pressed her hand over her mouth as the meaning of her last comment became clear to her.
    Amusement shone from his eyes as he chuckled. “I tried to tell you . . . right before you took a tree limb to my head. And just for the record, I don’t ogle .”
    A laugh burst from her lips, and she felt strangely giddy. Was it the booze? It was certainly having a strange effect on her. Was the alcohol making her feel safe with him? Was it another mistake that might be her last? Somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to care.
    “Are Gwen and the boys all right?”
    “They’re in protective custody.”
    “Will I be able to see them?”
    “That’ll be up to the marshals. They’ll want you to testify, and they’ll probably offer you just about anything you want to make that happen, including the witness protection program.”
    “You mean a new identity? I’d have to leave everyone I know . . . and I wouldn’t get to see the boys again.”
    “They’ll try to pressure you into testifying, but they can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. Let’s worry about getting out of here and someplace safe first. Then you can decide what you want to do.”
    If Johnny was indeed dead, testifying would bring his murderer to justice. She had to do it, but how could she give up her life and the few people she was close to? What was the right thing to do? She didn’t know how to make a decision like that. Would the marshals talk her into something that wasn’t in her best interest just to get what they wanted? Of course they would.
    She needed to think, and she could always think better on her feet. She chewed her lower lip as she shoved herself forward and tried to stand. A wave of dizziness pulled her sideways instead. The man slipped his arm around her waist and lowered her carefully back to the ground. She leaned against him, holding her breath until the swirling nausea faded.
    She snuggled into the warmth of him, knowing it was the Scotch that made her lay her head on his shoulder . . . aware it was wrong and, quite possibly, dangerous . . . but she simply didn’t care about anything but the safety he offered.
    “You don’t have to decide anything right now. Let’s just get through the night before you take on the world.”
    His voice calmed her, and suddenly she didn’t feel so alone. She raised her head to search his eyes and the