Read Online With Vengeance by Brooklyn Ann - Free Book Online Page B

and even fiddled with the equalizer knob just a hair on
a few parts so he felt like he was on the ball. He even had her do
a few more takes on the next song, though he wasn’t sure they were
needed.
    When she rode off with Roderick to go pick up
lunch, he couldn’t seem to concentrate on Cliff’s rhythm sections.
Frank actually caught more mistakes than he did. Only through sheer
force of will did he make it through the takes with any hope of
something worth going through mastering.
    Kat and Rod returned, and he found himself
examining their faces for signs that anything had gone on between
them. All he could see was her smile as she handed him a
sandwich.
    The rest of the day was a success. They made
it through two lead guitar tracks and three rhythm sections before
Cliff started moaning about his fingers and Kat’s eyes glazed over,
despite her apparent determination to keep working. After they
unhooked their guitars and packed up the gear, Klement headed over
to Kat.
    “Why don’t you follow me up to my place, and
then you can unpack while I go grocery shopping?”
    “Sounds good.” She hefted her guitar case and
followed him out of the studio.
    He climbed into his Suburban and drove to the
exit of the parking lot, waiting for her to pull up behind him.
    Her car didn’t move.
    ***
    Kat cursed and turned the key again. The
starter cranked, but the engine sputtered and wouldn’t fire up.
Dread pooled in her belly.
    No, not another problem, she ranted
inwardly. Not right now . Not when everything is going so
well.
    Klement backed up beside her and called out
through his window, “You all right?”
    “My fucking car won’t start,” she said.
    He turned off his engine and hopped out. “Let
me see.”
    She got out of her car and scooted the
driver’s seat back as far as it would go. He slid in, looking like
a giant in a clown car. It would have made her laugh under
different circumstances.
    He cranked the engine, listened and frowned.
“The battery seems to have enough juice. Starter’s cranking fine.
Is your gas gauge accurate?”
    The back of her neck prickled at his
inquisitive tone, though she didn’t know why. There was just this
sense of familiarity, of déjà vu . “It was working this
morning.”
    Twisting like a contortionist, Klem reached
down and popped the hood. When he got out of the car, he absently
rubbed his lower back.
    Kat lifted the hood and propped it up, eager
to do anything but stand there like a dork. Her lungs tightened
with helpless anxiety. Klement leaned over her shoulder, and her
spine tingled with heat at his proximity. The tension within her
abated for a moment.
    “Try to fire it up again,” Klem said.
    His long hair fell to caress his cheek. It
looked so soft that Kat’s fingers itched to touch it, to brush the
silken lock out of his face. Instead, she got back in her car,
scooting the seat back up so she could reach the clutch pedal.
Making sure she was in neutral, so if it did start, she wouldn’t
run him over, she held her breath and turned the key. Her little
Subaru made that same sickly sputtering noise, only now it cranked
slower due to the continued use of the starter draining the
battery.
    Panic clawed at Kat’s chest once more. What
was wrong with her car? Could it be fixed? What was she going to do
without a vehicle? As if confirming her trepidation, the sunlight
dimmed as clouds gathered in the sky.
    Klement’s voice pulled her back to shore.
“For some reason, you’re not getting any fuel. Your throttle body
is bone dry.” His gaze met hers through the windshield. “Are you
sure you’re not out of gas?”
    Her eyes narrowed. Did he think she was a
moron? “I filled her up the day before yesterday and barely drove
her anywhere.”
    He nodded and continued inspecting the car.
“Your fuel filter looks like it’s clogged.”
    He walked back to his Suburban, opened the
back then immediately slammed it shut. “Fuck, I left my portable
toolbox in my Fury. Oh