Read Bent for Free Online Page B

keys to the kingdom."
    Micah set down the pry bar and came around to the stairs, seeming amused. Julia wanted to slap the smirk off his face but knew that he'd enjoy it far too much. "Well, if you're living here and I'm working here, we're going to see a lot of each other."
    It had only been forty-eight hours since Julia was looking forward to living on her own. Coming to Brooklyn was going to be peaceful. She was going to reconnect with friends and enjoy the slower pace of a small town again. Now, she was face to face with the only man who'd ever broken her and he was smiling, knowing there was nothing she could do about it. Her dream life was quickly becoming a nightmare.
    "Don't look so damned happy about it, Micah," she growled. It was far too early in the morning and there was no amount of coffee that could thaw what she felt for Micah. "You're a lying ass. You might be happy that you get to be here but I'd prefer if you'd try to walk the other way when you see me."
    Even as the words passed her lips, she questioned them. Her head told her she needed to stay mad at Micah. Her heart had always turned to warm putty in his hands and was threatening to do that again. No, this was a time to listen to her head. Her heart was foolish and weak.
    "You're absolutely right," he agreed putting his hands up in surrender. "But that doesn't change the fact that you have to live here and I have to work here. I can't guarantee I'm always going to run away from you. I don't want to run away from you. Hell, part of me wishes you'd beat the crap out of me and get it over with."
    The thought of pummeling Micah for everything he'd ever put her through made Julia crack a smile. She'd never actually do it but it was an entertaining thought.
    "Truce?" he asked extending a hand to her.
    She didn't want a truce. The only thing she wanted was him gone so she could process everything. She contemplated whether or not she could call a truce with Micah before grabbing his hand and shaking. Calling a truce simply meant she wouldn't pull the ladder out from under him or throw a hammer at his head. It didn't mean she had to forgive him or be pleasant to him.
    Without another word, she turned to go back inside. She hated it when Micah made sense and today he made sense. He didn't choose to come to her house, he was there because he was hired to do a job. Given the condition of the house, he was going to be showing up for a long time. The best strategy, she decided, was to find out when he'd be working on the house and try to be out during those times.
    The morning was relatively uneventful. The screeching of nails being pulled from wood became easier to ignore and Julia was able to get some work done. She spent part of the morning looking over the social media presence for the country band from The Oasis. They had an incredible stage presence and their music was good. While the fans were the loudest during their cover tunes, it was the original songs that stuck with Julia. She scribbled some notes on a yellow legal pad at her desk and started to put together a proposal for helping the band extend their reach beyond southern Wisconsin.
    Faced with bare cupboards and an empty refrigerator, Julia made a quick shopping list of essentials. She remembered that you didn't buy anything that wasn't critical at the local grocery store. Yes, there is something to be said for buying local, but when buying local costs twice as much the budget has to play a role. She grabbed her car keys off the shabby white table in the foyer and bounded down the stairs to the driveway.
    She leaned in to turn on the car so it could cool down before she was ready to leave. Nothing. The battery was so drained it didn't even attempt to turn over. She took a few deep breaths preparing for what she knew she needed to do.
    "Hey, Micah?" she called across the lawn. If the store wasn't on the other side of town she would have walked. It seemed like a better option than having to admit she