Read Bounty's End (Bounty for Hire) for Free Online Page B

to his truck. Because once she was in the truck, he watched her mouth close and he was then able to slam the door and walk over to his side. Man, for her being so sexy, she sure had a mouth on her. One he did not mind exploring.
     
    * * *
     
    Wen saw his smile as he walked around the truck. As he opened his damned door, he still wore that damn grin. She didn’t know whether to kiss it or smack it off his face. The jerk, thinking he could just drag her away, announcing to all, that he would be with her through this. Well, it was her fault. She did call him. Man, of all the stupid things she had done. This could easily top the list. Calling Thomas Anders to her house was obviously going to be a mistake.
    The ride back to her house was filled with silence. It seemed that neither of them was in the mood to talk about her parents, or what he had said before leaving the shop.
    It was the truth though and he was right. Any person there could be a suspect. Was that what his life was like? Seeing everyone as a person of interest, a person holding out on a secret? She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t imagine how he did.
    “You coming, Lotus?”
    Well, that got her attention.
    “What? What did you just call me?”
    “Lotus. Wen means Lotus. So I don’t see why I can’t call you Lotus; or maybe I will call you my little lotus flower.”
    Smacking him was sounding a lot better the more he talked. Yes, a good smacking not only would shut him up, but it would also make her feel better.
    “I swear to God, Thomas, if you do—”
    “Wen, get back to the truck now.”
    She heard him say the order with such a stern tone that she walked right into his back before she came to a stop.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Wen, get your ass back into my truck now until I tell you it’s safe.”
    “Safe? Thomas, what the hell is going on?” Wen could feel her heartbeat racing against her chest and her voice rising with panic. It was just a small step to the side and that was when she ran right into Thomas’s arm as he held it out to stop her from coming around him. It was then she saw it.
    Her front door was kicked in just enough that from her standing point, she could see clear into her house. Wen could feel herself falling, only to be stopped by big strong arms bracing her, allowing her to keep standing.
    “Oh God,” she whispered against the cool breeze.
    “I know, baby. Can you make it to the truck or do you need me to take you?”
    She rolled her eyes. She was not some child. She appreciated his concern, but she would rather face the situation head on then be dealt with like a child. Then again, he probably knew what he was doing. Still… “No. I’m going in.” Wen forced her voice to be strong as she pushed against Thomas to stand on her own two feet.
    “You might think so, but not until I go in and make sure there is no one in your house.”
    “Well then, get going, big guy, because let me tell you, you have about ten seconds before I follow you.” Wen turned her face up to stare into Thomas’s deep chocolate eyes. She was going to go in one way or the other and she was going to convey that to him with a big stare down.
    Thanks for that information, Keylee .
    Keylee always said that was the one thing she could hold against Thomas. You stare him down and eventually he will give. So that was what she was going to do.
     
    * * *
     
    Thomas could see that this was going nowhere and her stare was just intensifying. It was amusing when Keylee did it because her eyes would bug out of her head. It was why he hated it so much. He feared her eyes would fall out. Sure, he knew it was not possible; however, it did not stop him from giving into her stare.
    Keylee must have told Wen about the stare. It was the only possible thing Thomas could think of why her eyes were squinting with such intensity.
    “You know, you keep that up too long and your eyes might stay that way.” He laughed because that was when he saw her eye pop open. Yep, all