Read Jordan Summers for Free Online Page A

shudder ran through his body as he recalled the acrid smell of burning flesh. He’d warned the neighboring villagers of the approaching threat, then walked away from his job and his old life, vowing never to return. He’d been too late to save them.
    Jack’s gut clenched as he slipped his Glock into his shoulder holster, pulling his jacket down over it before exiting his Lexus. Some habits died harder than others. He strode to the front door. His pace was even as he watched for more movement out of the corner of his eye.
    As soon as he’d opened the door and stepped inside the deli, Jack made his way toward the back of the restaurant, ignoring his hunger and the delicious aromas wafting in the air.
    His stomach knotted as his mind raced through various scenarios. Was it someone from his past looking to even a score? Another government agent out to bust him? How many times did he have to tell those people that he was a legit dealer, before they quit harassing him? He’d been out of the business for over a year, at least.
    Jack walked through the kitchen and left via the back door, ducking as he reached the cars. He crept forward, slowly making his way to the parked Chevy. A horn blared nearby. His heart lurched, but he kept moving. Jack ventured a glance or two at the driver, but with the oncoming darkness all he could see were shadows.
    Standing one car away, Jack stepped behind the blue sedan. He sprinted the remaining feet to the driver’s door, his hand resting on the grip of the gun beneath his jacket.
    Delaney gasped, swinging wildly with one hand, nearly clocking Jack in the face. She bent at the waist, reaching for something near the floorboard, then suddenly stopped as recognition dawned.
    “You scared the daylights out of me,” she said, pressing a hand to her heart.
    He released his weapon and casually pulled out a handkerchief from his inside pocket as if that was what he’d been reaching for all along. He wiped his dry brow, then shoved the white cotton back inside. “What are you doing here?” Jack knew he was yelling, but it pissed him off that she’d come so close to getting herself shot.
    “I—I was hungry.” She glanced at the front of Jerry’s Famous Deli, and then back at him.
    “You were watching me,” he accused, refusing to let her change the subject. “What are you doing in a rental car?”
    Delaney took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders, then allowed them to drop. She met his gaze head-on. Jack’s heart kicked hard in his chest and he felt himself melt under her regard. “I saw you after I pulled in. There is a difference between seeing and watching. As for the car, I wasn’t about to rely on the taxi service in Los Angeles and the Getty Museum is located a little too far away to walk.”
    “I thought you said that you were hungry.” His gaze narrowed.
    “I am. I planned to eat first, then go to the museum.”
    His brow furrowed. “That still doesn’t explain why you ducked.”
    “You saw that?”
    He rested his palm on the roof of her car. “Yes, I saw that.”
    She blushed in the most adorable way, before glancing at her hands. “I didn’t want you to think I was following you, especially after you gave me your card. I don’t usually date passengers. Most flight attendants don’t.”
    Jack’s lips twitched. “Usually? Does that mean you were going to call?”
    She looked past him at the deli’s front doors. “Maybe.”
    Jack smiled then. He couldn’t help it. She looked like a kid who’d just got caught with a mouthful of chocolate. He reached for her door handle and pulled. The door opened wide. “Since you’re here, you could always join me for dinner.”
    “I don’t know if that would be such a good idea.”
    “I think I owe you, for scaring you half to death. Most women would’ve done a lot more than gasp.” He stilled as he considered her unusual reaction.
     
    “I GUESS I’ M NOT like most women.” Delaney had heard those words so many