Read Pan's Salvation for Free Online Page A

this…if I trust you?”
    “I’ll take care of this, on one condition.”
    She sniffed. “What’s that?”
    “You start putting yourself first from this point on. No more jumping in front of your sister to take bullets. I can’t let you torture yourself over the way the cards were laid out. Trust me, that way lies nothing but heartache and self-loathing.” He shook his head. “It’s a bad scene.” His tone rang full of regret.
    “You sound like you speak from experience.”
    “I am.” His expression grew shuttered and his voice went flat. “What’s your answer Lark?
    Are you ready to let go and be free, or are you going to remain chained to your past?”
    This man was temptation. A shiny ripe red apple. She longed to sink her teeth in, sample the juices and enjoy every morsel. Her heart pounded in her chest. Sweat slicked her palms. He had resources she didn’t. A whole gang of people with power, money and numbers. More than
    anything, he could relieve the endless sea of loneliness she’d been swimming in. Like Eve before her, she took the bait. The words stuck in her throat. She wrestled with the connection from her brain to her vocal chords. Giving in and rolling over wasn’t in her, but her breaking point was near, along with the water level rapidly rising. She was in over her head on this one. She couldn’t help Robin if she were drowning. She took a deep breath and let the words roll out on an exhale,
    “I’m ready to let go.”
    Pan leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Good girl. Let’s get to work.”
    It was a gamble. I’m sorry, Robin. I can’t do this on my own anymore. Guilt assuaged her as she deferred to the man she knew would change her life forever. As Robin hit a downward spiral, she was making the choice to actually live.

    Pan hung up the phone and turned to the anxiety-ridden woman pacing the room. “They’ll
    take your 50,000. They want it in small bills and they want it by the end of the week.”
    “Wait—just like that?” she whispered.
    He nodded. It made him antsy. Why would they be so happy to be rid of her? Chances were she was in bad shape. He wouldn’t voice his thoughts to Lark, but he could tell by the look on her face, she’d thought of it all on her own.
    The silence in the hotel room rippled with a painful vibe.
    “Okay. Then I guess. I–I’d better call the bank and make the arrangements to clear out my account.”
    “Tomorrow,” he said gently.
    “What?” she asked clearly dazed.
    “You’ll call them tomorrow. It’s too late to do it now.”
    “Yeah. Of course.” She nodded. “I’ll just, have a seat.” She sunk down on the edge of her bed.
    “You know what? We’re not going to do this. Get up.”
    “What? Why?” Her brows came together.
    “Now. We’re not going to sit in here like we’re at a wake. You got a dress. I need drinks and a good time. We’re going out.”
    “We can’t.”
    “Says who?”
    ‘I…” She opened and closed her mouth.
    “Exactly,” he purred.
    A number of emotions chased their way across her face.
    “You aren’t betraying her by being happy, Lark.”
    Her mouth formed an O.
    Pan couldn’t help but think about her plump lips wrapped around his cock. Desire rose like a fire set to dried wood. “Yeah, I know what I’m talking about. This is part of you…coming first.”
    “Why do you care?” she yelled the repeated question as she stood.
    Her height might intimidate others, but it did nothing for him. If she thought it would make him back off, she still didn’t understand who she was dealing with. “I told you. There’s something in it I want.”
    “What’s that?”
    “You.”
    Tension filled the air like a storm front that came in unexpectedly. She squirmed.
    He watched the muscles in her legs flex as she moved around on her heels.
    “What does that mean?”
    “What do you think it means?” He arched a brow.
    “I-I don’t know.” She placed a hand on her throat.
    He tsked. “What did I