Read Reed (Allen Securities) for Free Online Page B

smoke.
    Olivia pulled the phone out of her pocket and handed it to him. She was surprised that he had seen her. The way they had worked him over. She was surprised that he could still stand on his own. She glanced at the phone. It had a few bars now. Apparently, it just didn’t work in the warehouse.
    She watched as he punched in some numbers and paced the area.
    “Kace, we were picked up,” he said into the phone. “Some kind of warehouse. It was set on fire. We escaped out into the woods behind the place.”
    Olivia was surprised when he chuckled into the phone after some time.
    “Roger that.”
    “Well?” She stared at him expectantly.
    He tossed the phone back at her and sat at the base of a tree. “He’s running a trace on the phone and on his way with someone named Irene. He was already driving around when I called him.”
    “Irene?” Olivia was more than a little confused. Her sweet friend was the last person she would ever think of as rescuing her.
    “Seems your little friend had a fit when the crash happened.” He chuckled. “She’s been at the station raising hell. It wasn’t until she said your name that my brother put the pieces together.”
    Olivia sat next to him in stunned silence. It was hard for her to see Irene as anything other than her sweet baker friend. She was the person who always had a smile on her face and never knew a stranger. It warmed her to know that their bond went that deep. Without a good model relationship, it was sometimes hard to know a good one.
    She turned to look at Reed. He sat with his back to the tree, casual as if he were just taking a little nap. Her brows knit together as she took a closer look. On his left side, opposite of where she sat, he seemed to hold his side. Leaning over, she inspected the area.
    “Just what do you think you’re doing?” He rumbled at her. If his eyes didn’t keep drooping closed, it might have actually been menacing.
    She narrowed her eyes. “You know exactly what I’m doing. Is it broken?” He winced when she moved his hand off.
    Her heart sank when she saw the large bruise. She gingerly felt along the ridges.
    “I don’t think it’s broken.” He winced. “But it sure does hurt like hell.”
    Olivia inspected the large purple mark, pushing to see if anything shifted.
    Reed hissed loudly.
    “What the hell?” he shouted at her.
    Olivia sat up and looked at his face.
    “Doesn’t feel like anything’s broken, but it’s going to hurt for some time.”
    Reed hitched an eyebrow up.
    “Know a lot about broken ribs?”
    Olivia gently ran her fingers over his split eyebrow. She paused and lowered her eyes to his.
    “More than I’d ever like to,” she said gravely.
    She looked over his wounds. No, this was not her first run with the aftermath of a beating. More than a few time she tended not only her own injuries but also those of Ben. If it wasn’t her mother, it was her latest man. The day her mother left and didn’t come home was a blessing. Sure, high school had been difficult but better than the alternative.
    “I’ll be fine,” Reed said. His large hand engulfed hers. “Really.”
    His earnest expression struck something in her. Olivia felt her insides wobble.
    “Reed, is that you?” Kace shouted from the clearing.
    She dropped her hand. Her connection to Reed was lost. She shivered.
    “We’re over here,” Reed called.
    Kace and Irene came into view. Olivia took in her own appearance when the two stuttered to a stop.
    Soot covered most of her once cream camisole. The jeans she had put on were nearly black and stiff from grime. She was certain her hair was wild from both the crash and fire.
    “He’s going to need help,” Olivia said, nodding to Reed.
    Reed’s nasty look didn’t deter her.
    “Please,” she said quietly to him.
    When Kace leaned down to help Reed up, she noticed his lack of complaint. It warmed her that he had listened.
    “Oh, Liv, I’m so glad to see you.” Irene tossed herself in