30 Seconds Read Free Page A

were trying to take it? I’m a fucking cop! A good cop!”
    She didn’t care. “You said you were taking me to protective custody.”
    “I am.”
    “Bullshit! The police station is in the city, not out here.”
    “Do you want to spend the night behind bars? Because that is the only protection they’ll give you at the police station. Is that what you want?”
    “No.”
    “Hey, what’s going on over there?” A red pickup truck had stopped on the other side of the road and a black man was coming toward them.
    Blake put his badge in the air. “I’m a cop.”
    The black man didn’t stop his pursuit. “Cops do dirty shit these days.”
    Blake ripped his handcuffs out of his back pocket.
    Dani looked at them fearfully. “What are you doing?” she hissed.
    He didn’t answer. He flipped her over in the dirt, forced her hands behind her back, and handcuffed her. “This is police business,” he shouted to the man. “Get back in your truck before I arrest you too.”
    “You can’t do that.”
    Blake hauled Dani to her feet. “I sure as hell can. You’re interfering in an arrest.”
    The truck driver looked from Blake to Dani. “What’d she do?”
    “That doesn’t concern—”
    “I’ll tell you what I did,” she cut him off. “I hotwired his car. I didn’t know it was an undercover cop car. You have to be careful these days. Pigs drive all sorts of cars now.”
    “All right.” Blake pushed her forward. “Get back in your truck and drive on,” he told the truck driver.
    With a firm grip, he led Dani back to his car. Both of the doors were wide open. After the red pickup drove by, he turned her to look at him. He had one hand on her arm to hold her still and the other hand planted on the car. He had her cornered.
    Apparently, he didn’t trust her.
    “I played your game,” she told him. “Now where are you taking me?”
    “Protective custody.” He moved his hand from her arm to her shoulder. “You need to trust me.”
    “I don’t need to do anything.” She shrugged her shoulder away from his hand.
    “I keep people alive every day, and right now, the person I’m trying to keep alive is you. Will you let me?”
    She stared into his dark green eyes. They were the eyes of an honest man. She let out a sigh of surrender and nodded.
    “Are you going to bolt again, or can I uncuff you?”
    “Yes,” she growled.
    His brow shot up. “Yes you’re going to bolt, or yes I can remove the cuffs?”
    “You can remove the cuffs.” He didn’t move. “I won’t bolt, I promise.” He turned her around and removed the cuffs.
    While she rubbed her wrists, he slammed the passenger’s door shut and opened the back. “Get in.”
    “Real trustworthy,” she grumbled, but climbed in anyway.
    From the back seat, she kept her eyes on Blake, watching every movement. He switched radio stations, turned up the heat, cracked open a window, and took the knit beanie off his head. She bit her bottom lip when she saw his hair; he had curls. She had always had a weakness for curls and his were chestnut with blonde streaks.
    So cute .
    “Where’d you learn to run like that?”
    Blake’s question caught her off guard. For the last minute, she had been imagining running her fingers through his gorgeous hair. She shook the dangerous thought away.
    “I ran track in college for fun. I had to do something between suturing pig’s feet and practicing how to administer an IV.”
    “Is there anything you can’t do?”
    “I can’t whistle.”
    “Seriously? All you have to do is put your lips together and blow.”
    She sent him a cool look. “When I do that, I don’t create music.”
    Blake threw his head back and laughed.
    Suddenly, she had the urge to rip out those cute little curls. “Did you play a sport in college?”
    “I didn’t go to college. I joined the police force immediately. But I did play football when I was in high school.”
    “I figured. You have a good tackle.” She saw his hands tighten on the