Dare to Surrender Read Free Page A

my sweatshirt from the chair. “I’m free to go?” I asked, pulling on the light jacket.
    “You are,” his brother said. “Stay out of trouble, Miss Masters.”
    I would, I thought, once I escaped his brother. I held out my hand, and Decklan handed me back my money.
    “Thanks,” I said and winced.
    What was next? Gratitude for arresting me?
    At least I hadn’t gotten as far as the booking process and mug shot. I ran a hand through my wild curls, suddenly aware of how I might look.
    “See you guys around,” I said on a wave and a forced laugh.
    “Wait!” Gabriel’s deep pitch almost had me melting toward him again.
    “What?”
    “Do you have someplace to go?” he asked, too kind for me not to be embarrassed, and I refused to look him in the eye.
    “I’ll be fine.”
    “Isabelle—” Gabe’s voice deepened.
    “Oh no,” his brother said. “Absolutely not.”
    “Shut up, Decklan.”
    I narrowed my eyes, wondering what conclusion the cop had arrived at that I wasn’t privy to. My gaze swung back to Gabe, who merely nodded at his sibling, as if all had been decided.
    “You’ll come home with me,” Gabe said, his tone definitive.
    “What?” I hadn’t seen that coming, nor could I begin to process the words.
    He braced one hand on the wall beside his brother’s desk. “You’ll come home with me. I have plenty of room, and you can stay till you get back on your feet.” His words sounded confident, sure, and obviously made sense, at least to him.
    Panic spiraled through me at the thought of going from one controlling man to another.
    “Are you insane?” Decklan asked. Loudly.
    I nodded, agreeing with him. “Listen to your brother. I’m not going anywhere with you. You’re practically a stranger.”
    Gabe frowned at that comment.
    “And she’s a stray,” Decklan added.
    “Hey!” I turned to him and scowled. “That’s just insulting.”
    “You have a thing for strays,” Decklan said to Gabe, ignoring me. Giving me more reason than just my arrest to dislike Officer Decklan Dare.
    “Shut the fuck up,” Gabe muttered, his jaw set as he glared at his brother.
    Decklan had hit a hot button, I noted, and wondered who the stray woman was to Gabe. What she’d meant to him.
    I couldn’t afford to find out. “It’s been interesting,” I said on a rush. “Later, boys.”
    And while the two brothers remained locked in a silent, combative stare, I turned and strode out of the station house without looking back.

Chapter Two
    Isabelle: Into the Fire
    I ’d barely escaped the door of the police station and hit the night air when rain assaulted me, soaking through my clothes almost instantly.
    I dove back beneath the awning, where it was dry. Plan, I thought. I needed a plan. I’d left my cell phone at Lance’s house, and even if I hadn’t, Lance would shut off my service as soon as he realized I wasn’t coming back.
    I hadn’t yet made it into Manhattan, where a taxi would drive by, light on, waiting to be hailed, and I had no ride to the nearest bus or train. I ran a trembling hand through my damp hair, wondering why I’d bolted out of the station when I really had nowhere to go. Even if the rain miraculously stopped, I was all alone.
    “Hey.”
    I turned. Gabe had followed me outside. From the tips of his black shoes up the dark denim jeans that molded to his hard thighs and the white collared shirt open enough to reveal his tanned chest and dark hair, he looked delicious enough to eat. And I wanted a long, thorough taste. I might be panicked and needing to get out of here, but I couldn’t deny his appeal.
    At the sight of him, a rush of relief washed over me, though I couldn’t say why. “You’re leaving alone? Did your brother decide the nightclub scene wasn’t for him?” I hugged my arms tighter around me. It might be summer, but I was growing colder and more chilled.
    He studied me as if he knew exactly how uncomfortable I was, both in my clothes and with myself. He didn’t