Fractured Read Free Page A

treating her like a child. Insisting that she stay in the car like some toddler!
    She was just as angry with herself, though. Why hadn't she simply told Hunter how she felt and insisted on coming along?  She sighed, rubbing her forehead. Well, didn't she already know the answer to that? As ridiculous as it seemed, she was certain that Hunter wasn't bluffing when he said he would call the whole thing off if it meant a risk to her personal safety.
    Okay, for the ordinary woman, maybe that was a good thing. But Hunter had such control issues that it drove her bananas. Ugh! And of course he had saved her life just a month earlier. She wasn't discounting that. Or was she?
    Amber pounded her fists on the back of the seat. She just wanted to be herself! Yes, she obviously got herself into some bad situations. But what would life be like living as though she was a fragile flower. She didn't want to be a damn orchid in a beautiful vase.
    With that thought, Amber remembered suddenly that she was not in the car by herself. She saw the driver's eyes in the mirror and felt her face flushing. Great! She must seem like a three-year-old throwing a temper tantrum. The driver grinned at her and then quickly averted his eyes.
    Amber pretended to suddenly be preoccupied with the view outside her window. The car was parked across the street from the office building. Had she turned a moment sooner or a moment later, she might have missed what happened next. First, one cab pulled up front and Kayla Ross stepped out. Another cab pulled up soon after and Mrs. Ross got out. She walked inside the building just minutes after her daughter.
    Amber grabbed her large briefcase. Aha! This certainly changed everything. Hunter was only expecting to deal with Mr. and Mrs. Ross. Neither he nor Amber had even considered the possibility that Kayla might be involved.
    Amber found herself grinning. Finally! She was going to get a chance to really participate. She could face Hunter without any qualms about disregarding his direct orders. Surely the change in circumstances warranted her action. When a sliver of doubt presented itself in her conscience, Amber ignored the feeling.
    Opening the briefcase, Amber whipped out a gorgeous red wig and a wraparound skirt that was as thin and airy as a filmy scarf. She even had a matching neck scarf to go with it. Very fashionable! She had secretly practiced putting the wig on the day before. Now she was comfortable with only a quick glance in her compact mirror to make sure that it fit properly.
    “Sorry in advance for any yelling you might hear from Hunter,” she told the driver, giving him a grin.
    To her surprise, the driver merely winked like a conspirator before quickly exiting the car and getting the door for her.
    “I don't know anything about anything,” he said, shrugging. “I just sit in the car until I'm told the next desired destination.”
    “Thanks!” Amber climbed out of the car.
    “Good luck!” the driver called out after her.
    Amber grinned and hurried across the street, taking advantage of a momentary loll in traffic. Only two drivers screamed and blared their horns at her.
    She slowed and caught her breath as she entered the building. Although one of the guards gave her an appraising look, he clearly did not recognize her. Good! She took the elevator to one floor below her destination. Even if no one recognized her, other employees would want to know what she was doing there if she waltzed through the front door.
    Once in the elevator, she stared at herself in the mirror. With the oversized fake glasses, she looked like a completely different person. Maybe she should consider dying her hair the same lovely shade of red as the wig. She felt rather sexy in her disguise.
    The elevator dinged and the doors swung open. Two businessmen waited to enter. She smiled at them brightly. One smiled flirtatiously with her. Focus, Amber, she told herself as she walked casually toward an office. But as soon as the