Hot Decadent Rising (Breath of Darkness) Read Free Page B

demand
that he look after her. He told himself that he was going inside, paying for
his gas, filling his tank, and then getting the hell out of there. Deep down,
he knew he was going to protect her. He just wasn’t willing to come to terms
with it just yet.
    ***
    After
using the restroom and removing the remainder of her cash from her secret,
untraceable account from the ATM inside the gas station, Kara fixed herself a
cup of hot chocolate. As precaution she planned to wait until Eli came in to
pay for his gas before she left. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of him.
When she used her mind to scan the area she picked up on something out of the
ordinary about Eli. At first, aware of one stalking her, she had mistaken him
for a vampire.
    His vibes weren’t human. Nothing about
him was even slightly similar to a human. Asking for a jump was an excuse to
get close enough to thoroughly read him. It didn’t take long at all to be
convinced that he was no more a vampire than a human. He wasn’t the one
following her. He’d been legitimately shocked when she approached him. He was
tellingthe
truth when he said they’d never met, but something seemed familiar about him.
    Out of curiosity, she wanted to take a
few more moments to figure out what he was, but unfortunately she didn’t have
the luxury of spare time.
    “I can’t believe you’re back.” For a
second, Kara considered running out of the gas station and getting into her car
and driving away. “Oh my God, it’s wonderful to see you. I’ve been worried
sick.” Emily wrapped her arms around her and held her close.
     “I’m sorry you were worried. I
wish I had the time to talk and catch up, but I’m running late. When Emily
released her, Kara took a step back. “I’ll call you later.”
    “Wait. Why are you so close to home?
It’s too dangerous for you here. You shouldn’t even be in the state.”
    “Everything is fine.” Attempting to
appear casual, Kara shrugged. “It’s over now.”
    “That’s a lie. I know you don’t believe
it any more than I do. Tell me the truth. Why did you come back here?”
    Every second Kara spent talking to her
was placing Emily in danger. She needed to end the conversation. “I’m in the
process of working it all out with him. We actually have plans to have a late
dinner tonight.” The best way to get past his guards was to set up a meeting.
Truthfully, Kara was planning to lure her father to Multnomah Falls. She knew
the area well. The sick son of a bitch wouldn’t be able to resist the
opportunity to kill her himself, or at least witness her being killed. 
    “Oh God, no, Kara!” Emily cleared her
throat and lowered her voice. “No way. Absolutely not.
It’s a trick. You need to leave town. You cannot, I repeat, you cannot go have
dinner with your dad. He’s crazy mad. He’ll kill you. Get your butt in your car
and leave town right now.”
    Kara took a deep breath and released it with
a sigh of frustration. “I don’t want to discuss it with you. I know what I’m
doing.”
    “But…”
    “Drop it, Emily. I’ve made up my mind.”
    Emily took Kara’s hands in hers. “I’ll
help you.”
    “You can’t. No one can,” Kara said,
immediately regretting it.
    “You’re wrong.” Revealing her distress
over the situation, Emily’s voice elevated and cracked. “Please. Oh God, please
don’t go after him. Leave the state. I have a few thousand dollars hidden. I’ll
give it to you. He won’t find you again.”
    “I’m not taking your money. I know what
I’m doing, Emily.”
    “Really? I think if you did you wouldn’t
have returned. You certainly wouldn’t be under the delusion you have any chance
of killing him. Even if you could get to him, you’re not capable of committing
murder. And, like it or not, that’s a fact.”
    “You’re wrong. He almost killed my baby.
He will eventually succeed if I don’t kill him first.”
    “Oh, Kara. I’m so sorry.” She paused for
several seconds.