No Reason to Run Read Free Page A

comes with an obligation to be responsible with it.”
    Her hands trembled
but she tipped it toward the floorboards. “It’s not mine. I borrowed it
because…” She broke off whatever she’d been about to say. The lecture froze on
the tip of his tongue when tears welled on her lashes.
    Shit, now probably
wasn’t a good time to talk about the do’s and don’ts of gun ownership. He knew
she’d never shoot him. Never shoot anyone, he guessed and yet she sat here
holding him at gun-point and doing something that was completely against her
nature.
    He faced forward and
pushed his foot on the gas. “Fine, but I warn you, I’m not driving in circles
for long. It’s late and I’m tired.”
    Out the corner of
his eye, he caught her frown. The corners of her mouth tipped down. “Of course,
I just need to think for a moment.”
    Shane snorted and
turned down the street passing the post office and the hardware store. Street
lights were out reminding Shane of the early hours he’d yet to adjust to with
small town living. Lost in thought, she paid no attention to the direction they
headed. He turned the car up Overly Court aiming for his neighborhood. “How old
is your kid?”
    Her hand lowered
further and his own itched to take the weapon from her. “She’s only three.” Her
voice flowed over him with its melodic notes.
    Shane didn’t know
much about little kids. You fed them, played with them and put them to sleep.
His nephew turned ten this summer and already ate more than Shane’s old unit.
He couldn’t imagine the baby in his backseat eating more than a handful of
crackers. From what he glimpsed her daughter was a tiny thing. Anger uncurled
in his belly at what could have happened to them in another city in a similar
situation. The two of them had no business being out alone this time of night.
He decided to keep her talking in hopes of learning more.
    “Three, huh? Tricky
age but she seems fairly quiet.” He heard horror stories of kids crying all
hours of the night and throwing fits. He’d been overseas running covert missions
when his nephew Liam was that age. His twin sister Eden sent him funny emails
regaling him with stories in hopes of luring him to the dark side of
parenthood. No way he envisioned that happening any time soon.
    “Chloe’s good. Not
cranky at all. I’m fortunate in that.”
    He glanced at her
from the corner of his eye and raised a brow. “You’re lucky indeed.” The gun
rested unattended in her lap, as she peered out the window tracking their
progress. A semi-automatic nine millimeter. He wondered who she’d borrowed the Glock from when it was clear she had no training or comfort with guns. Her
carelessly attitude with the weapon started to piss him off. 
    Shane didn’t live
far and they were approaching his street. Either she didn’t consider him a
threat or she thought the weapon sufficiently cowed him. At any rate, her lack
of attention would work in his favor.

Chapter 4
     
    Olivia managed to
hide her fear when the large man walked toward the car. It figured the biggest
man she’d ever seen in her life would be the owner. When he sat in the driver’s
seat, she froze unable to move. The bulk of his weight took up the huge seat
and explained why the chair on that side was pushed back further than the
passenger front seat. His legs appeared incredibly long from her view in the
back. Yet he fit in the car easily.
    His hair color
stayed a mystery since the interior light had momentarily blinded her and
winked out the moment his door shut. She knew it was dark and that it curled in
the back. He probably hated that. Men built like him would view that as a sign
of weakness. The jingle of his keys warned he was about to start the car and
pull off.
    Nerves jumping,
she’d pressed the gun to his neck and blinked back tears while she made her
demand. She fully expected him to refuse. Expected him to tell her no outright
and she would have been stranded. There wasn’t a chance in