Promoted to Wife? Read Free Page B

passed Zac on the narrow garden path, giving him a bare nod. It was the focused, almost mean aura in that smooth coffee-colored face, the way those shrewd eyes skimmed over Zac before returning to his purpose.
    Zac had seen that look before. Hell, he’d faced it down too many times in his line of work. Unfortunately, the construction industry brought with it a certain type of thug who thought they could bribe and terrorize their competitors.
    Zac slowly turned, watching the man take the stairs, then continue on.
    Emily’s apartment was the only one at the end of level two.
    Swiftly, Zac backtracked, the wooden balcony above providing cover just as he heard Emily’s door open.
    He glanced up through the wooden slats. She’d left the security screen locked. Smart girl.
    â€œYou Mrs. Catalano?” the big dude said.
    â€œIt’s actually Miss Reynolds.”
    Zac frowned. Since when the hell had she been married? But then, there were a thousand things he didn’t know about her, though not from his lack of gentle probing.
    â€œBut Jimmy Catalano’s wife, right? Daughter of Charlene and Pete, younger sister to Angelina?”
    There was a pause where Zac thought he’d heard Emily drag in a shocked breath. “What’s this about?”
    â€œJimmy owes my boss money.”
    â€œWho’s your boss?”
    â€œLet’s just call him…Joe.”
    When Emily finally replied, it was with the same tenor and firmness she used when dealing with his most demanding clients. “I’m sorry, but Jimmy died seven months ago.”
    Zac swallowed his surprise. His assistant was hiding more than killer curves behind that superefficient persona.
    â€œI heard,” Big Dude was saying. “And I’m sorry for your loss.” His tone implied anything but. “Joe is a compassionate businessman. He gave you longer than most to come to terms with your grief. Now he wants his money.”
    â€œWhat money?”
    Zac angled for a better view and caught the movement of Emily’s door closing. The Big Dude’s slap on the screen rangout, startling her and jerking Zac to attention. A surge of fury propelled him forward, but at the last minute, caution prevailed. In tense silence, he waited.
    â€œYou were Jimmy’s guarantor, which means his debt is now yours,” the man continued roughly, losing patience.
    â€œI didn’t sign anything.”
    There was a rustle of papers. “That’s your signature, right?”
    â€œIt looks like mine. But I didn’t—”
    Big Dude sighed, as if her denial disappointed him. “You got fourteen days to pay.”
    Emily paused, then said firmly, “Then I’ll see you in court.”
    The man’s sudden laughter, deep and menacing, sent a chill rippling through Zac’s skin. “A wife of a guy like Jimmy knows the drill—no cops, no solicitors. My boss doesn’t waste money dealing with the courts. Geddit?” He let that ambiguous threat settle before there was a rustle of cheap material. “Here’s my card.” A snick of paper and a groan of mesh: he’d shoved his card in her screen door. “Let me know when you have the money.” He paused, his voice suddenly softer, more ominous. “Your sister is a nice-lookin’ girl. She’s what…thirty or so? And just got a brand-new car, too—”
    â€œYou stay away from my family.”
    The panic threaded beneath Emily’s granite words stabbed straight into Zac’s heart. His hands tightened into fists.
    â€œHey, I was just making an observation.” The man’s hands went up in mock defense. “You know, you could always pay off the debt in other ways…”
    The vicious slam of Emily’s front door, followed by the click of the lock, was the final straw. As the man’s chuckle floated down the stairs, white-hot fury seethed up, choking off Zac’s breath, taking with