Rundown (Curveball Book 2) Read Free Page A

first time in
days, I feel a renewed sense of hope.
    “ Are
you going back to bed?” I ask, suddenly feeling energized.  
    Sarah
smiles at me and shakes her head.  “Not likely.  Tell me
what you have in mind.”  

    Every
inch of my body is drenched, a combination of my profuse sweating and
the rain. The fire that’s raging inside my lungs is getting
momentary reprieve with each blast of cold air, though it’s not
enough to be soothing.  My body is exhausted and it’s
painfully obvious that I’ve run too far.  Every muscle, even
ones I didn’t know existed until 57 minutes ago, pleads with me to
stop.  But I can’t…or rather I won’t.  At least, not
until I get what I want.
    After
speaking with Sarah I realized she was right about two things.
 First, it’s not like me to give up.  I decided then and
there to stop feeling sorry for myself and to put on my big-girl
pants.  I’m done using Mark’s death as a reason to avoid
living.  I’m done trying to convince myself that I don’t
deserve to feel or be loved.  I need to stop denying what my
heart wants out of fear that someday I might lose it.  I’m
ready to be the woman who deserves Drew, and I’m not going down
without a fight.  Second, I’ve had access to Drew right at my
fingertips this whole time.  All I had to do was figure out my
approach.  
    “ Ms.
Sullivan,” Agent Jackson calls out through labored breaths. 
    I
slow down and turn to face her.  “Yeah?” I ask while jogging
in place. I have a feeling that she isn’t too happy with my
need to get out this morning, especially since she clearly knows my
motivation. 
    “ Are
we about done?” she asks.  She’s bent over, resting her
weight on her knees. 
    I
shrug, waiting for her reaction.  “I could be persuaded,
Corinne,” I say pointedly, and watch as her narrow eyes darken. 
If looks could kill, I would have just taken my last breath.
    After
narrowly escaping death following the plane crash, Drew and I were
both assigned two FBI agents for our protection.  I’m not
exactly used to it, although, sometimes it has its perks.  We’ve
spent so much time together that I’ve even grown to think of them
as friends; particularly Agent Corinne Jackson.  At first, I
wasn’t sure about her.  She can be abrasive, though I’ve
come to admire her no-nonsense attitude.  I’d like to think
she’s even rubbed off on me a bit, especially now.
    Corinne
takes a moment to catch her breath.  I can tell from looking at
her that she’s spent, which is surprising.  All five foot,
seven inches of her dark physic is perfectly sculpted.  She’s
beautiful, in an intimidating way, and there is no questions that she
could single handedly take me out if needed.  She’s clearly an
athlete, which is why I’m amazed that our run is affecting her. 
I’m not a runner, but then again I’m not doing this for the sake
of exercise.  My endurance is being fueled by my restless mind
and broken heart…as well as a little bit of desperation.
    Corinne,
who hates when I call her by her first name, has information that I
need.  My brilliant plan is to torture it out of her.  Due
to the nature of her job, she has to be with me, and I don’t plan
on stopping until I get what I want.  Somehow, I’ve convinced
myself that despite whatever special ops training she’s gone
through, it’s no match for my determination.  
    At
first, I outright asked her to contact Drew’s security detail for
information.  She brushed me off, saying that she wasn’t at
liberty to share even if she did know of his whereabouts.  I was
so frustrated until she accidentally let it slip that she had contact
information for Drew’s sports agent, Brett Wheeler.  When she
refused to hand it over, I decided I’d torment her, which is why at
the crack of dawn, we’re both running in the freezing rain.
    “ Not
going to happen, Breanne.”
    “ Let’s
keep going then,” I say and dash back into the