Stolen Seduction Read Free Page B

‘bout a cold one?”
    Sound in the bar seemed to fade into the background, and from her spot near the back hallway, she
    heard Shane’s deep and sexy voice—a sound she knew all too well. “Mick, you read my mind.”
    “Long day?”
    “Longer than Bonds’s home-run streak.”
    Liquid poured, then glass clapped against the wooden bar. And the fact Hailey was zeroed in on exactly what was happening way across the room was a big ol’ red flag that it was time to leave.
    She grabbed her coat and turned without looking at Shane, then realized way too late she was
    trapped. The brick hallway led to a pay phone and the bathrooms. The side exit that spilled out into
    the alleyway between this building and the next was up dangerously close to the end of the bar
    where he was sitting. She’d slinked in easily enough earlier, when activity in the bar and attention
    on the Cubs scouting report on the big screen had distracted the patrons. But there was no way she
    was getting out that side door now without Shane seeing her.
    Shit.
    “You see the news about Blane?” the bartender asked.
    “Didn’t have to,” Shane said. “Heard about it downtown.”
    “Shit, man. Dumbass rookie. Boy’s set for life with the Cubs if he wants, local hometown talent and
    all, then goes and gets himself in trouble with that girl. What was he thinking?”
    “Wasn’t,” Shane said, his glass clinking against the bar again. “Most of these guys aren’t when
    there’s a girl involved.”
    “Pride of Chicago, my ass,” the bartender said with a huff. “Girl flashes her titties at him and he’s
    toast. You think the charges’ll stick?”
    “Don’t know,” Shane answered on a sigh. “Doesn’t look good for the Pride, though.”
    Hailey’s mind spun as she tried to block out the conversation. Maybe there was a window in the
    bathroom. If there was, she could make her grand escape unscathed after all.
    “Some new faces in here,” Shane said as Hailey moved with haste toward the hall. “Those college
    kids back there giving you any troub—”
    Whether he’d stopped talking or she’d finally just blocked out his voice, she wasn’t sure. Either
    way, she was happy to be out of there. Hailey closed and locked the single bathroom door, then
    cursed when she discovered no window. Dammit, things were not going the way she’d planned, not
    that they ever did.
    What was he doing here so late? Lisa had said he stopped by for a quick drink after his shift—usually between six and seven P.M. Not ten o’clock at night!
    Okay, so think. She could go back out, take her chances he was too wrapped up in his conversation
    to notice her, or wait.
    For some reason, waiting sounded a helluva lot better than facing the fire.
    She paced. Sat on the closed toilet lid. Told herself she was being childish. All she had to do if he
    saw her was say she’d been in town for business—which was true—engage in a little conversation
    —like she’d originally planned—then hightail it out of here. Easy.
    She stood and looked at her reflection in the mirror over the single sink. The makeup had done a
    good job covering her bruised eye and cheek, and in the dim light of the bar, she was pretty sure no
    one could tell she’d been knocked around recently. She pulled the band out of her hair so her curls
    could hide a portion of her face. Not great, but better. Dropping her hands, she lifted the sleeve of
    her sweater and checked the cut on the back of her arm.
    The bandage Billy had slapped on in the van was bloody, but nothing fresh, which meant the bleeding had stopped. One good sign, at least. Her jaw clenched. Idiot, Bryan. Another reason she didn’t
    feel guilty about what she’d done tonight.
    She lowered her sweater again, rolled her shoulders and told herself to quit stalling.
    She heard laughter and music, glasses clanking and the sounds of ESPN’s SportsCenter from the
    bar when she stepped out into the darkened hallway. No Shane. Breathing