The Salvation of Vengeance (Wanted Men #2) Read Free Page A

if she was able to go further than a kiss. But she wouldn’t know that until she tried. Wouldn’t know just how fucked-up she was after the way she’d been living this past year until it was all over.
    Then she could experiment. Test boundaries. But one thing was for certain: never would she put herself in the position of being under a man again. The shots would be hers to call. The relationship hers to dictate. Hers to walk away from if she so wanted. Hers to control.
    Vincente Romani’s dominant, blatant alpha-male countenance wouldn’t stand for the type of woman Nika vowed she’d be once she was free. So, as she told herself every time she thought of him, he wasn’t for her.
    No matter how sexy and heroic he’d appeared to be when he’d swooped into town a few weeks ago, along with a few others in Gabriel’s organization. He’d been in such control dealing with the situation Gabriel’s brother had created. And that capable confidence had been so attractive to her.
    Heroic. A definite draw. She’d dropped him into that slot the day Eva had left Seattle. Nika had returned to Kevin’s apartment after spending the night at the Crown Jewel with Caleb. Her brother, for goodness’ sake. Her reasons for her absence hadn’t mattered to Kevin. That Eva had almost been killed hadn’t mattered. He’d been enraged, having stewed all night, and by the time he’d finally allowed her to crawl into the bathroom, out of his reach, she’d been panting through every painful breath. He’d layered his hits over the ones he’d given her only days before, and it hadn’t fazed him. She’d been horrified by his cruelty. As she’d rinsed the metallic taste of blood from her mouth, pressing a cold cloth against her throbbing ribs with a trembling hand, she’d wished with everything in her that Vincente would burst through the front door and destroy the abomination she’d been forced to marry.
    Thank God Eva and Caleb had left for New York that same night and neither of them had seen her afterward. She wouldn’t have been able to fake her way through the casual hugs and false smiles. Not that time.
    With a tired sigh, she pulled her hair back, securing the mass of bright reds and golds with the hair tie she always wore on her wrist. What she wouldn’t give to sleep for a year.
    “You ready?”
    A flash of alarm buzzed through her like a shock from an exposed electrical wire. She dropped her arms from her messy bun without looking up. She had to play this smart. If the sadist suspected she was looking forward to this trip, he’d shut her down. He’d nod at the suitcase, tell her to unpack it, and there wouldn’t be a damn thing she could do about it. How long would she have to wait for her next opportunity to find that damned memory stick?
    Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him in the doorway—dark aura, receding brown hair buzzed off, hooded brown eyes on her. His arms were crossed over his chest, feet planted . . . as if he’d been there for a while. Watching as she remembered Vincente.
    God, she hoped not. That was private to her.
    And dangerous.
    If Kevin suspected she was sitting there mooning—not that she was mooning—over another man, she didn’t even want to think about what he’d do to her.
    She cleared her throat and schooled her features to show absolutely nothing before lifting her head and turning to him.
    “I just finished packing.”
    “What were you thinking of just now?”
    You. Dead. “I was wondering what I should wear tonight, since I’ll be changing out of it and into the dress Eva has for me the minute I get there. The outfits I have are either off-season or for the office.” An office she no longer had. Because of the condition Kevin sometimes left her in, she’d come to miss so many days she’d eventually decided to quit her job as an accountant. Thinking ahead, wanting to ensure a good reference later, she’d left just after Christmas and Kevin had been pleased, saying