With Every Breath Read Free

she’s avoiding me for that very reason,” she said with a frown. “It’s like if I run into her or I go to the office to see Zack and she’s there, she immediately finds a reason to disappear. What else am I supposed to think?”
    Wade swore viciously under his breath. Oh yeah. The little hellcat likely did have something—a lot—to hide. Like the fact that she was probably running on empty and barely existing on fumes. He wanted to track her down and beat some sense into her, and he would if it weren’t likely she’d kick his ass. Or at the very least rearrange his nuts for him. And well, he was finished with the little vixen. She was trouble with a capital T. If it were all the same, Wade was done with her and DSS and anything to do with them or their missions. He had enough on his plate without trailing after a brazen woman who was bent on saving the world while he had the unfortunate task of saving her .
    Ungrateful heifer. She’d spit on him before ever acknowledging that he’d saved her snarly ass. Not even a thank-you. A fuck off, yeah. Thank you? No. Instead, all the thanks he’d gotten was that he couldn’t look at another woman and see anyone but her. Couldn’t imagine having sex with anyone but a petite, snarly-mouthed, sassy, short-tempered blonde. He snorted, causing Gracie to look at him with an odd expression on her face.
    â€œEliza is a coward,” Wade said. “She won’t want to set foot in a place owned and run by me. After I took a bullet for her, she conveniently finds a reason to be elsewhere if I’m anywhere around.”
    â€œJoin the crowd,” Gracie said, a hint of hurt to her voice.
    That settled it for Wade. Eliza could get over whatever was up her ass. No matter what the little spitfire was afraid Gracie would pick up from her thoughts, she would attend. He wasn’t going to let anything or anyone ruin Gracie’s night to shine.
    â€œShe’ll be here,” Wade said grimly. “If I have to haul her here over my shoulder, she’ll be here.”
    Gracie immediately looked alarmed. “Uh, Wade, never mind. Really. Maybe we should just back off and give Eliza her space.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” Wade said silkily. “I won’t really haul her to your exhibit over my shoulder.” Liar . “I just plan to have a perfectly civil conversation with Eliza when I personally issue the invitation to her.”
    Or rather his ultimatum. For the first time when thinking of an impending confrontation with Eliza, he wasn’t seized by annoyance. No, he was looking forward to pissing her off. And the best part? He might annoy the ever-loving hell out of her—the feeling was entirely mutual—but she damn well knew he didn’t bluff. So she’d have no choice but to come of her own volition. Or suffer the indignity of being hauled to the event by Wade.

THREE
    ELIZA knew she’d been scarce ever since she’d received the call from the DA. She also knew she’d been avoiding her coworkers, which wasn’t the smartest thing in the world if she didn’t want them thinking, or rather knowing, what she was planning, what she must do at all costs. But the simple truth was she couldn’t bear to face them. Shame was a living, breathing presence that encompassed her heart and soul.
    The people she worked for epitomized all that was good. No, they didn’t always do everything by the book. They broke the rules, but in the end, justice was served, and wasn’t that all that mattered?
    One of her bosses disarmed a monster who posed no further threat, but then that hadn’t been true either. The bastard’s psychic ability and the fact he’d created a link to both Caleb and his now wife, Ramie, meant that even behind bars, he could exert his will and control, making the couple’s lives hell. He’d already used Caleb to hurt Ramie in a horrifying