Free Never Kiss a Bad Boy by Nora Flite Page B

the police knew that I was missing from the body count. They found me where I'd been huddled, too weak to stand.
    Pacing the large apartment, I told myself that I was alive and I could move and I would move. I would keep breathing until I found the gap-toothed man.
    Jacob tapped on the door, cracking it open. He spotted me at the wide window where I'd migrated to. “Kite decided to go take care of some things. Just errands, food for his fridge and such.” Jacob wore his winning smile, and I had to remind myself I was not in a toothpaste commercial. “How about you come up to my place and have a snack?”
    Touching my stomach, I nodded. “Thanks. I'm actually pretty hungry.”
    My sneakers scuffed over the hallway rug. I observed how quietly Jacob moved, he and Kite were impossibly silent when they wanted to be.
    I tried to emulate him, but my steps were still cursed by rubber squeaking. It's so weird, I thought to myself. How fast this went from scary to normal. The time leading up to my confrontation with Kite—and ultimately Jacob as well—had been torture.
    Here I was, the day after, happily following one of the hitmen to his home. If I rationalized it, I suppose I felt... optimistic. I was on a path to getting vengeance. These two, they'd taken my money and had started investigating for me.
    But I wasn't fooled.
    They weren't my friends. They didn't care about me, though Jacob was so good at acting I struggled to remind myself.
    Following him up the stairs, I eyed the hard edges of his broad shoulders. It was possible—too possible—that they were leading me on. But, it'd be a lot of work to go this far just to pretend they were looking for my target. If they were tricking me, I guess I'd find out soon.
    The story about Culver being dissolved in acid haunted my memory. No mistakes, no loose ends. That was what Kite had been telling me. I understood him, loud and clear.
    If they ever got their hands on my incriminating note, they'd be able to safely erase me.
    Just like they'd done to Culver.
    As long as it's after I get my revenge...
    They can do whatever they want to me. I don't care.
    I know, I'm crazy—but that had to be obvious by now.
    “Here we are,” Jacob said, stepping into a new hallway. The doors all looked the same. I'd never guess who lived behind each one. “Home sweet home.” Turning his key, the entrance swung open.
    Kite's apartment had impressed me with the size and the view. Jacob's had all those things, but beyond that, it was clean . Hell, it was spotless. He had a home worthy of Martha Stewart.
    Like last night, I was forced to shove my preconceptions aside. “It's beautiful.”
    “Thank you,” he chuckled. Waving me in, he shut the door and headed towards the wide kitchen. On the counter, a bowl of fresh apples had my mouth filling with saliva. He caught my hungry stare. The corner of his smile became a charming smirk. “Have one, they're delicious.”
    The fruit was heavy in my palm, the skin waxy. Taking a bite, I wiped the sweet liquid from my chin. “This is amazing, thank you!”
    “It's nothing.” He showed me his back, digging in the fridge. It was one of those models you could splay with two arms. I was a little disappointed when he tugged just the right door open. Why have a giant fridge if you didn't get to show it off?
    I had eaten most of the apple when he set a glass of water in front of me. “You're a much better host than Kite,” I said. “Very polite.”
    Leaning on the other side of the counter, Jacob seemed pleased. “I like to entertain.”
    Now there was a thought: The Contract Killer Fine Dining and Design Show. I'd watch it, I mused. He'd get at least two seasons, just because of his good looks.
    Eyeing him sideways, judging the shape of his torso in the places his dress shirt stretched across, I figured his body had to be decent, too.
    “What are you thinking about?” he asked, and even though he spoke softly, his voice stampeded through my