Free Asian Romance Billionaire: Asian Romance Books, Romance Asian Male by Annie Gold

Chapter One
     
     
    "Kat! Get back here, dammit!"
     
    Though my lungs were nearly bursting from the long sprint I'd been sustaining, I only pushed myself faster. The angry shouts fell behind me as I took a sharp turn into an open alley. My eyes teared up at what I'd seen, and I felt ready to vomit. Ritchie's eyes had been so cold, so merciless. The other man's expression had been the most pathetic I'd ever seen, and his words still tugged at me.
     
    "Please, Ritchie. I swear to God I'll have the money! I just need one more day! One!"
     
    The gunshot had made me jump violently, knocking over the cardboard box I'd been crouched behind. The image of pooling blood was all I saw in front of me, and it almost felt as if the rain puddles beneath my feet were slick with the red substance as I ran. Ritchie's face had been eerily calm, even as he'd turned to me after putting the man down like a dog.
     
    "Oh, Kat. You weren't supposed to see all this nasty business, sweetie."
     
    Business . As if shooting a man in cold blood was just an everyday occurrence. As if taking a life was signing a paper for a merger. For a moment fear turned my blood to ice, and then I did the only sensible thing I could think of. I bolted.
     
    Traffic was light in this part of the city, especially at this time of day.  If I can just reach that street, I'll be in plain sight. He wouldn't dare do anything.
     
    Or at least, that's what I hoped. My fingers clutched at my purse strap as my frantic steps slowed. And, just my luck, the street was completely empty at the moment.  Damn.  I looked around frantically for another living soul, and could only see a little Pomeranian a few houses away behind a fence.  Great. Maybe I can release it on Ritchie. I'm sure his ankles would suffer for it.  I started jogging down the street, hoping that my boyfriend-- ex boyfriend,  I mentally corrected myself, as there was no way in hell I'd ever let him near me again--had fallen far enough behind and had been confused enough by my route that he wouldn't be able to catch up. 
     
    Eventually I had to stop in front of a house, panting. There was a debilitating stitch in my side, and my mouth was desperate for some sort of moisture. I took a few moments to breathe, clutching at my ribcage where the stitch had settled.
     
    "There she is!"
     
    Panic shoved me forward as I heard loud, pounding footfalls behind me. Unfortunately, I'd taken just a fraction of a second too long, and a thick masculine arm closed around my waist, yanking me against a firm body. Ritchie had always dwarfed my small frame and I'd loved it, but now I found myself wishing for just a few more inches to combat his height.
     
    "Where are you rushing to in such a hurry, baby?" His voice was heavy in my ear. "You never played hard to get before."
     
    Bile crept up my throat from contact with him, and I felt his fingers play with the hem of my jeans. Oh hell...not here. Biting the inside of my cheek roughly, I snapped my mind from panic to defense and slammed the heel of one of my shoes into his foot as hard as I could on his instep. I felt his body arch away from mine as he swore loudly. Not stopping there, I rammed my elbow back into his abs with all my tiny strength, and I felt him double over. His grip loosened on me, and I didn't wait for a second opportunity.
     
    My feet carried me halfway down the street before I nearly ran into one of the men I'd seen flanking Ritchie. He caught me, gripping my upper arms firmly. "Feisty little bitch, aren't you?" Somehow he saw my knee coming up for his groin and he moved to one side, throwing me to the sidewalk. Stars exploded in my vision as my head slammed against the concrete, and I couldn't move. I willed my limbs to pick me up and carry me away from this nightmare, but my traitorous body wouldn't listen to my brain's frantic screams.
     
    "Finally--" But Ritchie's furious tone was cut off by the roar of a loud motor coming down the street. My