Free Hit Man: A Bad Boy Romance (Hunted, Book One) by Kira Matthison Page B

still as a statue, eyes fixed on the far wall as the fear burned hot in my chest. The book had slipped out of my fingers in the struggle, but if I let myself move to pick it up, there was no saying what else I might do. When the panic rose up like this, choking me, showing her visions of a future that wouldn’t—wouldn’t, wouldn’t —happen, images of Adrian choking me, punching me, I felt herself ready to scream and scream. I knew that if I let myself start, I would never stop.
    He had limits, I told myself carefully, as I always did. He had limits. I knew that. He was having a difficult time at work. He’d been drinking more, but it would all get better soon. He’d always been harsh, unforgiving of anything other than absolute perfection, but he’d never been like this at the start. That meant it would end. As soon as his work troubles were cleared up…
    I forced myself to take a deep breath, and pulled my fingers back from where they were creeping toward my arm. I’d have to go get a new dress tomorrow for the gala, that was all. One with sleeves. He would never have done something like that if he’d known it would bruise, and showing up with a bruise would make it seem like he couldn’t control himself. When he made mistakes, it was my responsibility not to let him be shamed by them.
    It was going to get better again. I was going to get better at keeping my tone even, at being happy and gracious. A man like Adrian needed that in his fiancée. In his wife.
    I felt a low twist of fear and shoved it away. It was odd, the way my salvation seemed so much like a cage.
    I didn’t let myself think about it.
    The knock on the door startled me, and a moment later I shook my head impatiently at my own foolishness. That would be Damien. I pushed myself up and readied my smile as I went to the door.
    “Lara.” He smiled broadly, as he always did when he saw me.
    “Damien.” I saw him opening his arms for a hug and stepped out of the way, gesturing for him to come in. “Let me go get the folder.”
    “Of course.”
    I turned away from his strained expression and kept my head up as I went to the dining room table for the folder Adrian had told me about. I never acknowledged Damien’s feelings for me. What lay between us had been over and done with for almost ten years now, and nothing more than a flirtation to start with, a few kisses between teenagers. He had to understand that I was engaged now—engaged to the man who was both his friend and his boss. I had to avoid even the slightest hint of impropriety; Adrian had explained how rumors could embarrass him in the boardroom.
    Adrian never forgot that while I might be his fiancée now, it had been Damien I was with when we were all in high school. I paused for a moment as I picked up the folder. It was odd, really, that he hadn’t waited for Damien’s visit, himself. Normally, he watched the two of us like a hawk when we were together.
    Perhaps he was becoming less jealous. With a surge of hope, I almost ran the folder back to Damien. If this was a test, I would pass it, and Adrian would see the truth: no matter how Damien might feel, everything was over between us.
    “Do you know what this is?” Damien had opened the folder and was leafing through it, confused.
    I shook my head. “He didn’t say.” And it wasn’t my place to ask, my tone said.
    “I see.” Damien sighed and rubbed at his forehead, and I looked away. He had been a friend once. He really was kind, and I felt bad for being so cold to him—
    Dangerous. Thinking about any other man was dangerous.
    “Thank you so much for coming to pick it up.”
    “Of course.” Damien forced a smile and headed for the still-open door. “I’ll…get out of your hair.”
    “Have a good night.” I started to shut the door after him. “Oh! Wait.”
    “Yes?” He turned back too quickly, hope in his eyes.
    I hated to dash it away, but I had to. “The elevator. You shouldn’t take it.”
    “What?”