Free Scales: Of Justice (Broken But ... Mending Book 3) by Dale Mayer

get a hold of you.”
    She gasped. Suddenly, the door was flung open and she stared at him in shock, her huge eyes terrified. “No, no. He can’t find me.” Wide-eyed and panicked, she looked down the hallway first one way then the other before grabbing his arm and pulling him inside.
    “Why not? Are you running from the law?” he asked carefully. “Or are you just running from him?”
    “I’m not running at all,” she said crossly, wiping her eyes. “I don’t want to see him. Ever.”
    “He looked harmless. In fact, he looked really earnest. Like he was hoping to talk to you.”
    “He’s part of my past.” Her voice quivered as she shook her head. “I can’t see him again.”
    Wavering on her feet, Paris started shaking.
    “Okay, easy.” Immediately he reached for her and tugged her into his arms, wondering at this woman who spent so much of her time on his mind or in his arms when what he really wanted was to take her into his bed. The worst thing he could do – for himself and for her. Hell, he’d gone down that path once. So not a good idea. If he was going to be with someone again, it would have to be someone who’d dealt with all her shit. Not someone looking at him to fix her stuff.
    As he knew all too well, he couldn’t fix anything.
    Her body relaxed against him for a long moment, neither of them moving, just resting, needing the peace of the moment. The only sound was their synchronized breathing.
    All of a sudden, she pulled back. Never quite letting down her guard. Always aware of that line.
    He found it – her – fascinating.
    “I’m fine.” She walked into the room and sat down on the small chair. “Honest, I am.”
    “Good. Then let’s go get some dinner. I’m starving.”
    But her head was frantically sending her hair flying out. “No, I can’t go down. I might see him.”
    At a loss for words, he asked. “What if he’s here for more than just today?”
    A visible shudder wracked down her slender frame. “Then I might just call this week a bad deal and go home.”
    “Oh boy. Okay, one thing at a time. If we don’t want to go to the hotel restaurant and you’re afraid to meet up with this person anywhere, I see two choices.”
    With her arms wrapped tightly around herself, she stared at him hopefully.
    “I can either go out and pick us up something or we can order room service.”
    She blinked at him.

Chapter 11

    T he thought of pizza made her mouth water, but was there a place anywhere within walking distance? Was it fair to send him? No, it wasn’t, and she really didn’t give a damn right now. She needed to feel safe. But at the same time…she’d come here to push her boundaries. To get out of that safe world.
    But she’d never expected to see that hateful person from her past. Someone who should have represented safety yet only brought up danger in her mind.
    And sure enough, her brother’s voice rolled through her mind. Safe is no way to live. We have to experience new things and new people, otherwise our surviving was for nothing. If we choose to live, we must choose to live well, all in. No half measures allowed. With a big breath, she pushed out the words, “Pizza. I want pizza.”
    Eyebrows raised, he replied. “Okay, pizza it is. I wonder if we can order one to be delivered here.”
    “No idea.” She walked to the window. Damn it. She shouldn’t be crippled by this. With everything she had been through, she should be stronger than that. Who knew Delaney would be here? Or that he’d recognize her? It had been so long and she had changed so much.
    She’d grown up.
    Or thought she had.
    Facing Delaney though would be facing so much more than she could handle right now. She’d come to deal with her issues. But not the one involving him. That was too big. Too painful.
    It wasn’t possible.
    But she might be able to do something. “Look, if we go out through the back of the hotel, I might go. We could slip out for pizza and sneak back in with no