Free Best Man For The Job (The Men of Fear Incorporated Book 1) by Melinda Valentine Page A

sounded like. The thought left a bad taste in Max’s mouth.
    “Now it’s a party. Gutter Mouth is a go. I repeat, Gutter Mouth is a go.” Foster laughed.
    Oh hell no . He couldn’t leave Sloane alone with Gutter Mouth. The man was a stand-up guy, but a hound when it came to women. Sloane was just his type: soft, sweet, and curves in all the right places. Maybe he could bring Charlie to the club? Kill two birds with one stone. Yeah, that could work. Watch Sloane at the club and have Charlie afterward. Perfect.
    When Sloane was ready to go, they got in his truck. The next stop was to her place for clothes and whatever else women needed to get through each day. There was a heaviness in the air Max was afraid to disturb. He parked out front of the building, and they walked in together. It was a very different journey from the last time he walked her to her door. He certainly wouldn’t be tasting her sweet lips again.
    The elevator ride was made in silence. Max noticed for the first time that she hadn’t actually looked him in the eye since he walked passed her to take a shower that morning. It bothered him. Things were better off this way, he reasoned with himself.
    Everything else seemed normal—that is, until they got to her apartment. Someone had certainly been there. Furniture had been overturned, glass littered the floor, and picture frames had been shattered.
    Max held his hand up, stopping her from passing the threshold. “Let me go first. Wait out here until I call you.”
    “But—”
    “Just do it, damn it,” Max barked. “This is my job.” He was harsher than he’d meant to be, but her safety was what mattered most at this moment, not her feelings.
    Max entered the apartment without waiting for another protest. He pulled a small Kahr PM9 from his waistband at the small of his back. There was no way to tell if the house was clear. Other than surface damage, there wasn’t a whole lot to clean up. Jewelry was still inside the velvet box on her dresser and all the electronics were still in place, so robbery was most likely not a motivator. It was a message. They knew where she lived. Making his way from room to room, Max checked every nook of her apartment before he let her inside.
    “Clear, you can come in now.” He tucked his weapon back in his waistband.
    She murmured so softly Max barely heard her, “Shit.”
    “Get what you need for a few days. You can’t come back here until we find these guys. We need to call the police too.”
    “Okay.”
    Max studied Sloane as she pulled out her cell phone. She explained the situation quickly before hanging up. Tears welled up in her eyes. After a brief moment, she looked at him. Really looked at him. Startled, she sniffed the tears back, straightening her shoulders. That haunted expression had him wanting to drop to his knees in front of her. Promise her the world just to see her smile again.
    It took over three hours to finish up with the police. In all that time, she barely glanced his way. Max passed some of the time talking to Detective Owen Chance. They went to the academy together a lifetime ago. Max didn’t miss being on the force, but he did miss a few of the guys he’d once worked with. Once everyone was gone, Sloane was free to retrieve her things. She came out twenty minutes later with a small suitcase, a garment bag, and overnight bag for toiletries.
    “Sorry it took so long.”
    “No problem. We better get going though, if you still wanna go out tonight.” Please say no , please say no . “I highly recommend changing your mind.”
    “No way. I need to go out now, more than ever.”
    She walked out, leaving him no choice but to follow.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Nine
     
     
    Sloane
     
    Sloane hung her garment bag on the back of the closet door in Max’s spare room. Unzipping it, she pulled the fabric free of the plastic casing. She didn’t want her clothes to have a plastic smell. She recovered her robe from the