Free Dare To Love Series: Icy Dare (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Aliyah Burke Page A

attention to the man who’d introduced himself as Rick Devlin.
    αβ
    Two months later, Sakharre hurried out of the building to where her car sat parked. She’d just left Double Down Security with her heartfelt thanks and, for the first time since returning to Miami, without shadows. Not that the men were bad, but she wished she’d not had to have them around all the time.
    Clay had been picked up and subsequently charged and jailed for his crimes. She was still on edge and nervous. She expected his law enforcement buddies to swoop in and make her life hell. So far, however, they hadn’t.
    Louis had dumped a huge amount of money in her bank account and offered to get her an extremely nice upscale apartment. While appreciative of the offer, she ended up taking a smaller one bedroom. He’d already stopped by numerous times, trying to bring her things.
    She unlocked her Camry and slid behind the wheel. Starting the engine, she froze. Off to her left, she swore she spied Dorian leaning against a light pole. Her heart skipped a few beats until she sighed.
    “I’m losing what few cookies I have left. Why would he be there? I’m sure he’s long back in Maine.” The state’s name fell from her mouth in a sneer. “What’s there, anyway? Forest. Wild animals and flannel.”
    Sakharre swore and smacked the wheel. “He’s gone. Did his job, took the money, and ran. I was nothing more than dollar signs to him.”
    Even still, she stole another look, remaining equal parts angry and disappointed by the fact he wasn’t there. In gear, she drove away, trying to decide on what to have for supper.
    An hour later, she unlocked her apartment and let herself in, bags in hand, one containing her Indian meal. Her stomach growled, and her mouth watered. Curry cured many ailments, and since she couldn’t cook a damn—despite having worked in a restaurant—she’d been eating at this place a lot.
    Bags on the table, she went to her bedroom and changed. Barefoot and in her cami and shorts, she opened her Surface then dumped her food into a bowl. Seated, she picked up her chopsticks and dug into her lamb biryani .
    She’d not gone back to the university as of yet, and tonight, she was going over what she had left on her Masters. It wasn’t much, and she should be able to finish in no time.
    “Then, what?” she asked the air, chewing on the lamb.
    Logically speaking, she’d be able to begin her life wherever she wished. She could move away and start fresh. Louis might be heartily against it, but she had to do what was best for her. Maybe more travel. She wrote some notes to discuss with her advisor.
    She’d just put her dishes in the dishwasher when her phone rang. Sakharre smiled. Shutting the door, she wiped her hands off on a towel and swiped her cell.
    “I’m fine, Louis. Just finished supper and am making notes to discuss with my advisor.”
    “We’re having a cookout after practice tomorrow. I want you to come with me.”
    It was the team’s bye week, so the men were taking advantage of not having a game this Sunday.
    “Send me the details, and I’ll try to make it.”
    “Sis,” he warned.
    She headed to her bedroom. “I have a busy day tomorrow, but I promise I’ll do my best to make it.”
    “No excuses. I expect to see you there as my plus one.”
    “Do they even have those for informal gatherings?” She shook her head in amusement.
    “They do now. I will see you there.” He hung up.
    “Lord, that man needs a wife, so he stops bothering me.” She tossed her phone to the bed and scanned the room for the box she sought. “Of course I’ll be there. I mean, I have nothing else going on in my life,” she uttered sarcastically. “Perhaps, I should consider finish unpacking at some point here.”
    She had a listing of potential jobs for her degree, if she could just find it. The phone rang again, and she scooped it up on her way to the box she believed—hoped—the list was in.
    “I said I would think