Page 20 of Fast Kill

That was the nicest go-away-and-leave-me-alone he’d ever heard, but that’s still what it was.Okay then.“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

“Sure. Bye.”

She shut the door in his face. And the immediate sound of the deadbolt turning was like a slap in the face.

Baffled and a little frustrated by her cold reaction since he’d never done anything but be nice to her, he turned around and made his way back to his truck, shaking his head at himself. Clearly he was way off his game, because he must have only imagined the interested signals he thought he’d picked up from her earlier tonight.

****

Taylor’s heart thudded in her ears as she waited behind the locked door, all her muscles pulled tight while Logan’s crutches thudded lightly on the driveway. A few moments later his truck door opened and shut and the engine fired up.

Only when he reversed out of the driveway and drove away down her street did she allow herself to release the breath she’d been holding and turn around and face Dillon.

He’d stepped out of the shadows now to peer through the window to the left of the front door, pistol held loosely at his side.

She swallowed, her gaze jumping from the weapon to his face. Her training kicked in, heightened by her protective instincts.

There was no telling how he’d react if she kicked him out now, and her service weapon was tucked away in her bedroom at the far end of the hall. A hand-to-hand struggle with him was out of the question, if he got violent. Even with her minimal agency training she didn’t have a chance against him physically. He was too close, too on guard, and far too big.

“Dillon. What the hell?” Would he actually have shot Logan if he’d come inside? Jesus. What was going on?

Fear pricked at her skin like hot needles while her mind raced. The weapon. The Baker video. She’d been hoping there was another explanation for it all. Now she knew there wasn’t and it made her heart drop into her stomach.

Dillon quickly tucked the weapon into the back of his waistband and relaxed his posture. “Sorry about that.”

Sorry?Sorry? Not about to be cowed, she faced him head on while clutching the bakery box, refusing to let him know she was afraid of him now. The trials of her childhood had made her an expert at hiding fear. “What the hell is going on?”

With a sigh, he tucked his hands beneath his armpits and regarded her. “Nothing. I was just being careful.”

Theit’s-no-big-dealtone wasn’t fooling her. “I told you he was afriend.”

Now that the immediate danger was over she was more pissed than scared, because there had to be a reason Dillon had come here armed in the first place. How dare he knowingly bring trouble to her doorstep?

“Is someone after you?” There was no other explanation.

He gazed back at her, his brown eyes haunted. “Like I said, I was just being careful.”

She shook her head slowly, dread sweeping through her in a cold wave. “What have you done?” she whispered, stricken.

He’d sworn to her last time they’d talked, back when she still lived in Houston, that he’d gone straight and given up criminal life completely. She’d been such a fucking idiot to believe him—to let him fool her—and for letting him into her house tonight. Obviously he’d brought trouble with him.

“I can’t believe you’d come here if you’re in that kind of trouble. If I ever meant anything to you at all, why would you put me in danger?”

“Hey, don’t worry.” He gave her what he probably considered a charming smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Everything’s fine, I promise. I would never do anything to put my best girl in danger.”

Even despite what he’d just done, the familiar endearment set off a searing ache in the center of her chest. Dammit, she’d loved him like a brother once, and a part of her always would, no matter what he’d done. She owed him too much not to care what happened to him.

“Well, he’s gone now, and won’t be coming back.” Not after the way she’d treated him.

God, she’d hated doing it, but she’d been focused on trying to protect him by making him go away as soon as possible. Logan was no doubt wondering why she’d turned into an icy bitch in the space of twenty minutes since he’d last seen her.

At least she’d played the part well enough to hide what was really going on and made him leave. At this point she didn’t know whether Dillon would have threatened Logan if he’d tried to come inside.

She drew a deep breath. “Tell me what the hell’s going on. Right now.”

Dillon lowered his arms to his sides. “Okay, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He searched her eyes. “Taylor. Tell me you’re not afraid of me.”

She’d never imagined being afraid of Dillon. But he was like a stranger now and she didn’t know if she could trust him anymore. “You pulled a gun in my house because someone showed up at my front door.” A trickle of fear hit her. Why would he do that unless he was prepared to use it?

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