Page 13 of Those Who Are Bound

Take a chance, end up in a shallow grave; take a chance and end up someplace far more pleasant with a man looking like this one. Her brain wasn’t working fast enough to think of an excuse to decline. She didn’t wantto decline. “Are you serious? Six?”

“I am. I’ll be here at six.”

“Don’t you have a job?”

“Leave the questions for the trail.” He took a few more steps back, his eyebrow raised in question. “Yes?”

“I thought… yes. Jonah.”

When she said his name, his face lit up as though he’d won a prize.

“But if you seriously think you’re rolling up here at six a.m., you better have an entire Starbucks hooked to the back of your Jeep,” she only partly teased.

“Noted. And I will be rolling up here at six a.m.,” he promised. He took a couple of jogging steps backward, looking her over again, this time with a hint of possession to accompany his satisfaction. “See you in the morning.”

She nodded, her smile small and somewhat hesitant. Was she insane for having agreed?She was going to set her hopes on the fact that Lucy wouldn’t want her boss killed before she earned her first paycheck and allowed herself to feel justified in her answer as he turned and jogged back to the Jeep. He hopped onto the skid and launched himself inside. Moments later, the vehicle was in gear and headed down the path.

Elliott watched until they were gone. Then she looked around the property, suddenly—and for the first time that she could remember—feeling alone. Looking back down the drive, as if the reality of what she’d agreed to had to catch up as the adrenaline of the exchange wore off, she sighed—six a.m.

Well, shit.

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