The Villains' Creed by Mary Stone

Author:Mary Stone [Stone, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-28T16:00:00+00:00

21

Eliza got home a few minutes before eleven. It was hard for her to remember the last time she’d had such a long and painful day. Between holding a press conference to try to reassure the public, dealing with ATF and all their endless questions and forms, and attending to her regular duties of managing her deputies and detectives, all she really wanted was to cuddle her cat, take a giant sleeping pill, and disappear from the world for a few hours.

But there was a car in her driveway—a gray Pontiac with a leather cover on the front. Mateo’s car.

Her first instinct was to smile. It felt like forever since she’d seen him, and she needed a hug. On the other hand, she’d been avoiding him all day for a reason. She wasn’t sure she had the energy for an argument.

With a steadying breath, Eliza cut the engine and made her way toward the front porch of her town house, running her fingers over the smooth bark of the oak tree in her front yard. Mateo waited for her on the stoop, his butt planted on the bottom step. A small paper bag sat beside him. As she closed the distance, he smiled and rose to his feet.

“There you are.”

“I’m sorry. There’s a lot going on at the office, and I…”

“Sounds like you could use a break.” Mateo lifted the paper bag and showed her a bottle of red. His smile softened with a hint of nervousness, adding a degree of charming befuddlement. “What do you say?”

I don’t drink was what she wanted to say. And she couldn’t help a little flare of anger as she remembered her meeting with the mayor earlier. How come that worthless son of a bitch Brad Lewis could remember that she was a teetotaler, but her own boyfriend couldn’t?

Still, all he needed after a day of being ignored was for her to bark at him for trying to do something nice and making the effort to spend time with her on her schedule. A man ought to be rewarded for that sort of thing, right?

The way he smiled at her, that one dimple of his so deep and his eyes so bright, she knew she was screwed both literally and figuratively.

“Okay.” She stepped past him and wrestled her key into the lock. “But I can’t stay up very late. I have a big day tomorrow.”

He rested his hand on the small of her back, sending a shiver up her spine that was simultaneously pleasant and uncomfortable.

Eliza shook off the feeling and leaned over to kiss him. You’re just stressed. Now let this gorgeous man help you unwind before you have to wake up and face the music all over again.

“I’m just gonna get changed.” She tossed her keys in the little bowl by the door and rushed up the stairs as Mateo wandered toward the kitchen.

Reaching her bedroom, Eliza peeled off her uniform and threw on a fluffy white robe. She let her hair down from its tight bun, her achy scalp begging for a massage.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.