Aussie Rules Read Online Free PDF Page A

smirk. “Your eyes go all squinty…”
    â€œFine,” Mel said, trying to relax her eye muscles. “He looks…fine. Okay?”
    â€œHoney, fine would be a nice glass of Chardonnay. Fine is a pretty blue sky. That man is so far off the charts from fine you can’t even see fine.”
    Mel tossed up her hands. “And we’re having this conversation why?”
    â€œRight.” Dimi sat back down, waved her away, crystals tinkling together. “Listen, go kick his Aussie ass out of here, this place is ours.”
    Mel found a way to smile. “I thought you dreamed of walking away from this place.”
    â€œI’ll walk away because I want to, not because some bastard takes over.”
    That was Dimi. Stubborn to a beautiful fault.
    â€œUnfortunately, he’s not going anywhere. At least not until he talks to Sally.”
    â€œBut that’s not going to happen. We can’t—”
    â€œWe have to.”
    They stared at each other for a long, uncomfortable beat.
    â€œYou really think you can con a con?” Dimi finally whispered.
    â€œWe have to,” Mel repeated.
    Dimi leaned close. “You and I both know, he’s the son of the very best, he’s—”
    â€œYeah.” Mel hopped off the desk and tossed back her shoulders and the stray strands of hair from her face. “I know what he is. Now let’s find out what he isn’t.”
    â€œMel.”
    â€œWish me luck.”
    â€œLuck. You’re going to need it.” Dimi jumped up and hugged her hard, then pulled back, hands on Mel’s face. “We’re bad. We’re tough. We own our world.”
    Mel found a smile. It was their old motto, from when they’d been young, scared, and on their own. They were still on their own, but not so young.
    And maybe only a little scared.
    â€œDo whatever you have to,” Dimi said quietly. “Just get him out of here.”
    Yeah.
    Whatever she had to…
    At the thought of what that might entail, goose bumps rose on Mel’s skin, and not necessarily the bad kind.

Chapter 3
    M el headed across the lobby, mind occupied by her singular mission: Get rid of Bo Black .
    She passed by the café. Charlene stood behind the counter, scrubbing down the scarred tile, singing along to Metallica. “Mel!” she cried, gesturing her close, looking around them before whispering conspiratorially, “So?”
    â€œSo…what?”
    â€œWho’s the cutie? A business meeting? New client? Old friend?” She drawled out this last word in her Southern voice, making the word ten syllables.
    â€œUh…yeah. Sort of.”
    â€œSort of which?”
    â€œOh, hey…” Desperate subject change. “Did Ernest get the oven going yet?”
    â€œNo, not yet.” Char bit her lip and looked at the oven, effectively sidetracked. The café was hers and Al’s livelihood, at least until he sold more paintings, and since their kids had left last year, the café was also her baby. Char would have rather put her energy into another real-live baby, but Al had talked her out of that insanity. “Ernest just left to go get a part. So, about the guy—”
    â€œYeah, I’ve got a call—” She began to walk. Fast.
    â€œI need my gossip fix!” Char called after her. “You know I do!”
    Mel loved Char, but telling the woman anything was the equivalent of broadcasting it to the entire world. Following the path Bo had taken, Mel entered the long hallway off the lobby.
    The first office was hers. She just knew he was in there, waiting for round two. For a moment she stood outside the door, drawing in a deep, calming breath, which didn’t tame the butterflies suddenly leaping like crazy in her stomach.
    So long. It’d been so long since she’d had to face any of this.
    Or him.
    Lifting her chin high—a habit she’d adopted to make her feel taller—she