Bed of Lies Read Online Free PDF Page A

seemed subdued in the daylight, almost grave in her state of undress. But at night , when all the lights of the casino came on, reflecting on the lake below like a never-ending fireworks display, she glowed with inner beauty. A magnificent spectacle that was still a regular Gold Coast draw twenty years on.
    A familiar line of hotels, shops and restaurants flanked busy Surfers Paradise Boulevard as they crawled along with the rest of the traffic, the pungent smell of exhaust fumes mingling with the familiar saltiness of the Pacific Ocean a few hundred feet away.
    She chanced another glance at Luke—deep in thought—and set her mouth in a grim line.
    “Why are you getting involved in this, anyway? Don’t you have an army of lawyers to do all the legwork?”
    The unspoken mistrust hovered, warm and cloying, until he pulled into a parking space across from Cavill Mall.
    He switched off the engine and turned to face her.
    “For whatever reason, Gino Corelli gave me that house. So—”
    “Wait, what? Gino Corelli? He’s your uncle?” Shock slammed into Beth, choking her breath. She tried to swallow but failed. “The owner of Aphrodite’s? The one who’s just been under investigation from the gaming commission?”
    “Yeah, so?”
    At his confused expression, she slumped back in her seat and stared blankly ahead. “Gino Corelli,” she repeated slowly. “So you’re…he’s… My God! You…you… You were in my home…using my toaster!”
    His black frown loomed like storm-filled clouds. “I thought you knew who I was!”
    “ You, yes. Not who your uncle is… was . I…” The words caught in her throat as his expression iced over.
    “The press are wrong. The commission didn’t have enough evidence to bring to the Director of Public Prosecutions,” he returned tightly.
    Beth scrambled out of the car, desperate to dislodge the sour taste in her mouth. What on earth was she in the middle of?
    Luke rounded the hood and came toward her.
    “You just keep your distance!” she ordered. The brief newsflashes she’d been unable to avoid burst in her mind, robbing her of coherent thought. “Corelli’s a crime boss who laundered money and was bribing the cops and…” She scrambled for further details but it was futile. All that stood out was something about insider trading—and Luke worked for one of the largest merchant banks in Australia.
    “ Allegedly bribing the cops. Allegedly laundering money.” His eyes went stony, his expression grim. A wall of self-protection to hide the blow she’d unthinkingly dealt him. “One disgruntled employee with an ax to grind, and the mighty press finishes the job. And for the record, Ms. Jones, the case was eventually thrown out and I was never formally named. They didn’t splash that on the front page though, did they?” He spun on his heel and strode across the road.
    His words struck Beth like a slap. A wave of shame immediately followed, burning her cheeks as surely as if he’d landed the blow.
    She had hurt him. She’d never willingly hurt anyone, yet she’d blurted out those accusations without a thought as to Luke’s innocence.
    A small groan of dismay escaped as she recalled the scant details. More important, she remembered the overwhelming rush of sympathy she’d felt for Luke De Rossi right before she’d clicked off the TV in frustration. She had avoided the news since then and frankly, the absence of hearsay, rumor and half-truths was wonderfully liberating.
    So why was she so willing to believe in Luke’s guilt now?
    That thought propelled her into action. She dashed across the street to where Luke was impatiently waiting, his eyes hidden by sunglasses.
    “Look, I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I overreacted. I…” She shrugged, at a loss for words. “It’s not exactly been a normal day for me, okay?”
    He sighed, as if suddenly tired of arguing. “Yeah. Me neither. So let’s just focus on clearing up this mess.”
    Then he turned and Beth