High Tide Read Online Free PDF Page A

you out of your mind?” Fiona said, her anger instantly at the boiling point. “I saved your worthless
life.”
    â€œFrom what? Death by plastic? Look, lady, I don’t know why you came here, but I want you to leave
now.”
    â€œFor your information, not that it’s any of your business, I’m meeting someone. Are you killing that bird?”
    He dropped the bird, and it went running into the plants. “And who would you be meeting?”
    â€œRoy Hudson,” she said, and hoped with all her might that Hudson owned this place so she could do what she could to get this creep fired. “And Ace.”
    â€œAce?” the man said, his face softening.
    Now she had him. Maybe Ace would beat him up. “Yes Ace. He and Roy are meeting me, and we’re going fishing.”
    â€œReally. So what are you doing here? Planning to use the cormorants?”
    At that she could only blink at him. Was that a private Florida joke?
    â€œYou are certainly dressed for fishing,” he said, looking her up and down.
    She badly wanted to zap him with a put-down that would set him on his ear. “At least today you’re wearing something other than a set of teeth.” At that retort, which made no real sense, she happened to look at his shirt. Embroidered on the pocket was, Ace, Kendrick Park.
    â€œThat’s it,” she said, then threw up her hands and started walking back to the entrance. “I have had it. I have reached the limit of my endurance. I am going back to New York where people are
safe.”
    â€œFiona,” came another voice from behind her, this one older and friendly, but she didn’t stop walking toward the entrance.
    â€œHoney, I’d recognize you anywhere,” the man said as he caught her arm and prevented her from moving.
    â€œLet me guess,” she said with heavy sarcasm. “Roy Hudson.”
    â€œRight you are, little lady. Now come over here and meet the rest of the crew.”
    Roy Hudson was in his early sixties and looked to be as cuddly as Winnie the Pooh, whom he somewhat resembled. Fiona felt like asking him if he had a penchant for honey and a friend who loved to bounce.
    â€œThis is Ace Montgomery, and he owns this little ol’ place.”
    â€œAnd he deserves every square inch of it,” Fiona said as she smiled across Roy’s outstretched hand into the eyes of the owner of the dilapidated Kendrick Park. But she didn’t extend her hand to shake Ace’s.
    â€œWe’ve met,” Ace said, his upper lip curled into a sneer as he again looked Fiona up and down. “Miss Burkenhalter and I had a … a confrontation at the airport.”
    â€œHow wonderful,” Roy said, then slapped Fiona on the back so hard she nearly fell forward onto Ace. “You all ready to go? I gotta car waitin’, and the boat’s all packed.”
    â€œMr. Hudson,” Fiona said firmly. “I think there’s been a mistake. I know that you talked to Garrett about me and that you requested me, but I really don’t know anything about the merchandising of action figures. Or stuffed animals or whatever it is you want to sell. And I also don’t know anything about fishing. So, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll excuse myself from this excursion and return to town.”
    Putting her hand into the outside pocket of her backpack, she pulled out her cell phone. Truthfully, she was dying to tell The Five that she’d been right: Ace was gorgeousbeyond belief: black hair, black eyes, a body … And he was as big a loser as she’d predicted, she thought as she glanced back at the crumbling gift shop.
    As she lifted her finger to push the buttons, she looked at Ace. “Don’t worry, it’s real, not a plastic fake.”
    Before Ace could reply to that gibe, Roy started laughing. “That must have been some meetin’ the two of you had yesterday. But we got days for you two to tell