Justifiable Homicide: A Political Thriller (Robert Paige Thrillers Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

fine.”
    “Cushy job, Bob. Are you sure you’re a full-time professor?”
    “The university thinks so. Let’s not tell them any different.”
    “I’ll keep your little secret. How does Wednesday sound? We can meet for lunch.”
    “Sure. Which office will you be at on Wednesday?”
    “Actually, I’d prefer not to meet you at any office. This isn’t exactly going to be a Commerce Department discussion, if you know what I mean. How about the Rusty Pelican on the Rickenbacker Causeway? I like the panorama of Biscayne Bay from there. I’ll make a reservation for noon. Maybe we can get a table with a nice view.”
    “I think all the tables there have a nice view, don’t they?”
    “Yeah, probably. It’s nice to see that you’re helping me spend taxpayer dollars efficiently.”
    “I do what I can. See you Wednesday.”
    Paige slid the phone back in his pocket and gave Sveta his “everything is fine” smile. He behaved normally, as though it were just a regular phone call.
    “Who was that?”
    “John Wellington. You remember him, right? My former MBA student who works for the Commerce Department. He has a consulting assignment for me.”
    “Yes, I remember him. Let’s go to bed, honey. I want to cuddle.”
    Actually, she wanted to do more than cuddle, and so did he. After she had fallen asleep, he lay awake, forearm slung over his forehead, replaying the conversation he’d had with Wellington. Something in the tone of John’s voice told him it wasn’t a regular assignment.
    That bothered him.

10
    8:30 a.m.
    Saint Frances University
     
    Paige stood in front of his office door, flipping for the key. He felt tired just thinking about the long day ahead—two morning classes and an MBA class at night, with a lot of paper shuffling and meetings filling up the time in between. He’d work from nine in the morning until nine tonight. Then he’d be off until Saturday.
    He used to work like that every day when he was a tax attorney in Manhattan. Paige smirked whenever he thought of his university schedule. Compared to his old Manhattan job, he was practically retired. Mentally, he divided his university salary by the number of hours he worked. On an hourly basis, he made more as a professor than he had as a tax attorney.
    He pushed open the door and pocketed the key. A manila envelope lay at his feet. He picked it up, sat down, and opened it.
    Out fell a folded piece of printer paper … and a photo of him and Sveta from last night, standing on her balcony.
    Warily, he unfolded the paper. “Bad things will happen to you and your Russian slut if you keep asking questions about Raul Rodriguez. We can fill two new coffins if you like. Your choice.”
    A sudden chill ran up his back, causing him to jerk.
    No one had ever threatened him before. He had felt fear as a kid from an occasional schoolyard bully, but his feelings at this moment were far more intense. His life had never been on the line before, and now Sveta’s life also hung in the balance.
    Maybe I should drop the Rodriguez probe. It just wasn’t worth it. I don’t want to put Sveta in harm’s way.
    He looked at the printout and photo again. Then became angry.
    He never walked away from anything in his life before. He wasn’t going to do it now. He decided to get the bastards.
    The only problem was, he didn’t know who they were.
    He could keep asking questions about Rodriguez. If he did, they would come to him for sure. He wouldn’t have to try to find them. But they would probably go after Sveta first. She was an easier target, and he wouldn’t be able to protect her. There was no simple solution.
    He couldn’t warn Sveta. She wouldn’t be able to take the news calmly. It would only make things worse.
    He couldn’t take the note and photo to the FBI. That would put him on their radar screen. They could possibly threaten to arrest him for interfering with a federal investigation, which would mean he would have two threats to deal with instead of