Perfect Victim, The Read Online Free PDF Page B

jerk like Talbot. .
     
    Gretchen was right . There were shady private investigation firms out there just waiting for the unsuspecting client to happen by . The thought made her feel gullible and she hated it . Next time, she ' d be more cautious .
     
    It took every ounce of control she possessed not to slam the door behind her when she entered the shop through the alley. She stood in the storage room for a full minute, shaking , trying to get her pulse rate down so she could face Gretchen. It wouldn't do her a bit of good to bite her friend's head off, then face her lunch customers when she couldn't even muster a smile .
     
    A moment later, the door swung open and Gretchen ap proached her with a tray containing a cup of coffee, a powdered scone, and the cordless telephone. "I thought I heard the bell." She set the tray atop a small stool. "How did your meeting go?"
     
    Addison reached for the scone and coffee simultaneously, ignoring the phone. "Let's just say he wasn't Tom Selleck in a Hawaiian shirt."
     
    ''That bad, huh?"
     
    She bit into the scone. "Unscrupulous doesn't begin to cover it."
     
    "Oh, my." Frowning, Gretchen looked down at the phone. "You can tell me all about it after you take this call."
     
    The scone stopped in midair. "Who is it?" Addison asked suspiciously. If it was Talbot, she would simply excuse herself, step out into the alley, and let loose with the long string of expletives she'd thought up during her walk back to the shop.
     
    "It's Jim Bernstein."
     
    Addison's stomach tightened. Her attorney never called unless it was important. Unwittingly, she'd stepped back on the emotional roller coaster, she realized. She told herself it was probably nothing. It was her way of mentally bracing. If she didn't get her hopes up, she couldn't be disappointed.
     
    She reached for the phone. "Hello, Jim."
     
    "Are you sitting down?" he asked.
     
    Her heart stuttered. "Have you found something?"
     
    "You might say that. I've located your birth mother."
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 3
     
     
     
    Jim Bernstein’s office was a short distance from the shop in an affluent section of lower downtown, nestled among upscale cafes, trendy shops, and tastefully refurbished warehouses. Needing the time to gather her thoughts, Addison decided to walk.
     
    After nine months of searching, she would finally know the identity of her birth mother . For the first time since she began her search, she found herself facing questions she hadn't yet considered . How would she approach this woman who was little more than a stranger? Would her birth mother welcome her with open arms? Or would she turn Addison away at the door?
     
    She ruminated the questions as she walked. By the time she entered the reception area of the law office, she was trembling. She'd looked forward to this moment for so long, she hadn't paused to think about what would transpire after this climax . With the end of her search finally in sight, she could only wonder what kind of relationship she would share with the woman who'd given birth to her .
     
    Jim Bernstein strode into the reception area and welcomed her into one of his uncomfortably tight bear hugs. "Addie, you're lovelier every time I see you."
     
    His warmth eased her nervousness. “Thank you for seeing me."
     
    He was a large man with a voice like a foghorn and the personality of a bull terrier. "Did you see Jack Talbot this morning?"
     
    Addison thought of her disastrous meeting with Randall Talbot and wondered how Jim had managed to hook up with such a loser. "You should keep better company, Jim."
     
    His brows furrowed. "Jack Talbot's top shelf."
     
    "I saw his brother, actually." She hoped Jim didn't notice the hot blush she felt on her cheeks.
     
    "I didn't know Jack had a brother."
     
    "He probably wishes he didn't," she said wryly.
     
    "I'm sorry if I put you in an uncomfortable position."
     
    "It's okay. I didn't hire him."
     
    With a shrug, he said,