Shadows to Light (Shadows of Justice 5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

the desk didn't fit the stereotype that came to mind when she thought of a receptionist. Barrel-chested and sporting a skeptical expression he looked better suited to bouncing rowdy patrons out of a bar. "He's expecting you."
    Too bad she didn't know what to expect. The smuggler she was about to meet had the worst reputation in Chicago, but no one knew what he looked like. Even she had occasionally wondered if he was just a rumor.
    "Come on in, Mira." The voice was friendly enough, but she took a calming breath anyway. Mustering her confidence, she pushed open the door.
    "Welcome." The man stood and motioned her inside. "Close the door, please."
    She did. Tall and lean, with a flawlessly handsome face, he didn't look all that intimidating at first glance, but Mira suspected there was plenty beneath the surface.
    "You're Slick Micky?"
    "God, I hope so," he answered with a wry grin. "How are you feeling?"
    "Fine."
    "Have a seat, please." Micky motioned to the chair facing his desk and once more Mira obeyed. "Coffee?"
    "No, I think I've had enough."
    He grinned. "That happens when you drink the good stuff. You're wondering why you ended up here."
    "Yes." Mira perched at the edge of her seat, her posture perfect, hands folded in her lap, the shopping bag on the floor at her feet. She got the sense that this meeting was just as important to her future as the judgment of the Five.
    "I was asked to get you out of harm's way. This is the safest place I control."
    There had to be more to it. "At what price?"
    "Negotiations have been made, of course."
    "Isn't it a lot to expect I'll just fall in line with whatever someone else promised you?"
    "What I expect is that we'll come to terms." Micky leaned back in his seat as if he could care less about the outcome of their discussion. "Do you have any idea who arranged for you to be under my protection?"
    She shook her head. The only person from her community who would care was her mother, but she couldn't imagine how Chicago's top smuggler fit in with steady, never-buck-the-system Lydia.
    "I won't ask you to do anything you aren't comfortable with. I really just need you to do what you've been doing."
    She didn't bother protesting what he did or didn't know about her professional activities. "How long am I indebted to you?"
    "'Indebted' isn't a term I'd use in this case. Bringing you here was a separate negotiation, services were implied but not promised. I'd like to discuss your options. I believe we can come to terms."
    Mira didn't believe the terms would be favorable. For her.
    "You're suspicious. I understand, but you're not alone. There are people willing to assist you. This is my offer. There's a little bistro in the financial district. I think you could be helpful there."
    Mira waited, but Micky didn't seem inclined to say more. "Helpful how?"
    "I'm not asking you to wait tables, Mira. Think of it as a place people could visit you if they were in need of medical assistance."
    "Customers at this bistro have frequent health problems?"
    Micky chuckled. "You'd be surprised what goes on in the financial district." He reached down and pulled up her black bag from the floor. "Honestly, I'd like to keep you right here. A supernatural healer would be a real bonus."
    "I'm sure." Irritation sparked. "You could use it in all your recruiting brochures."
    "Mira, you're a cynical woman, but I'll blame it on the difficulty you're facing."
    She wanted to rail, to release all the fury and frustration bubbling inside, but she couldn't, wouldn't expose herself that way. She wasn't cynical, not really, but she wasn't about to explain her innermost philosophy to a smuggler.
    "I know you have other things on your mind. I'm offering you a safe place at the bistro until you move on."
    "Move on?"
    He didn't respond or give her a chance to ask more questions. He just pushed the black bag, key and the contact lens box across the desk to her. "Take your things. Jim will arrange for transport to the bistro if