Southern Spirits Read Online Free PDF Page B

overlooking the ocean, as classical music played in the background.
    He wore a plain black shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, and charcoal trousers. ‘Not what you expected?’
    She glanced back suddenly, catching him staring at her rear. ‘I expected buffalo heads and Confederate flags.’
    â€˜I’m from Texas; they weren’t part of the Confederacy. And my ex-wife got the buffalo heads in the divorce.’ He reached out and tentatively touched her arm. ‘Want to take a seat? Don’t know about you, but I’m starving.’
    Cat had brought the Wheeler file with her, but she set it down on a desk and sat down at the table, smirking at what was on offer. ‘Oysters?’
    He sat down and reached for a bottle of Merlot. ‘Scalloped oysters in cream sauce.’ At her expression, he asked, ‘Don’t tell me you had it for lunch?’
    â€˜No, but . . . oysters ? Not very subtle. I’m surprised you don’t have avocado slices and truffles, if you wanted to stuff me with aphrodisiacs.’
    He smiled. ‘Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. I remember you hogging this dish when we all went out to the tapas bar for Adcock’s farewell.’ He leant in conspiratorially. ‘You know, they’re made for sharing.’
    â€˜Not when I’m around.’
    Nathan poured the wine. ‘Tell me about yourself, Catalina.’ At her expression, he explained, ‘We’ll need to know about each other for our cover.’
    That made sense; much of their individual cover stories were better based on truth, to avoid slip-ups. Still . . . ‘For a start, people only call me Catalina when they’re trying to scold me or bed me. Don’t try either.’
    â€˜Heaven forfend.’
    â€˜Besides, I told you everything about me on the night of the Christmas Incident. How soon they forget, once they’ve had their fuck.’
    â€˜Refresh my memory.’
    â€˜OK. I was born in Orlando. My mother’s a soap actress andmy father works in the local DA’s office, but mostly my grandfather, who missed being a fisherman in Cuba, raised me. He taught me to swear, the best thing he ever did. I graduated from Florida U, spent six years in the accounting department of Petrox Chemicals, then two more with Miami PD. From there I enrolled in the CI division of the IRS. And the rest, as they say . . .’
    â€˜There must be more to you than your parents and career. Any siblings? Pets? Hobbies? Boyfriends? Girlfriends ?’
    She rolled her eyes. ‘No siblings. No pets. No hobbies. As for boyfriends or girlfriends . . . there’s just you now.’
    â€˜Well, yes, that’s our cover, but what about in real life?’
    She looked away, stared out at the ocean, darkening with the encroaching night, lit with salmon streaks. ‘There was a boyfriend. We split up a week ago.’
    â€˜Sorry to hear that.’
    She looked back. ‘Don’t be. He was a serial fraudster who used my details. I found out about it, had a last decent fuck with him and then dumped him.’ At his expression she elaborated, ‘Hey, Cliff was good at it. Just bad at everything else.’
    He pursed his lips and nodded, ate some more food and, after another moment’s silence between them, announced dryly, ‘Thanks for asking about me. I grew up in –’
    â€˜Madisonville, Texas,’ she finished. ‘You have four sisters, all older than yourself, all of whom used to pick on you mercilessly, but you feel it was worth it as you ended up learning a lot about women, although you still ended up divorced two years ago. After college, you worked with the FBI for four years before moving into Internal Revenue. People think you got the nickname “Hound” from your prowess in the bedroom, but in fact it came from your allegedly uncanny dog impressions . . .’
    â€˜Whoa,’ he breathed out, looking stunned. ‘Is there