Tell Me No Lies Read Online Free PDF

governor was there, shaking hands, surrounded by several aides in conservative suits. And in the midst of it all stood the mysterious A. J. Baker.
    Hank paused to watch her, compelled by something he couldn't name a shimmer of hair, the curve of a shoulder. He'd always had a soft spot for self-assured women, from his mother on down. Even his wife, who'd been so self-assured she'd ultimately discovered no need for him, was someone he remembered with fondness, if not regret. Alexandra Jane seemed stamped from a similar mold, but right now more sensual, her head bent to hear something the governor said, then thrown back in a laugh, the light gleaming off her silvery dress.
    A tall, thin man stood on the other side of her. He wore a smooth black jacket and a black turtleneck that draped his slender torso like silk. The effect was high fashion, not informal, the trendy look completed by a thick head of long, silver-gray hair dramatically swept back from his forehead, the light hair a contrast to. heavy black brows. In another situation, Hank might have pegged him as an artist or a thug trying to look like one but Hank knew who he was from the long media coverage of Renaissance Oil. Miki Petrov. One arm wrapped around Miss Baker's shoulders.
    She looked up at Petrov, the angle calculated to set off her face to its best advantage. Hank saw Petrov fall for it.
    Interesting. Something going on there, below the surface.
    Were they lovers?
    They made a dramatic picture, Petrov's darkness against her frosty glimmer. Dramatic but unsettling since Petrov was old enough to be her father.
    Not that Miss Baker's sex life was any of his business.
    Without warning, she glanced toward him, and he ducked behind a wall. He wasn't eager to reveal his presence, especially after telling her he wouldn't be (here tonight. Besides, he hadn't come to see her, not really. He'd come to check out that photo.
    He scanned the layout, picked a direction, and saw the mayor of Sokanan approaching. Damn.
    "Hank!"
    Too late to run, too late to hide.
    Benton Bonner dashed up, his crisp navy suit, ocean blue shirt, and red tie the perfect political costume. And from the look on his face, he was as surprised to see Hank as everyone else.
    "Hey, Ben."
    Ben frowned. "What are you up to? Mom said you weren't working the party. What's going on?"
    Hank repressed the flash of irritation his older brother always seemed to arouse. "Nothing."
    "Then why aren't you home with Mom and the kids?"
    The irritation deepened. "Last time I looked, I didn't have to answer to you, mayor or no."
    Ben's face reddened, and a tiny bolt of guilt jabbed Hank. No matter how annoying Ben got, he'd never pulled rank.
    "I just meant "
    "I know what you meant."
    Ben drew in a sharp breath. "Look, can't we even say hello anymore?"
    Hank shrugged, "Doesn't look like it."
    "You know, if Mom sold the farm, she and the kids could move into a normal house, a place she could take care of. Then you wouldn't have to "
    "She's not selling, and you damn well know it." Hank gritted his teeth, knowing the argument chapter and verse. "That place has been in Dad's family for two hundred years."
    "Well, Dad is gone, and two centuries is long enough. Look, she can't make it anymore. You know it, I know it. There's cutthroat competition on the wholesale level and cheap imports flooding the market. What our workers earn in an hour is a week's salary to the Chinese. No one can match their price. And you can't make a living selling apples to tourists."
    "Ben " He clamped down on angry words and, shaking his head, tried to walk away. But Ben grabbed his arm, swinging him into a corner.
    "If you'd just let me show you the figures. Land around here is going to boom in light of this oil deal. I've already talked to several developers. She'll never get a better price. Hank, it will be a small fortune. More than enough to set her up carefree for the rest of her life."
    "I don't have time for this, Ben."
    As usual, Ben was