The Artful Goddaughter Read Online Free PDF

dress that showed off curves, of course.
    I didn’t hate Joey. He was okay, in a “quiet thug” sort of way. At one time, he had a crush on me and tried to get Aunt Vera to set us up. Not happening. Even so, it’s hard to hate a guy who thinks you’re hot.
    But I had no love for the other two bozos from the Bronx.
    Bertoni looked suitably greasy for the occasion. I could do without him. Forever. Carmine the Weasel just sniffed. His face was as pointy as I remembered.
    All three were in stark black suits. They looked uncomfortable, like penguins at a hot-tub party. Joey kept fingering the collar around his neck.
    â€œYou boys leave your heaters at the door?” I said. I practically growled it.
    â€œBehave yourself.” Pete whacked my butt. For some reason, the cousins liked Pete, and vice versa. This was one factor not in his favor.
    â€œBig Sally couldn’t make it,” Joey said. “He was ‘otherwise detained.’” Joey made quotation marks with his fingers.
    I gasped. “The hospital or the clinker?”
    â€œNeither. The wife caught him with a hooker.”
    Yikes!
    Luca shook his head knowingly. “Will he live?”
    â€œShe wouldn’t let him die. That’s too easy,” said Joey. “But he won’t be popping the weasel anytime soon.”
    Bertoni shivered. Big Sally’s wife was related to Aunt Miriam. Believe me, this was a whole new level of scary. You think the men in our family are dangerous…
    â€œWe’re representing the New York branch,” Carmine added. “On account of Seb being well regarded.”
    I raised an eyebrow. What had Seb been doing for Big Sally and the New York branch of the family?
    â€œHeard you inherited a bundle,” Joey said to me.
    I turned my head to search his eyes. How much did Joey know about the terms of my inheritance? Did he know what would happen if I didn’t come through?
    I was about to respond with a question when heads turned. Abruptly, the boys were at attention. Vince? Nope. I had to grin.
    â€œSo which of you handsome men will buy me a drink?” Lainy McSwain sashayed up and hung an arm around Joey’s shoulder. She didn’t even have to reach up far. He blushed bright red.
    Everyone in the western world has heard of her, of course. She’s the Lainy in Lainy McSwain and the Lonesome Doves, the hottest new country group north of the Mexican border. She’s also six feet tall, stacked like Dolly, and one hell of a nice gal.
    Oh, and my best friend.
    â€œHi, Swainy,” said Carmine, tongue-tied as usual when in her company.
    Pete snorted.
    â€œYou behaving yourself, honey?” She directed this at Carmine, who nodded vigorously.
    She pointed a long manicured fingernail at him. “No more funny business switching good rocks for bad, right?”
    Carmine had turned into a bobblehead.
    Lainy might make merry, but I was less likely to forgive him. Carmine the rat had nearly cooked my goose when he was babysitting my store a while back. It isn’t nice to swindle my very best customers. I had a heck of a time getting back all the fake gems and replacing them with real ones before anyone noticed. (Hence the Lone Rearranger burglaries of last month.)
    Then I had to go to New York and collect the real stones Carmine had taken from me. Aunt Miriam gave me a little help there, in her special way.
    I’d recovered the stones. But Carmine would always be a weasel in my eyes. I had yet to dream up a really good plan for revenge.
    Gee, I guess that sounds a tad vindictive.
    Lainy was clad in a country-singer-meets-Morticia dream of a dress. Draped black jersey clung to every curve. It showed everything and nothing, if you get my drift. It really set off her big red hair. She turned to me.
    â€œHey, girlfriend,” she said. “When are we hitting the stores for your wedding togs?”
    I grinned. “How about Monday?” I said. “After