The Lost Tycoon Read Online Free PDF Page A

twenty-five to life.”
    “You’re good at your job, aren’t you?”
    “Very good.” This was an area he was sure of — there weren’t any blurred lines. The people were either guilty or not. He’d never found a criminal dealing tons of cocaine who had a valid excuse for breaking the law.
    “Obviously, then, you enjoy your job,” she said, her shoulders loosening up just a bit as she let go of her hold on her knees. She crossed her legs and began to run her fingers through her hair; fiddling with it seemed to calm her.
    “I love my job. It doesn’t get much better than stopping the bad guys.”
    “I can see you’re also rather humble,” she said, her first hint at a joke. This was progress!
    “Yeah, in my line of work, humility is a must,” he said, his lips turning up in a blinding grin.
    “I remember when I was so impressed with anyone who worked on the so-called right side of the law,” she told him with a bitter sigh. “That was before I learned how the world really works.”
    That knocked him down a peg or two, and his smile faltered. “And how is that, Misty?”
    “It isn’t the good guys and the bad. There are only those with power — some with too much power. The more they get, the more they want. The more they need. I used to think that when you put on a uniform, strapped on that gun belt and held that badge, it meant you were someone people should look up to. Now I know that’s not always the case. Don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of men and women who know the sanctity of that uniform, but there are also a lot who use it to get whatever they think they deserve.”
    “I couldn’t agree with you more, Misty. There are a lot of rotten men and women out there. That’s why I need your help to keep one of them off the streets. If we lock Jesse up, he can’t hurt you, and he can’t hurt anyone else either, ever again.”
    “Do you really believe that?”
    “With my entire being.”
    “How did you find me?”
    Ah. Her question revealed that he was getting somewhere. She wasn’t denying that she was Misty. Finally.
    “It wasn’t easy. Took me a long time, but persistence pays off.”
    “That wasn’t an answer. I mean, how did you find me ? How did you know who I was?”
    “I shouldn’t divulge my secrets…” he began, but as the shutters began closing over her eyes, he decided to give her this one. “Another agent came in and had lunch at the place you were employed. You were working the counter. Though your disguise is good, we’re trained to see past the mask of makeup, the makeshift disguises, and see who is behind it all. He had a good feeling it was you. When he snuck a picture and sent it to me, I knew.”
    “It was that simple?” Her shoulders slipped, and she stopped combing her hair.
    “Hey. It’s been almost a year since you disappeared off the face of the planet. I wouldn’t exactly call that simple. I’ve had your picture on my wall that entire time, so I would hope that I could recognize you.”
    She waited. He hadn’t asked her another question. Those green eyes looked somewhere over his shoulder, and he knew she’d rather be any other place than sitting in this room with him. It was time to drop the “good cop” role.
    “Are you seeing anyone, Ms. Elton?” Where in the hell had that question come from? It hadn’t been what he’d been expecting to say. Her personal life was none of his business, and it certainly had no impact on the case in any way.
    “I… What does that matter?” she asked, but he just looked back at her, his expression impassive as he waited for her answer. “No,” she finally murmured.
    Good. He didn’t know why that pleased him — she was a witness, dammit. It would be breaking every sort of ethical rule he knew even to consider asking her out. He’d known the moment he’d asked that question that he was crossing a line. He should have retracted it. But he’d be showing her a chink in his armor, and that wasn’t a