The Sweetheart Racket Read Online Free PDF Page A

her eyes darkened, and she released the pen. Then she dropped back in the chair with a touch of casual arrogance. Tough girl was back.
    â€œWhy don’t you cut the crap and tell me what’s really going on here, Mr. Silva.”
    The corner of his mouth twitched. “Damn. You’re good.”
    â€œI’ve been a PI for two years and a student of life for many years before that. I seldom get conned. And if I do, I discover it quickly and make corrections.” Her eyes skimmed over the tattoo on his bicep. “You talk like a felon, you dress like a felon, but you don’t have the look of a felon.”
    â€œAnd what look is that?”
    â€œA hard hopelessness in your eyes.” She rolled the pen on the desk. “Besides, five years in prison barely covers dognapping. Unless you escaped over the wall, this is BS.”
    Following her lead, he rocked back in the chair and locked onto her stare. She didn’t twitch. Taryn Hall was one sexy piece of work. Suddenly, he couldn’t wait to dig into this investigation with her. She was smart and confident and would look damn good on the back of his bike.
    â€œI’m a special agent with the DEA.” This got her attention. He retrieved his wallet and flipped it open to his ID. “I spent the last five years working a drug case that spanned several countries.”
    He waited for her to absorb the information and continued. “I did spend time in prison, as part of my cover as drug thug Richard DaSilva, but only during the day and just enough to be seen by the other inmates to establish my cover. The rest was spent in ‘solitary confinement.’ I was snuck in and out of the prison at night.”
    â€œThat’s why you didn’t know about your mother.”
    He nodded. “That, and I worked in Los Angeles, while she’s in Indiana. Our phone calls were brief and months apart. I knew she’d been online dating, and warned her about cyber safety, but Teddy Brinkman duped her anyway.” He reached for the note pad and pen. “My brother is in the Marines overseas and my sister lives out of state, so Mom was lonely. She was a perfect mark.”
    As he took the pen from her, their fingers touched. Heat washed up his arm. Her breath caught. She extracted her hand.
    Damn. She had soft hands. The rest of her was likely just as soft. Her full mouth looked intriguing, the kind of mouth that would make men beg for a kiss, and she had the kind of body he’d never tire of exploring.
    Rick felt a stir in his boxer briefs. Shit. He hadn’t been this attracted to a woman in years. If he didn’t get control, she’d be a distraction he didn’t need.
    He’d already failed his mother. It was time to make her a priority.
    Still, he didn’t have the time or energy to find someone else to work the case. And for a new company, Brash & Brazen, Inc. had a reputation for being the best. No, he’d just have to deal with Taryn and keep things professional. It couldn’t be that tough.
    Focusing, he wrote down the information she’d need to get the case going. Although he’d told her that he wouldn’t harm Brinkman, he wasn’t sure there wouldn’t be any neck wringing once they found the bastard. Maybe not enough to kill him; just enough to leave permanent fingerprints that he’d see every morning when he shaved. Mom deserved her pound of flesh.
    â€œHere’s the link to my online file. Everything I know about the man and the case is there,” he said. “But don’t expect much. Brinkman has more aliases than wives.”
    Taryn crossed her arms and fell silent. She rocked back and forth in her wheeled office chair as if running everything through her mind.
    â€œDon’t you have the full weight of government resources at your disposal? Why do you need me?”
    Silva shrugged. “Two reasons. One, the agency frowns on using their ‘resources’