Vortex (SAI Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

with Ronnie to the office today. You missed seeing your favorite player.”
    Grady turned in his chair and shrugged. “Carly told me already. I wish he was still playing. My team needs him. I think he retired too early.”
    “That may be true, but you have to admire the guy for knowing when it was time to let someone else have a chance. The young kid that SF has now is doing okay.”
    “Okay doesn’t take you to the championship game,” Grady grunted.
    Joel grabbed a beer out of the fridge as well as a couple of steaks and flipped on his indoor grill. “Tell me about the case you’re on.” He walked around the counter, slid into a chair, and studied his friend.
    “I’ve only been on it for a couple of days, and I still don’t have a complete picture. I’m working with the daughter of the owner of the trucking company. She runs the show for the most part, and she’s working her ass off to make sure that everyone thinks she’s capable.”
    “Is she capable?” Joel asked.
    “Yeah, definitely. She is smart, tenacious, and fucking beautiful. We irritate the crap out of one another. I can’t tell if it’s because we’re so much alike or because we’re attracted to each another. If we don’t kill one another, then we’re probably going to end up married.”
    Letting out a bark of laughter, Joel tipped back in his chair. “Well, at least it won’t be boring.”
    “I don’t know why you think it’s so funny. You have the same thing with Vivi. I’ve seen the two of you together, and there are sparks flying as you guys trade insults.”
    Standing slowly, Joel felt his muscles tense. “I don’t know why everyone thinks she’s so sweet. All I get from her is disapproval.” He walked over to the counter and started preparing the steaks for the grill. The way he was slamming the salt and pepper on the counter might be an indication of how much Vivi DuMond affected him. Whether he admitted it or not.
    “You’re always giving her a hard time and snarling at her while your eyes undress her. No wonder she behaves the way she does.”
    He ignored Grady and decided to change the subject. There was no way that he wanted to discuss his mixed-up feelings for the doctor. “Tell me why you think the theft of the cargo and what’s happening with Vivi’s clinic is connected.” Joel put the steaks on the grill, and the scent filled the kitchen.
    “Prescription drug theft is on the rise. It’s happening at small clinics, drug stores, and doctor’s offices all across the country. Now warehouses are being targeted as well as trucking companies that transport the drugs. The group of people who are targeting the trucking company are into some serious shit. My contact at the DEA is suggesting that large sophisticated crime syndicates are behind the heists. It’s not a group of local thugs who are pulling off the major thefts. When Carly told me that Vivi’s clinic has been targeted, it made me realize that something big is happening. All I have right now is a bunch of puzzle pieces, and I don’t know how they fit together yet.”
    Pulling potato salad out of the fridge, Joel contemplated how much danger Vivi was in. The picture that was starting to form made him realize it was graver than he initially thought. “I’m heading up there tomorrow with Dane and Ben. Let’s stay in contact, and hopefully we can solve the case before the body count becomes too high.”
    “Agreed,” Grady confirmed.
     

CHAPTER THREE
     
    Vivi sat in her office and tried to concentrate on the paperwork in front of her. It was vital that they didn’t lose the funding for the free prescriptions they offered. It seemed that news of what was happening at the clinic had caught the attention of the directors of the Federal Healthcare Program. Their funding made the program possible, and she needed to find a way to reassure them that they had things under control. Rubbing her temples, she let out a sigh. There had to be a way to spin this