Read Online Golden Lies by Barbara Freethy - Free Book Online

other again. They'd kept in touch over the years, an odd but close friendship between a red-haired, freckle-faced pro athlete wannabe turned bartender and a sophisticated, blond debutante. She hated to think of herself in those terms, but she knew most of Jerry's friends thought of her in exactly that way. Not that they mingled with friends much. They moved in different circles except when they were together, which wasn't as often as she would have liked. Paige felt guilty about that, but Jerry understood how often she was torn between what she was supposed to do and what she wanted to do.
    "My mother wants me to marry Martin," Paige said, reminded of what she was supposed to do now. "If I make a pro and con list, I will see that he's perfect for me."
    "Martin Bennett? You can do better." Jerry wiped down the bar with a damp towel. "Is that all that's bugging you?"
    She shook her head. "My father is nowhere to be found."
    "What else is new?"
    "It's different this time. He took a valuable artifact from the store. The owners are very upset. I managed to stall them until tomorrow, but I haven't been able to find my dad. He doesn't answer his cell phone. He's not at the store. He's not at home. I'm worried."
    "He'll show up. He always does. You know what you need?"
    "I have a feeling you're going to tell me."
    "A game of pool. Or, as you Hathaways call it -- billiards," he said in a mocking British accent.
    "I don't think so," she replied with a shake of her head.
    "Come on. When was the last time you played?"
    "Probably the last time you talked me into it."
    "I've got a break coming up." He set his towel down on the bar. "Let's rack 'em up."
    "Why do I let you talk me into these things?"
    Jerry grinned. "Because you love me."

    * * *

    Paige Hathaway got off the bar stool and followed the bartender through a door leading into a back room. Riley frowned, wondering what the hell she was up to. He hadn't been surprised when she'd gone to the gym or even to her mother's house, but this latest stop didn't make sense at all. This wasn't the kind of upscale bar she would frequent. These people weren't her crowd. And who was the bartender she'd been talking to for the past few minutes? Their conversation had looked more than friendly. Riley could hardly believe that Paige Hathaway, the princess of San Francisco's royal family, would be friends with a bartender.
    Maybe this stop had something to do with the dragon, a back room deal. It was a reach, he knew it. She certainly didn't have the dragon with her, but it was possible she knew more about its whereabouts than she'd let on earlier. His grandmother might be content to wait until morning to get her dragon back, but he wasn't. In fact, his impatience had been growing since he'd left Hathaway's a few hours earlier. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his gut. David Hathaway had taken the dragon out of the store and missed their meeting. Paige had been concerned despite her best efforts to appear calm. That's why he'd decided to follow her.
    Deciding to risk his cover, he walked into the bar. He needed to know what Paige was doing in the back room.
    Five minutes later he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.
    Pool! She was playing pool. Paige's sweet ass was all he could see as she bent over the table, her attention focused on the cue stick between her fingers and the ball she was about to hit. It was a good shot, better than good, and she cleared the last two balls from the table. A murmur of appreciation from three old guys watching the action echoed his own thoughts. But he suspected they'd been watching her more than the game.
    Paige exchanged a bouncing high five with the bartender. "Who's the best?" she demanded.
    "That was a lucky shot," the guy replied.
    "Luck had nothing to do with it. So tell me who's the best. Come on, you can say it."
    "You're the best," he grumbled. "And not a pretty winner, by the way. Do you want to play again?"
    "Do you feel like another