Read Online Ladyfish by Andrea Bramhall - Free Book Online Page B

go.”
    “I don’t think so. From what she’s told me, his pride won’t let him if nothing else.”
    “That’s what I thought too. Do you think he’ll try to hurt her? Physically, I mean.”
    “Not sure. Mentally? Definitely. Financially? Absolutely. I’m not sure he’ll go so far as to hurt her physically.” Oz glanced back at Finn, noticing the way the sun fell across her hair and highlighted the different shades in it.
    “Do you know about her mother?”
    “She told me her mother died when she was a child.”
    “Did she tell you the circumstances?”
    “No.”
    “Very suspicious circumstances. Never found a body.” He pointed to the envelope she was holding. “The report is in there. Along with some newspaper clippings and a police report I managed to get hold of. A lot of it she may not even know, so you may want to be careful about what you say to her. Oz, this guy is a real piece of work. And I mean that in the worst way. He’s got a lot of legitimate businesses, but there are more rumors of underground illegal stuff than I can shake a stick at. I had to go through some serious channels to get some of that stuff for you. And there was more than one government agency calling my office this morning when I did, asking why I was snooping around.”
    “CIA?”
    “Throw in Interpol, MI6, and the NSA.”
    “Wow, full house. I’m gonna really hate this bastard, aren’t I, Uncle Charlie?”
    “Yes, baby. You really are.” He handed her a card with a number penned on the back while she fought back her own revulsion. “That’s my sat phone number. Any time, Oz. You need anything. And I mean anything. You call me on that number. You understand?”
    “Yes, sir.” She threw her arms around him again. “Thank you, Uncle Charlie.”
    “You still have a weapon?”
    “Yes, sir, I have a few.”
    “You keep ’em ready, you hear?”
    “Yes, sir. Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
    “Thanks, but no. I gotta get back to the base. It’s Thanksgiving next month. Why don’t you invite her over?”
    It’s only the second of October, Uncle Charlie!”
    “That makes Thanksgiving next month. She’s still going to be here, isn’t she?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Where is she staying?”
    “She’s at the Ocean Key Resort at the moment, but she’ll be moving pretty soon. I was thinking about Mrs. Richmond—”
    “Old lady Richmond?”
    “Yup.”
    “You spoken to her yet?”
    “No, I was going to give her a call in a little while.”
    “Tell her we’ll all be at her pool party on Sunday.”
    “Sure.”
    “I think that’s a good idea, having her with Mrs. R. She’s got more guns than I do!”
    Oz chuckled, knowing it was probably true. “It will make her harder to trace and easier to protect. She’s only a few doors down from me then, and Mrs. Richmond is always looking out those curtains at what’s going on.”
    “You’ve been spending a lot of time with her?”
    “Only met her two days ago, but I took her out to dinner last night.”
    “Dinner? Like a date?”
    “No, like an apology.” Oz chuckled. “I was an asshole to her yesterday and invited her to dinner to say sorry.”
    “Right.”
    “I don’t know what it is, Uncle Charlie, but whenever I’m around her, I just want to protect her, and I fly off the deep end with it.” Oz ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “I say things without thinking, and then I try and find something to say to her just to stop her from looking sad or being mad at me. Or better yet, to make her smile. Or laugh. She has this wonderful laugh. It’s like music or something.”
    “Right.”
    “Anyway. Thanks for the info, and the help.”
    “No problem, Ladyfish.” He gave her a tight hug and gave her a long, searching look before kissing her forehead and striding off, flipping open his cell phone as he walked away.
    Oz watched him go and contemplated her next move. She didn’t want to scare Finn off by letting her know she was digging into her family