Read Online Last Chance (Liar Liar #3) by C.A. Mason - Free Book Online Page A

grades were slipping or something. I don’t know. I didn’t talk to him all that much after Coop was arrested. Every time I did, I got the feeling he was digging, trying to find out what I knew about Coop’s case. Even if I had known anything, I wouldn’t have told that douchebag.”
    “Well, thanks for the info, Jim.” I nodded at the envelope on the table. “I hope that’ll help you get back on your feet.”
    “Thanks, man. Hey, it was nice meeting you.” He chuckled. “It’s not every day a fuckin’ billionaire swings by my place. You and Maura, huh? She was always a sweet piece of ass. I haven’t seen her in a while, but I’m guessing she still is if she turned your head. Hell, you could have any woman you want, huh?”
    “I want her.” I glared at him, though he couldn’t see the warning behind my shades. “Only her.”
    I walked away before he could antagonize me further. I already had half a mind to go over to Riley’s and feed that worthless piece of shit my fist, but I had to be strategic about this. I couldn’t raise suspicion. That would only prompt him to run before we had enough to go to the police.
    No, it was time to pass this over to my investigator. He was a former cop, a well-respected lieutenant who’d gotten into private investigating when he retired from the force five years ago. He’d know exactly what he needed to do to build a case against the guy. The police would have no choice but to bring him in for questioning, and I had no doubt he would crack under the pressure. Jim was right about one thing. The guy was a weasel.
     
    ***
     
    I sat across from Maura, struggling to find the words I knew would change her life.
    “So you haven’t said what happened this morning,” she said, spearing a piece of spinach and chicken with her fork. “Did you learn anything from the guys on your old crew?”
    “Yeah.” I wiped my mouth with a napkin before reaching for my water glass. “You remember Jim Martin?”
    “I think so.” She bit her lip before asking, “Was he the guy who drove that blue Impala?”
    “Yeah, that’s him.” I watched her reach for her wine glass, wondering how I could break the news to her that she’d willingly slept with the enemy. “Jim, uh, had some information that could blow this case wide open, angel.”
    She lowered her glass slowly as her eyes met mine. “He did?”
    “Yeah.” I inhaled deeply. “Did you know he lived across the street from your ex?”
    “My ex?” She frowned. “Which ex?”
    “Ben Lang.”
    She smoothed the napkin in her lap as her eyes fell to her half-eaten salad. “No, I never went to Ben’s house when we were dating. I knew he lived in kind of a rough neighborhood. I assumed he was embarrassed to take me there.”
    “You’re probably right.” I was trying to figure out how to tell her the role my actions had played in her attack. I still felt sick thinking about it. If I hadn’t told Jim what had happened between Maura and me, he never could have used it to light a fire under that sick bastard.
    “Blaise, just tell me what you know. Please.”
    She was pleading for answers, and I knew I had no choice but to give them. After all these years, she deserved to know the truth even more than I did.
    “I told you that I’d shot my mouth off to the guys in the crew.” I covered her hand with mine. “Baby, you have to believe me when I tell you that was the single biggest mistake I’ve ever made. I feel like that set this whole thing in motion.”
    “What do you mean?” Her blue eyes were wide, filled with disbelief and terror.
    “Jim told your ex about… us.” When she shot me a questioning glance, I sighed and withdrew my hand as I leaned back in my seat. “He told him details about what we’d done.”
    She covered her mouth with her hand as she shook her head back and forth, her eyes filling with tears.
    The waiter chose that moment to approach our table, but I quickly waved him off. “I’m so sorry,