Read Online She Can Kill (She Can Series) by Melinda Leigh - Free Book Online Page B

chair, then rounded the desk, and sat behind it. “Do you remember Sean Wilson?”
    Cristan nodded and reached over to shake hands. Sean acknowledged him with a nod that said they understood each other very well. Like all animals, predators knew their own kind. Cristan eased into the chair, exhaustion loosening his muscles. Adrenaline provided necessary quick energy for action, but the aftereffects drained him. And sleep had been an elusive adversary this past week.
    “Sean is a security expert. He’s helping me clean up the surveillance video from the Quickie-Mart.” Mike spun his computer monitor so Cristan could see the screen. Mike pressed a button on his keyboard. The entire grainy clip took only moments to run. It had seemed much longer at the time.
    The answer to Cristan’s earlier question was yes. The situation was about to get much worse.
    “You handled yourself pretty well in there,” Mike prompted.
    Sean leaned back. “I was impressed.”
    Cristan waited. Only fools volunteered information.
    Sean scratched his chin. “Were you in the military in Argentina?”
    “No,” Cristan said, though Franco’s men were trained as well as any legal army.
    “How did you learn to fight?” Sean asked.
    “I grew up in a very poor neighborhood. There were many gangs.” Technically, this was true, but his vague answer felt hollow.
    Mike’s brow descended, and Sean folded his arms across his body. Clearly, they thought his answer thin as well. But deception was easier to pull off if one kept one’s lies simple and as close to the truth as possible. Elaboration was the downfall of an amateur.
    The police chief leaned back in his chair, the springs squeaking. Shrewd—and kind—blue eyes studied Cristan. Just because Mike was an honest man did not make him any less dangerous. “I have a few additional questions. Some I might have asked before. I apologize if this feels repetitive.”
    Again, Cristan waited.
    Mike opened a file on his desk and donned a pair of reading glasses. “Are you married?”
    “My wife died when Lucia was an infant.” After all these years, that simple statement still stabbed him through the heart.
    “How did she die?”
    “She was in an auto accident.”
    “I’m sorry.” Mike met his gaze with a brief look of sincere compassion before continuing. “You’re the CEO of Rojas Corp. What exactly does Rojas Corporation do?”
    “Primarily the conglomerate invests in commercial real estate and coffee,” Cristan said. He understood that a small police force had few bodies to conduct an investigation, and following procedure would take time. Cristan had been patient and helpful, but his tolerance was wearing thin. He wanted to go home.
    “Coffee?” Sean asked.
    “The company owns an organic coffee plantation in Hawaii,” Cristan clarified. “I’ve given a statement and answered all your questions. I’d really like to see my daughter.”
    “I understand.” Mike paused. “But we’d really like to find those men before they hurt anyone else.”
    “That would be for the best.” But Cristan was more concerned about Lucia. “But I don’t see how interrogating me about my background will aid in your search for two local criminals. It was simply luck that put me at the scene. My skills are irrelevant.”
    “I’m just trying to get the whole picture,” Mike said. “We’re sending your clothes to the lab for a possible DNA match. We need more information to catch these guys.”
    “I understand, but I’ve already told you everything I know. And you have the video, which is much more accurate than my observations. Videos don’t err.”
    “I’ll probably need to ask you more questions,” Mike added.
    “You have my contact information.”
    Mike dropped his pen. “I appreciate what you did today. That little girl might be dead if you hadn’t jumped in, but I really want to catch these guys. Is there anything you noticed about them, anything they said that might help us find