Read Online Swindled in Paradise by Deborah Brown - Free Book Online
Authors: Deborah Brown
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one step ahead of her. We swung our hips back and forth, knocking into one another, laughing all the way to the top.
“Just once,” Brick huffed out a growl, slapping his fist on his desk, “could the two of you not play on the stairs and stay off the damn banister?”
I glanced around the office, checking the tops of the cabinets and the side table before turning to Brick and demanding, “Where’s the candy bowl?”
Fab leaned against the window ledge and scrutinized the busy boulevard below. She liked to scope out all of the exit routes wherever we went. In this office, it was the door or the window, but you’d have to knock out the glass and then risk the long jump and hope for the best.
“Got rid of it. Too much sugar puts on weight.”
The dark-haired, sexy Cuban boxed five days a week at a local gym for badasses. There wasn’t a scintilla of fat on his rock-hard body. His dark brown eyes turned beady as he returned my stare.
“I’ll go sit in the car. Hurry up,” I told Fab and marched to the door.
“You get back here,” he roared. He turned in his chair, opening the credenza, and slammed my favorite bowl on his desk, mini candy bars and, my favorite, a bag of Oreos falling over the side. “I don’t know why you can’t buy your own.”
“I’ve already told you, they don’t taste as good when you have to pay for them yourself.” Everyone knew that, I thought.
I picked out a mini Mars bar, which I knew was one of his favorites, and put it in front of him. “Do you have a bag? I forgot my purse.” I fingered the snacks.
“Such a shame. I bet next time you won’t forget your purse.” He rolled his eyes. “Sit down, you two.” He pointed to the leather chairs in front of his over-sized desk.
He kicked back in the chair that comfortably held his considerable, over-six-foot frame. Above his head hung his newest plaque, announcing him to be a Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year. The committee must have overlooked the fact that his businesses ran to the seedy. He stood out from his competition in that he gave back to the community and supported local charities.
Brick sucked down the last of his water. “I suppose you want one of these?” He wiggled the empty water bottle before pitching it in the trash.
I held up two fingers.
His lips turned up on the sides as he struggled to keep from laughing. “This is a simple case of lost and found. There’s to be no confrontation. You’re to recover said items and quietly relocate them to a storage unit that is already rented and waiting.” He pushed a brand-new heavy duty lock across the desk. “Use this to secure the stuff.”
I ripped open a piece of candy and devoured it, squashed the wrapper, and pushed it across his desk. “Thank you.” Annoying him was too much fun today.
He glared at it before flicking it into the trash.
“Simply put, we’re stealing back something that’s already been stolen. Does that sum it up?” I asked. “Have the police been involved in any way ?”
“Sort of,” he hedged.
Fab and I groaned.
“Ian Neal is the client and a friend of mine, and I can’t stress enough that this has to get done ASAP.”
“How is it that all your clients are so-called friends? You’re certainly popular.” I finished off my water and tossed it over Brick’s shoulder and into the trash. I made a fist pump.
Brick glowered at me. “It’s my sunny, warm personality. I’m a people person.”
“Yeah, me too… people person, that is.” I smiled.
Fab snorted. “Skip to the good part; the part about how the police are involved.”
“Ian broke up with his live-in girlfriend, Ursula Richards. I never liked her.” He spit the last part out. “Ian takes an annual ski trip with his eleven-year-old daughter to Vermont for ten days. He and Ursula had been arguing non-stop and agreed that it was a good time for Ursula to move her things out of the house and that he’d use the time to explain everything to his
“Just once,” Brick huffed out a growl, slapping his fist on his desk, “could the two of you not play on the stairs and stay off the damn banister?”
I glanced around the office, checking the tops of the cabinets and the side table before turning to Brick and demanding, “Where’s the candy bowl?”
Fab leaned against the window ledge and scrutinized the busy boulevard below. She liked to scope out all of the exit routes wherever we went. In this office, it was the door or the window, but you’d have to knock out the glass and then risk the long jump and hope for the best.
“Got rid of it. Too much sugar puts on weight.”
The dark-haired, sexy Cuban boxed five days a week at a local gym for badasses. There wasn’t a scintilla of fat on his rock-hard body. His dark brown eyes turned beady as he returned my stare.
“I’ll go sit in the car. Hurry up,” I told Fab and marched to the door.
“You get back here,” he roared. He turned in his chair, opening the credenza, and slammed my favorite bowl on his desk, mini candy bars and, my favorite, a bag of Oreos falling over the side. “I don’t know why you can’t buy your own.”
“I’ve already told you, they don’t taste as good when you have to pay for them yourself.” Everyone knew that, I thought.
I picked out a mini Mars bar, which I knew was one of his favorites, and put it in front of him. “Do you have a bag? I forgot my purse.” I fingered the snacks.
“Such a shame. I bet next time you won’t forget your purse.” He rolled his eyes. “Sit down, you two.” He pointed to the leather chairs in front of his over-sized desk.
He kicked back in the chair that comfortably held his considerable, over-six-foot frame. Above his head hung his newest plaque, announcing him to be a Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year. The committee must have overlooked the fact that his businesses ran to the seedy. He stood out from his competition in that he gave back to the community and supported local charities.
Brick sucked down the last of his water. “I suppose you want one of these?” He wiggled the empty water bottle before pitching it in the trash.
I held up two fingers.
His lips turned up on the sides as he struggled to keep from laughing. “This is a simple case of lost and found. There’s to be no confrontation. You’re to recover said items and quietly relocate them to a storage unit that is already rented and waiting.” He pushed a brand-new heavy duty lock across the desk. “Use this to secure the stuff.”
I ripped open a piece of candy and devoured it, squashed the wrapper, and pushed it across his desk. “Thank you.” Annoying him was too much fun today.
He glared at it before flicking it into the trash.
“Simply put, we’re stealing back something that’s already been stolen. Does that sum it up?” I asked. “Have the police been involved in any way ?”
“Sort of,” he hedged.
Fab and I groaned.
“Ian Neal is the client and a friend of mine, and I can’t stress enough that this has to get done ASAP.”
“How is it that all your clients are so-called friends? You’re certainly popular.” I finished off my water and tossed it over Brick’s shoulder and into the trash. I made a fist pump.
Brick glowered at me. “It’s my sunny, warm personality. I’m a people person.”
“Yeah, me too… people person, that is.” I smiled.
Fab snorted. “Skip to the good part; the part about how the police are involved.”
“Ian broke up with his live-in girlfriend, Ursula Richards. I never liked her.” He spit the last part out. “Ian takes an annual ski trip with his eleven-year-old daughter to Vermont for ten days. He and Ursula had been arguing non-stop and agreed that it was a good time for Ursula to move her things out of the house and that he’d use the time to explain everything to his
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