Read Online Think Before You Speak by D. A. Bale - Free Book Online

?”
    “Touché,” I cried, clinking my shot glass
against Seth’s. “Our Italian friend just won another argument.”
    “Touché is French,” the attorney corrected.
“Not Italian.”
    “Work with me,” I countered. “I’m trying to
root for your side here.”
    The practicing attorney stood and took
a bow, eyes connecting with mine containing a hint of humor – and
interest – hidden within the gleam. As the ruckus died down, I made
my way down the bar to take care of other patrons while Banker Boy
stepped away to take a phone call. I needed some time to think what
other names I could come up with besides Things One and Two. The
moniker for Radioman had come to me so effortlessly upon my first
meeting of the Three Musketeers.
    Seth and his love of debate got me thinking
about Ranger Zeke and our constant repartee when we’d hung out
during my attempts at clearing Bobby’s name of murder. Thinking of
Zeke made me think of the weeks of unrequited sexual frustration
while sleeping on his couch. Thinking of sex made me think of Nick.
Nick made me think of San Antonio.
    San Antonio brought my churning thoughts
around to Reggie.
    Even with the suspicions I’d carried for
years, seeing my dear friend in a whole new light had been jarring.
Reggie was good at the role he played so effortlessly before the
public, and neither the past nor the present-day façade changed the
way I saw him. He was a good man. A good friend.
    But blackmail? The how was somewhat
obvious. If my heated past still haunting me after all these years
was any indicator of humanity’s ability to hold a grudge, then
Reggie’s juvie record getting out portended an approaching disaster
of epic proportions in both his personal and public life. His
lucrative design business could crash and burn faster than a
Formula One race car driven by my best friend’s genteel granny. The who and why remained the biggest questions.
    It had to be someone with ties either to
Reggie’s past or someone who had access to those criminal records.
Zeke again came to mind, but I quickly discounted the notion. The
Ranger might be a lying, cheating bastard when it came to fidelity
among the female persuasion, but he took his work-related duties
quite seriously. No way would he ever stoop so low as to sully the
Ranger code.
    And it wasn’t like he needed the money. The
family ranch kept the Taylors sitting pretty for the cowpoke clan.
Zeke prided himself on taking care of his own bills, but he’d still
inherit that sprawling spread someday. With his father’s poor
health bringing Zeke back from Austin several years ago, that
responsibility had the potential to pass to the next generation
sooner rather than later.
    So scratch one Zeke Taylor from the list of
suspects. That left the new girlfriend, a nosey client, or someone
from Reggie’s past who’d put two-and-two together and gotten my
friend in their sights. Starting tomorrow, I needed to touch base
with Reggie to find out exactly when this had all started, how this had all started, and to get my hands on the
blackmail notes.
    One thing I’d learned when last helping out a
friend? No one was safe from suspicion, which meant everyone was a
suspect.
    Including my mom, I realized with a shudder.
With my dad behind her credit card bill, I could definitely see the
sperm donor using blackmail as a tool to gain leverage over
someone. After all, he’d proven long ago he had no qualms about
seeing how low he could go – and I had the photographic evidence to
prove it.
    Wait a minute. Did that make me a blackmailer
too?
    Don’t answer that.

Chapter Eight

    The hold Han had placed me on extended past
five minutes, so I took another moment to refill my coffee cup a
third time. With my mind churning over Reggie’s predicament, I’d
awakened much earlier than anticipated this morning. As a
bartender, I’m late to bed and late to rise, and if I see anything
before ten o’clock in the morning, bitchy mode kicks into