Read Online Undercover Lover by Jamie K. Schmidt - Free Book Online Page A

hours got changed around. Some thugs tried to kidnap me. My boss was arrested for selling drugs. I’m just hoping everything will settle down.”
    “They say bad things come in threes,” Drake said, slurring his words a bit.
    “Do you think Oksana was involved in Nikolai’s death?”
    “I don’t have any proof, but the timing is coincidental,” Drake said. “What do your mediations say? Isn’t that what you do in Reiki? You meditate.”
    “You think I’ve had time to meditate lately?”
    “It’s like sleeping during the day, right?”
    “Some people do relax enough to take a nap. Why is that a bad thing?” she asked when he shook his head.
    “It’s not. Hell, I could use a nap right now. Want to join me?”
    “You’re obnoxious when you’re drunk,” she told him.
    “Actually, I’m always this way.” He smiled again, and she saw herself smiling goofily back in his shades.
    “Take off those stupid glasses.”
    “Make me.”
    “This conversation is degenerating to the kindergarten level.”
    “I blame the naps,” he said. “Okay, I’ll get serious.” Drake took a deep breath and concentrated on annunciating his words. “Just tell me one thing. Was my godfather involved with drugs?”
    Pam shook her head. “No.”
    “No, you won’t tell me, or no, he’s clean?”
    “He didn’t take drugs.”
    “How can you be sure?”
    “He wouldn’t take any over-the-counter medicine for his arthritis. I can’t see him using, or selling for that matter. His aura was very clean.” She glared at him, catching him in mid smirk. “Usually, drugs appear as shadows and toxins in the system. I didn’t detect any.”
    “Did you detect any shadows and toxins in Dr. Mastandrea’s aura?”
    “He was never on my table.”
    “And now he’s never going to be. How did a little thing like you get a drop on him with the mop?” Drake cocked his head at her.
    “That wasn’t me. That was Ralphie.”
    “He’s a handy guy to have around,” Drake said.
    “I wouldn’t know. I can’t find him. I’m worried about him.”
    “Don’t waste your worries. People like that have a survival streak a mile wide.”
    “People like what?” Pam said.
    “Take it easy.” Drake held up his hands in surrender. “I only meant that Ralphie can take care of himself.”
    “I hope so,” Pam said.
    “Let’s have a drink for good ole Ralphie.” Drake topped off both their glasses.
    “He is a very brave man,” Pam said, clinking glasses.
    “He’s something, all right.”
    In the silence that followed, Pam willed her eyes not to close. It was warm and comforting in the kitchen, and Drake, for all his bluster, was good company. The tension that had been coiled up at the base of her spine started to relax. She leaned against the counter and looked at Drake. He had laugh lines already at the corner of his eyes. But he also looked like a man bracing for a fight. The grief, which was still etched on his face, only made his jaw line more determined. She looked down at his hands that dwarfed the glass he was holding.
    “Hey,” he said, causing her to look back up at him. “Thank you for easing Nikolai’s pain.”
    “He was a good patient and sharp as a tack.”
    Drake nodded. “Too sharp. I think he got involved in something over his head.”
    “If you were looking for a vice, my vote would be gambling or women.”
    “Really?” Drake drawled. “You could see that in his aura?”
    “No, I could see that in his personality. He was a card. I’m going to miss him. To Nikolai,” she said and clinked his glass again.
    “I’d better check the meat,” he said. Taking the roasts out of the oven, he checked their inner temperature with a meat thermometer.
    “A few more minutes,” he said and put them back in.
    “About Ralphie?” She saw the muscles on his back tense, his shoulders tightening, as if expecting a blow.
    “What about him?” He didn’t turn back to her as he stared at the stove.
    “I’m worried about