3 Men and a Body by Stephanie Bond Read Free Book Online

she said that you
    impressed the city computer guy you interviewed with.
    You start your community service Monday?”
    “That’s the plan.”
    “Are you going to be able to work with Coop and do your
    community service, too?”
    “Yeah. Coop is cutting back on body retrievals for a while.
    He said he was doing special projects for the morgue.”
    “The morgue has special projects?”
    Wesley shrugged and walked into the kitchen. “Want a
    sandwich?”
    “No, thanks.” But she fol owed him. “I’m sure Coop was
    relieved to hear from you last night.”
    “I guess.”
    “Wesley, he was worried. He spent the entire night driving
    around looking for you.”
    “He shouldn’t have. Besides, he did that for you, not for
    me.”
    “That’s not true. He’s very fond of you.”
    “Maybe, but he’s got it bad for you.”
    A flush climbed her neck. “Coop is…nice.”
    “Yeah, but he’s not loaded like Peter.”
    Carlotta arched an eyebrow. “Is that an endorsement for
    Peter?”
    He turned back to the refrigerator. “Are we out of milk?”
    “Look in the back.” Carlotta wondered about his sudden
    attachment to Peter. Something il icit had definitely
    transpired. She could think of only one reason Wesley
    would cal Peter—money. What had Wesley gotten her
    former fiancé in the middle of?
    And how would she ever be able to repay the man?
    “What are you doing after you meet with your probation
    officer?” she asked quietly.
    Another shrug. “I’l probably go hang out with Chance.”
    She frowned. “I don’t like you spending time with that
    derelict.”
    “He’s not so bad.”
    “Wesley, he told me what the two of you did to your loan
    shark at the strip club.”
    He paused in the door of the refrigerator for just a second.
    “He shouldn’t have done that.”
    “Hannah and I kind of beat it out of him.”
    “It was just a prank.”
    “It could’ve gotten you kil ed! He said you did it to protect
    me?”
    Her brother shrugged again.
    “You don’t have to protect me, Wesley.”
    He closed the refrigerator door, his eyes wide. “These men
    are dangerous, Carlotta. You don’t know.”
    “So stop doing business with them. Get your life together.
    Think about col ege.”
    He looked anguished for a few seconds, then angry. “I
    changed my mind about the sandwich. See you later.”
    She knew better than to try to stop him. He was through
    talking. The front door banged, and she only hoped that
    whatever had happened the night he was gone had scared
    him straight.
    She turned her attention back to the streaked window,
    attacking it with cleaner and a page of newspaper fished
    out of the mail basket. When she stood back, the sun
    shining through the spotless window was almost blinding.
    “You were right, you little shit,” she mumbled.
    Guilt plucked at her for not tel ing him about the note
    their father had left and the development in Daytona
    Beach. She pul ed the piece of paper out of her bra and
    read it again. Randolph had been within arm’s length of
    her. He could have pul ed her aside, revealed his
    identity…given her a hug and a kiss…and an explanation.
    Why hadn’t he?
    Because he didn’t trust her. He knew she’d gone along
    with the fake funeral to lure her parents out of hiding. Had
    he felt betrayed?
    Anger whipped through her—he had betrayed them first.
    He and her mother, Valerie. Her father had left town to
    escape a trial and, presumably, jail time. But her mother,
    who always maintained a martini in one hand and a
    cigarette in the other, didn’t even have an excuse. She had
    simply chosen her husband over her children. Carlotta had
    gotten past being angry for herself, but she would never
    forgive their mom for abandoning Wesley at the age of
    nine.
    He’d slept in Carlotta’s bed for a year, clinging to her,
    crying for his mother every night until he was too
    exhausted to stay awake.
    Carlotta’s eyes watered just remembering. No one but she
    knew how Wesley