Can't Keep a Brunette Down by Diane Bator Read Free Book Online Page A

"You didn't happen to grab the piece of tape too, did you?"
    "No, sorry." She wanted to smack her forehead. "We can go by the school and see if the cleaners missed it. I did take pictures with my phone."
    "Text them to me. I'll get hold of the cleaners. He'll let me know if he found anything. Thayer and I have some interrogations to do." Fabio hesitated. "Give me that coffee cup. I'll get it checked for your peace of mind. You're right—we can't be too careful."
    She gasped. "You believe me?"
    "I need you as a witness, so I'm humoring you. Don't mistake the two."
    "Thanks. I appreciate that." Gilda descended the police station stairs. She didn't bother to look back in case he tossed her cup into the trash can. She didn't want to know.
    She wandered across the street to the karate school a few doors down to see just how clean the school was and, despite Fabio saying he'd take care of it, to see if the piece of tape was still there. She stuck her key in the lock and entered, breath held as though afraid she'd find something she really didn't want to see. This was the first time she'd ever been nervous to step inside alone.
    When she entered the lobby, she froze. The lights in the school were off, but someone moved inside the dojo. Once her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she breathed a sigh of relief.
    At some point, Mick had moved the remaining mats together to form a practice space and now trained on the much-smaller square. Training was his way of blowing off steam. All he wore were the thick, white cotton pants and a heavy layer of sweat. Mick never bothered wearing the gi jacket when he trained alone. His movements were sharper and cleaner than all the other black belts. His muscles rippled and shone in the dim lighting with each motion.
    She paused in the doorway of the dojo and watched, mesmerized, as he took down one invisible opponent after another. He finished his training and bowed, not bothering to look toward her when he pushed damp hair out of his eyes. "What do you want, Gilda?"
    Busted. "I came to check on things."
    "There's nothing to check on." He started the new kata, the sequence of movements that mimicked a fight.
    Gilda wandered to her desk and frowned at the assorted burger wrappers and leftover cups of coffee scattered across her work surface. Does the guy think he lives here or something? Probably just from another meeting last night. You'd think grown men could learn to clean up after themselves at some point.
    Mick gave a loud yell, a kiai , and carried on.
    She cleaned up then logged on to check e-mails. Sympathy notes from parents. A couple students who wanted their memberships terminated and money back. An e-mail from Yoshida to remind them he would arrive for training on Tuesday at five. Wednesday morning, because of the long weekend, was Walter's funeral.
    "I called and left Yoshida a message this morning to ask if we could reschedule our training session under the circumstances." Mick walked in, droplets of sweat splattering on the laminate floor in his wake.
    "I take it he didn't like the idea," she said. "He sent an e-mail an hour ago to say you need to rent him a hotel room. Something with a hot tub and a king-sized bed."
    He swore and punched the wall hard enough to leave a shallow indent. "That demanding little egomaniacal rodent." He shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You didn't hear that. I'll let the guys know. Can you contact our students?"
    "It's Sunday of the long weekend. Most of them won't be home."
    "Improvise. Send an e-mail. Leave a message. Isn't that what you'd normally do?" Mick wiped sweat off his face. "You should be somewhere else. It's not healthy to hang out here right now. You need some time away from here."
    She blew out a breath. "So do you. Besides, Thayer wants us all here, remember?"
    "In town, not in the school." When the front door opened, Mick didn't bother to look over his shoulder. "Thayer's a jerk. Go enjoy your weekend. I'll deal with