Deborah Brown - Madison Westin 07 - Kidnapped in Paradise by Deborah Brown Read Free Book Online Page A

comfortable in the over-sized chair next to me, then dialed the number and put the call on speaker.
    The phone rang twice and Carmine answered. “ Madison? ”
    “ Hello, Mr. Ricci. I’ m here with my partner, Fabiana Merceau.”
    “Yes , partners . I don’t approve, but Brick assures me that you only work in pairs. I have a matter of the utmost discretion that needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. Today, if at all possible. Are you available?”
    I closed my eyes and shook my head.
    “We can clear our schedule,” I said, against my better judgment. I didn’t think we had any plans, but with Fab you never knew. She had a tendency to spring jobs on me at the last minute.
    “My mother is in a bit of legal difficulty. I believe she became overwhelmed by the legal system and has run away. She's in hiding. I don’t think she ’ d leave the South Florida area, as she has no ties to anywhere else.”
    “She didn’t kill anyone, did she?” I asked.
    “Hardly,” he sniffed. “She ’ s eighty-five. I need her handled with care and brought back home without scaring her to death. I need someone to reassure her. My lawyers have made this misunderstanding a top priority, and I ’ m certain I can make the charges go away. She doesn’t need to fear incarceration.”
    I shook my head at Fab and pinched the bridge of my nose. We looked at one another, both of us understanding that his story stunk.
    “Do you have any idea of where we ’ re supposed to look?” I asked.
    “Brick has a photo and a list of addresses. He’ll give it to you. I ’ m hoping to hear from you soon. Don’t disappoint me. ” He hung up.
    Brick reached into a side drawer and withdrew a folder, sliding it across the desk.
    “She needs to be found and brought in nice and quiet.”
    “Did she commit a felony?” I scowled at him.
    His slow response was noted.
    “Carmine wants his mother back. If she's not found, I’ll be out a lot of money, as I posted bail for Carlotta.”
    That was a nice non-answer.
    “Cut the bull and spit out the truth,” Fab said as she stood up. “ Never mind. Let’ s go.”
    “Sit down,” he half yelled. “She was charged with prostitution, pandering, and some other minor charges.”
    I looked at him with pure disgust, and looted the snack bowl on his desk, pouring the contents in my purse.
    “That ’s the worst made-up story I ’ve ever heard.”
    Fab and I had reached the top of the stairs when Brick yelled, “ Wait! She runs a high-class prostitution ring, catering to the uber-rich out of South Beach. Other than this misunderstanding, she has a clean rap sheet. ”
    “How are we supposed to find her?” Fab yelled back.
    “Get back in here,” he barked. “And no more yelling, unless it ’ s me doing the yelling.” He waited until we were seated.
    “In addition to Carmine ’ s list, I scribbled down a couple of possible hiding places. This requires discretion. She ’ s not to know that her son ’ s got his people combing the streets. She ’ s not stupid; she turned selling sex into a multi-million dollar business. I suspect she ’ s on alert.”
    “What happens to her when we return her to her gangster son?” I asked,   taking Fab's former spot on the window ledge and watching the busy traffic below.
    “He ’ll put a guard on her until the case is settled. He ’ s got his lawyer hammering out a deal that doesn’t include prison time, which will get blown to hell if she ’ s running around making headlines. Or worse, speaks to the wrong person.”
    “We ’ re not interested.” Fab leaned against the door frame and turned on her heel. “You get another missing cat case, give us a call.”
    “ Damn it. You ’ re perfect for the job. Well, she is, anyway,” he said, sitting straight up and pointing at me. “Which is why Carmine requested you.”
    I smirked and fluttered my eyelashes at Fab.
    “A little old lady too much for you?” he asked me.
    “Don’t look at me,” I