Follow Me When the Sun Goes Down by Lisa Olsen Read Free Book Online

is.” 
    “Alright, what is the position then?”
    “Magistrate of the greater Northern California district.”  I expected him to refuse.  It was a much smaller job than he’d been shooting for, but he didn’t say no right away.
    “That’s Byrne’s gig, right?”
    “That’s right.”
    The corner of his mouth curved into a bloodthirsty grin.  “I’ll take it.  Sticking it to Byrne is an extra bonus, but I’ll take anything that lets me demonstrate my value to you and places me close at hand.”  Marcus gave me his best bedroom eyes, but I’d been wooed by far more intoxicating gazes.
    “I won’t be close to your hands, I’ll be going to England for the Gathering.”
    That didn’t seem to faze him.  “I don’t suppose you’d consider taking me?”
    “Sorry, the jet’s pretty full up.  Besides, I’m counting on you to handle things for me while I’m away.  Let’s be real clear on policy though.  No bribes, no ‘evaluation fees’, every petition gets equal merit, regardless of its origin.  You understand me?”
    “I read you loud and clear,” he replied, sketching a brief salute. 
    “Okay good.  You should be able to reach me via email or phone in case of emergency, I’ll have Maggie give you the details.  Speaking of which – fangs off.  Is that loud and clear?” 
    His hands came up, fingers spread wide.  “Absolutely, she’s all yours.”
    “Good.  I’ll want you to spend some time with her before we go.  She’ll be able to bring you up to speed on some of the things I’ve been working on lately that might need special attention around here.  Can you start right away or do you need to go back to L.A. first?”
    “No, I’m all yours,” he grinned, blue eyes sparkling.  “Maybe we should have that drink now?  Sort of toast to a new partnership?”
    “Actually, for your first matter of business, I have a special task job for you.”
    “What kind of a task?”
    “You get to fire Byrne.”
    His brows came up in surprise.  “You don’t want that pleasure yourself?”
    “Ordinarily I would, but I’m in a time crunch.  Is it something you’d rather not handle?”
    “Oh no, it’ll be my pleasure,” he readily agreed. 
    “Super.  I’ll write him something up so he knows it’s official with the seal and all, but I’ll leave it up to you as to how public or private it is.”
    “I know just what to do.”
    “Something tells me I don’t want to know about it,” I frowned at the gleam that came into his eye.  “Well, I think that’s all I need for now, but if any questions come up, let me know.” 
    “Absolutely, and thanks for the opportunity.”  He rose and reached across my desk to offer his hand.  “Like I said, I can’t wait to show you just how much value I bring to the table.”
    I took his hand, meeting him square in the eye.  “Good.  Just remember… I am coming back, so be prepared to back up any decisions made in my absence.”  That rattled his careful control, and he swallowed nervously as I let him go.  “Welcome aboard, Marcus.  Make me proud.”

Chapter Five
     
    “Hurry now, Anja, you’ll be late.”
    I barely registered the words as Maggie shook me awake.  A bleary glance at my bedside clock showed it was after six p.m.  Okay, so I’d overslept, but I didn’t think I had much going on until after eight.  My sluggish brain tried to form words, but all that came out was, “Wha?”
    “You have to get moving or you’ll miss it.”  There was a current of excitement in the air as she pulled my robe out of the closet, and I shook off the remnants of sleep, running a hand through my tangle of hair. 
    “ Miss what?  Where’s Rob?”
    The man himself appeared at the end of the hall, impeccably dressed in his suit.  “Nothing to worry about,” he replied, the hint of a smile playing around his eyes as he came toward me.  “But you’ll want to clean up before you make an appearance.  Go and lay out some