Paint It Black by Michelle Perry Read Free Book Online Page A

the front desk. Slapping her hands on the wooden surface, she leaned forward until she was nearly nose to nose with the startled man behind it. “Frank Barnes!” she said. “Where is he?”
    The phone hung slack in the sergeant’s hands and he, too, could only stare. The whole room seemed to freeze in her wake. She snapped her fingers in his face. “You speak English? Anybody?”
    Jerking her chin around, she scanned the room. Time seemed to stop when our gazes met. Her eyes narrowed, and her lovely face flushed.
    Though we’d never met, never spoken, I knew what she was. She was an apocalyptic blend of our father and the crazed Latina junkie he’d left my mother for. All the snitches gave the same report: Since her teenage years, Maria had been primed to run the family business, and she was far deadlier than her father. It chilled me to the bone to think we were related.
    She apparently knew who I was, too. The malevolence in her stare struck me like a physical blow, andinvoluntarily, my grip tightened on Grady’s fingers.
    “Where is he?” she repeated, her dark eyes glittering.
    My stomach sank.
    This is it. It’s all over .
    Cougar’s deep voice shattered the silence. “He’s in a cell, where he belongs. I hope he rots there.”
    Maria’s head snapped around, and I felt almost limp when she released me from her glare. The string of obscenities she directed at Cougar seemed doubly damning and shocking, spewing from such a beautiful creature.
    Cougar merely smiled and cracked his gum.
    “C’mon,” Grady whispered, grasping my forearm. “Let’s go.”
    Numbly, I nodded, but I was terrified Maria would hurl my secrets at my retreating back.
    We slipped outside, leaving Maria and Cougar arguing. Grady slung his arm around my shoulder. Gratefully, I leaned into him, looping my arm around his waist. He felt warm and solid, and I clung to him a little tighter than normal.
    “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, and we ducked to protect our faces from the buffeting wind.
    “Yeah.” I felt a rush of tenderness for him then, something I hadn’t experienced in a while. When he opened the cab door, I said, “Hey, Grady. I’ve got some vacation time coming. Maybe we could—”
    “Necie, hold up!”
    Grady’s smile faded when my supervisor jogged over to us.
    “Glad I caught you!” Bill’s breath came in bright, white puffs. “Hiya, Grady.”
    “Hey,” Grady muttered.
    “I left my statement with Cougar,” I said quickly, hoping to get out of there and salvage Grady’s good mood.
    “There’s something else. Can I talk to you for a sec?” Bill nodded toward the building. “Inside?”
    “Um, sure,” I said, and ignored Grady’s sigh. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered, “I’ll be right back.”
    “Meter’s running,” he said tersely.
    “I know. I’ll hurry.”
    Grady nodded and yanked open the cab door. I sprinted toward the building.
    Inside the double doors, Bill said, “Hey, you want a trip this weekend? I’ve got a Jersey job, one of those undercover details you like.”
    I glanced outside. A stony-faced Grady stared back at me through the cab window. “Ah, can you get someone else for this one, Bill?”
    Bill’s eyebrows shot up. “Sure. Just wanted to give you first dibs. That was good work tonight.”
    He gave me a quick clap on the shoulder, which was about as touchy-feely as it got with Bill. I kissed his cheek, thinking of how this man had been more of a father to methan Frank Barnes ever could be. He’d taken me under his wing from day one and always seemed to be looking out for me. I had another pang when I thought about Barnes and what he could do to my career and friendships. If he wanted to, he could make me lose everything.
    Bill waved good-bye and walked down the hall. I turned and nearly smacked into Maria Barnes when she exited the restroom. She swiped her reddened eyes with a tissue and gave me a bitter smile. “One day soon, I want you to