Protector (Copper Mesa Eagles Book 3) by Roxie Noir, Amelie Hunt Read Free Book Online Page B

It’s not even on a computer, it’s probably in a vault right now, and there’s someone whose job it is to just retrieve paperwork. And whoever has that job, at the federal level, knows damn well that they’re not supposed to be telling anyone what’s on that paperwork.”
    “But not the clerk in Mistin County?” Garrett asked.
    “ Maybe not the clerk,” Ellie said. “Right now it’s almost five on the east coast, and I bet that Nate Plotkin just wants to go home.”
    She grabbed the laptop off the floor, and Garrett saw that she had the Facebook page of one Nate Plotkin pulled up: a smiling, slightly overweight man wearing a polo shirt.
    Ellie held her phone up, dialed, and winked at Garrett. He could hear the phone ringing, and then a man’s voice answering.
    “Oh, thank goodness you’re still there!” Ellie exclaimed. “It’s Linda, from the clerk’s office in Chesapeake County? Over in Maryland?”
    There was a pause. Then Ellie giggled into the phone.
    “I’m so sorry, I’m sure you don’t remember me. We met at the inter-county softball tournament, and I guess I just remembered your name, even though we hardly talked at all. You had that red shirt on, didn’t you?”
    I’d definitely fall for this , Garrett thought.
    “Well, your potato salad was just killer ,” Ellie said. “Anyway, I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to keep you on the phone but I’m wondering if you could just scan a page of something for me? It won’t take you but a minute.”
    A pause.
    “It’s the registration documents for some company called BTVS. Maybe BTVS incorporated? I finally just got the fax that I requested from the document office a couple of weeks ago, and it’s mostly great but the first page is just so light that I can’t hardly read a thing .”
    As she listened, Ellie ran her tongue along the underside of her upper lip.
    “Listen, Nate, I really don’t mind requesting it again, I just hate creating all that work for everyone again when I just need this one page, you know? I had to use the 540UG form, and then because there were stakeholders with a dividend compliance issue there’s the BNF1050, and you know what a pain that one is, and it always takes an extra week because a judge has to sign off on it...”
    Ellie listened intently.
    “Please, no, I’m sure the bad copy is just an accident, don’t get angry with anyone on my account. I’m sure it was an honest mistake.”
    Suddenly she looked Garrett in the eyes and held his gaze for a long moment.
    Then her face broke into a smile.
    “ Would you?” she said. “Thank you so much, you wouldn’t believe how much easier you’ve made my day. Yeah, sure, here let me get you the fax number — “
    She rattled off a string of digits.
    “Listen, Nate, if you need anything at all from Chesapeake County, just give me a ring and let me know. I’d love to help you out.”
    She listened, and for a moment, Garrett felt a twinge of jealousy that she was sweet-talking someone else .
    Not that she’s sweet-talked me , he thought. I think it might be the opposite, actually .
    He didn’t mind. Then Ellie giggled again, and he frowned.
    “Absolutely!” Ellie said. She gave Garrett a thumbs up. “Can’t wait until the next softball game, slugger! Of course. You got it. Talk to you later.”
    Ellie pulled the phone away from her face, hit the red button, and grinned at Garrett.
    “You look like the cat that ate the canary,” he said.
    “That canary was delicious,” she said. “What are you frowning about?”
    “I’m not frowning,” Garrett said. “Is that how you get information? Call men ‘slugger’ and tell them they make amazing potato salad?”
    Ellie put her head on her hand and looked at Garrett, tapping her cheek with one finger.
    “You’re jealous ,” she said.
    Garrett snorted.
    “That you tricked some poor sap into giving up information?” he said.
    “That I called him slugger and said he had great potato salad.”
    “No