Bared by the Billionaire Read Online Free Page A

moments? It’s quite important.”
    He didn’t wait for an answer, coming to the desk and drawing up a chair.
    “Miss Thornton… may I call you Kyra?” Once again, he continued, taking her silence for assent. “Kyra, I want to formally apologize for my behavior earlier. You’re an intelligent woman. I’m sure you understand that there’s a certain format we’re required to follow when we are investigating a crime. That’s why the bureau has several people at each interview—to make sure rules are followed. But we’re alone now and I’d like to speak frankly with you.
    “I’ve looked over this case,” he went on, “and just between you and me, I’m convinced that you’re an innocent victim here. A woman as attractive as yourself, with the brains to run the finances of a large international company and no record of any previous wrongdoing—well, let’s just say you don’t fit the profile of our usual criminal.”
    Kyra just stared at him. Was this another one of his tactics? The good cop, bad cop act, with him playing both roles? He was really quite attractive when he smiled. If she wasn’t so terrified about her immediate future, Patterson was the type of man she might have fantasized about when she was all alone later tonight.
    As though sensing her distrust, Patterson leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and opened his arms expansively. “I’m not here to trick you into anything. I’m here to offer you my help. What I said earlier was the truth. We don’t want you. We want the person or persons who masterminded this theft. A lot of influential people invested in this corporation and they’re looking for someone’s head on a platter—along with their money. But personally, I don’t think Alejandro Cabrera had the brains to pull off a heist on this scale.”
    Kyra nodded her head gravely, not trusting her voice to not quaver. Inside, she agreed with him. Alejandro was intelligent, but his was more of an innate cunning. She’d been shocked yesterday when she discovered the complexity of his theft. He moved the money around so quickly, then made it disappear, leaving no trace except for the one leading to her involvement. In all their time together, he never struck her as being that competent on a computer.
    Patterson went on, lowering his voice. “Kyra, let’s work together. I think I can get my bosses to hold off on any formal charges against you if you’ll agree to assist us in our investigation. If we nab the person at the bottom of this, I guarantee you’ll never be charged with any crime.”
    “Assist you?” This man was throwing her a lifeline. But she’d learned if something seemed too good to be true, it probably was. “How exactly would I be assisting you?”
    Patterson leaned forward. “Have you heard of Jake Harmon?”
    “The billionaire tech guy? Who hasn’t?”
    “As you know, Harmon invested several million in International Technology Consultants. He got a few of his buddies to dump big money into this company as well. And once the word was discreetly leaked that Jake Harmon was buying into a company that was poised to take over the tech business in the growing South American market, investors jumped on board.”
    Kyra nodded. All it took was one big name to start a river of money flowing in Miami. And Alejandro achieved that when he got Jake Harmon to endorse him. Kyra had been introduced to Harmon once, at a formal event Alejandro hosted last spring at Vizcaya, the Coral Gables bay front mansion-turned-museum. Always looking to impress people, Alejandro had rented the palatial house and grounds for an evening, inviting a handful of local celebrities along with some of his biggest investors and plenty of potential new ones. Harmon made a rare public appearance, shook a few hands, posed for photo ops with Alejandro—doing just enough to give Alejandro the leverage he needed to attract more money to his start-up. Seeing him in person, she remembered thinking