Cat Got Your Tongue? Read Online Free Page B

from the front door.
    “They’re here!” Cole shouted and scrambled to his feet.
    The butler’s voice could be heard as he rushed to unlock the front door. The police burst inside the townhouse, their loud voices echoing through the house.
    The intruder edged backward and Cole stepped forward, closing in. “You’re not going anywhere.”
    A strong shove to the chest had Cole reeling back. “I had nothing to do with this, you ass. I just saved your life!” the figure said in a fierce whisper.
    And ran.

Chapter Three
    Monday morning
    Eddie Jones scratched his crotch and gave an unattractive yawn as he made his way to the kitchen. He opened the rickety fridge, pulled out the milk, and gulped straight from the bottle.
    “Need a glass?”
    Eddie choked on the mouthful he was about to swallow and whirled around in surprise, dropping the bottle and spilling milk everywhere. He cursed when he saw Alex standing in the corner of the kitchen, her arms folded across her chest, amused that he hadn’t noticed her presence. Through his coughing fit and gasping air, he continued cussing her.
    “Jeepers, Eddie, catch your damn breath,” Alex goaded, her lips twitching at the sight of her mother’s fence struggling for air.
    He was a short, balding man with a cranky frown and a bulging gut that had seen far too many beers. He’d put on weight since she’d last seen him but considering it had been some time since their last meet, she figured he didn’t look too bad. She’d grown up with Eddie Jones in her life. A thief, but a good man. He’d been the middleman between her mother and the buyers who paid fortunes for the paintings she stole. Jennifer seldom worked a job without Eddie being involved. She got her adrenaline fix by stealing the paintings, by pulling a job that left police and homeowners perplexed. Where the paintings went once she handed them over to Eddie was of no excitement or relevance to her, as long as she got her cut. Alex suspected that her mother had made a fortune from all the jobs she’d pulled, the money stashed away in foreign accounts. She just hoped her mother had finally retired or taken an extended vacation.
    It was a far better image as opposed to the ones Alex had been having of late. Images of her mother, beaten, trapped, dead.
    “Ever heard of knocking at the front door?” Eddie choked out. His eyes watered and he cleared his throat.
    “The likes of you don’t use front doors, Eddie, so why should I?”
    “ʼCause you ain’t one of us, remember?” he retorted and wiped his hand across his mouth.
    She glanced around the messy, dilapidated kitchen and tried not to grimace. “It’s ten in the morning. Early for you to be up.”
    “Yeah? I have things to do.”
    “The only thing that’ll haul your ass out of bed before noon is if you’re working a job.”
    “I have a meeting.”
    “With a buyer, no doubt.” Alex tilted her head, enjoying the dig. “And I bet you have just the cat to retrieve whatever he’s after. You’re still fencing?”
    He cocked a brow. “As if I’d tell you. What are you doing here?”
    “I came to ask you about the job pulled on Cole Anderson last night.”
    “You want information from me?” He jabbed a finger in her direction and shook his head. “You and me, we ain’t buttered on the same side of the bread, you know.”
    “And I intend to keep it that way.”
    “Damn shame.” He flicked a glance along the length of her. “With that body and the skills and knowledge you’ve learnt from us, you’d have made one hell of a cat burglar.”
    “I prefer my side of the bread. Do you know anything about the heist on Cole last night?”
    He eyed her with caution, sensing her agitation. “I ain’t spilling material to you.”
    “Did you send out the cat to Cole’s last night?” she demanded, straightening her shoulders and staring at him dead on.
    “You should leave, Alex.”
    His menacing tone didn’t scare her. Even though he’d avoided her