Special Agent Maximilian Read Online Free

down and the pills had had an adverse effect on me. I was a zombie. So, my sister and brother-in-law packed me and Max up and brought us to their home here in New Orleans.” Exhausted by her speech, Nellie started to sob.
    Max finally came close and rubbed her shoulders. “Uncle Ed was a real bastard, too, Nik. Chances are, he made a deal with our father to keep quiet about your recovery. To an asshole like him, it would have seemed fair for them each to keep a child. Besides, he knew that Mom would never have come here to look after them if she’d known you were still alive. Both my aunt and uncle used Mom as their personal maid and nurse until the day he passed on, then she followed a few years ago.”
    Nik shook his head, disbelieving the cruelty of some people. It never ceased to amaze him how folks could treat others so inhumanely.
    In a voice softened from caring, he murmured, “I’m so sorry, Nellie. That this had to happen to you.” Caressing her hand, he squeezed it gently.
    Nellie’s head shot up and she yanked her fingers from his to point at him. “This didn’t just happen to me, Nik Baudin. It happened to us. And my name is Mom.”

Chapter 6
    Maya couldn’t believe that Max, or whoever it was she’d run into today, could do this to her again. That son-of-a-bitch drove her crazy. Her partner’s whims were the bane of her existence and if he wasn’t such a good agent, she’d have asked for a transfer a long time ago. Fisting her hands, nails digging into soft skin, she huffed out a breath and relaxed. Who was she trying to kid?
    New Orleans had been home for her ever since she’d come with her family years ago and it would be hard to pull up roots now. Something about the place had grabbed her heartstrings and wouldn’t let go. Whether it was the spicy seafood treats and fried oyster po’boys, the diversity and eccentricities of this port city, or the feeling of history that could be seen if one cared to look, she didn’t know. All she knew was when it had come time for her to fill out the box on the FBI’s form for where she’d prefer to be posted; she’d filled in New Orleans.
    Not once had she regretted her decision. She lived far enough away from her needy family that she could go back periodically and not expect too many return visits, thank goodness. Between her mother and two sisters, there might be enough brain power to rule one simpleton. Those women didn’t have a clue. Men and money, in that order, were all they cared about.
    Her mom was a single mother who’d had three girls to raise; she’d done so by attaching herself to the first willing man, rather than working at a career in order to provide. Maya and her sisters had grown up with so many step-dads that she couldn’t remember their names anymore. Some had been nice while others had been assholes, most had been cheap, and all were gone.
    Sadly, the one who Maya had considered her only true father had died young. A black man with a pure-gold heart and a talent for the clarinet, Sam Brown had been the one who’d made sure she didn’t become like the others. He’d spent enough time with the idealistic young girl to explain the intricacies of life, the importance of self-respect and personal values.
    In her early teens, the dreamer years where optimism and impracticality ruled, he’d made a huge impact. Life had been good when they’d lived with Sam. He’d adored her mother and treated her like a lady, same with her daughters. That lesson had become ingrained in Maya. She knew she couldn’t settle for less and still hadn’t found a guy with Sam’s special gifts.
    Sheila and Kerrie, Maya’s two sisters, hadn’t been as affected by Sam’s charms. When he’d been around they’d been older, at the budding stage—that border between teenage silliness and an
I’m a woman now
mentality.
    They were both man crazy. Power over the male species meant wiggling their gorgeous tushes and submitting their lush bodies for the