BAD Beginnings Read Online Free Page B

Hello?”
    “Oh, sorry. I’m here.”
    “There’s not a whole lot I can get for you on Cozumel. Since no one followed him, we have nothing but data available. Hotel receipts, flight plans, rental cars, credit card reports, phone data—that’s all I can get.”
    She had known as much and rubbed her temple. Her boss had denied sending someone—too costly. Still, data was better than what she had now—nada. “That’s fine. Send it when you can.”
    “You got it. Hey, listen, since he’s being nice now why don’t you try using your charm?”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Oh, that’s right—you don’t have any.” Another loud cackle burned Gemma’s ear. “Put on a fancy dress and show up at his house with a bottle of wine laced with a good kick-in-the-ass. Seduce him, get him drunk, or both. Once he’s passed out, call me and I’ll help you do the search.”
    “He prefers to get his thrills up the nose.”
    “Even better. Whatever you do, get to it. You don’t have much time.”
    Gemma ended the call and tugged at the tight skirt. She hated dresses. Heels were even lower on her list. She missed the uniform and was embarrassed to admit such. Other girls loved designer clothes and had double digit numbers of shoes. She wasn’t one of those—until two years ago when she was offered this case. She should have question the assignment at the time or been frustrated by the blatant use of her gender, but she wasn’t. It was her shot and regardless of motive, she’d take it and ace it. Or at least that’s what she thought when it started. Her confidence had waned the last few months and she’d worked hard to gain Logan’s trust, something that wasn’t easy to achieve.
    What she’d give to put on a hip holster instead of taping a tiny revolver to the inside of her leg. She had a permanent bruise. God forbid she came upon an incident that required her to chase down a suspect.
    The door of the Starbucks flew open as she passed, a busy woman in a suit rushed past her with hands full. The aroma of coffee grabbed her attention. She glanced down the street in the direction Logan had gone then yanked the door open. She’d get a cup and perhaps wait to see what he did next. The line of three people moved lazily as each one purveyed the menu and struggled with their order.
    Gemma shook her head. Why do people get such a kick out of these ridiculously worded and intentionally grandiose words for the obvious? A large latté somehow became a Vente Skinny Latté with a double shot and cinnamon. Seriously? She wished she had thought of that. This chain of basic coffee stores with minimal crappy food made a killing off the idea.
    She refused to hop on the express train to yuppiedom though. When the woman at the counter asked for her order, she smiled. “Large coffee please.” Gemma noted the huff of aggravation as the woman rang up the order, took her money, and sent her to wait for her boring drink. Sorry to disappoint.
    “So, the cat’s away and the mice took no time at all to play, huh?” Gemma whirled to see the crinkle at the corner of Logan’s eyes. Up close. Too close. And once more, she felt the overwhelming urge to touch him. She’d run a finger over the tattoo earlier, surprising herself. It had been totally out of character. Before he’d gone to Cozumel, she never wanted within five feet. Now, as much as she knew he had something to do with her case—the desire to stroke fingers against those creases was strong. It was crazy, because she’d never even noticed them before.
    “Geez, Logan, don’t sneak up on me like that. You might end up with scalding coffee on that neat white shirt of yours. I thought you were going for a walk.” She tried to put distance between them but her back was wedged against the counter. She couldn’t shake the feeling something was different about him. He looked the same, albeit more scruffy. Before the vacation, he did nothing but bark orders. Standing this close would never have