Read COLLATERAL CASUALTIES (The Kate Huntington mystery series) for Free Online

instructor, referred to as sensei, required an in-person interview to determine each new student’s goals. She’d been surprised when the sensei had turned out not to be the wizened Japanese gentleman she had imagined but a buff, thirty-something, blue-eyed blond named Brad. After hearing her reasons for wanting to refresh her self-defense skills, he had bluntly told her that training once a week would produce only a false confidence in her ability to protect herself.
                She’d thought he was just trying to promote his program, but after being thrown about unceremoniously by her classmates, she’d realized he was right. Unfortunately with her busy schedule, twice a week was the best she’d been able to accomplish, but she had managed to earn her green belt.
                Kate jumped at the sound of knuckles against glass. Brad had arrived.
                A half hour into their practice session, he caught her around the waist and set her back on her feet. “That’s the third time you’ve started into a roll off balance. You’re distracted.”
                “Sorry, Sensei . I didn’t sleep well.”
                Brad cocked an eyebrow at her.
                Kate grimaced. For a young man who made his living throwing people around on mats, this guy had a disconcerting level of psychological astuteness. “Okay, yes, I’m distracted. I was hoping a hard workout would help me get grounded.”
                Brad shook his head. “Not workin’, and you’re gonna get hurt. Go home.”
                “But class starts soon.”
                Brad pointed toward the door of the dojo . “Come back tomorrow.”
                She sighed. The man might be a decade younger, but in the world of aikido one does not argue with one’s sensei .
                Kate dragged through the morning, struggling against fatigue and preoccupation to focus on her clients’ needs. By lunchtime, she’d realized she wasn’t going to be able to let go of her worries about Miller until she talked it out with somebody.
                And the most logical person was Rob Franklin, her lawyer and her closest friend after Skip. She and Rob usually had lunch together on Wednesdays, a tradition started years ago when their consultations on mutual cases had first blossomed into a friendship.
                Kate called Rob’s cell phone. The call went to voicemail. “Hey, can you come to the house tomorrow for lunch, instead of going to Mac’s Place. I’ve got something I need to bounce off you that I don’t want anybody to overhear.”
    ~~~~~~~
                When Rob arrived the next day, there was a dollar bill sitting next to his plate on the oak table that dominated one end of Kate’s kitchen. He lowered his big frame into a chair and tapped the money.
                “What’s this?” he asked, running meaty fingers through thick hair that was already, at fifty-two, more gray than its original dark brown.
                He had a strong suspicion what her answer would be.
                “That’s your yearly retainer. I believe it’s overdue.”
                Rob reached out to snag a sandwich from the platter she placed in the middle of the table. “So what you need to talk about is confidential.”
                “Extremely so. It’s so sensitive I can’t talk to Skip about it, even in general terms. But you, as my lawyer... Well, I probably shouldn’t tell you either, but I’ve got to talk to somebody.”
                Rob pocketed the dollar bill and smiled at her. “As your lawyer, I will go to my death with your secrets intact.”
                “Don’t joke about that. This really is a matter of life or death.” It took fifteen minutes for her to spell out the gist of her client’s situation, leaving out