Read Dance With Me for Free Online

man was in so he’d gone to see the redhead and find out.
    Instead of discovering Paulson’s mental state, he’d discovered two things about himself. First, he was still a chump for a ginger. And second, he’d been without female companionship for far too long.
    Rick let his head fall back against the back of the lounge chair on the deck of the Blue Bean, where he awaited Rebecca. How long had it been since he’d even touched a woman? His brow furrowed as he tried to think. Seven, eight years maybe? He’d had a quick fling with that perky brunette in Thailand. What was her name? Melinda? Melissa? Miranda? How long ago was Thailand?
    The years blurred together as he tried to pinpoint a time. He’d been pursuing a lead on an arms dealer who’d somehow managed to get his hands on a few very sensitive American UAVs that had gone missing from the air base in Bagram. The perky brunette had been convenient, writing down her name and the name of her hotel, then pressing it into his palm as she paraded by him on the way out of a restaurant.
    It hadn’t taken long to hunt down the UAVs, and when he’d disposed of the arms dealer, he’d found the brunette and taken her up on the offer. Rick smiled a little. Seven years. That had been seven years ago.
    “Well that’s an interesting smile.”
    Rick opened his eyes to see Rebecca standing by the lounge chair next to his, a smile pulling at those full lips. Curvy.
    “Well hi there.” He sat upright in the lounge chair, then stood and gestured to the chair next to him. “Please, have a seat.” He waited until she sat down to return to his chair and tried to smile at her. “This is a nice place.”
    Rebecca tossed those fiery curls behind her shoulder and grinned. Beautiful smile. “Yeah. It’s the only coffee shop I’ve ever been to that feels like you’re lounging on the beach waiting for a mai tai.” She leaned over and whispered conspiratorially, “That’s why I like it.”
    Mai tai, indeed. A waiter in blue chinos and a white T-shirt came by to refill Rick’s empty coffee cup and take her order. When she ordered a plain black coffee, he stared at her in surprise.
    “What?” She asked, tilting her head to the side.
    “Nothing. I just figured you for a froufrou coffee drinker.”
    Rebecca shrugged. “I can drink the froufrou stuff, but sometimes you need a kick in the ass instead of something that tastes good.”
    Huh. Go figure. Rick felt exactly the same. He didn’t think anyone actually drank coffee for the flavor. Like vaccinations, it was a necessary evil. “Do you need a kick in the ass today?”
    “Ha! That’s putting it mildly.” Rebecca tugged the lever on the side of her lounge chair and reclined back. “I had to call CPS today. Third time I’ve called this year and for the same kid.” She shook her head and a deep sadness filled her eyes. “Sometimes the government is so useless, you know?”
    Rick blinked rapidly. Holy shit , did he ever know about the government and useless. But she was talking about something completely different. “Yeah. I bet it’s hard.” At her questioning look he clarified, “Seeing a kid hurt and not being able to do more than make a phone call.”
    Rebecca tensed a little and Rick watched her closely, suspicion dawning. “Yeah. It’s tough. I just want to…” She stopped and pursed her lips. “I just want to find those parents and do everything to them that they’ve done to those kids. Every scratch, bruise, and mean word, I’d like to give back to them tenfold.” She gritted her teeth and growled a little.
    Now her record made a little more sense. People were passionate and aggressive about deeply personal issues. She’d either seen it in a loved one or been a victim of child abuse herself. As a victim or witness, whatever the case, she’d run far and fast, and managed to build a good life. No wonder she stayed out of trouble. Rick made a mental note to do a little more digging into her past. Hang on