Read Deep in Death: A Shelby Nichols Adventure for Free Online

deep breath, she managed to calm down. Still hoping Uncle Joey might step in, she sent a quick glance his way, but his raised brow and pursed lips let her know she was on her own.
    “Here’s the deal,” she began. “I run the shipping company Uncle Joey and I “inherited” from Eddie Sullivan after his death.”
    I remembered Eddie Sullivan well, since he’d tried to kill me. Lucky for me, Uncle Joey killed him first. Uncle Joey then sent Kate to Seattle to take over what she could of Eddie’s businesses. “You got a shipping company out of it. That’s good,” I said, mostly because it kept her in Seattle and out of my life. “How’s it going?”
    “Really well,” Kate said, preening a little. “I’ve got a great manager who’s taught me the ropes, and things are running smoothly. My problem is with another shipping company. We’ve been competing for many of the same contracts, and they approached me about a merger between our businesses. It would be great for us, but I’m not sure we can trust them. I was hoping you could tell me if the man I’m working with has ulterior motives.” She was really thinking that it was Uncle Joey who didn’t trust him, but that was Ramos’ fault. If Ramos hadn’t stuck his nose in where it didn’t belong, she wouldn’t be here right now trying to defend her position.
    I picked up a strong impression of the man in question, and if he looked anything like she was thinking he looked, there was a lot more to their relationship than she let on. Of course, Uncle Joey already knew that. He was thinking Kate had a problem where men were concerned and that’s why he’d sent Ramos in the first place. It was just too bad Ramos had been discovered before he could get to the root of the problem. He was supposed to be better than that.
    I glanced at Ramos, and he shrugged, but deep down he wasn’t sorry Kate had found him out and waylaid his plans. Even if it put him in a hot spot, he figured Manetto should give Kate the opportunity to fix the problem herself. Sometimes Manetto was a little too heavy-handed where she was concerned. That’s probably what drove her to side against Manetto in the first place with Walter, a man now dead, who had tried to take over Uncle Joey’s organization a few months ago.
    “Okay,” I said, more intrigued than anything. “I’ll help. Just so you know…my going rate is five hundred dollars an hour.” I quoted a sum higher than my normal fees, but she was desperate, and I’d learned from the best how to take advantage of that. I glanced at Uncle Joey for his approval. He hid a smile, but was thinking she probably would have paid more if I would have started a little higher.
    “Great,” she said, relieved I hadn’t asked for more. “I thought maybe you could meet us for lunch tomorrow? Around one? He has an appointment at two, so once he leaves, you can tell me what you picked up and we’ll be done.” She was thinking that even if it took a little longer than an hour she wasn’t about to pay me more. Oops, did I hear that? Her gaze caught mine and she shrugged, hoping I wouldn’t be offended.
    “That should work. How about we meet at The Cheesecake Factory and you pay for lunch?” Since that was one of my favorite restaurants, I figured if she paid, it wouldn’t matter if we went over the hour.
    “All right, I’ll see you there at one.” She glanced at Uncle Joey. “And if you don’t mind, I can do whatever I need to from there. Without your involvement.” She included Ramos in her statement, then stood and haughtily sauntered out of the room.
    We all breathed a sigh of relief to have her gone, and I glanced at Uncle Joey. “She’s not too happy with you. Maybe you should just leave her alone from now on.”
    Uncle Joey’s lips twisted. “Not a chance. I’ve invested heavily in the business, and I’m not about to let her ruin it because of some man she’s attracted to.”
    I couldn’t fault him for that.