Read InTooDeep for Free Online Page A

I haven’t been able to reach her for a few days.
When I got into town she wasn’t home, hasn’t been home. I’ve already hired a
private investigator but your record tells me you’d be much better at finding
her.”
    It couldn’t be that simple, could it? “Did
you file a missing persons report?”
    “No.”
    Hunt shook his head. “There’s got to be
something more to it than that. You didn’t stage this elaborate game of cat and
mouse just to ask me to help you find your sister when, more than likely, given
time, the investigator will do just that. So why me?”
    Carley swallowed, brushed the hair back
over her shoulder. “The police can’t be involved.”
    His eyebrows winged upward. “Did you forget
you targeted a cop? If you didn’t want the boys in blue involved you probably
shouldn’t have broken into my home.”
    “In theory that makes sense but my sister
is too important to trust to some nameless guy in a uniform. I need to know
that someone will be actively looking for her, will follow the leads I provide
and won’t stop until he finds her.”
    “What makes you so sure I’m that guy?”
    “Because I always trust my instincts. I
have some business coming up out of town soon and I’d like to leave knowing my
sister is safe.”
    “And that’s really it?” He wasn’t buying
it. Not for a minute. “Why can’t the police be involved?”
    Her gaze hardened. “Because I said so.”
    Hunt shook his head. “No. Sorry. You picked
the wrong guy.”
    “Why don’t you think about it? In the
meantime, here’s all the information I’ve come up with since I arrived in
Charleston.” She passed him a folder, making him wonder where she’d been hiding
it. That suit didn’t offer much room for stowing away information. “I’ll give
you a call tomorrow morning.” She turned her back to him and walked away, her
steps steady and sure as if somehow she knew she was safe from harm.
    Hunt watched her until she was almost out
of sight and then he called her name, at least the only one he knew. When she
stopped, he jogged halfway to her. “Don’t count on my agreeing to help.”
    “Don’t count on my giving up.”
    He didn’t stop her when she walked away
from him this time. Standing in the middle of White Point Gardens, he thought
of all the reasons why he shouldn’t have let her walk away. Things like his
sworn duty to uphold the law. He should have arrested her, taken her in to the
station and booked her.
    Instead he already knew what his answer
would be when she called him tomorrow morning. He’d help her find her sister,
if for no other reason than to find out more about her.
    If Carley thought he was good at finding
people, she had no idea how good he was at discovering the truth about them.
     
    The ringing of the phone made Franklin
jump, and he cursed. When had he gotten so damn jittery? His hand shook when he
silenced the annoying sound with a press of a button. He didn’t have time to
talk to anyone now.
    Sweat popped out on his forehead and he
slumped into the chair behind his desk. What in the hell had gone wrong? It was
supposed to be a simple pickup. His two guys had done it hundreds of times
before, but this time had been different. The blonde had been different.
    Franklin dropped his head to his desk,
thankful only a small skeleton crew worked the station after midnight. He could
be alone, away from everyone, including Rena.
    He’d promised her everything would be okay,
but things weren’t even in the same room with okay. In his research he’d
discovered something Rena wasn’t going to like, which meant he was going to pay
for her displeasure.
    Their latest take had more than just
family. She had a whole shitload of trouble.
    One hand skittered across the manila folder
holding all the pertinent information about the blonde. Why in the hell hadn’t
his guys been paying better attention? They said they’d followed her, had seen
no evidence of family in the area, but that