Read Miranda Vaughn Mystery 01.00 - Chasing the Dollar for Free Online

down.
    "My treat," she said, putting the folder in the waitress's hands. "We never got a chance to celebrate our win. Plus, I'll probably throw up later, and you'll end up holding my hair. So we'll be even."
    I knew better than to fight with her, so I thanked her and glanced again toward the man at the bar. He was still there, lingering over a drink. He was watching me in the mirror behind the bar now, and I caught his eye again. This time, his expression was serious instead of flirty, and my brain woke from its boozy slumber and started sorting through memories trying to place him.
    My smile faltered as the recognition clicked into place. His hair was shorter then, and he had been wearing a dark blue windbreaker with FBI emblazoned on the back. His strong hands grabbed mine, pulled them behind me, and snapped a pair of handcuffs on my wrists. Later, in a tiny room at the federal building downtown, he sat quietly taking notes while another man, the lead investigator, questioned me about the Sahara Fund.
    " Miranda? Are you okay?"
    I snapped back to see Sarah, leaning toward me, concerned. My throat closed, and the blood drained from my head.
    I stood quickly, knocking the table with my leg. Sarah caught it and stood, too, grabbing her purse off the back of her chair.
    " Let's go," I said.
    Sarah waved toward the waitress and retrieved the check to sign the credit card receipt. I mumbled something about waiting outside and wobbled toward the door. Leaning against the stucco wall, I gulped down the still-warm evening air. My heart thundered and my hands shook.
    "What's wrong? Is it the tequila?" Sarah said, joining me outside and putting her hand on my arm.
    I looked at her, then past her as a shadow passed over the screen door and paused, the tall outline of the FBI agent silhouetted against the bright lights of the kitchen behind him.
    "I'm fine. Let's go," I said, turning abruptly.
    Well, it was nice being normal while it lasted.

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    If Rob was the brains of the operation at his law firm, and Sarah the looks, then Burton Worthington was the muscle. He was at least 6-feet 3-inches tall and had improbably little body fat. When standing, he was the most intimidating man I'd ever met, and this was part of the reason why he was such a good investigator.
    But he was also charming and easy to talk to, which made him a great investigator. People opened up to him. They trusted him. They told him things they really didn 't want to share, things that they knew better than to tell him.
    I kept that in mind as he held the door for me at the law firm.
    "Welcome back, Miss Miranda," he said with a grin. He always called me that, though as far as I could tell, he didn't do that to anyone else—either coworker or client.
    Burton 's office was right inside the law firm's front door. He wasn't actually an employee of the firm, but he was hired on nearly every job Rob took, so the proximity worked for both of them. Theresa constantly reminded everyone that she worked for Rob, not Burton. But then she'd offer to type letters for the investigator, retrieve his messages, or even bring him coffee—which always annoyed Rob, since he couldn't seem to get that level of service from his secretary.
    " How are you, Burton?" I asked, looking around the office.
    Rob 's door was shut, which meant he was probably on the phone. Theresa's desk was empty again, but Sarah was at her desk. She waved a hand and grimaced, motioning to the phone receiver in other hand.
    " Are we going to have to find a desk for you?"
    I grinned. "Sarah said I should take your office, since you're always out goofing off."
    " Oh, she did, did she?" He nearly growled his response, and I saw a glint in his amber eyes.
    She hadn 't said any such thing, but I enjoyed teasing them both too much.
    " I'll just wait for Rob in the library," I said, shifting the backpack on my shoulder.
    Burton gave me a hug that nearly crushed the air from my lungs, the sudden show of