Read NocC 003 - Mina Khan - The Djinn's Dilemma - Harlequin 2011-11 for Free Online

any of the 50 states?
    She even tried an international search in Ireland. Nothing. Rukh O’Shay was a ghost.
    Unease gnawed at the pit of her stomach. Who was he? Her earlier suspicions reared up again. Did he have anything to do with the two hoodlums from yesterday?
    Her breath snagged in her throat and a bite of chocolate almost went down her windpipe. A round of coughs later, she blinked away tears. Should she cancel the date? Dang, she didn’t even have a phone number to contact Mr. Mystery.
    Waves of tingly desire shimmered through her as she thought of him sitting in Amy’s bakery, head back, laughing. No doubt, the guy was drop-dead gorgeous…but when he laughed it was an amazing transformation. Perfect teeth, crinkly eyes, warm husky laughter that rumbled from somewhere deep inside. Wrapped her in sunshine and cinnamon. He stopped being just another pretty face, and came alive.
    No, Sarah wanted to go on this date. She’d just have to keep her wits about her and get answers the hard way.
    The phone at her desk rang, making her jump. She grabbed it. “The Austin American-Herald . Can I help you?”
    “Hey, how’s my favorite reporter doing?”
    Sarah flipped open her notebook and grabbed a pen as she recognized Eric’s friendly voice. “Feeling out of favor at the moment,” she said. “Took you long enough to return my call.”
    “Man, the governor’s been working me to death,” he said. “But here I am, you wanted to wine, dine and seduce me over dinner tonight?”
    Laughter spurted out of her. Eric was too funny. “Not exactly.”
    “A man can dream I suppose,” he sighed. “So, what do you need?”
    “Well, like I said in my messages, we’re doing a story on Transportation Director Alex Gingrich.”
    “What’s that got to do with Jake?”
    “We are looking into Gingrich’s business practices and his relationship with the governor.”
    “Relationship?” Eric said. “Alex is a good manager and a civic leader. They have a good working relationship.”
    “According to my sources, they’re a whole lot friendlier.”
    He chuckled. “Sarah, Jake is campaigning to be president. Right now, he’s very friendly. He’s friendly with everyone.”
    She’d had enough of his stall tactics. “Is that a quote for my story?”
    “No. I don’t do quotes. I’m just the lowly underling.” He sighed again. “It must be a slow news day for you to be chasing a tabloid story.”
    Sarah took a deep breath, counted backwards from ten, exhaled. People, even nice ones like Eric, tended to get bitchy when cornered. “Hey, just trying to pay my bills.”
    “Well, Jake won’t like being interviewed about an ugly rumor like this,” he said. “He might fire my ass for even bringing it up.”
    “If he does, I’ll drive you to the soup kitchen and unemployment office,” she said. Eric did everything for the governor, from writing his speeches to picking up the perfect anniversary gift for the Mrs. The man would so not get fired.
    “Your sympathy is heartwarming,” Eric grouched. “Anyway, I’ll see what I can do, but he’s really busy.”
    “If not an interview, I’ll take a statement,” Sarah said. “Otherwise, it’ll run without his side of the story. Worse, I’ll have to include that he didn’t return our calls…which makes him seem dodgy.”
    “Right. When’s it running again?”
    “Sunday. Front page.”

    Dinner was at Mi Tierra, a restaurant overlooking Lake Travis. A beautiful Texas sunset painted the sky. A group of Mariachi musicians serenaded them with soulful Spanish songs. A sweaty bottle of beer and a beautiful woman sat in front of him.
    Rukh wished he could live in this moment forever.
    But he had work to do. He still had no inkling about who wanted Jasmine dead or why. He let his fingers trail over the knuckles of her left hand, enjoyed the sharp intake of her breath. “So you help out bakers in distress and as a member of the press you keep the masses informed. Should I