Read Stolen Vengeance: Slye Temp book 6 for Free Online Page B

but it was too late by then. She’d allowed him all kinds of access, and Dingo wanted nothing permanent with a woman. He felt no responsibility when it came to her.
    If that meant his little antic today had been about Charlie, then Dingo could stew all he wanted.
    He’d lost his chance to have something special with her, when all it would have taken was meeting her half way.
    Idiot that she was, she still missed him.
    She shook off the distraction and paid attention to weaving through the flow of foot traffic going against her.
    The sign for the restaurant came into view.
    Searching ahead of the people in front of her, she noticed a man heading her way from the opposite direction. Men in LA dressed in everything from ragged jeans to tailored tuxedos, and drew attention just by the way they wore their clothes.
    Not this man.
    He topped out at just over six feet, trim build, and moved as if he could handle himself. The black suit and crisp beige shirt had the smooth lines of custom tailoring, and she’d bet from the wide shoulders that there was decent muscle hidden beneath. Nice packaging, but not her type. Obviously, her type was a rough-around-the-edges Aussie with commitment issues.
    The more she studied the man coming toward the restaurant from the other direction, the more she realized the way he moved and observed everything around him reminded her of Dingo and his friend Tanner while they were on their mission last month.
    Dingo? Again. Really?
    Stupid man had no clue what he meant to her.
    No, I’m the stupid fool for wishing he was still in my life.
    She checked the strange man again and noticed his gaze bounce across people near her, then stop on her.
    Hairs danced along her neck. She slowed her steps.
    Where was her signature icy confidence?
    She had to carve out some time for the gym this week. She needed a brutal workout that would leave her bruised and exhausted, but ready to face anything.
    Not reacting like a sissy to a stranger in broad daylight.
    As she approached the canopied entrance, so did he.
    “Ms. Eklund?” he asked in a voice that had no accent. Like someone from the Midwest. Steely gray eyes took her in from head to toe with quick efficiency.
    Good news? He was late, too.
    Bad news? She didn’t like the weird feelings zinging inside her. Was this a new paranoia or some crap left over from her meeting with Dingo?
    She offered her hand to what she hoped would be her new client. “Mr. Smith, I presume?”
    “Yes.” He shook her hand briefly then opened the door, his face arranged into one of congeniality. “Shall we?”
    Not a bad guy.
    Her gut might have reservations, but she had trouble hearing any argument over her hemorrhaging bank account that was shouting, “ What are you afraid of, Valene?”
    Letting her dad down.
    Other than that? Nothing. Not a damn thing.
    Once they were seated with water served, Smith asked the waiter to give them time to talk, then he turned to Valene.
    He withdrew an electronic tablet from his briefcase and placed it on the table. “I need something priceless recovered, but discretion is as important as the value of the recovery.”
    She was known for maintaining client confidentiality that rivaled any doctor or attorney-client privilege, but it was far better for a client to choose her rather than to sell him. She said, “You found me so I’m assuming you know my reputation.”
    “I do, but I would venture to say that this will be unlike any contract you’ve ever taken and, if you’re successful, it will pay two-hundred-and-fifty thousand dollars.”
    Okay, he’d just uttered the magic words.
    Her blood pressure spiked along with her interest, but she forced her face to remain passive, to hide any emotion. She was proud of her ability to sound calm and reserved. “What are you looking for, Mr. Smith?”
    “First, I want your word not to share this conversation.”
    “You have it.”
    “Just so we’re clear, I’ll know if you do breathe a word of