Read The Girl from Her Mirror (Mirrors Don't Lie Book 1) for Free Online Page A

want
to cut down the mountain to get power lines through.”
    “What side are you covering, dear? For
or against?”
    Makenna tried not to take offense at the
question. “A good journalist doesn’t choose sides, we simply report the facts.”
    “Oh, but you have to have an opinion!”
Lisa insisted. “I understand this is a huge issue. There have been
Congressional hearings and political debates and all sorts of environmental
controversies surrounding it.”
    “You sound like you might be covering a
story on it yourself,” Hardin said, softening his words with the sudden
appearance of his most charming smile.
    “Me?” Lisa twittered. “Hardly! I’m an
avid reader is all, and read all about it before we even left home.” She
lowered her voice, leaned in, and said in a loud, conspiratorial whisper, “And
once I heard the mob was involved, I was even more intrigued!”
    “The mob?” Makenna said in surprise.
This was the first she had heard of that particular angle.
    “Oh, yes. What was the name of that
organization, Bob?” she asked, slapping her husband’s arm once again. With no
padding on his bones to absorb the hit, the man had to be sore. “NorthWind?”
    Makenna laughed aloud at the woman’s
theatrics. “That’s not the mob. That’s a legitimate power company, operating in
most of the New England and northern states.”
    “Oh, so you’re familiar with them?”
    Makenna shrugged. “I’ve heard the name.
From what I understand, they specialize in renewable energy sources, like wind
farms and solar panels.”
    “So you know the ties to organized
crime,” Lisa said, her cheeks dancing again as she nodded vigorously. “I
understand the same mafia that controlled Italy’s green energy efforts is now
involved in this project.”
    “I’ve not heard that,” Makenna said with
a frown, wondering if it was something she needed to check out.
    “Oh, surely you have! Surely you’ve
heard of the Zaffino Family!”
    Lisa was so insistent, and watching her
so closely, that Makenna feared the other woman was on to her deception. Was
that a name she should be aware of? In truth, it did sound vaguely familiar,
but Makenna was certain she had never encountered it while covering a news
story. Not that the Austin Daily Newsprint allowed her to cover many
stories about organized crime; the most controversial of her pieces centered
around corruption within the sanitation company contracted to serve the State
Capitol.
    Makenna was saved from answering by the
arrival of dessert. “Mm, looks delicious,” she murmured, poking her fork into
the gooey warm center of a colossal brownie smothered in ice cream. “Good thing
we’re sharing, this thing is gigantic!” She tapped Hardin’s arm with her elbow,
trying to draw him into the conversation.
    With a devilish glint in his eyes, he
looked down at his own arm, then discreetly darted a glance to Bob’s arm.
Understanding his playful comparison, Makenna pretended to scowl at the silent
insult. Seeing his answering gaze of pure innocence, Makenna laughed out loud.
    “Did we miss something, dear?” Lisa
asked, her eyes much sharper than her humorous tone.
    “Seeing this much chocolate just makes
me giddy,” Makenna improvised.
    Watching as Hardin dipped his own fork
into the dish and lifted it to his mouth, Lisa’s hungry gaze followed his
movements. “Hmmm, I may have to try that on our next visit. It does look
divine.” It was unclear if she was referring to the dessert or to the man, but
Makenna felt Hardin shift uncomfortably in his chair. She quickly hid her own
grin behind a spoonful of pure chocolate sin.
    “Does your family live there in Austin,
too, dear?” Lisa asked, scooping up a generous portion of her own dessert.
    “No, just me.”
    “Hmmm. I was just thinking about a
dentist I used to go to in the Highlands area, a Dr. Paul Reese. Was he by
chance your father?”
    “No, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of
him.”
    “So what does your