Private Dick Casefile 01 - Lily White Rose Red Read Free Page A

grabbed her ankle, the hose silky to the touch, and pushed her slowly away from me. “I think I get the picture. You could have just told me.”
    She shifted her balance instantly, swinging her leg up and out of my grasp with a little flash of smooth white skin above the black garter, Lily White, Rose Red: Grey Randall, Private Dick Casefile #1
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    spinning away from me before walking back to her chair with a provocative roll of her hips. Even at her age, she was… flexible. She bent to retrieve her stole and pick up her bag.
    “Miss Saint-Ville knew how to take care of herself.” She wasn’t even breathless when she sat down. “Sometimes a girl has to know how to get out of a sticky situation.”
    I brushed off my tie, trying to pretend that it hadn’t hurt. “Nice move.”
    “I was holding back. If I really put my weight into it, this heel would have made you think twice.”
    “I believe you.” I did. She had dancer’s legs, slim but strong. I wouldn’t want to meet her in a dark alley at night if she were mad at me. “So she could have taken a man by surprise with that move.”
    “I know a lot of other moves as well.”
    “And you taught her everything you know.”
    For the first time, I saw a flicker of emotion cross her face. “Not enough, apparently. I taught her all I knew, except how to stay alive.” She looked sad for a moment, but then it was back to business. “You never gave me your rates.”
    “A hundred a day, plus expenses.”
    “You can open your mouth all right.” Miss McIntyre smiled at me as she looked over the office. I knew that she knew I was lying, but she must have wanted someone on the case right away and was willing to pay for it. “I can do better than that.” She opened up her bag and pulled out a five-G stack.
    “Look, you want someone killed, get yourself another dick,” I said.
    “I’ll take care of that part after you find the man,” she said. “I know a lawyer or two.”
    “I don’t carry out revenge,” I told her. “I’ll find him for you, but I’m not going to kill him. I may not even be able to produce enough evidence to bring him to trial, but I’ll find him.”
    “You’re very sure of yourself,” she purred flirtatiously as she 12

    CATT FORD

    settled back in her chair.
    “I should be. I’ve never failed to get my man yet,” I said casually, although I didn’t let on exactly what I meant by that. It was the keeping them that was the tricky part.
    “Oh, I have complete faith in you, Mr. Randall,” she assured me.
    She crossed her legs and leaned forward, one silk-clad leg against the other making a hushing noise like rain, and said, “All you have to do is find him. I have ways to take care of him later. If you catch him before the week is out, there could be a bonus in it for you as well.”
    “What kind of bonus?”
    “That’s up for negotiation.” Something in her smile made me feel like we were talking a whole different currency here.
    “You’re a fascinating lady, Miss Lily.”
    She threw back her head and laughed. “I’m no lady, darling. I’m a woman, full-grown.”
    “Yeah,” I agreed. “Armed and dangerous.”
    “Who knows, maybe I could teach you something.”
    “Oh, I have no doubt of that.” Even though she wasn’t packing the right equipment, I’m sure I could have learned a lot from her.
    “Where do I call you when I catch him?”
    “I like your style, Mr. Randall. You’re confident. That’s good in a man.”
    “Thank you, Miss McIntyre. And your number?”
    “So you knew all along? I see I’ve found the right man for the job.” She recited her number. I didn’t make a move to write it down, and she seemed to approve. “This job is likely to be difficult.”
    “Trouble is my business, Miss McIntyre, and I’m open twenty-four hours. Why the time limit?”
    “We don’t want to give him time to—dispose of the evidence, shall we say?” She stood up, and I circled my desk to pick up her fur thing