Free Beautiful Storm (Lightning Strikes Book 1) by Barbara Freethy

her voice suddenly tense.
    He followed her gaze to the man making his way out of the showroom. His sandy brown hair was thinning on the top of his head, and he had gained a few pounds since he was a kid, but it was definitely Brad.
    "Can I help you?" Brad asked, giving them a cheerful smile. "Are you looking for a bike?"
    "Actually, we're looking for a little conversation," Michael said.
    Brad's gaze narrowed as it settled on Michael's face. "Wait a second—I know you. You're—you're Michael Cordero."
    "Good memory."
    Brad's smile faded. "I think I know why you're here." He drew in a shaky breath. "Has Liliana been found?"
    "No, but you obviously know she's missing," Michael returned, wondering about the sudden pallor of Brad's skin, the nervous gleam in his eyes.
    "I saw it on the news. It's a terrible thing."
    "When did you last talk to Liliana?"
    Brad swallowed hard and cast a quick look toward the showroom, where an attractive blonde woman was walking outside with a young couple. "I can't speak to you here."
    "Why not?" Michael hadn't really expected anything to come from meeting Brad, but his behavior now was a little suspicious.
    "I'm busy. I have work to do."
    "This won't take long," Alicia interjected. "And it's really important. Michael said you and Liliana were close. Surely you want to help find her."
    Brad licked his lips, cast a quick glance at the blonde and then said, "I can meet you tonight. Javier's at eight o'clock." He turned abruptly at the end of his sentence and went over to join the other group.
    Michael watched as Brad slid his arm around the waist of the blonde and then urged her and the couple back into the showroom. "That must be his wife," he said.
    "And he didn't want her to hear our conversation," Alicia murmured. "Why not?"
    "Good question. I didn't think Brad had talked to Liliana in years. Now, I'm not so sure."
    "What is Javier's?"
    "It's a bar in South Beach."
    She met his gaze. "Looks like we have a date tonight."
    "Looks that way," he said, as they walked back to the car. "I just hate having to wait until tonight. Who knows if Brad will show up? He could just be buying time, and we could be wasting another seven hours."
    "So, let's not waste them," she said as she got into the passenger seat.
    He walked around the car and slid behind the wheel. "What did you have in mind?"
    "Well, we could have lunch. It's after one, and I'm starving. What about you?"
    His stomach rumbled at her words. "I could eat. Where do you want to go?"
    She hesitated for a long moment. "We could make it a working lunch. Didn't Liliana disappear in the parking lot of a restaurant?"
    "Paladar," he said, his muscles tightening. "I don't think we should go there."
    "Why not?"
    "Well, for one thing, the Valdez family tends to spend a lot of time there, and I suspect that's the first place they went after finishing the park search this morning."
    "Even better. We might be able to learn something." She paused. "What's the other thing?"
    "My father owns the restaurant."
    Her eyes widened with surprise. "I didn't know that. There wasn't any mention of that in the news articles I read."
    "Well, it's a fact. He and my stepmother opened the restaurant about eight years ago. It's their dream come true. Liliana's older brother Juan is one of the chefs. Both he and my father usually work on Saturdays."
    "We have to go there, Michael."
    "It will be awkward."
    "So what? We might be able to get new information."
    "No one talks to me, Alicia."
    "Well, they might talk to me. I'm the one who provided the break in the case."
    She had a point. And since she was quite possibly the only person who'd seen Liliana since she disappeared, the Valdez family would probably be thrilled to speak to her.
    "They'll grill you," he warned her.
    "I can handle their questions. I meant to ask you what happened with Liliana's sister's wedding—did it take place before Liliana disappeared?"
    "No, it was scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Liliana went missing