Free Break Point by Danielle LaBue Page A

don’t know,” he finally replied. “I can’t see why she would want to hurt herself.”
    “Maybe if she was pushed pretty hard.” Leslie suggested. ”If anyone would understand that, I would think it would be you.”
    “True. But why would she defend him?”
    “Well, he is her father, or maybe she’s afraid not to.”
    He watched a man walk by Summer at the juke box, obviously distracted by her plunging neckline. He tripped over himself, dropping a pitcher of beer to her feet.
    “She certainly has a way with men.” Leslie teased.
    “She’s smarter than you think she is,” he corrected. “She’s tough and she’s hard to get close to, but I think I’ve got a pretty good read on her.”
    “Should I be surprised?” Under the table, she ran her foot down his leg. “If Summer is in cahoots with her father somehow, you’d be the one to charm it out of her.”
    He appreciated the compliment. It was moments like this that made him think maybe their sexual encounters were based on a little more than convenience. Leaning across the table, he again took Leslie’s hand. “Thanks, for everything. You’re a real friend.”
    “Well I might be your best friend when I show you this.” She pulled an envelope from her pocket and it slid to him under the table. “When you told me to look into Geoffrey Martin, we took it upon ourselves to look into his correspondence. There were a series of emails sent back and forth between him and a Jason Lutz at Sports Illustrated. Turns out that S.I. wanted Summer for a shoot in Bermuda and Geoffrey was the one who convinced them to use another girl, Nila Norcova.”
    “Really?” he raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you efficient.”
    “You aren’t the only one who is good at their job.” She teased, lifting her wine glass to her mouth. “Could that be important?”
    “A definite maybe.” He looked over his shoulder before folding the envelope and jamming it in his pocket. “Listen, I stopped off at the P.O. Box this morning and put everything you need in there. You and Diggs can see what you can get from it.”
    “Okay, so what if we meet up Sunday night? My place.” She rubbed the back of his hand with her finger. “I figure by then you could use a little R and R, if you know what I mean.”
    Drawing a breath he looked into dark eyes. “Leslie, don’t take this the wrong way. But I go t to keep my focus on this one.
    Jake saw disappointment register on her face. Tell me, are you willing to make an exception for certain blondes?”
    Jake took a long gulp from his mug then licked the remnants from his lips. “You know that’s different,” he told her. “If sleeping with her somehow furthers the case, I’ll do it.”
    “You mean to gain her trust.”
    “Sometimes that’s the only way.”
    “Fine. Drop it. I’m sorry I even brought it up” She pulled her hand from his grip before finishing what was left in her glass. “Stay safe and remember I’ll keep an eye out for you.”
    “Thank you. And you give me the yellow flag if you see him coming after me.”
    “That’s not going to happen. But for now we operate under the assumption Al is responsible, and everyone is in on it including your little charge. Got it?”
    “Excuse me? Are you Jake Harrison?”
    Jake was startled by a tall, blond woman with a Pennzoil t-shirt and an incredible, if not fake, pair of breasts. “That’s me,” he said to her cleavage.
    “I knew I was right,” she squealed, jumping up and down almost knocking Jake across the room. “I’m a huge fan. Will you sign me?” Handing him a red Sharpie, she leaned over in front of him and exposed her left breast.
    In a lame attempt to advert his eyes, he stared over the woman’s shoulder. A group of men were filing out the front door. The last one out had his sleeve rolled up and a tattoo on his bicep caught Jake’s eye. The color scheme was slightly lighter but the design was unmistakably the same. It was the blonde angel and