Free Maggie Undercover by Elysa Hendricks

have
that moist member lave over her made her heart race.
    "Here's your mud." Chrissie set the steaming
cup of thick, dark coffee in front of her.
    To ease her parched throat Maggie took a big
swallow then sputtered as the hot liquid scorched her mouth.
    "Easy there Mad Maggie. Haven't I always
warned you to test the temperature before you jump in?"
    Unable to speak for the throbbing of her
tongue, she gulped ice water as Daniel slid into the booth next to
her.
    "Mr. Blake. I'm Daniel McCade, Maggie's
daddy. Pleased to meet you." He stretched out his hand to Jared.
They'd agreed to use the McCade name for this charade rather than
risk any of the suspects connecting them with Sterling
Securities.
    She kicked his leg under the table. Jared
jumped and looked at her. Oops! Wrong leg.
    Jared didn't flinch as Daniel gripped his
hand and shook, but grinned when she saw him wiggle his fingers to
check for broken bones after Daniel released him.
    "What are you doing here, Daddy?" she asked
when she could move her tongue again.
    "Your mother had some ladies' meeting, so
since my daughter doesn't cook for me." He gave her a poor me look.
She glared back. "I came to get some dinner. I've been meaning to
get over to school and meet Mr. Blake."
    Maggie aimed her kick better. Daniel didn't
react, but her toes ached.
    "And all my little Mad Maggie's
teachers."
    "Mad Maggie?" Jared asked with a grin.
    "Just a nickname her mom and I have for her.
Her given name is Madeline Margaret. But she always got so mad when
we called her Madeline or Margaret; we just dubbed her Mad Maggie.
Family joke."
    She smothered her groan in another sip of
coffee. The thick bitter brew didn't soothe her irritation. What
was Daniel up to?
    She remembered the first time she'd met
Daniel Sterling. Mad Maggie didn't come close to describing the
hellion she'd been.
    To this day she wasn't sure why he'd helped
her. She certainly hadn't expressed any gratitude or made the job
of keeping her out of trouble easy. But then and now she felt she
owed him a debt that could never be repaid. Still, it was time for
her to move on with her life. She couldn't remain forever his
assistant. She needed – wanted to create something all her own.
This job was her chance. Why was Daniel butting in? He was supposed
to investigate from inside Reed Software and leave Jared Blake and
the computer club end of it to her.
    "Strange nickname," Jared said. "With her
blonde hair and blue eyes, I'm sure as a child she looked like a
little angel."
    "Looks can be deceiving. I could tell you
tales that would curl the hair on your head. Why one time…."
    "Daddy!" Maggie shouted her warning.
    A couple heads in the diner turned in
curiosity. She bit her sore tongue and continued, "I'm sure Mr.
Blake doesn't want to hear about my childish escapades."
    "Quite the contrary. As the father of a
nine-year-old little girl I'm very interested in learning just what
kind of trouble they can get up to. But perhaps another time." He
glanced at his watch. "I told the babysitter I'd be back before
nine. It's nice to meet you Mr. McCade."
    "I'd like to talk to you some more. Maybe try
and convince you to give up teaching and join the team at Reed
Software? The perks have got to be sweeter than dealing with a
bunch of hormone driven teenagers like my little Mad Maggie here."
Maggie cringed as Daniel ruffled her hair.
    Jared's laugh sounded strained and his eyes
flickered over her. "Jackson Reed already made his pitch. Thanks,
but no thanks. I'm not interested."
    "Can't blame a guy for trying. And I reserve
the right to try and change your mind."
    Jared rose to leave.
    "But what about the sketches for the play?"
Maggie asked. "You need to approve them before I give them to Ms.
Moran."
    "I'll take them with me and get them back to
you in class tomorrow with any changes I think necessary."
    Outmaneuvered, she handed over the drawings
and watched Jared leave then she turned on Daniel. "What was that
all about?"
    "Keep your