Sin and Scandal. Carol Storm

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СКАЧАТЬ she hated snitching, she would have to tell them the whole story.

      "What did I tell you," Matt Gold said triumphantly, the moment Crystal May was finished talking. "I knew the mob would try to muscle in on you, Madame. They're stealing your best talent. That Steven Tallarico is as smooth as silk!"

      "You know him?" Crystal May asked, wiping her eyes with her fingers. She'd been crying a bit as she told her story, just because it seemed so romantic and at the same time dreadfully sad. Especially if Madame was able to recapture Carla and force her to go on working here forever. Or if sexy, gorgeous Steve was really only leading Carla on to some horrible fate worse than death.

      "There's only one real crime family left in Reno," Matt told her, handing her a handkerchief he pulled from his breast pocket. One of his business cards came tumbling out too, and a dazed Crystal May held onto it by instinct. "The Tallarico family. The boss's oldest son is named Steve."

      "But Steve said he was a lawyer," the country girl sniffled. "He said his family wasn't crooked anymore. He said he loved Carla and they were going to make a new start!" She started crying again, but she couldn't help it. She kept picturing Steve and Carla together. They were kissing so desperately, with such scorching passion, like a pair of star-crossed lovers on the Titanic. Crystal May buried her face in the sexy FBI man's handkerchief, breathing the scent of Matt Gold's cologne. She was emotional and couldn't help picturing Matt kissing her the way Steve was kissing Carla.

      But Matt Gold only cared about catching criminals. And spanking them.

      "There, there, my dear," Madame Madeline said. She was using her most soothing voice, but this time Crystal May didn't fall for it. The woman had turned on her computer and was studying the screen, probably checking up on her profits from last night's show. "Now that we know who kidnapped Carla, the FBI can have her back in to time at all. And it's good that the Tallarico family will finally be brought to justice. Forced abduction is a federal crime."

      "Are you the one who's going to bring down the Tallarico family?" Crystal May demanded, turning from Madame to Matt Gold.

      "That's my job," the FBI man said confidently. There was an almost arrogant self-assurance in the way he leaned back on the couch, giving Crystal May a sort of lazy, relaxed inspection. No doubt Madame Madeline had promised him a big reward for returning her best girl in handcuffs.

      "My goodness," Crystal May said, in her best country-girl voice. "The two of you have this whole thing figured out, don't you? Agent Gold, I bet you get a big promotion for bringing down the last crime family in Reno. And Madame, I imagine this will build you up as well. All the girls will see just how much you care about protecting us once we've got Carla back all safe and sound. Your authority will be augmented by this auspicious intervention of the FBI." The slim blonde on the deep-cushioned sofa paused for a moment, to let her improved vocabulary resonate with the woman who had made and trained her. "But do you know what I think?"

      "No, my dear." Madeline Charles barely looked up from her computer. "Enlighten me."

      "It stinks," Crystal May said firmly. "All of it. The whole thing stinks!"

      "Even spanking your naughty behind?" Matt Gold asked, in a calm and casual tone.

      Crystal May stood up, her hands on her hips. She looked the federal lawman up and down as if he were nothing but dirt. "Sure, you can use my body for your amusement. You've got the power. But what you don't have, either one of you, is my respect." She turned to Madame Madeline. "You know that I came here willingly, that I've worked hard for you day and night. That wasn't done out of fear, or even ambition. It was my way of showing respect. But I can't respect a woman who pretends to care about her girls and then allows them to be used by cruel and selfish men. Can you really blame poor Carla for running away with a guy like Steve? I know she loves him."

      "Then she's a fool," Madame sniffed. "Men are not to be trusted, my dear."

      "I saw the way Steve looked at Carla," Crystal May said stubbornly. "And I know he's not a killer. He loves her just as much as she loves him. I can feel it!" She gave Agent Gold an icy glare. "Maybe you've got a whole lot of things on him already. Maybe you have things on his family. But if he's put on trial for this kidnapping, then you've got to have witnesses who say the way it was. But if I ever get on the witness stand, I'm telling the truth, about Carla and Steve and about how they were acting together the night she ran away. She wasn't kidnapped from this place, she escaped from it. And I say good for her!"

      Crystal May fully expected a spanking at this point. She might even be placed under arrest. If Carla had broken any laws during her escape she could be considered an accessory to the crime. But when she walked out of the room with her head held high no-one even bothered to call her back.

      Chapter 3

      The Wagon Wheel Diner was just about to close for the night when Matt Gold pulled into the parking lot in a small black sedan. The lot was nearly empty now, but it had been full when he swung by during the dinner rush hour. That was a good sign. Basic interrogation tactics held that it was always best to put the heat on at the end of a long day. When they were tired enough, people talked.

      "Midnight," said the big heavy man in the dirty apron. His fat body was blocking the door. "We're closed now."

      "FBI." Matt rapped on the glass door with his gold badge. When the man let him in, his eyes swiftly scanned the dim interior of the diner. "I'm looking for a girl named Crystal May Snow."

      "Nobody with that name works for me." The man who owned the diner was big, but flabby.

      "Yeah?" Matt poked him in the ribs. He didn't like men who lied; they reminded him of his father. "Maybe you've got illegals in the kitchen, huh? I can look around for myself. Or you can send out this girl." Matt pulled out a snapshot of a pale blonde, resting his other hand on the butt of his gun. "And while you're at it, fat stuff, have your new waitress bring me some coffee."

      "You drink my coffee, you have to pay." The big man scowled, looking Matt Gold in the eye. Then he dropped his gaze and shuffled away, cursing all policemen. Matt would have felt bad about his behavior, but he knew a few things about the man who owned this place. Tony Espinoza was a cheap, dirty ex-cop, pretty much the kind of man Matt's father had become after his wife left him. Just like the old man, the guy was crooked, and he used the people who looked up to him. But Tony didn't just shelter illegal aliens. He brutalized and enslaved them. Matt didn't like that kind of behavior. And he didn't want a guy like that anywhere near Crystal May Snow.

      "What makes you so mean to people, Agent Gold?" The soft voice had a hillbilly twang. Walking towards his table with a pot of hot coffee was the girl he'd spanked two weeks ago. The light blue uniform was new, but she still had that look—country innocence mixed with allure.

      "You've got a knack for picking the wrong kind of friends, Crystal May." Matt watched as the golden-haired girl poured his coffee, her figure displayed to full advantage in the frilly uniform. "You think that guy hired you out of the goodness of his heart?"

      "He hired me because I work hard," the blonde shot back. She gave Matt Gold a steady look, her blue eyes full of firm self-control. "My daddy taught me to work hard and to respect myself."

      "Good for him," Matt grunted. "My daddy taught me that everyone has a secret. He told me always look for the hidden weakness. Of course, my old man had a few secrets of his own."

      "That's mighty interesting," Crystal May replied. "But I've been on my feet since seven this morning and I'm right tired. And as far as I know, Agent Gold, I haven't committed СКАЧАТЬ