Knocked Off

by Adrienne Giordano

  "Okay. Just don't let me walk into a wall or anything. Tim is picking me up in half an hour and I can't have any drama or bruises. I'm trying to lay low after the art fraud."

  "Honey, good luck with that."

  They both laughed as Ro led Lucie through the door, complete with jangling doggie bells. "Little bump here," Ro said. "I talked to Joey about that. He'll have someone fix it so nobody trips."

  Probably a good thing. A lawsuit they didn't need.

  A burst of cool air puckered Lucie's bare legs. Yay. Working air conditioner. She should have brought a sweater though. Unaccustomed to dresses, something she vowed to change since she had a cute new guy who'd mentioned he liked them, she hadn't even thought about the sweater. Maybe Ro had one in her car.

  Lucie stopped walking. "Can I look now?"

  "No. Not yet. Stay here. One second."

  Ro let go and stepped away, her high-heeled sandals clickety-clacking against the tile they'd picked out.

  "Do you have a sweater in your car I can borrow for tonight? I forgot one."

  Ro huffed. "Honestly, my work is never done."

  Lucie grinned. In the next ten minutes, a sweater would miraculously appear.

  "Open 'em!" Ro said.

  Lucie did as she was told, blinking a few times to readjust to the light. Ro stood four feet in front of her, arms spread wide.

  "Ta-da!"

  Lucie drew a hard breath as she took it all in. The wooden blinds, the fresh paint, the silk screens separating the sewing area from reception. To Ro's left, gleaming in the sunlight, was a giant mahogany desk with two chocolate-brown upholstered chairs in front of it. Across from that sat a smaller desk, also mahogany. The guest chairs were different though. Still upholstered, but with a more modern fabric. Tan with red, green and brown intertwined circles. Pretty.

  Along the wall sat a long table. Probably for meetings or looking at samples.

  "Is that a dining table?"

  In awe, Lucie rushed over to it.

  "Sure is, babe. Amazing, right?"

  Total understatement. The entire space screamed warmth and professionalism and class. Simply stunning. Lucie's heart froze. Just seemed to stop for a few seconds. Her BFF had most definitely pulled off a miracle.

  Lucie held her hands out, swooping them around the room. "I'm... I don't know. Floored. I can't believe this is that rattrap we started with. It's spectacular."

  "I know!"

  Good old, Ro. Never one to mince words.

  Lucie ran her hands over the gleaming top of the long table. Solid wood. Must have weighed a thousand pounds.

  "Don't panic," Ro said. "I stayed in the budget you gave me."

  How? The table alone had to cost ten thousand. Easy.

  Which meant...oh, no. Lucie turned to her friend, her best friend, but no, she couldn't do it. Couldn't ask where she'd gotten this expensive furniture so cheap.

  "No," Ro said. "It's not off the truck, Dopey."

  Lucie tipped her head back. Phew. "Thank you. I didn't want to ask."

  "I know. And thank you for not insulting me."

  "So how did you pull this off?"

  "Thank the lady in Barrington who’s downsizing her fifteen-thousand-square-foot house into a condo. Total fire sale. I got all of this from her. The desks, chairs, table, screens, everything. I even picked up some stuff for my house. Joey got a truck and we hauled it all back here. Tell me you love it. Please. I know it's a little more cozy than you probably expected, but with our clientele, I think it'll work."

  "Are you crazy? It's fantastic. I'm so grateful. And I can't believe you got this done so fast."

  "I can't take all the credit. Joey got the contractors in here so I could do my magic."

  Her brother. The big lug. She'd hear about this for years, but that was okay. She'd thank him every time he reminded her what he'd done for her. "I'm a little surprised he was so agreeable."

  "Eh. I made it worth his while."

  Ro winked and the vision of Joey and Ro reenacting Position Seven popped into her mind. "Blech. I don't need those details. Thank you very much."

  The doggie bells hanging on the door jangled and Lucie and Ro turned to see Tim walking through. A little ping happened in Lucie's ear and her chest blew open. Just a whoosh of happiness. Tim did that for her. Gave her a lightness she hadn't known in a long time. She wouldn't read too much into it because this thing was still in its early stages, but she'd enjoy him for now and not worry about the future.

  He scanned the room. "Whoa, ladies, the place looks great."

  "I know!" Ro said.

  Lucie walked to him, popped a quick kiss on his lips. "Ro and Joey pulled off a miracle. We can get everything moved in now. And our sign will be here tomorrow."

  Tim linked his hand with hers and gave it a squeeze. "I guess you're all set then."

  Lucie turned back to the room, took it all in again, and visualized her mom sitting at a commercial-grade sewing machine and Ro sketching designs while Lucie handled the administrative tasks from the giant mahogany desk. Coco Barknell. Something told her this former rattrap would be the start of a very nice future.

  She glanced down at Tim's much bigger hand wrapped around hers. He'd hung in there with the entire art fraud mess and never questioned whether she, Joe Rizzo's daughter, could be involved.

  This was a good man.

  She lifted their clasped hands and kissed the back of his. "Detective, I think you're right. I do believe I'm all set."

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  Excerpt of Boosted

  by USA Today Bestselling Author Adrienne Giordano

  BOOSTED

  Book three in The Lucie Rizzo Mystery series:

  * * *

  Lucie stood on the sidewalk under a soothing stream of October sunshine while Fin, an eight-month-old Australian shepherd with more energy than a horny frat boy, sniffed at a giant maple tree on Chicago’s West Side. After this stop, she’d call it a day. As soon as she got horny frat boy off the tree.

  Not always an easy task.

  Time to break out some Alpha Lucie. “Okay, Fin. Finish up. No more stalling.”

  Fin swung his head around, stared at her with his one blue and one green eye, and Alpha Lucie crumbled. Just completely melted. I’m useless to the Alpha population.

  In her own defense, Fin’s eyes—shades of tropical seas—could take down an entire army. She simply could not get mad at this dog.

  Even when he hurled himself at her, blasting her in the chest with both front paws and knocking her on her butt. Or when he decided to stop, plop his furry bottom on the sidewalk and bark—woof, woof, woof.

  Three rapid-fire barks meant, at least in Fin’s mind, playing fetch. Which he could do for 90 percent of his waking hours.

  But she’d been working on him. Giving him a treat every time he kept pace with her. He might be fifty pounds overweight by the time she finished with him, but he’d be a dog walker’s dream. A graduate of Coco Barknell.

  On the street, a car rolled by, slowing as it went. Probably someone looking for a parking space. They wouldn’t find one on this block. Every parked car was squeezed bumper to bumper.

  Fin’s ear went up, and he barked at the car. Her hero. She bent low, gave him a nuzzle. “You make me crazy, but I love you.”

  A wet tongue slapped across her cheek. The bonus of working for dogs.

  “Aw, you two are the cutest.” A middle-aged woman hoofed down the sidewalk wearing a flowy skirt, an equally flowy blouse and a long cardigan against the late afternoon wind. She carried a briefcase in one hand.

  Lucie scratched Fin’s snout before standing tall. “He’s a good boy and deserved some love.”

  The woman stopped just a few feet away. “Can I pet him?”

  Something in Lucie’s spine fused. After the dognapping of the Ninja Bitches last spring, she didn’t ta
ke to strangers wanting to come near her clients. The woman must have sensed Lucie’s sudden-onset Terminator and gestured to the auction house behind her.

  “I’m Estelle. I manage Bendorf Auctions. I’ve seen you out here with this cutie.”

  Lucie let out a long, silent breath. “Fin.”

  “Sorry?”

  “His name is Fin. You can pet him. Sorry. I’m protective.”

  Estelle glanced at Lucie’s messenger bag with the screen print of a winking poodle wearing a diamond collar. The Coco Barknell logo created by the fabulous Ro, aka Lucie’s best bud. And currently the squeeze of Joey, Lucie’s ape of a brother. Blech.

  “You’re a dog walker?”

  “Yes. I’m Lucie from Coco Barknell. We also have a line of dog accessories.” Lucie slipped one of her business cards from the easy-access front pocket of her bag. There’d been a time when she’d been too shy to even tell people about her fledgling business. Now she was a pro and whipped out her card to anyone with even a passing interest. Her growing bank account helped inspire this newfound aggressiveness.

  Estelle took the card. “Thank you. I have a little guy at home myself. A mutt, but the cutest darned thing. Maybe I’ll buy him a collar or something.”

  “Sure. Check out our Web site. If there’s something you see, let me know, and I’ll drop it by next time I walk Fin.”

  “Oh, that’d be great. Thank you.”

  Finally, Estelle bent over and gave Fin a good rub.

  “Stay, Fin,” Lucie warned.

  Please don’t let him launch. With Fin, she never knew. One second he’d be calm and the next—airborne.

  But, lookie here, he stayed put. He’d definitely get a treat for that.

  “Good boy, Finnie!”

  Lucie pulled out another treat. Peanut butter this time. Although the carob seemed to be his favorite.

  He made a move to jump, but Lucie tightened her hold on the leash. “Stay.”

  “Well, now I’ve made a new friend.” Estelle gave him one last pat. “I’ll be sure to look out for you now, Fin.”

  “He loves people,” Lucie said. A little too much.

  “I see that. It was lovely meeting you, Lucie.” She held up the card. “I’ll check out your Web site.”

  Estelle wandered up the walkway to the entrance of the auction house, an old, brick building with a door the color of the purest blue sky. Such an interesting choice. Eclectic, yet elegant.

  Fin finished his treat and stretched out on the sidewalk for one of his siestas. “Oh, no you don’t, mister. Let’s get this walk finished.”

  Lucie took two steps, but Fin—as usual—didn’t move. “Come on, boy.” She clicked her tongue—the treat sound—and he popped right up. Lucie sighed and tossed him another peanut butter nib.

  In order to fix one bad habit, she’d created a treat monster. She’d deal with that later. After saving her precious schedule.

  At the corner, they turned right and looped around the front of the auction house. Fin spotted something on the ground and charged, dragging Lucie with him.

  As they approached she recognized the telltale eye—the blue in the middle—of a peacock feather. Actually, this one had two eyes. How cool was that? The sun glinted off the iridescent green and turquoise, and images of Fannie and Josie—the Ninja Bitches, a couple of shih tzus long on attitude and short on stature—wearing those colors flashed in Lucie’s mind.

  Gripping the leash so Fin couldn’t snag the feather, Lucie bent low and scooped it up. She’d take it back to the office so Ro could create some sketches of peacock doggie coats.

  “That, Fin,” Lucie said, “would be a best seller. I just know it.”

  Want more? Don’t miss the next Lucie Rizzo mystery.

  A Note to Readers

  Dear reader,

  Thank you for reading Knocked Off. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please help others find it by sharing it with friends on social media and writing a review.

  Sharing the book with your friends and leaving a review helps other readers decide to take the plunge into the nutty world of Lucie Rizzo. So please consider taking a moment to tell your friends how much you enjoyed the story. Even a few words expressing what you enjoyed most about the story is a huge help. Thank you!

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  Adrienne

  The Lucie Rizzo Mystery Series

  Dog Collar Crime

  Knocked Off

  Limbo (novella)

  Boosted

  Whacked

  Cooked

  Romantic suspense books available by Adrienne Giordano

  PRIVATE PROTECTOR SERIES

  Risking Trust

  Man Law

  A Just Deception

  Negotiating Point

  Relentless Pursuit

  Opposing Forces

  * * *

  HARLEQUIN INTRIGUES

  The Prosecutor

  The Defender

  The Marshal

  The Detective

  The Rebel

  * * *

  JUSTIFIABLE CAUSE SERIES

  The Chase

  The Evasion

  The Capture

  * * *

  CASINO FORTUNA SERIES

  Deadly Odds

  * * *

  JUSTICE SERIES w/MISTY EVANS

  Stealing Justice

  Cheating Justice

  Holiday Justice

  Exposing Justice

  Undercover Justice

  Protecting Justice

  Missing Justice

  * * *

  STEELE RIDGE SERIES w/KELSEY BROWNING

  & TRACEY DEVLYN

  Steele Ridge: The Beginning

  Going Hard (Kelsey Browning)

  Living Fast (Adrienne Giordano)

  Loving Deep (Tracey Devlyn)

  Breaking Free (Adrienne Giordano)

  Roaming Wild (Tracey Devlyn)

  Stripping Bare (Kelsey Browning)

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to my tremendous readers who take time out of their lives to read my books. I am so grateful.

  John, Mara and Josh Leach, thank you for once again letting me use the beloved Otis in this book. I never get tired of looking at photos of him when writing his scenes. To Chris, Deb, Ralph and Josie Giordano for bringing the cuteness known as Boots into the family. And for those of you wondering, yes, his ears really do go up like that and we did once have a conversation about how he looked like the Flying Nun. Also, thanks to Deb for the great Botox line. Thanks also to Kevin and Cindy Palmer because even though Fannie and Josie were not in this book, I couldn’t resist throwing their nickname in.

  Scott Silverii and John Leach, thank you for always answering my emails and for sharing your law enforcement knowledge. Any mistakes I’ve made are mine, but I’m hoping I didn’t blow it! To my plotting and critique partners and all-around great pals, Kelsey Browning and Tracey Devlyn, I could not make this journey without you. Amy Remus, you’re a warrior! Thank you for helping me manage the business side of being an author so I can spend more time writing. To the fabulous Gina Bernal, you’ve been with me from the beginning, and I continue to learn from you with each book. Thank you!

  Finally, to “my guys” who make me laugh every day and give me all the love a girl could ever want. I love you.

  About the Author

  Adrienne Giordano is a USA Today bestselling author of over twenty romantic suspense and mystery novels. She is a Jersey girl at heart, but now lives in the Midwest with her workaholic husband, sports-obsessed son and Buddy the Wheaten Terrorist (Terrier). She is a cofounder of Romance University blog and Lady Jane’s Salon-Naperville, a reading series dedicated to romantic fiction.

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  www.AdrienneGiordano.com

  agiordano@adriennegiordano.com

  Knocked Off: A Lucie Rizzo Mystery

  Copyright © 2015 by Adrienne Giordano

  (Original title Dog Collar Knockoff)

  ISBN: 978-1-942504-13-9

  Cover Art by Lewellen Designs

  Editing by Gina Bernal

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