Dirty Laundry

Readers love
R
HYS
F
ORD

Dirty Kiss

“…a nail-biting, stay-up-late, page-turner of a book.”

—Top2Bottom Reviews

“This is a great romantic suspense novel with a gritty film noir atmosphere and a sexy, heartfelt romance.”

—The Book Vixen

“I didn’t catch who the killer (was)… kudos to the author.”

—Elisa’s Reviews and Ramblings

Dirty Secret

“The obstacles and the twists and turns in this action-packed tale kept me glued until the last page.”

—Top2Bottom Reviews

“The exciting sequel to
Dirty Kiss
packs a solid, seductive, and bloody punch.”

—Joyfully Reviewed

Sinner’s Gin

“It was jaw-dropping and reeled me into this equally amazing book from the get-go.”

—Under the Covers

By
R
HYS
F
ORD

N
OVELS

Sinner’s Gin

C
OLE
M
C
G
INNIS
M
YSTERIES

Dirty Kiss

Dirty Secret

Dirty Laundry

Published by
D
REAMSPINNER
P
RESS

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

Published by

Dreamspinner Press

5032 Capital Circle SW
Ste 2, PMB# 279
Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886

USA

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Dirty Laundry

Copyright © 2013 by Rhys Ford

Cover Art by Reece Notley

[email protected]

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Ste 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

ISBN: 978-1-62380-631-6

Digital ISBN: 978-1-62380-632-3

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition

April 2013

Dirty Laundry
is dedicated to Charles and Joyce Howell, a second set of parents I hold in such high esteem. May all your lychee be juicy and your fish fins crispy. And also to their daughter, Jacque, who endures my random nature and forgetfulness.

Every bit of cat in this book goes to Denise Ruiz, my darling Star and kin. Much love and purrs.

T
O
THE
F
IVE
, or rather the other four. Dearest Penn, Lea, Tamm, and Jenn, always here in the words, be they ink or digital. And to my darling sisters, Ren and Ree. Eat more and stay happy.

On the business side, a hearty thanks to Elizabeth North for letting me ramble.
Huge
thanks to the Dreamspinner Press staff who make me look damned good: Lynn, Julianne, Ginnifer, Anne, Brian, Mara, Julili, and everyone else who varnished and polished.

A hearty shout out to my beta readers and the Dirty Ford Guinea Pigs. They are in random order and are listed as they are to be known: Reetoditee “Didi” Mazumdar, Bianca “Bubbles” Janian, Tiffany “Coffee Bunneh” Tran, Lisa “Shoes” Horan, VJ Summers, Christy Duke, My Pants Losing Friend DarienMoya, CC Hunt, Camiele White, Crissy Morris, The Grand Princess Heather Cook, Sue N., Lea Walker, Jess B., Nikyta I Am A Rocking Princess Jenkins, Lisa “Lakerkat” L., Sadonna, Verena M., Sey, Amy Peterson, Aniko, Whitney Watkins, and Patricia Grayson.

All words are Korean unless otherwise noted.

Agi: Baby, as in infant. This word is used between Jae and Cole as a teasing affectionate term, referencing to when Cole called Jae baby in English.

Aish: Common Asian-centric sound denoting exasperation or disbelief.

Ajumma: Older middle-aged woman. Sometimes considered to be an insult in some circles as it denotes the woman has aged enough for it to be noticeable.

An nyoung ha seh yo: A general greeting. Can be used at any time of the day.

Beom joe ja: Criminal or criminal element.

Bulgogi: Thinly sliced steak marinated in a sweet, soy sauce mixture.

Char siu bao (Chinese): A steamed or baked bun made of bread and stuffed with a sweet, barbequed pork mixture.

Chigae: A stew-like Korean dish, made with kimchi and other ingredients, such as scallions, onions, diced tofu, pork, and seafood,

Dongseongaeja: Homosexual

Enceinte (Latin/French origins): To be pregnant

Halmeoni: Grandmother

Hangul: Korean alphabet / lettering system

Hanzi / kanji: Logogram characters used in Chinese (hanzi) and Japanese (kanji) writing. Sometimes used in Korea but less frequently as hangul replaced it as Korea’s formal writing system centuries past.

Harabeoji / abeoji: Grandfather

Hyung: Honorific used by a younger male towards an older male he’s close to.

Ibanin / iban : A different type person, a lingual play on the Korean word
ilban-in
, meaning normal person.

Jagiya: A term of endearment similar to baby or darling.

Kalbi: A sweet, soy sauce marinated short rib dish.

Kimchi / kim chee: A fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. Usually refers to the standard cabbage variation which is the most common form of kim chee. If another vegetable is used, the dish will be referred to by the vegetable used, such as cucumber kim chee.

Kimchijeon / kimchi buchimgae: A griddle pancake made from kim chee and flour. Sometimes, other vegetables or meats are mixed in as well.

Kretek (Indonesian): A clove and tobacco blended cigarette originating from Java. The word comes from the sound the cloves make when burning.

Kuieo: Korean slang for queer.

Mandu: Fried or steamed dumplings made of rice or wheat flour wrappers and stuffed with a variety of ingredients.

Musang (Filipino): Wild cat, most commonly used to refer to a civet.

Ne / de: Yes

Nuna: Hyung: Honorific used by a younger male toward an older female he’s close to.

Omo: Common Asian-centric sound denoting disbelief.

Oniisan (Japanese): Older brother

Oppa: Honorific used by a younger female toward an older male she’s close to.

Panchan / banchan: Small dishes of food served along with cooked rice at Korean meals. Traditionally, the more formal the meal, the greater the amount of panchan.

Papas (Hispanic usage): Fries. Preferably covered with carne asada, cheese and sour cream but plain is okay too.

Saranghae: I love you

Sunbae: Senior or teacher. Someone who is considered a mentor.

Tatami (Japanese): Flooring mats either made of straw or other materials covered with straw rushes.

Unnie / eonni: Honorific used by a younger female toward an older female she’s close to.

Madame Hyuna Sun, a Korean female fortune-teller

James Bahn, Madame Sun’s son

Madame Sun’s deceased clients:

May Choi, car jacking

Eun Joon Lee, murdered during burglary

Bhak Bong Chol, apparent heart attack

Vivian Na, Madame Sun’s assistant

Joon Eun Yi, Eun Joon Lee’s neighbor

Gangjun Gyong-Si, rival fortune-teller/Madame Sun’s former colleague

Terry Yi, Gyong-Si’s assistant

JoJo, owner of JoJo’s Boxing and Gym

Stan Jenkins, LAPD detective

Hong Chul Park, Bhak Bong Chol’s grandson

Abby Park, Hong Chul Park’s daughter

Darren Shim, a former friend of Hong Chul Park

M
C
G
INNIS
F
AMILY

Cole Kenjiro McGinnis

James Michael McGinnis (father)

Barbara McGinnis (step-mother)

Colin Mikio McGinnis (older brother)

Madeline “Maddy / Mad Dog” McGinnis (sister-in-law)

Tasha “Tazzie” McGinnis (sister)

Bianca “Bi” McGinnis (sister)

Melissa “Mellie” McGinnis (sister)

Bobby Dawson (Cole’s best friend)

K
IM
F
AMILY

Kim Jae-Min (Cole’s lover)

Kim Jae-Su (older brother)