Jade stared at his serious look but saw the glint of humor beyond his eyes. She couldn’t help but smile and laugh. Vahn hid his smile and looked back at the menu.
“I’m starved,” he remarked. “Can we order now?”
Chapter Twenty-one
Miller’s unmarked police car followed Cody’s limousine to Club Zen. The nightclub was located in a decent part of town not far from the business district and within walking distance to many restaurants. The two-story building had recently been converted into the swank club, leaving the second floor gutted until the owner could decide what to do with it. Considering the owner was Cody Riley, there was no telling what sort of shady operation he’d convert the second floor into. It was early afternoon, so the club was closed and without activity. The area surrounding the club was active with those working in nearby buildings heading to and from lunch. Miller pulled alongside the curb just far enough away to avoid being seen but allowing him to see into the alleyway where the limousine parked. He watched the limousine with limited enthusiasm. There was little chance he’d witness anything more than littering from those he’d been following.
A big hulking man, Bernard, got out of the front passenger side and opened the back door to the limousine. Cody stepped out of the limo and buttoned his expensive suit jacket. When Bernard didn’t shut the door, Miller assumed there had been another passenger, possibly some cheap tart Cody had picked up at the club. To Miller’s surprise, an off-duty police officer in street clothes stepped out of the limousine behind Cody. Miller recognized the seasoned officer as Newman. Newman had a reputation of being at the right place at the right time on numerous occasions throughout his career. The first time Miller crossed his path was eleven years ago when Miller beat him out for the detective position. Newman’s career seemed to stall after that, possibly seeing losing the prestigious position to a younger officer as a downfall in his career.
The next time Miller and Newman’s paths crossed was during an investigation involving the death of an accountant fleeing from a double homicide at the Strafford Hotel. Newman had been first on the scene and was the only witness to the murder suspect’s swan dive off the twelfth-story roof to avoid arrest.
“What the hell is he doing in the company of someone like Cody Riley?” Miller mumbled and kept watch as the three men approached the side door.
There had been another car in the alley. As the three men approached the side door, the man in the parked car got out, also buttoning his expensive jacket. Miller easily recognized the man as Jared Carmichael. Miller shifted in his seat and stared with surprise as Carmichael and his own hired goon approached Cody and his entourage as they headed inside the club through the side door.
“Jared Carmichael,” Miller groaned. “The devil himself. Why am I not surprised?”
Once the men went inside, Miller had little choice but to sit and wait within his unmarked patrol car, watching an empty building. He wasn’t sitting there long when a small delivery truck pulled into the alley and unloaded cases of alcohol onto a transport dolly. He watched two deliverymen enter the club through the same side door, although only one man seemed to be doing the work. Miller remained suspicious and scribbled the license plate number on his notepad.
Within the empty, nearly silent club, the deliverymen headed through the kitchen and into the main club. They deposited the cases of alcohol near the bar then joined the other men where they passed through a door toward the back of the club. The deliverymen with their transport dolly followed them down the steps into the basement. The basement corridor was tastefully decorated and consisted of two doors on each side. They heard thumping coming from the door on the right, which contained a doorplate indicating it was a closet. There was a men’s and lady’s restroom on the left, and another door near the end of the hall on the right marked ‘employees only’. At the very end of the hall was a steel door resembling a meat locker door. The seven men headed for the meat locker.
Bernard opened the steel door to reveal sides of beef hanging from large hooks. On the floor of the meat locker were black body bags. Cody unzipped one of the bags to reveal a frozen dead man with a look of horror clearly on his face. Cody frowned and shook his head.
“I’ll never understand why people think they can cross me and get away with it,” Cody remarked then straightened while sighing. He indicated two body bags across the meat locker. “Take those two.”
The deliverymen stacked the two black body bags from the opposite end of the locker room onto their dolly then headed out. Cody slapped Newman on the arm and indicated another bag toward the back.
“Check that one,” he instructed. “We really should mark these things.”
Jared grinned and snorted a laugh from where he stood in the meat locker doorway. Newman headed across the frozen meat locker, crouched alongside the body bag toward the back and unzipped it. He stared at the dead woman, appeared horrified, and sprang to his feet. He spun to face Cody, Jared, and their two henchmen.
“That’s my daughter,” Newman suddenly cried out while pointing a trembling hand at the dead young woman barely frozen in the body bag.
Cody casually nodded. “Yes,” he replied then sighed softly. “I told you not to cross me again, but you didn’t listen.”
Newman stared at Cody with a look of horror and realization. Bernard removed a gun from his shoulder holster and fired two shots into Newman’s chest. He flew backward, tumbled over the body bag, and slid down the wall alongside his dead daughter. Cody patted Bernard on the shoulder and nodded his approval.
“Nice grouping,” Cody remarked then indicated the dead cop. “Take care of that.”
Both Jared and Cody’s henchmen headed across the locker toward the dead man while removing another body bag. Cody and Jared left the locker room.
Cody shook his head. “Good help is so hard to find these days,” he remarked with a soft sigh.
“There’s always been a huge turnover in employees,” Jared informed him. “I’m never surprised when a trusted man turns. Shows you really can’t trust anyone, can you?”
They walked along the corridor toward the stairs. “No, I suppose not.”
They heard thumping from the nearby closet. Jared indicated the closet. “Anything?”
“Not yet,” Cody replied with a bored sigh, “but we’re working on it.”
§
Miller sat in his unmarked patrol car watching the building while resting his head against the headrest of the driver’s seat. He saw the two deliverymen appear from the side door with two black body bags on their dolly. He sat forward with surprise and watched them load the two bags into the back of the truck. He grabbed his hand radio.
“This is Detective Miller,” he announced into the radio. “I need a routine traffic stop on a white delivery van.” He watched as the van pulled out of the alley. “Heading north on Whittier Street. License plate Echo Charlie seven nine six four. Suspicious bags in back. Proceed with caution. I repeat; routine traffic stop on a white delivery van.”
“Got it,” dispatch announced in response.
Miller remained rigid in his seat and continued to watch the building for further activity.
§
A few miles away, a police car with flashing lights had pulled up behind the delivery van. One of the officers waited with the driver toward the front of the vehicle, while the second officer joined the passenger by the back. The deliveryman opened the back door to reveal the two body bags. Blood seeped out from a hole in one of the bags. The officer kept his hand on his holstered weapon and indicated the bag.
“Open it,” he ordered.
The deliveryman unzipped the bag to reveal a side of beef thawing. The officer stared with surprise.
“I tried to tell you,” the deliveryman announced in a calm tone. “We’re taking these to our boss’s estate. He’s having five hundred guests over for a barbeque at his place. A side of beef and a side of pork.”
The officer groaned and shook his head. He removed his
hand radio and spoke into it. “We have a negative situation,” he announced.
Chapter Twenty-two
Once their meal was served, Vahn and Jade enjoyed their Thai food. The ravings of the secretaries at Virtual Play were correct. She actually felt a little bad that she couldn’t enjoy the restaurant with her Uncle Rafael. He enjoyed fine restaurants and usually commented about their cleanliness. Vahn was the king of small talk and also did most of the talking. He’d ask her a few questions, which she refrained from revealing anything personal. When he finally brought up his stint in the military, she was genuinely interested. If his accounts weren’t fabricated, his time overseas was well spent while serving his country. He’d seen his share of action and openly admitted losing a few friends along the way.
When he reminisced about his time in the military, she got the sense he missed that lifestyle. For a brief moment, she actually forgot she wasn’t at the restaurant on business. He was certainly more interesting and charming than most of her actual dates. She realized how sad that sounded. Was her personal life that dull? When she found herself enjoying their conversation a little too much, she swiftly changed the subject to avoid getting too close. Jade indicated her plate with the chopsticks in her hand.
“This is wonderful,” she informed him.
“I was thinking about getting that,” Vahn remarked then indicated his food. “This is pretty good too.”
“I was wondering how that was,” she announced. “I’ll have to try that next time.”
Vahn picked up some of his food with his chopsticks and held it to Jade’s mouth. Jade eyed Vahn with some skepticism then the food he held near her lips.
“It’s good. Try it,” he insisted.
Jade hesitated then ate the food from his chopsticks. He wasn’t wrong. The food was good, although she was just a little untrusting of the man offering it to her.
“Good, huh?” he announced then indicated her shirt. “Oh, you got some on your shirt.”
When Jade looked down at her shirt, Vahn snatched some of her food from her plate with his chopsticks. She eyed him as he sampled her meal.
“Hmm. Yeah, that is good.”
She stared at him with a strange look. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind as she watched the handsome man sip his wine.
He caught her stare then extended his glass to her. “Did you want some?”
Jade couldn’t help but maintain her odd stare even though she didn’t want to get involved. “What happened to you?” she finally asked, regretting having said it aloud.
He gave her a strange look. “Excuse me?”
“Someone obviously took time to raise you right,” she remarked then shook her head. “Twelve years in the military. Impeccable record. Why did you choose the bad path?”
Vahn stared at her a moment in silence then returned to his lunch and seemed a little less enthusiastic for the subject. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Jade removed her business card and placed it on the table near him. He eyed the card but didn’t look at her.
“If you ever decide you want out, I know people who can help,” she informed him.
He pushed the card back to her. “I can’t have that on me. But I’m good with numbers,” Vahn announced. “If I need it, I’ll remember it.”
Jade placed the card back in her pocket.
Vahn suddenly looked past her and appeared surprised. “Would you look at that?”
Jade looked across the room, curious by what caught his attention. Vahn took more food from her plate with his chopsticks. She glared at him then hid her smile.
“Did you want some more of this?” he asked while indicating his plate.
Jade hesitated then picked at the food on his plate with her own chopsticks while he picked at her plate. After they had finished their meal, the waitress left the bill on the table. Vahn snatched it, placed cash on top of it, and slid out of the booth.
“I can pay for my own lunch,” she firmly insisted.
“Yeah, but I ate half of yours.”
Jade slid across the booth to the edge of the seat. Before she could stand, Vahn eyed her and motioned to the corner of her mouth.
“You got something--”
She dabbed her mouth where he indicated. Vahn shook his head and reached for her mouth. Without warning, he kissed her quickly on the lips and pulled away just as fast. He flashed a smile and raised his devious brows.
“Told you it was a date,” he teased cheerfully. “Later, Detective Wesson.”
Vahn left the table without waiting for the punishment he must have assumed would follow from the stolen kiss. Jade remained seated, stared after him with a slightly stunned look, and watched him leave. She shook her head and snorted a soft laugh.
Chapter Twenty-three
It was just after lunch and the programmers had returned to work, leaving everyone busy and the entire floor unusually quiet. Dani typed on her computer, having her usual after lunch conversation with Boyd. Between messages, she got up to stretch her legs and glanced into cubical square to make sure everyone was still alive and awake. It sometimes got too quiet after lunch, and she just assumed they were all asleep at their desks. Not today though. Rafael was back to finish yesterday’s updates to the firewalls on everyone’s computer. She saw him busily working, leaving the worker from that cubical with nothing to do but gossip with another worker. Dani returned to her desk and checked her message. Her long-winded chat with Boyd was still in progress.
Boyd IM: “Everything is quiet here. Could fall asleep. How are things there?”
Dani IM: “Quiet here too. Can’t confirm, but I think those with offices take naps after lunch.”
Boyd IM: “That’s one nice thing about working from home. Can nap and no one knows.”
Dani considered the comment and wondered what that must be like. She could go to work in her pajamas and fuzzy pink slippers, and no one would be wiser. She envisioned Boyd in a pair of silk boxer shorts and bare-chested sitting at his desk on the other end. In her own mind, he looked like one of the hunky men on the cover of a romance novel. She felt her desires suddenly stir then entertained a sexual fantasy involving Boyd and her desktop. She immediately shamed herself, although the ache in her body was very real. Maybe Abby and Janice were right. Maybe it was time she took her relationship with Boyd to the formal introduction level. She found herself desperately wanting to meet him, but that could have had something to do with going without sex for a few months. Before her mind could finish processing the thought as well as the sexual fantasy, her fingers were already typing her desire.
Dani IM: “Want to get together for coffee?”
She watched the curser on her screen blink with no response. It wasn’t like Boyd to take so long to respond. He was a fast typist and could easily keep up with her in typed conversation. If he stepped away from his computer, he always typed BRB for ‘be right back’. She appeared puzzled by the lengthy lag time then became tense as her thoughts raced.
“Oh, God,” she muttered. “He’s married.”
His response finally came through, causing a pang of anticipation within her chest.
Boyd IM: “This way is better. What if you don’t like me? We can never go back.”
Dani IM: “I already like you.”
Boyd IM: “Need time to think about meeting. Okay?”
She felt a terrible pang in her stomach. It suddenly didn’t make any sense. Was she wrong about Boyd? Did she actually know nothing about him? Her fingers again typed before her brain.
Dani IM: “Are you married?”
As her curser continued to flash, Dani stared at the screen and appeared concerned with each passing second. Did he have to think about it?
Boyd IM: “No, I’m not married.”
Dani stared at the screen a moment and suddenly became furious. She felt betrayed, and she wasn’t even sure why. Her anxiety was rapidly rising, and she needed to step away from the computer before she wrote somethin
g she couldn’t take back. Dani sprang up from her chair and headed past the cubicles toward the breakroom, needing to cool off. She noted Rafael working busily on his computer and slowed her approach to the breakroom. She couldn’t deny she sometimes felt sorry for the strange man since he wasn’t very popular among the programmers or their secretaries.
Despite his oddities, he was always nice to her, and she suddenly felt bad for not attempting to know him better. She couldn’t admit it to Abby or Janice, but she’d had a particularly disturbing dream last night involving the quirky computer repairman. It was an intense sexual dream that stayed with her all morning, which was possibly the reason she decided it was time to meet Boyd in person. Obviously, her sexual frustrations were manifesting into her dreams, and she needed to meet her needs, or the dreams would continue and possibly increase in erotic nature. Dani paused near the cubicle and smiled at Rafael, although his head was down and he didn’t seem to notice her at first.
“I was going to make myself some tea,” Dani announced. “Would you like some coffee?”
Rafael realized she was talking to him, lifted his head, and appeared slightly surprised by the offer. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind some tea myself.”
“Tea it is. Why don’t you take a break?” she announced while attempting to sound cheerful despite her foul mood. “I could use the company.”
Rafael again stared at her with a slightly baffled look. He was obviously suspicious of the sudden offer of company. He then smiled timidly and nodded. “All right.”
§
Rafael followed Dani into the breakroom and suddenly stopped just inside as horror swept over him. The breakroom was a complete disaster. His expression dropped as he stared at the culinary crime scene in disbelief.
“Oh--”
Dani eyed him with a smile while pouring some hot water into two mugs. “What? Something wrong?”
He fidgeted and attempted to remain strong. “Uh, no. Nothing.”
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