Castle Investigations Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  "Does he talk about his time in the service?"

  "No. He and Ethan are best friends. They served together. Ethan is the only one that knows the things that happened over there. I've heard a few stories from him. Ethan was a sniper. There's a lot of guilt and regret that comes with that job. But he's never betrayed Sully's trust."

  Maggie couldn't imagine what it would be like to be in a war. To fight nameless enemies and kill them. But she was so grateful that there were men and women who did that. Protected the country. It made her heart squeeze a little more.

  Sully was breaking down her walls, and she wasn't sure she wanted to try to reconstruct them anymore.

  By the time Izz had finished her makeup, Scarlett walked in with her dress. It was short. Way shorter than it had been. She'd taken up the shoulders and removed several layers of gauze at the bottom.

  Maggie slipped it on and noticed that the under layer just barely covered her ass. The rest of the dress dropped to her knees but was completely see-through. The waist had been taken in, and the peach color complemented the short red wig that Ella pinned in place on her head. The short bob style made her eyes look enormous.

  Isabel's handiwork with her makeup made the blue color of her eyes pop. Her cheeks looked rosy, and her lips were painted a pale peach that shimmered in the light.

  She looked nothing like her old self.

  "Wow," she breathed out quietly.

  "Wow, indeed!" Isabel squealed. "You look absolutely stunning!"

  "I'm not sure I have the energy to get my voice as high as Isabel's, but I agree," Scarlett said with a smirk. Her face softened into a genuine smile. "You look beautiful."

  "Sully's not going to be able to keep his hands off you," Ella said.

  "Who said I wanted to impress Sully?" Maggie asked stubbornly.

  All three girls rolled their eyes. "Let's just hope that he can keep his mind out of the gutter and on the task at hand tonight," Isabel said, giggling.

  "Whose mind is in the gutter?" a masculine voice asked from the hallway. A knock sounded, and then Sully pushed his way inside. Apparently, he wasn't afraid that he might catch her naked. Maybe he was even hoping for it.

  The girls stepped back, parting so that Sully had a clear line of sight to Maggie.

  His expression didn't change. Only the widening of his eyes gave away what might be going on in his head. He stood there staring, and a blush began to creep up Maggie's neck.

  "Well?" she asked, awkwardly patting and smoothing the dress and tugging at her wig.

  Sully cleared his throat. "Great. It's good. Fine. Right. Um, are you ready?"

  Maggie caught Isabel's eye roll and then the punch on the arm.

  "Ouch! What the hell was that for?" he asked, rubbing his arm. There was no way she'd hurt him.

  Isabel mumbled something under her breath. Maggie was trying to keep her embarrassment at bay. Great? Good? Fine? Geez, the man sure knew how to give a girl a compliment.

  She turned back to the mirror to make sure she hadn't missed something. She still looked the same. Fine, whatever. She wasn't trying to impress him anyway. And maybe if she kept telling herself that, she'd eventually believe it.

  "Let's go," she said, taking the matching clutch Isabel had loaned her off the vanity and marching towards the door. The girls were all still standing there, looking between the two of them awkwardly.

  "Do you ladies mind giving us a minute?" Sully barked. It wasn't a question. It was a demand.

  "Fine," Isabel sighed. "Be. Nice." She punched him again for good measure, and Sully growled.

  "Good luck," Scarlett said. Whether she meant on their mission tonight or with the bear in front of her, she wasn't sure. Maybe a little of both. Ella gave her a finger wave and giggled as they left.

  Sully shut the door behind them.

  "If you're going to try and talk me out of going tonight, you're too late. I didn't spend the entire evening dressing like this to sit on the couch and watch Netflix. So, if you don't mind, let's go." Maggie tried to ease past him, but he brought his arm up, stopping her. Gently, he pulled her towards him and up against his chest.

  His hand stroked her face, and then followed a path down her side, brushing over her rib cage and ending at her waist. His other hand reached up and tugged on the red wig. A smile started on one side of his mouth, then he leaned in and gently kissed her.

  It was the first time he'd done so without frustration or because she'd initiated it. This kiss was soft. Tender. Loving. He didn't linger for very long, just a quick swipe of his tongue inside her mouth as if he wanted to taste her. Then he pulled her close and breathed into her hair.

  "You are so beautiful. You take my breath away," he whispered in her ear, his breath tickling the hairs of the wig around her face.

  Maggie didn't know what to say. Sully wasn't one to mince words, and he certainly wasn't one to offer flowery compliments. If he said she was beautiful, he must mean it.

  Taking a slight step back, she took in his tailored black suit, crisp white shirt with black pinstripes, and thin black tie. The fedora on his head looked like it was a size too small, so he had it propped precariously to one side. He looked delicious.

  "You look pretty amazing yourself," she said, her ego no longer bruised from his earlier words. Or lack thereof.

  "Ready?" he asked.

  She nodded, not sure she trusted her words, and not entirely sure she was ready.

  "Good. Let's go over the plan," Sully said as he led her down the hall and to the elevator. When they got in, he turned to face her.

  "Stay by my side the entire night. Try not to make eye contact. If Anthony gets a good look at you, he'll recognize you. The key to your disguise is not drawing attention to yourself." He put a pair of lightly tinted glasses on his face and gave her a devilish grin.

  "How do you plan to not draw attention looking like that?" she asked, pointing to his body. He was big and muscled, and the suit only brought more attention to his devastating good looks.

  "Are you complimenting me, Pixie?"

  A blush flew to her cheeks.

  "I just meant you're so"—she waved her hand at his body—"large."

  Sully snorted softly.

  "We'll find a table or stand in the back. The key is to act like you belong there. Try not to be nervous. And listen."

  They arrived at the Jeep, and Maggie eyed the passenger door.

  "There's no way."

  Sully looked at her, the dress, and the Jeep. "I see what you mean."

  "Let's take my car," she offered. Sully eyed her dubiously.

  "I don't think so. We'll take one of the surveillance cars."

  "Come on! I don't get to drive very often. It's a great car."

  "It's a pink Mustang."

  "You're too manly to ride in a pink car? You know, Elvis had a pink car."

  "Darlin’," he said, almost sounding like Elvis. "There's pink, and then there's pink." He nodded towards her Mustang with its bad paint job.

  It had been cheap, the original paint rusting. So she and a friend had spray-painted the entire thing hot pink. She loved that car.

  "Please," she begged, batting her eyelashes at him.

  "Fine," he muttered. "But we park two blocks down and walk. Agreed?"

  Squealing, Maggie bounced on her toes and ran over to her beloved Mustang, keys in hand.

  Sliding into the driver’s seat, she turned the ignition. Fortunately, the guys had covered over the word Whore, which had been plastered all over the car. It helped that all it had required was another coat of hot pink spray paint.

  Sully got in the car, and his huge body looked humorous in her tiny sports car. The hot pink exterior, combined with the plush, black and white zebra print seat covers, didn't help. Maggie stifled a giggle and put the car in reverse as they made their way out of the gates and headed into the city.

  Since the club was in D-town, they weren't far away. Sully directed her, and they parked on the street a couple of bl
ocks from the club. Maggie cursed the high heels that Isabel had made her wear. They were a size too big, so they'd had to cinch the ankle strap tightly to keep them on her feet.

  A white van pulled up alongside them, slowing down to match their pace, and Maggie stiffened. Sully leaned over. "It's just the guys. Ethan's already on the adjacent roof. They're scoping out the area and will park and get out to cover the exits," Sully said softly in her ear.

  Lucas peered out at them from the window, a black baseball cap pulled down low over his eyes. He nodded at them as the van passed by slowly.

  Exhaling a breath, Maggie reached for Sully's hand.

  The speakeasy was located in an alley, its door down a flight of steps in the basement of an old industrial building. The door was painted blue, but that was the only indication that something was different about it. There was no sign. Just a single bulb mounted above the bright blue door.

  Sully knocked three times, and a tiny window slid open, revealing a man's mouth.

  "Password," he said in a bored tone.

  "Anarchy," Sully replied.

  The window slid closed sharply, and locks clicked on the other side of the door. Finally, it opened, and a man bigger than Sully stood motioning them inside.

  Maggie peered way up at him, his shaggy hair and large presence reminding her of Rubeus Hagrid from Harry Potter. He looked down at her and smiled a haggard smile. He was missing several teeth, most likely from fighting.

  Jerking her gaze away from him, Maggie took in her surroundings. The room was small, with low ceilings. The brick walls were painted black, making the fluorescent blue music note the prominent focal point of the room. Maggie glanced up at the ceilings, which were painted blue like the door, a fun pop of color she hadn't expected. There were twinkling lights smattered across the ceiling, making her feel like she was under the stars.

  Sully put his hand on her lower back and pushed her towards the bar. "What'll you have?" the bartender asked, his accent sounding like Marlon Brando's from Guys and Dolls.

  "Two gin and tonics," Sully replied. The bartender nodded and made their drinks, setting them down in front of them. Sully gave the guy some money, and the two of them found a couple of stools lining the back of the room.

  When they were seated, Maggie searched the room for Kingston or Anthony. She wasn't yet sure how she would react to seeing him again. It was one thing to see a picture of him on a computer screen, or to hear his name uttered for the first time in years, but to see him standing just feet from her wasn't something she'd thought she would ever face again.

  Sully leaned in close. "You ok?"

  She nodded. "Fine."

  "You went a little pale there."

  Maggie took a deep breath and exhaled. "I haven't seen him in more than five years. The last time I did was when he was beating me senseless. Just a little nervous."

  "Dammit," Sully muttered. "I shouldn't have brought you here."

  "Yes, you should have. I'll be fine."

  Famous last words.

  Maggie lifted her head, her gaze landing on a tall man with slick black hair, olive skin, and an overpriced suit. A thin gold chain hung around his neck, and his smile was predatory as he stared at the woman whose hand he was holding. He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles. The girl giggled.

  Suddenly, his gaze lifted, his eyes meeting hers. A look of confusion crossed his face before his features morphed into a Joker-like grin.

  Anthony Garmoni.

  Chapter 13

  Sully watched the slimy character across the room turn and meet Maggie's gaze. He heard her inhalation of breath seconds before she hopped off the stool and ran like the hounds of hell were on her heels.

  Sully slid off the stool and ran after her as she swerved in and out of the crowd. It looked like she was heading straight for the bathroom. Sully glanced behind him, seeing that Anthony wasn’t following. Had he seen her? Recognized her?

  They hadn't had much cover, but had what little they did have been blown? Sully spoke into his comms device.

  "Garmoni made eye contact with Maggie. Not sure if our cover is blown or not."

  "You've only been in there for like five minutes. What the hell?" Gabriel responded.

  "Tell me about it. Maggie took off toward the bathrooms. I'm following behind as closely as I can. Get the van and meet us at the door, just in case."

  Sully reached the bathroom just as a woman pushed her way out. She tried to catch his eye, batting her lashes and purposely brushing against him. Sully ignored her and opened the door to the women's bathroom.

  "Maggie," he hissed. Two women were standing at the sink applying lipstick, and they gasped when they saw him—then giggled when they realized that he was after the woman who'd just locked herself inside the stall.

  "Good luck, handsome," one of the girls said as they left the bathroom. Sully followed behind them and locked the door.

  It was just he and Maggie.

  "Pixie, are you ok?"

  He could hear her quiet sobs. "I'm fine," she said through her tears.

  "Yeah, right. Open up. Let me in."

  "No, I'm fine. Just give me a minute."

  Sully shook the door. "If you don't let me in, I swear I'll break down the door."

  He heard her soft chuckle before she opened the door. Mascara was smudged under her eyes, and her nose was pink. Her blue eyes shimmered with unshed tears, making them appear even more brilliant than they normally were.

  She was a mess, but he'd never seen anyone more beautiful.

  Gently, he took her by the arms and pulled her into his embrace. She fit so perfectly under his chin, her body sinking into his. If only things were different. If only The General wasn't in his life. He could love this woman. Make her his wife. Have babies with her. Grow old with her.

  But happy endings weren't in his future. He would take The General down, even if it killed him. His first priority was seeing that he paid for his crimes. For manipulating their lives. For sending Bruno to kill his mother and rape his sister.

  Sully pulled back from Maggie at the memories. He couldn't get too close. Confusion warred in Maggie's eyes as she looked up at him, puzzled by the distance he was putting between them. Sully cleared his throat.

  "You ok?" he asked.

  "Um, fine. Yeah. Sorry, I thought he saw me. Did he follow us in here?"

  Sully shook his head. "No, he was still chatting up that girl the last time I saw him."

  Someone pounded on the door. "Just a minute," Sully shouted.

  "Maybe he didn't see me, then. I mean, I thought he did. He looked right at me, and then he—"

  "What?"

  "He smiled."

  "If he did, then we need to get out of here. I won't risk you."

  "If he'd seen me, surely he would have run after me. Right?"

  Shrugging, Sully went to the sink to wet a paper towel, returning to wipe under her eyes and pat away the tears that still lingered on her cheeks.

  "He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would miss an opportunity to torture you."

  Maggie shuddered, and Sully regretted his choice of words. "I just meant—"

  "I know. It's fine. So, do we go back out or leave?"

  "What are you up for?"

  "I want to find out what's going down here tonight. I say we stay."

  "Then we stay," Sully said, stroking her arm.

  He saw her shiver, then pulled her close again for a quick embrace. She stepped back, checked her makeup in the mirror, and turned to him.

  "Let's go."

  When they exited the bathroom, a line had formed. Women glared at them, and a few looked jealous as they piled into the room.

  The crowd had picked up since he'd chased Maggie into the bathroom, and it was now standing room only. They pressed into the crush, his eyes scanning the room for any glimpse of Garmoni or Kingston.

  Sully wasn't sure why they would choose this place to meet. It wasn't like it was
quiet, or like they could be nestled into a small corner somewhere, discussing Washington domination. The place was packed, with people standing nuts to butts, and the music was almost deafening.

  It was also amazing.

  There was a lively jazz band with horns and guitars and even a guy at the grand piano in the corner of the stage. The man's soulful voice made Sully wish he'd brought Maggie here under different circumstances.

  Sully pulled Maggie against his side, comforted by her nearness. He scanned the room, looking for The General, Garmoni, or any of the other lowlifes that ravaged this city. Finally, his eyes landed on Kingston. He was off to the side, sitting on a stool near the wall. Garmoni was by his side, and three other thugs that Sully recognized as major players in the crime world stood close by. Kingston spoke to them, his head lowered so that they could hear his words more clearly.

  Garmoni was searching the crowd. Maybe he had seen Maggie, then. Sully stepped slightly in front of her to block his view. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

  "Six o'clock. Garmoni, Kingston, and their entourage."

  Maggie poked her head around him, and he placed his hand on her shoulder.

  "Stay behind me. I don't want him getting a good look at you."

  "We can't hear anything they're saying."

  "Not trying to. I was mainly interested in who he was meeting with. One guy is a drug runner. Two are leaders of gangs in the District."

  "How does that help us?"

  "Lucas has informants in both of those gangs. It will help us to know where to concentrate our investigation."

  "Should we try to get closer?"

  "We shouldn't, no. I'm going to see if I can hover close enough to overhear something after I send you out with the guys."

  "I'm not leaving you," Maggie said, her chin lifted high in defiance.

  "Don't argue."

  "I’m not leaving."

  Sully sighed heavily. "Fine. Stay by the bar. I'm going to wander closer and see what I can glean from them. Don't move."