by V. K. Powell
“Lieutenant Troy and Morgan will be going into the club to make contact. The rest of us will leave first, find the best places to set up, get in position, and wait for their arrival. Neither of them will be wired, so I want surveillance as tight as we can get it.”
The officers fidgeted in their seats, tired of the talk and ready for action, as Beth continued. “Rick and Paige, you’ll be in front in the panel van. Take pictures if possible for later identification. Mike and Renee, you’ll cover the back lot and alley in the blackout van. If Davis leaves, meets, or talks to anybody back there, I want to know about it. If we’re lucky, this’ll be a routine intel-gathering operation and our first contact with the target. Is everyone clear on their assignments?”
Everybody nodded.
Beth tossed a set of car keys to Alex. “She’s Jane, you’re Tarzan. Make us proud…and don’t wreck the ’Vette.”
Keri and Alex stayed in the conference room after everyone else had gone, waiting for the signal to proceed to the bar. After a few minutes, Alex cleared her throat and rolled her chair closer to Keri, her heart pounding faster in direct proportion to their proximity.
“Morgan, I know you’re nervous, but you’re going to do a great job. I’ll guide you through it. Just follow my lead. If you have questions, I’ll try to answer them.”
Keri heaved a sigh. “What exactly do you have in mind for our floorshow?”
Alex had to smile at the irony of her situation. “Just act like”—she traced the strong line of Keri’s jaw with her index finger, her eyes never leaving Keri’s—“we’re very good friends.”
The current from Keri’s body teased slowly up Alex’s arm and dove directly to her core. Keri’s blue eyes turned hazy and her nostrils flared as the pulse at her neck raced. Alex swallowed the burst of attraction that blocked her throat.
Intense heat radiated from the point of contact on Keri’s jaw and through her body with lightning speed. She felt mesmerized by Alex’s touch. The tenderness and intimacy of it belied the tough exterior Alex tried to portray. Keri held her gaze and felt as though she were looking into the soul of a woman saved. Her heart thumped against her chest. She heard the blood racing through her veins, headed toward the ache between her legs. It was the most exquisite pain she’d ever experienced. She prayed it would never end.
“It’s a very intimate environment,” Alex said. “Not like most bars, so prepare yourself.” She ran her tongue slowly across her lips.
“Yes, I can imagine,” Keri finally managed.
“Oh, you can?” Alex teased.
“I mean…Oh, hell, I don’t know what I mean.” Keri stopped. They were both kidding themselves if they wanted to pretend they’d have to fake some heat.
“Other people may ask you to dance, men and women. If they do, go with your gut.”
“Right.” The way Keri felt right now, she’d probably jump some stranger in the ladies’ restroom out of sheer frustration.
“You’ll be fine. Trust me.” Alex couldn’t remember the last time she’d said those words to anyone. The look in Keri’s eyes told her that she did.
Beth’s voice came across the walkie-talkie. “We’re in position.”
Keri stabilized her emotions and projected herself into the role she was about to play. She was this sexy woman’s “date” for the evening but she was also going to send signals to men, hoping Sonny Davis would respond. She had to get him interested by projecting a bisexual persona. She hoped she was up to the challenge and wouldn’t just come across as a lesbian hot for the woman she was with, even if that was the truth. And it was, regardless of the fact that Alex was her superior officer and that Keri still couldn’t completely forgive the past.
What if someone asked Alex to dance? Keri couldn’t leave the room in a jealous huff like she did a few days ago when she saw Alex with Helen. The thought sent her confidence into a nosedive. She’d fled because she wanted to be the woman on that table, arousing the same fierce reaction she’d seen in Alex. Pushing that thought out of her mind, she stood hastily and left the room, side by side with her boss. When they reached the car, Alex opened Keri’s door. She did the same thing when they arrived at Shelly’s and placed her hand in the small of Keri’s back as they strolled toward the club.
Keri walked slowly toward the entrance, wanting to prolong Alex’s touch for as long as possible. It felt so incredibly right. She had never been so turned on by a simple caress or so aroused by a woman’s proximity. Everything about Alex excited her. Physically, sexually, and emotionally. The ache that coursed through her body made it clear that her feelings for Alex Troy had escalated to new and torturous levels. She wasn’t sure which hurt more, her attempts to bury her physical cravings or the equally impossible attempts to conceal her feelings. As they approached the club door, Alex’s hand slid down her back and brushed lightly across her butt. Before she pulled away completely, Keri caught her hand, gave it a light squeeze, and reluctantly released it.
Alex allowed herself to imagine that Keri clung to her hand out of uncontrollable desire. She wanted to believe her feelings were returned. She even wondered if she might have found the woman she was destined to spend her life with. Although the idea seemed absurd and the timing disastrous, there could be no other reason for her uncharacteristic lapses into professional unconsciousness and sexual fantasy.
When Keri released her grip, a familiar hook wrapped around Alex’s heart and settled into place. She reminded herself this was work and any interest Keri displayed was just an act. A silent mantra echoed in her mind: Sonny Davis behind bars equals captain’s bars.
Chapter Nine
Shelly’s lacked the usual wall-vibrating rhythms, boisterous voices competing for attention, and oppressive smell of testosterone. The music was loud enough for dancing but it was still possible for people to talk. Small candlelike fixtures on each table lent an intimacy Keri found inviting. Here, among people of all ages and sexual preferences, the atmosphere was freeing and arousing, and she quickly lost herself watching the sensuous fluidity of women’s bodies together. A familiar tightness grabbed her pelvis and she cast a sideways glance at Alex. The lieutenant was impossible to read, showing no discernible reaction to the steamy sensuality on all sides.
Keri had spotted Chad a few minutes ago but she’d delayed telling Alex, instead absorbing the sexual energy in the room. She forced her gaze to the curly thatch of black hair across the room. Sonny Davis. Chad had found him, and the two were talking. She tactically assessed her surroundings, noting exits and potential hazards. During her evaluation her gaze skimmed past a young blonde on the dance floor being caressed by a brunette. The blonde kept staring at Alex.
Keri placed her hand possessively on Alex’s arm and leaned in close, speaking next to her ear to make herself heard above the music. “Our target’s in the back and it looks like he has company.”
She inhaled Alex’s warm musk perfume and found herself not wanting to move. Her lips inadvertently touched Alex’s earlobe and she felt the lieutenant shiver.
Alex stifled an involuntary moan that threatened to expose her desire. I’m just horny, she thought, and God knows Keri’s gorgeous. Her hot breath sent goose bumps across Alex’s skin.
“Let’s find a seat.” Alex indicated a table directly in Davis’s line of sight.
They ordered drinks and waited for Chad to do his part. The blonde on the dance floor continued to watch Alex and when the song ended, she started toward their table. Keri couldn’t allow another woman to touch Alex. That wasn’t part of their plan.
Running interference, she placed her hand on Alex’s knee and slid it slowly up her skintight-denim-clad thigh. “Would you like to dance?”
A series of vibrations shot up her arm as she registered Alex’s heat. This was no time for an attack of nerves, she thought. The ploy had worked. The determined blonde had veered off in another direction, aiming her seductive stare at another woman. Alex’s eyes were fixed on Keri’s hand, which rested
inches from her crotch. The look reminded Keri of that horrible night in the gym. She withdrew her hand so quickly it sent her beer flying off the table and skidding across the dance floor.
“Nice improvisation, Morgan. I didn’t see that coming.”
Keri jumped to her feet, horrified. Great. She’d drawn attention to them. What did it matter if someone asked Alex to dance? Weren’t they supposed to blend in?
“I’m sorry.” She snatched up a cocktail napkin. Before she could hurry to clean up after herself, Alex caught her wrist.
“Don’t be. You’ve made an impression on our target.” She nodded toward Chad, who was approaching their table.
With a cocky swagger, he picked up the beer bottle and handed it to the barman who’d approached to deal with the spill.
“Hey, ladies.” Chad acted like a smooth operator. “You got his attention with that little touchy-feely show. Wanna play?”
“Why not?” Alex tried to erase the vision of Keri’s hand teasing its way up her leg, leaving a trail of oversensitized flesh and inextinguishable passion. She’d silently prayed Keri would stop but wished she hadn’t. She was just playing a part, Alex reminded herself, defending against the advances of another woman. But she was so damn good at it, Alex had experienced a wild thrill to be claimed so publicly. The thought that her pleasure-pain gave Sonny Davis even the tiniest thrill made her stomach lurch. She distracted herself with a sharp instruction to Chad. “By the way, Einstein, I’m Kathy and her name’s Lynn. Remember that.”
Three NFL-sized men and an accountant-type character were strategically positioned around Davis. Alex almost smiled at the predictability of the stereotypical vile henchmen. Two of the large men rose as she and Keri came closer.
“Sorry, ladies,” one said, “I gotta pat you down. You understand.” He lifted his hands in resignation, but the sneer on his face said he was enjoying himself.
“Whatever.” Keri raised her arms.
The goon, a buzz-cut blond, took his time, slowly running his hands over Keri’s body, squeezing and patting places that couldn’t possibly conceal a weapon and leering at Alex as she stood by helplessly. The hairs on the back of her neck bristled and she thought about the woman Keri had hugged in the police parking lot. An uncustomary surge of jealousy clamped like a vise through her insides. The thought of anyone else touching Keri infuriated her, but someone like this guy, mauling and probing for the sheer hell of it, made her homicidal. She reminded herself this was business and there’d be payback soon enough.
When it was Alex’s turn to be groped, she mimicked Keri’s pose, inhaling deeply and waiting for the assault. Muscles throughout her body tensed as the unwelcome stroking around her breasts, between her thighs and down her legs seemed to go on forever. When the blond finally completed his task, Alex whispered, “Sorry about your penis.”
With a confused look, the man withdrew and told Davis, “They’re clean, boss.”
Davis waved a fifty dollar bill at the waitress. “Get these ladies a drink.”
Chad made the introductions and pulled up chairs for Alex and Keri.
Davis said, “Sorry about the body search.” His full lips curled back over pristine, perfectly shaped teeth and produced a devastatingly handsome grin. With his smooth complexion and curly black hair, he looked like the proverbial Greek god. While they waited for their drinks to arrive, he introduced the four men at his table. The blond who’d searched them was “Fletch.” A huge individual with no neck was “Hunk,” and a scar-faced, dead-eyed sociopath had the nickname “Cappy.” The brains of the crew appeared to be “Dolph,” who had the nose and beady eyes of a rodent and wore a green leisure suit that had gone out of style two decades ago.
Alex flashed her most seductive smile while studying each man carefully and cataloguing every facial nuance. Davis cruised her and Keri at length through dark, menacing eyes, his expression heating as he took in the gentle curves of Keri’s body and the slight tenting of her T-shirt from the air-conditioning.
“You two’d have to be swingers,” he concluded finally. “You’re too classy to be whores and too cute to be dykes…nothing personal. I like watching two women together as much as the next guy. Guess that’s why I come here.”
Keri felt the vein bulge on the side of her neck. She wanted to arrest this scum-sucking piece of filth right now for allowing his goons to handle Alex. Keri knew it had taken every ounce of her restraint to endure the mauling of her body by these misfits.
“So, Chad tells me you girls are looking to have some fun.”
“Yeah, we like a little variety, too,” Keri said, eager to close out the game now before anyone thought he could maul Alex again. “We’d like to get our hands on some—”
“Hot bodies,” Alex completed, closing her fingers firmly over Keri’s right knee. It was too soon to bring up drugs, and she was surprised that Keri had made such a rookie mistake. They needed to establish rapport with the group first.
“How come I haven’t seen you here before?” Davis asked.
“Good question.” Alex managed a small insulted pout. “I used to dye my hair jet black and wear it longer. Oh, yeah…and I was with a guy the last few times.” She trailed a hand casually over Keri’s hair. “I like to keep my options open.”
Keri struggled to keep the incredulity from her face. Alex was a pro. She made undercover look easy. Davis was completely hooked. He smiled and scooted his chair closer to Alex, a look of pure sexual hunger in his eyes. Helen Callahan had the same look the day she’d tried to seduce Alex. But Keri wasn’t about to let another socially challenged and morally deficient degenerate have his way with her boss.
Before she could react, a college-aged girl wearing what looked like a toga approached Davis from behind. Her eyes were pinpoints of dull light, her face pale and drawn.
The three large goons rose simultaneously. “I have to talk to Sonny,” the girl told Fletch.
“He’s busy right now and can’t be disturbed. Whaddaya want?” The young woman turned her back to the table and appeared to be whispering to Fletch. After a brief exchange, she walked toward the back of the bar. Fletch returned to the table, leaned down, and spoke quietly in Davis’s ear.
Alex made a point of looking bored, hoping Keri would pick up on her cue. They needed to act like they saw strung-out teens in clubs every day. After another round of drinks, lots of bragging, and some small talk, Davis cleared his throat and rose nonchalantly.
“If you’ll excuse me for a minute, ladies. Nature calls.” He went toward the restrooms at the rear of the bar, Fletch close behind.
When they were out of sight, Keri said, “Sounds like a good idea. This beer’s going right through me.”
Hunk lurched in his seat but Keri turned to him. “I don’t really think your boss’ll be in the same place I’m going, unless you know something I don’t.”
Alex thought about stopping Keri but decided it might look too suspicious if she made a fuss. Instead, she resigned herself to letting Keri go and hoped she wouldn’t blow the case by doing something stupid.
Keri leaned over, gave Alex a light kiss on the cheek, and whispered, “I’ve got a hunch I need to check on.” She gave Alex’s arm a reassuring squeeze and darted after Davis.
She slipped along the darkened hallway to the restrooms and listened at the men’s room door—nothing. A sliver of light shown through a crack in the back door that had been propped open with a beer can. Keri ducked into the adjacent broom closet. The small space reeked of Clorox and stale urine. Her nostrils burned and her eyes watered as she focused on the voices from outside.
Davis’s cordial tone had dissolved into piercing cold. “You’ve been told not to contact me in public—ever. You’ve got a source. If you want more product call him. And if you do anything like this again, you’ll pay.”
Keri couldn’t understand the woman’s low, whiny reply. When Davis opened the door to come back inside, he motioned to Fletch with an angry jerk of his head and sa
id, “Take care of this shit,” and reentered the club.
When she was sure Davis had time to be seated again, Keri darted into the ladies’ room, washed her hands, and came back to the table shaking them and complaining about the lack of paper towels. Keri swept a quick, confused look around the table. Alex wasn’t there anymore. Nerves bunched in her stomach. She’d sensed that Alex wasn’t happy with her rushing away to the restroom alone, but this wasn’t a one-woman show. Keri supposed she wanted to prove she had what it took to work undercover, too. Even though she wasn’t wearing a wire, the contents of her report would be valuable to the investigation. She’d memorized everything she heard.
“Looks like if you want any of that tonight, you better get a move on, girlie.” Davis laughed from behind her.
Keri followed his gaze to the dance floor, and something vile and bitter rose in her throat. Alex was with the blonde from earlier. One of the woman’s hands rested on Alex’s lower back almost touching the swell of her butt. She held Alex so tightly their bodies moved in unison. Her thigh was wedged between Alex’s legs. With every step the stranger ground her hips into Alex’s body.
Keri tightened her fists until her nails cut into the palms. She knew exactly where the urge came from, but she couldn’t stop herself from swaggering onto the dance floor like she was going to make an arrest. She grabbed the hand that had migrated to Alex’s butt and lifted it away.
“Excuse me, please.” She met the blonde’s startled gaze in a challenging stare.
The hook tightened around Alex’s heart, pulling her closer to Keri. Everyone in the club vanished except the gorgeous woman standing before her. As the blonde released her hold, Keri’s satisfaction was obvious. Looking like she’d won the prize, she pulled Alex into her arms, carefully insinuating her body where the blonde’s previously rested.
“Let’s keep dancing,” she said. “Davis is still watching.”
