by Ford, Angela
“Next time, babe, I have a couple of calls to make. See you back on the floor in thirty.”
Shay walked along the corridor toward the doors that led to the pool area. She wished it had been an outdoor pool so she could get a little fresh air. But its glass encasing allowed its use through the cooler months. Before she reached the pool entrance she stopped at the intersection of the corridor to her right that led to Mr. Newark’s offices. She heard his voice and Dante’s. She looked behind her and the corridor was empty. She slid up against the wall and listened.
“I need your complete control of the club downstairs tomorrow. That means no waitresses or members are allowed upstairs during my meeting. I already had Beth schedule the elevator maintenance at three-thirty. Most of the members are gone at that time of the day anyway. That will stop the rest from using the rooms or the pool. Notice has been given to our out-of-town guests as the maintenance work is done and Beth has scheduled a city tour for them to get them out of the club. The thirty minutes I need is crucial. Do you understand?”
“Of course Mr. Newark, you can count on me.”
Shay slipped out of her shoes and started to backtrack. The corridors were carpeted but she figured their conversation had come to an end. The last thing she needed was to be caught listening to what she gathered was a very secret meeting. She reached for the elevator button and stopped herself. She knew the sound of a ding would echo through the quiet corridor. Instead, she continued to back-step until she hit the staircase door. Slowly, she opened it in hopes it didn’t make a creaking sound. Once successful, she gasped for a breath of relief she hadn’t been caught. She sat down on the first step and inhaled deeply. She jumped when the door suddenly opened quickly behind her.
“Shay, what the hell are you doing here?”
She looked up into the eyes she’d thought were heavenly but now scared her.
“Dante, I, uh, was just looking for a quiet place to hide for ten minutes. My feet are killing me.” She dangled her shoes in her hand. “You scared the shit out of me”.
“Better me than Mr. Newark. Here’s a tip for future reference. He doesn’t always use his private elevator, sometimes he takes the stairs. You’re lucky he had a call to make first. Come on, let me help you.” Dante reached for Shay’s hand and helped her to her feet.
“I’ll take the elevator down. These shoes and those stairs”—Shay snorted—“won’t work well together.” Dante’s sexy laugh unbalanced her and his hands grasped her waist to steady her. With only a couple of inches between them, she could feel his hot breath against her skin. The sexual tension she felt between them almost took over her senses. Somewhat relieved when he moved her away from the stairs, she chuckled through a sigh.
He stood back to open the door. “Ladies first”
The remainder of her shift flew by. Her feet throbbed. Shay wished she’d had the chance to soak them in the hot tub earlier. She also wished she had the chance to speak with Beth but only saw her once that evening with Dante at the bar. The evening crowd kept her busy. Shay remembered to bring a change of clothes with her. It felt good to put her running shoes on her feet. With no one looking, she reached inside her locker and quickly released her pistol from the compartment in her purse. Inconspicuously, she adjusted it to her belly strap under her sweatshirt. Shay tossed the shoes from hell into her backpack along with her work clothes and closed her locker. Dante wasn’t at the bar when she returned from the break room. She hadn’t had the chance to talk to him again since the staircase incident.
“Looks like you’re ready to be beat again.”
Shay laughed at Cassie’s comment when she entered the agency, too tired for a comeback, but happy to see her partners. She took a quick moment after the staircase incident to send River a message her cover might be jeopardized and to meet at the agency after her shift.
“So what’s up Shay? Your urgent message had us all worried.”
“I overheard a conversation between Rick and Dante—” Shay began.
“The bartender,” Cassie interrupted her.
Shay nodded. “There seems to be a secret meeting scheduled tomorrow at three-thirty in Rick’s office. He stressed that Dante keep the waitresses downstairs. Rick had Beth schedule elevator maintenance for that time and he had her arrange to have the overnight guests out of the club. I didn’t gather anymore. I snuck back to the staircase so I wouldn’t get caught eavesdropping, but Dante caught me there.”
“You think Dante is suspicious now?” Maile handed Shay a coffee. “I think you need this.”
Shay agreed as she took a gulp. “I came up with a lame excuse that my feet were killing me and had been looking for a place to hide for ten minutes on my break. I don’t think he bought it.”
River spoke up, “I reprinted your reports and shared them with everyone, Shay. Your note seems accurate. No one involved has a criminal record. But it appears someone isn’t telling the truth—I mean, Renee or Beth. I think you’re right that one or both are hiding something. And this secret meeting makes me wonder if there is indeed an illegal drug operation happening at the club. Ladies, I think we need to be prepared for three-thirty tomorrow. It looks like Shay may need backup.”
Everyone agreed to rearrange their schedules for that time the next day.
“I plan to go in early before my shift and talk to Beth. I’d like to get her take on her relationship with her mother. I have an idea.”
“Be careful, Shay. Text me if you need us. We’ll be on standby for you.”
River hugged her and said goodnight. Maile agreed and wished Shay luck. Cassie mentioned they should skip their morning run and Shay go home and get some rest.
“Not a chance. The run is exactly what I need before what seems is going to be a long day.”
Cassie hugged her. “I might just let you win.”
Shay laughed. “I can easily win without your charity.”
Shay wanted to make one more call before she left for the rest she’d promised her partners. The woman answered after the first ring. Shay hoped it hadn’t been too late to call.
“Mrs. Mills, I hate to call so late—”
“Has something happened to Beth?”
Her tone of voice pulled at Shay’s heartstrings. If one thing wasn’t a lie, it was the woman’s genuine love for her daughter. That one couldn’t hide in a panicked voice.
“Beth is fine.” Shay reassured the worried mom. “I’ve successfully landed a waitress job at the club and met Beth. She doesn’t appear to be on drugs. Quite the opposite in fact from what I saw. She seems to be taking care of herself and I’m not sure if she’s involved with Rick but she is his personal assistant.”
“Oh, that’s good news, I guess.”
“You guess? What do you mean, Mrs. Mills? Is there anything you haven’t told me?”
There was a momentary pause before she answered Shay.
“I heard the rumors about the club and since my daughter broke all contact with me, I assumed the worse.”
Shay asked about their relationship before and if anything happened between them that could have affected their relationship. Renee confided she had no idea and that their relationship had always been a close one. But she did inform Shay that Beth lost both her dad and a college friend over the Christmas holidays.
“I tried to be there for Beth but I was also grieving my own loss. It didn’t appear to affect our relationship—or so I thought until our last conversation in April. Beth informed me she’d met a man and wouldn’t need my help for her living expenses any longer. It was through the mother of one of her friends that I found out it was Rick from Bare. I tried to get in touch with Beth. She wouldn’t return my calls. I even attempted to go to the club once but the woman at the door told me Beth didn’t want to see me.”
Shay could tell Renee’s heart was broken. She’d not only
suffered the loss of her husband, but her daughter cut off all ties with her. “I’m very sorry for your loss, Renee. I hope my partners and I can help. I believe there to be secrets at the club. I’m determined to uncover them. There has to be an explanation. There seems to be a secretive meeting scheduled tomorrow afternoon. I plan to find out what it’s for. If it has to do with drugs, I will find out. Keep holding on to hope, Renee. I’m here to help you.”
“Thank you, detective. Hope is all I have left. I don’t understand why she won’t talk to me. I still wonder if she’s involved with him. It doesn’t make since that he’d hire her as an executive after only a couple of months.”
Shay agreed Renee made a good point. She assured Renee she’d get answers for her.
Shay wiped the tears from her eyes after she ended their call. Her heart went out to the woman every time they spoke. She knew she had to speak to Beth the next morning. She hit the lights and locked the door. When she hit the elevator button at her apartment building she remembered Dante’s words. Damn, girl. You were lost in those dreamy eyes when he mentioned it. She remembered Dante’s tip or warning at the staircase. Mr. Newark sometimes takes the stairs when he doesn’t use his private elevator. She unlocked her apartment and dug her cell out of her purse once inside.
“Uncle Mike, its Shay. I’m sorry to bother you at this hour, but I need your help.”
“Anytime Shay, you know I love to help you girls out. What do you need?”
Shay updated Mike on her assignment. She asked if he could possibly get a copy of the blueprints of the club. Specifically, she needed to know about a private elevator that may possibly be where Rick’s offices were. Mike assured her he could get her a copy first thing in the morning. She agreed to meet him for coffee at nine-thirty at the agency.
Chapter Seven
Dante wasn’t so sure about Shay anymore. He wondered if her small town innocent act was just that—an act. He placed a call to check. He hoped his instincts were wrong for once. He’d been watching Shay serve a table when Beth snapped her fingers.
“Hey Dante, I thought I warned you about that.” Beth turned her head in Shay’s direction.
He laughed. He remembered. “I don’t think she’s who she says she is.”
Beth threw him a puzzled look.
“Can you do me a favor Beth?”
“Anything”
“Can you check out her locker before you leave?”
“What am I looking for?”
Dante told her he wasn’t sure. He told Beth he’d put a call in to run a check on her and hadn’t heard back yet, but his gut told him Shay was hiding something. Beth agreed to have a look while the waitresses were busy and their break room was empty. Dante knew Beth had a master key for everything. Mr. Newark didn’t want any secrets in his club and expected Beth to keep a close eye on all employees. It impressed Dante how Beth had gained Rick’s trust. Beth’s idea to estrange her relationship with her mother did it. After a year with Rick, Dante learned that Rick didn’t want his staff to have close family ties.
“I found no ID in her purse, but she does pack.” Beth met Dante behind the bar to give him the news from her search.
“I know that. I ran into her yesterday at McCarthy’s. She’d given me the story that she was weary of the city and wanted protection.”
“You don’t believe her?”
Dante shook his head. “No. Shay Dunbar doesn’t exist. The check came back empty.” Beth looked as worried as Dante. He knew the last thing they needed was an interruption.
“Who is she Dante?”
“That I’m about to find out. I’ll call you later, Beth.”
Dante waved to Steve to take over the bar. The evening crowd had begun to disperse. Steve could handle the bar for an hour. Dante had an urgent errand to run.
Dante entered McCarthy’s Firearms, the same place he’d first met Shay though they hadn’t yet been introduced. “Mr. McCarthy, how are you today?”
The man looked up from the paper he read. “Dante, I’m good. Can I interest you in the first peek at a recent shipment?”
“Actually I’m here for a little information. I hope you can help me.” He shared his story from the day before outside the store when he’d collided with Shay.
“I remember her. Pretty little thing that likes her guns.”
Dante nodded in agreement and shared the accidental bump of the bedside buddy out of its bag.
Mr. McCarthy laughed. “That must have embarrassed her.”
“Not at all; in fact, she made the first joke of it. She hit me hard, here.” Dante placed his hand over his heart.
“I can’t give out customer information, Dante, you know that.”
“Just this one time; I know she’s my soul mate. I have to find her.”
Mr. McCarthy huffed over the thought for a moment and then grabbed his binder. He flipped through the pages. “We never spoke. You know sometimes I forget to close this damn book.” He winked. Dante knew exactly what he meant. He leaned in closer to the glass cabinet and searched along the page where he noticed Shay Brooks, Miss Demeanor Detective Agency beside the weapon’s license number.
“Thank you, sir.”
“I’m an old sap for love.”
“Shay Brooks is a private investigator.” Dante announced when Beth answered her phone.
“Great, just what we need.” Beth sighed.
“At least I feel better knowing the reason my moves didn’t make an impact on her.” Dante chuckled.
Beth laughed along with him. “Yes, Dante, every woman melts in her your hands.”
In the past year he’d gotten to know his partner well—especially her dry humor. Beth joined the undercover operation after Christmas. Her college friend overdosed over the holidays. Beth had poked around and her search led her to Rick. Beth discovered through the deceased girl’s mom that she’d been ashamed for the things she’d done while working at the club. Her search also led her to Dante. She’d told him what she discovered and her suspicions, but nothing confirmed what she’d been ashamed of.
He’d successfully landed the job as a bartender through his deceased father’s connection to Rick. But he needed a female partner to get closer to him. Beth convinced him she was that partner. Her co-op study program for law foundations with the DEA gave her the chance to convince them she could help their investigation into a possible drug operation at the club. She secretly trained with the DEA for four months while she finished college. Connections with college girls that used and worked at the club helped with the setup of her undercover assignment. By April, she was ready to join Dante.
“Don’t let this attraction of yours get in the way. We’ve worked long and hard to get where we are. The big deal is supposed to take place tomorrow. Don’t blow it.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve been undercover since Mexico. The anniversary of my best friend’s death was yesterday. Let’s take this son-of-a-bitch down.”
Dante remembered the day like it was yesterday. He knew the drug lord in Mexico that had his best friend dealing, had him killed. His friend didn’t overdose. He didn’t do drugs. He was just stupid to get involved in dealing. One bad deal got him killed. The man responsible, Santiago Aguilar, was on the signature list for the meeting. Dante’s main arrest would finally put closure to his friend’s murder.
“Then I think you need to get to know her a little better, Beth. See what you can find out. If you have to, invite her in on the bust. We can’t let anything go wrong tomorrow.”
Beth agreed. They both knew what was at stake. She told Dante she’d call Shay in the morning and invite her for coffee before her shift.
Chapter Eight
Mike arrived at precisely nine-thirty with blueprint in hand.
“Thanks, Uncle Mike. What would we do wit
hout you?”
Mike spread the blueprint out on the conference table and pointed to the private elevator.
“You were right, Shay. There it is right inside Rick’s office. It only moves from his office to the reserved parking area in the underground garage. No one would notice it unless they parked in that area. It’s hidden beside this spot.” He pointed it out on the blueprint.
Shay nodded. She remembered Vanessa mentioned no one parked in that area marked, Rick’s Reserved Parking Guests.
“I’ve seen that area but never noticed another elevator, only the main one the other night when another waitress offered me a ride home. I know Rick’s spot is the first one after that wall, exactly where you pointed.” Shay thanked Mike. “This information definitely helps. I knew there had to be a way for him or unknown guests to get in and out of the club.”
“If there’s anything else I can do to help you girls, just let me know.”
River spoke up. “Actually Uncle Mike, there is. Were a little uncomfortable with only Shay having access to the club and worried how she’ll contact us if she needs backup. You have easy access to the club with one call. Think you could help us out?”
“I have an idea. Let’s make sure Shay is safe today.” Mike pulled out his cell. “Rick Newark, please, it’s Mike Dunbar. Thank you.” He waited a moment then spoke again. “Good morning Rick, thanks for taking my call. I’ve spoken with my niece. Thank you again for helping her with the job. She loves the club and says your employees are quite friendly and professional. I know you’ve tried over the years to get me to join. I’m ready, but also have a proposition for you. I’m looking for a new investment. Are you available this afternoon?” Mike smiled at the girls.
River was right. Her uncle was a smooth businessman and very direct, Shay thought. She figured that’s how he’d become so successful and well-respected.
