Unwrapped: Clear Security's Holiday (Clear Security Holiday Book 2)

by Ainsley St Claire

  Wang-Fang leans close and takes a big whiff, trying to intimidate me. “You’re not his counsel, and I’m going through your office.”

  “That’s fine. Shannon, can you please call the district attorney’s office so we can take care of this? Or of course, we can call the judge on the warrant and check, but last I knew she was not a fan of people wasting her time.”

  I watch Wang-Fang and two uniformed police officers push past me, and they start toward my office. I’m guessing he didn’t tell the judge who we are and what we do, and that’s even more alarming. I walk back to Maureen’s desk and call the district attorney, Chelsea Borden.

  “I’m sorry, she’s not available at this time,” her assistant tells me.

  “Please let her know that Fiona McPhee called, and I have Detective Wang-Fang Peter Leong, along with two officers, with a warrant to search my place of business. That happens to be a law office, and I’m requesting a Franks hearing. We’re recording this illegal search, and I have no problem releasing the tape to the news this afternoon if she doesn’t return my call by two p.m.”

  Maureen crosses her arms as I hang up. “What’s a Franks hearing?”

  “It challenges the validity of a warrant. Nothing we’re doing is concealing a crime for Hunter,” I tell her. “The recordings will show that it’s an illegal search. We’re required to turn over our evidence, not the blind alleys we chase.”

  Wang-Fang looks back at me, and if he was a cartoon, he’d have steam escaping from his ears. “What a cunt,” he mumbles under his breath.

  “The living area is that way and up the stairs.” I point through a door in the back corner.

  He looks at me smugly and kicks the door. Nothing happens. I fight a smile. It’s a metal fire door, so his act of toughness was probably painful. He shoves the door open, and it swings back against the wall. I know it probably made a hole. Even though everything is being recorded, I follow him upstairs. I hear him kick one of the bedroom doors open.

  I roll my eyes. “The door wasn’t locked,” I yell.

  Wang-Fang turns to me as I reach the top of the stairs. “I guess you can just bill the City then.”

  Asshole.

  They kick down the door to the second bedroom, where Trevor is staying. I cringe at the damage as I watch the policemen whisk whatever they see on the countertops or shelves to the ground: game cartridges, old Blu-rays, and DVDs are soon strewn across the floor. They dump every drawer and upend the couch and chairs in the living areas. They aren’t really looking for anything; they’re just making a mess. My blood pressure is going through the roof.

  “Where is Hunter?” Wang-Fang demands.

  “I’m not his mother, and he’s not under arrest. I have no idea.”

  Damien, Jim, and Bash all arrive at the same time.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Bash bellows.

  “We’re looking for Hunter Anderson’s computer, and we have a witness who says he purchased a 9mm Glock.”

  “And you thought it would fit in a bunch of DVD cases?” Maureen shrieks.

  Damien turns to me. “Can you record this?”

  I point to the cameras. “Already recording.”

  Wang-Fang looks at where I’ve pointed and scowls.

  Take that, asshole. Did he think I was kidding when I told him I was recording?

  “I’ve called the district attorney’s office, but she wasn’t available,” I share. “But I’m sure Jennifer Sanchez over at the local NBC affiliate will happily put this on the news tonight.”

  Wang-Fang looks at the guys he’s with, and they shake their heads. I guess they’re not finding what they were looking for.

  Damien watches as they continue to destroy things. Bash steps forward and whispers something in his ear. “I think that’s a great idea,” Damien says.

  Bash walks over to me. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “I don’t have my ID or any money,” I say.

  “I got you. I think there’s a coffeeshop somewhere close by.”

  I nod and look at Maureen. She nods back. I know she has me covered.

  Bash leads me to the elevators and holds my hand without saying anything. We cross the street to Paradise Bakery, where he orders a full breakfast and I order a bagel with butter with an exceptionally large cup of coffee.

  Once we’re out of sight of my offices, Bash pulls me in for a hug. “Are you okay?”

  “They’re not looking for anything. They’re just harassing me.”

  “I would agree. What did the search warrant say?”

  I recount what I read. “But they’re just dumping things on the floor and walking over them,” I conclude.

  Bash’s name is called, and we get our breakfasts. I spot Trevor and Hunter. “Should we join them?”

  Bash gives me a one-shoulder shrug. “Sure.”

  Both are buried in their cell phones and don’t see me approach. “Hey, guys. Mind if we join you?”

  They look up, seeming equally surprised.

  “Are they done?” Hunter asks.

  I can tell he’s stressing. “They’re looking for your computer, and they said you bought a gun recently.”

  Hunter’s eyes grow wide. “A gun? No way. I’ve never shot a gun in my life.”

  “It was an excuse to get the search warrant.” I turn to Bash. “Did you get the feeling they were looking for something else?”

  He shakes his head. “No, I agree with you. Just making a mess.”

  I squeeze Hunter’s shoulder. “You’ve got a good team working on this. You’re not alone.”

  My cell phone pings.

  Maureen: They just left. They’ve destroyed almost everything, and Damien is pissed.

  I look out the window and see Wang-Fang getting into his car. He’s on the phone and not paying attention. I wish I knew who he was talking to. I nod my head in the direction of the police, and Bash follows. He understands.

  Me: I see them leaving now. WF is on the phone.

  Maureen: I might have cloned it while he was here.

  Me: Have I told you how much I love you?

  I giggle, and all three of the guys are looking at me. “We can go back to the office now. They tore everything apart. We’re going to be busy this afternoon picking up.”

  Trevor and Hunter head out, and once they’re gone, I show Bash my conversation with Maureen. His eyebrows rise.

  His phone pings, and he glances down at it. “Stella and two of our interns are on their way over to help with the cleanup.”

  “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “I know, but I also want to get you home at a reasonable hour tonight, and if you’re picking up and not getting work done, you’ll work the night away.” He nuzzles my neck. “It’s purely for selfish reasons.”

  “You’re not selfish very often, so I can live with it.”

  When we walk back in the office, Shannon and my team are working on pulling things together. Bash pulls a radiofrequency-detecting device from his bag and begins to work around our offices. He finds a listening device in my desk, which really frosts me, and he finds a few more scattered around the office.

  He does something so it seems like the bugs short-circuited.

  Damien gets a copy of the video of the police destroying the office, and I tell him what Hunter said about the gun purchase. “It seemed a little too convenient that suddenly he’d bought a gun. Usually they know that prior to the bail hearing.”

  “What are you going to do?” Damien asks.

  “I know someone over at internal affairs. I might reach out to them and see what they’d recommend.”

  He nods. “Keep me posted.”

  I work my way back to my office. They were such amateurs that they didn’t even look for any of our hiding places, which might have been a treasure trove. Hunter’s computer was in his bag on the floor under his desk, and it remains untouched, which tells me they were up to no good.

  Maureen follows me into my office and shuts the d
oor. “Are you okay?”

  I nod, but my exhaustion hits me hard. I feel overwhelmed. Picking up is going to take weeks. They weren’t even here an hour.

  “Wang-Fang called this number when he left.” She hands me a piece of paper, and the number doesn’t look familiar. I look at her, confused. “It’s a prepaid burner. I’ve given it to Gage, since he has some different software than we do, and he’s looking into where the phone is located.”

  “Thanks.” I try to hide my disappointment.

  “Here’s the conversation he had.”

  She presses play, and we hear the phone ring. “What happened?” the voice says.

  “She’s terrified,” Wang-Fang responds. “She scurried out when her boyfriend showed up. We put a few listening devices in the office. She may find some of them, but I doubt she’ll find them all. We’ve got this under control.”

  “Good. I want to keep track of what’s going on with Distinctive. Hunter isn’t going in to work, and he’s working through the night from their offices.”

  I look at Maureen, and she nods but holds up her finger.

  We hear the car door shut and the ambient noise of the city goes quiet. “She said she was recording us. I didn’t see any cameras, so she was most likely lying. But if she’s not, that could be a problem. Jimmy and Dan were not here officially.”

  My head whips up, and Maureen nods, her eyes wide. “I told you there was something more.”

  “She’s not that connected. I will get that covered,” Wang-Fang continues.

  I raise my eyebrows. I’m not that connected? Wow, I guess we’re going to see about that.

  Maureen is bouncing from side to side. She gets like this when she’s super excited. I’m right there with her. We have cameras all over the office, and I thought they were obvious, but if they’re not, I guess those police may be in for a bit of a surprise.

  “What do you think?” she asks.

  “Have you shown this to Bash or Damien?”

  “No.” This is an illegal clone, which means none of what they said is admissible in court. The fewer people who know about the tap, the less likely it is to be an issue.

  “I’ll talk to Bash about it later and get his feelings,” I tell her. “I think he and Jim should know and possibly Gage. I’m glad you and Gage are working so well together.”

  She shrugs. “He’s an okay guy.”

  As if on cue, a brown-haired woman peeks into my office. “Hey, gorgeous.”

  Stella smiles from ear to ear.

  “Hey. You didn’t have to come.”

  “Sure I did.” She winks at me. “Bash asks, and I do.”

  With my hand on my hip, I give her a skeptical look. “He wants you back together with Gage. Will you be doing that, too?”

  She turns a nice shade of crimson. “Gage might have moved back in over the weekend.”

  “I’m glad. I probably know more than you want me to but congratulations on the baby.”

  “The girls missed him terribly, and I’m getting used to our news. At least I can’t get pregnant for the next thirty-three weeks or so.”

  I chuckle.

  “We have an appointment with the urologist to see about a snipping, and I think I’ll be having my tubes tied,” she continues. “His swimmers and my eggs are just too powerful.”

  I laugh really loud. “I’d say that’s some serious chemistry. I’m delighted that you’re here, but you have a lot on your plate. I understand if you need to be getting ready for this weekend.”

  “Oh, you have no idea. Our holiday party is going to be such a fun night.”

  Chapter 18

  Fiona

  We work all morning on cleaning up, and I find myself more and more pissed. Bash and I agree that if we don’t hear from the district attorney by two, we’ll release the tape showing the harassment and the placing of listening devices in a law office. Maureen will pull Jimmy and Dan’s last names, and Bash will also give the tapes to SFPD’s internal affairs. That should get them out of my hair for a while.

  We order in lunch, and after we eat, I call Mistress Erin.

  “How are you holding up?” I ask.

  “Turns out there’s a senior partner in a law firm who received a bunch of pictures. She forwarded them on to me as soon as they came in. She’s livid and ready to tear the person behind it to shreds once you confirm who it might be.”

  “Maureen has completed background checks on your staff and combed through all the guests. She thinks there might be three people high-profile enough to be targets and a few of your staff to look at. I’ll be interested to see if the woman who came to you is one of them. Can I come by?”

  “Sure. We’re closed on Mondays, but I’m here with the cleaning crew.”

  “I’m leaving now. I’ve had a few problems, so I’ll have some company with me.”

  “Everything okay?”

  I’m not about to bring her into my personal drama. “Of course. I’m just being careful.”

  I walk out and find Dominic and Bash in deep conversation. Bash sees my purse on my shoulder and his eyebrows rise. “Where are you going?”

  “I need to go see Erin. I was planning on taking Dominic with me.”

  “How about he stays to keep an eye out here and I join you?”

  I blanch. It’s not that I’m against Bash coming, but I don’t want Erin to think I can’t handle this. Her business is important to us. But I don’t want to make a big deal about it either. So I smile. “That works.”

  Bash nods at Dominic, and I have a feeling I’m missing something.

  I walk past and Bash’s arm comes around my lower back as he ushers me to the elevator. Once the doors close, I watch his reflection in the slick, stainless-steel wall. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m just going with you.” He pulls me tight and squeezes his hand on my hip.

  We walk outside and a Suburban is waiting. Once we’re inside, Bash turns to me. “Jim talked to the DA, and he was told the police found the gun.”

  My blood pressure goes off the charts. “No fucking way did they find a gun. Did Jim tell her the entire search was recorded, and I’m sending it to NBC and SFPD’s internal affairs?”

  “He did tell the DA it was recorded, and Maureen and Gage are working through it to see where the gun was found or possibly planted. He might have chosen not to tell the DA you were sending the recording to the press. After all, she needs to call you by two. Someday you’ll have to tell me why you have cameras everywhere.”

  I harrumph. “The last three weeks should explain it.”

  I’m not going to tell him these last few days are also the reason I’m alone. This is more than any man would want to deal with long term.

  “My life is a mess.” I sigh. “Between my father and his IRA friends, and one of my clients constantly in trouble, it’s always drama.”

  “Come on. This must be the worst it’s ever been,” Bash says.

  I snort. “It’s the worst I’ve dealt with recently. What a way to crush any sense of a holiday.”

  “You need a break, and you need more help.”

  “I’ve already told Trevor I’m hiring him after he graduates from law school in the spring.”

  “But you need someone sooner than that.”

  We pull to a stop in front of The Dungeon, and I’m grateful for the pause in our conversation. I know Bash is right, but I’m not ready to tackle that.

  He reaches for his door, and I grab his arm. I take a deep breath. “I may not say this very well, but I need to tell you something. I want Erin to know I’m in charge—that this isn’t a dual Clear Security and McPhee and Associates operation.”

  Bash sits back in his seat. “What’s going on, Fi?”

  “I don’t want my clients to think I can’t handle their business myself. Otherwise, they’ll go directly to you, and I have six people depending on me and our clients to pay the bills.”

  He nods. “Don’t worry. You can take the lead. This is your clie
nt. I’ll let you explain why I’m here—you can even tell her you want to play in one of the spanking rooms.”

  He smiles, and eventually I join him. “No way. If anyone’s going to get spanked, it’s you.” We laugh, and he gets out of the car and comes around to open my door. “Thank you.”

  He nods.

  When we walk into The Dungeon, Erin is there to greet us. She’s wearing skinny jeans, a vintage Billy Joel concert T-shirt, and a pair of Chuckies. Her hair is back in a ponytail, and she’s not wearing any makeup. She’s completely unrecognizable. She looks like a typical San Francisco urbanite, not the mistress and owner of The Dungeon.

  “Bash? You’re Fiona’s escort?” Erin turns to me. “You said it wasn’t anything big. Having Bash with you says otherwise.”

  “Really, it’s not a big deal, but in the last week we’ve had the FBI and SFPD search my office, so Jim and Bash are making sure I’m safe.”

  “Come on in.” She ushers us inside and locks the door behind us. “You must have the most interesting clients.”

  “You’re my favorite, though.” I smile. Like a mother, I would never pick a real favorite, but I tell whoever is in front of me they’re the one.

  The Dungeon is usually dark and mysterious, but today all the curtains are open, and a large cleaning crew is taking things apart. I also see a few people working on more holiday decorations.

  “This looks very different on a Monday,” Bash marvels.

  Erin grins. “Yes, this is what it looks like with the sun streaming in and no one getting spanked. Not quite as mysterious and sexy.”

  We walk back to her office. “Would you like something to drink? I have sodas, juices, water, or whatever is behind the bar.”

  Bash shakes his head.

  “I’m good.”

  We sit down, and Erin points to her desk. “I’m just like any other small business with employee schedules, bills, and books to keep balanced.”