Who the hell was Darcy Lummox? And where was she now?
* * *
Shaine walked over to Angelo behind the bar. It was business as usual and Shaine took the opportunity to bring up Carly.
“Hey, the night of the party one of Capri’s hot friends invited me but I never got a chance to hook up with her. Do you by any chance know who she is? Her name was Carly.”
Angelo grinned. “Carly, that seems to ring a bell. Look at you, you dog. Nothing slows you down, does it?”
“Well, you know the saying, young, dumb and full of fill in the blank.”
Angelo appreciated the sentiment with a healthy guffaw. “Yeah, yeah, I think I have her number. Let me see if I can hook you up.”
Shaine clapped Angelo on the shoulder in a show of camaraderie. “I knew I could count on you. So, not to be insensitive or anything but when’s the next party?”
Angelo made a “slow down” motion even as he grinned. “Soon, soon. These things take coordination. I’ll let you know as soon as we have a date. Hey, anything happening between you and Laci?”
“She’s hot,” Shaine admitted, leaning against the bar. “I wouldn’t mind wasting some quality time with her again.”
“Don’t blame you there. Don’t tell Brandi but...she’s probably the hottest new dancer we’ve had in a while.”
“She’s pretty limber,” Shaine said with a sly smile that Angelo appreciated.
Angelo cracked a smile and high-fived Shaine. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
Shaine figured now was a good time to broach a different subject.
“Hey, man, I gotta admit, I’m a little freaked out about the situation with Capri. Word on the street is that Bliss killed her. What do you think about that?”
Angelo lost his smile and cast a speculative look toward Shaine. “Who is saying that?”
Shaine shrugged, treading cautiously. “You know how people talk. It’s just a rumor. But seeing as that rumor could have a basis in reality, it freaked me out. I got plans, man. I don’t need to die because I’m messing around with some new drug.”
“Calm down, don’t freak out. Rumors fly, doesn’t mean they mean anything. Bliss is 100 percent safe. It’s as safe as smoking a little pot to relax. Except the high is better, stronger and it isn’t going to give you the munchies.”
“No need to sell me on it, buddy. It was the best high I’d ever had. I just don’t want to die if I take it again.”
Angelo laughed. “Stop being a pussy. You’re fine. Nothing’s going to happen to you. Now get back to work. That redhead over there has been giving you ‘screw me’ eyes since the moment she walked in the building. If you don’t at least get her number, I will consider it an insult to my tutelage.”
Shaine mock-saluted Angelo and headed in the direction of the hot redhead, but he was just going through the motions. Before long, he’d sent the redhead packing, but not before giving it a good show in case Angelo was still watching.
He’d gotten nowhere on his lead with Carly. He wasn’t even sure what he was looking for. But he wanted to find someone who’d known Capri outside the club. Someone had to know what she’d been up to. Someone had to know if she’d been in danger, or scared, or putting herself in a bad spot.
The trick was to find that person before Capri’s death sent them running in the opposite direction.
On a break, he managed to sneak backstage and find Poppy before her set.
It was hard to concentrate when Poppy was all dusted up in glitter in a teeny, tiny, sparkling costume that was meant to fall off at the slightest tug.
He hated that she danced topless and men fell all over her, but it was the job and he had to let that go.
Shaine tried—unsuccessfully—to remind himself of that, but the possessive male inside him that had never truly gone dark was awake and growling.
“You got a minute?” he asked, and she pretended to smile and flirt for the sake of anyone watching.
“What did you have in mind?”
“Come with me and find out.”
Shaine grabbed her hand and led her into the small bathroom, closing the door behind them. To anyone else it looked like they were disappearing into the bathroom for a quickie. It played nicely into their cover story, seeing as they’d made a point to make sure Angelo had known that they’d left the party together.
The only problem was, they truly were locked in an enclosed space where there was hardly enough room to breathe, much less avoid the other person’s bubble.
“Okay you have me, now what? Is everything okay?” she asked.
“I got nowhere with the Carly lead. Angelo said he’d look into it but I don’t know that he will. Nor will he do it on our timeline. Did you have any luck with Big Jane?”
“Sort of. I have Marcus running down the lead. He’s looking up a woman named Darcy Lummox. Apparently she was a dancer before Capri, who only worked here for about a month and then she left. But it’s not clear whether she left or she just disappeared. My gut is telling me that she disappeared.”
“I still can’t quite fathom why someone would want to take out Capri. She seemed like a harmless kid.”
Poppy nodded, agreeing. “Maybe it’s shortsighted of me, but I really want justice for her. I don’t care if it’s unprofessional. I want whoever did this to go down. Even if it’s not connected to our target.”
Their shared belief in catching Capri’s killer bonded them for a second, prompting Shaine to say, “You’re doing a good job.”
“Thank you.”
They both knew that Shaine’s compliment was a big deal. But they both had enough sense not to belabor the point. Maybe neither was ready for what it could mean.
“See what you can find out from Raquel and Brandi but be careful. I don’t trust either of them.”
“Same goes for you about Angelo. When he smiles all I can think of is a snake. He’s the kind of person who would stab you right in the gut and smile while your blood drips down his hand.”
Shaine couldn’t agree more.
But just as Poppy put her hand on the doorknob to leave he stopped her. She looked at him quizzically. “What?”
“If we leave this bathroom without looking like we’ve at least messed around, suspicions are gonna fly.”
Poppy gave a firm nod of understanding. “It’s just for our cover story. Go ahead and do it.”
“Ready to fall on the sword?” he teased, and she graced him with a patronizing look that he immediately silenced with his kiss.
“Let’s make this look convincing,” Shaine murmured against her lips, threading his hands through her hair and pulling at the roots to expose the long column of her neck. He traveled down the soft skin, nipping and tasting, until he made his way back to her mouth.
Their tongues tangled and danced. Time stopped for a brief moment, and for a pleasurable blip, all that existed was Shaine and Poppy as they used to be.
No painful past.
No hidden agenda.
No undercover mission.
Just Poppy and Shaine, as his dreams liked to remind him.
He hardened instantly and he ground his length against her, popping a few sequins on her ridiculous costume in the process, but he didn’t care.
A loud knock on the door startled them both into awareness as Big Jane’s voice on the other side told them Poppy’s set was coming up.
“Saved by the bell,” he murmured, moving away to adjust the raging erection tenting his jeans. Shaine chuckled when there was no hiding what was happening. “Sorry. A little too convincing, I guess.”
But Poppy just gave him a small smile and a coy glance that set his blood on fire before letting herself out of the small bathroom.
Big Jane swatted at Poppy’s behind, tsking at the popped sequins, sending her to change quickly, before saying to Shaine, “If you weren’t Angelo’s new favorite, I’d have your ass kicked. No one comes backstage, not even the bartenders. You would do well to remember that, you
ng man, before you find yourself without your favorite part.”
“Duly noted,” Shaine said with a small shudder before getting out of there.
To Big Jane or anyone else, he was just a horny guy looking to get a little sugar, which could be forgiven.
If anyone suspected anything otherwise...they’d both likely be dead by morning.
CHAPTER 15
Marcus West stepped into Amerine Labs and went straight to the receptionist with a brief smile.
“DEA agent Marcus West to speak with Mateo Hernandez. I have an appointment.”
“Right away, Mr. West. He’ll see you in conference room A, straight down the hall and to the left.”
Marcus nodded his thanks and entered the conference room, where he found a sharp-looking, impeccably dressed man rising to greet him.
“Agent West, a pleasure, please sit. I must say I am a little intrigued by a visit from the Drug Enforcement Administration. We do our best to ensure all of our paperwork is filled out appropriately. What do I owe this visit? Should I have my lawyer present?” he teased with a wink.
Marcus smiled at the man’s charm. “Nothing so dire as that. I think we can accomplish what we need without lawyers. Assuming you have nothing to hide?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Excellent.”
Mateo leaned back in the leather chair and watched as Marcus pulled the customs report from his briefcase.
“Let’s get straight to the point. Your company was listed on the customs manifest for a chemical shipment.”
Mateo shrugged, puzzled. “We are a pharmaceutical company. I fail to see why that would be odd or cause for alarm.”
“Yes, under normal circumstances that would be true, but a funny thing happened with this particular shipment... The name associated with the pickup was a false identity and the phone number listed went nowhere. The only verifiable identity was that of your company. Do you recognize this name?”
Mateo perused the offered document and after a long moment shook his head but added, “Agent West, I run a multibillion-dollar company and I have hundreds of employees. Of course I don’t know each person by name. Perhaps I could run it by our HR department and see if the name pops up?”
“Would you mind? That would be very helpful.”
“Anything to be of service. But to be blunt, Agent West, we are a large company and we have enemies as most pharmaceuticals do. It’s not unfathomable that someone might’ve listed my company in an attempt to smear our name in the press.”
“Are you familiar with a new drug called Bliss, Mr. Hernandez?”
Mateo shifted in his chair, his disarming smile widening with incredulity. “I deal with legal drugs, Agent West. I profess I don’t know what the newest craze on the streets is, nor do I want to know.”
“That’s good to know. I’ll be equally blunt, Mr. Hernandez. Someone with significant capital is shipping chemical compounds to the States through a Chinese pipeline. The fact that this shipment originated from Shenzhen is a red flag.”
Mateo’s smile thinned. “Maybe I do need my lawyer, after all.”
Marcus returned the smile. “Only if you feel it necessary.”
“You play an interesting game, Agent West. If I’m reading you correctly, you think that my company is responsible for an illegal shipment of chemicals used to make this street drug, Bliss—is that what you called it? While I have no idea what it actually is, I’m being accused of it nonetheless. Is that about the right of it?”
Marcus chuckled with amusement at Mateo Hernandez’s upper-crust indignation. He’d done some checking before coming over. Mateo was a regular on the Miami social scene. He enjoyed fine wine, delicate cuisine and had fluid tastes when it came to his lovers.
On the surface it was difficult to imagine Mateo dirtying his fingers with illicit drug production.
However...with the right connections, a well-oiled production machine could produce a tidy, nontaxable profit, which was something he could see interesting Mateo very much.
“I’ve taken enough of your time,” Marcus said, rising. “Thank you for answering my questions. I’ll be in touch.”
Mateo rose as well, but he’d lost his pleasant, even flirtatious, smile. “Next time, it won’t be without my lawyer present.”
Marcus tipped an imaginary hat and let himself out.
Either he’d just rattled the right cage, or he’d just made a huge mistake that could cost him his job.
Go big or go home, West.
* * *
Rosa’s cell phone buzzed to life just as she was leaving the office. Pausing to answer, she was surprised by the identity of the caller.
“Director Ramirez, this is Mayor Bernardo Ferdinand. We have an issue.”
“Good evening, Mayor Ferdinand. What can I do to help you?”
“You can help by keeping your agents from spreading lies about one of our best citizens and the business that employs a large number of people from our community. It’s beyond ridiculous to think that Mateo Hernandez and Amerine Labs is guilty of anything. This drug shipment issue is nothing more than a malicious prank aimed at maligning their good character, and I won’t have it in my city.”
Rosa tried not to take offense, but being dressed down by an elected official with no jurisdiction over her office made her a bit cranky.
“Rest assured our agents are highly trained. If my agent was asking questions of Mr. Hernandez, it’s highly likely he had excellent cause.”
“Amerine Labs has been nothing but generous to this community and we are lucky to have them here in Miami when they could just as easily move to California with their business.”
“I can appreciate that, Mayor Ferdinand—”
“You are Miami born and bred, are you not?” the mayor cut in, overriding her next comment.
“Yes, of course, and very proud of my heritage,” Rosa answered.
“Then you should understand how hard Miami must work to retain good citizens determined to make our community family-friendly with enterprise, good jobs and opportunity. This is not the way to encourage businesses like Amerine Labs to stay and make Miami their home.”
“Mayor Ferdinand, I assure you, if Amerine Labs has nothing to hide, our business with them will be brief and they can continue operations as they always have. But we have to follow all leads, and this particular lead brought us to Amerine Labs,” she explained, wishing she knew more about the reasons her agent had approached a multibillion-dollar company without a warrant. But in the meantime, she would defend her agents against anyone coming at them. Privately, she would kick her agent’s ass if he was wrong. “Surely, you can understand how important it is to keep our community safe from the influx of dangerous drugs imported from other countries using Miami as a hub for their operations.”
“Of course,” huffed the mayor. “But it’s absurd to even think that Amerine Labs is anything but as solid as they come.”
“I’m sure that’s true, but we have to follow all leads, even if it means following them simply to mark them off.” She paused for a moment, then said, “Mayor, I am curious, though. How did you hear that a DEA agent was meeting with Amerine Labs?”
“That’s no secret and nothing I’m ashamed of admitting. I am good friends with the Hernandez family and I can vouch for them personally that they are above reproach. Good people, truly. Mateo came to me upset and, as his friend, I felt compelled to stand up for him.”
“Thank you for sharing your concerns. I will note your objections and, assuming Amerine Labs is cleared of any alleged wrongdoing, I will personally send a note thanking them for their cooperation.”
Mayor Ferdinand grumbled, “This is absolutely absurd. But when you discover you’re wrong, you’ll need to send more than a note to save face.”
“Thank you, Mayor Ferdinand,” Rosa said drily, and when he clicked off, she muttered under her breath, “Blowhard,” only too happy to be done with that call.
She immediately called Marcu
s West. Her call went to voice mail.
“Call me,” Rosa instructed in a terse tone, then hung up.
Rosa chewed her lip for a moment, digesting the call from the mayor. Either Mateo Hernandez was an entitled jerk and wanted a pound of flesh for his inconvenience, or he was really concerned that the DEA was on to something.
Part of her hoped he was just an entitled jerk because taking on Amerine Labs in court was going to be a real bitch.
They had resources up the wazoo and they kept the best lawyers on retainer.
If the DEA didn’t have every t crossed and every i dotted, the Amerine Labs team would chew up their discoveries like a T. rex running down sheep.
And that wouldn’t look good on her résumé at all.
CHAPTER 16
Ramirez called an emergency debriefing the following morning, and as everyone arrived, Poppy was the first to notice that Marcus wasn’t there, which was unlike him.
She swiveled around to check the doorway to see if he was running behind, but he wasn’t coming.
Ramirez noticed Marcus’s absence, too. “Call Agent West,” she told Poppy.
Poppy dialed Marcus’s cell. It went straight to voice mail. “Voice mail,” she responded with a frown. “He’s never late. Ever. Marcus is anal-retentive about punctuality. Something is wrong.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Ramirez warned, but there was something in her eyes that made Poppy worry more. “He might be in the shower or something.”
Poppy shook her head. “No. I’ve worked with Marcus for a year. He has intractable habits and punctuality is something he prides himself on. You need to send a car over to see if he’s okay.”
Ramirez nodded, punching in the number for their Miami PD contacts, requesting immediate assistance.
Dispatch sent the information and it took everything in Poppy to sit tight and wait for the police to radio back with information.
But it didn’t take long.
Ramirez’s cell rang and she answered it on the first ring. Her expression dimmed as she listened. “Thank you. I’ll be down in twenty minutes. Secure the scene, please.” She clicked off and met the apprehensive gaze of the group.
Deep Cover Page 12
