“Why don’t you go talk to her brother? Maybe he can help you,” Sabrina said evenly.
Both men studied her, but it was Agent Crow who spoke. “This thing has turned out to be bigger than we first thought, spanning five states and six countries. We’re going to bring Five by Five and everyone connected with them down hard.”
Five by Five was a drug cartel, and she had no ties to them. So he could take his threats and shove ’em up his ass.
“Good day, Ms. Cain,” Agent Jansen said and tipped his head to her. “We’ll be in touch.”
“I’m sure,” she muttered. Didn’t matter how many times they contacted her, she didn’t know anything and never would.
The phone on her desk buzzed, and she answered it. “Yes, Miss Lacey?”
“Your appointment from Perfect Charm is here,” she said. “Shall I show her in?”
“Please do,” she said watching the agents exit.
One of the agents held the door open for the ad executive. She’d agreed to meet with from the rep from Perfect Charm. They wanted to put an ad in the magazine and Sabrina saw no reason not to agree.
The woman appeared in a red dress paired with a smart jacket and gold necklace. Her blue stare collided with Sabrina’s brown and eyes flared wide before filling with ice.
Damn if this wasn’t the last thing she needed.
Chapter Six
Sabrina stood as Veda closed the door and her stomach did a funny flip-flop thing despite the hurt that flashed quickly in Veda’s lovely pale blue eyes.
“Good morning, Sabrina,” Veda said coolly. “I was under the impression I’d be meeting with someone from your advertising department.”
Her voice was crisp and cool enough to freeze her nipples. Sabrina lifted her brows at the frosty tone. It was like Veda hadn’t screamed for her last night, but she had every reason to be pissed after the way she’d walked out and left her there.
The woman scared the hell out of her. She was soft curviness and heat that made her wet. She could easily get lost in the sweetness of Veda, but that was risky.
Lust was heat, but passion was pure fire and it could burn her to her soul, leave a nasty scar.
“Excuse me a minute,” Sabrina said quietly on her way to the door. She brushed against Veda purposely, wanting to feel her.
Veda was so damned hot in that dress with her bare legs—waxed she guessed. The necklace was a compliment to her golden caramel skin and her perfume was soft and flirty.
“Can I get you anything?”
“No.”
Sabrina stuck her head out the door. “Miss Lacey, hold all my calls until the meeting is over.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Sabrina closed the door and faced Veda whose back was to her. She was sitting in one of the guest chairs, back ramrod straight. Her fine hair was in a bun with cute little glittering pins holding it in place.
She wanted to kiss her neck, nibble her way to her ear as she stroked her until she saw the same fire in her eyes that had glowed bright and hot there last night.
Instead, Sabrina moved to sit on the edge of her desk facing Veda. She loosened the scarf she was using as a tie today as their eyes met. She needed it off, but she didn’t want Veda to see how affected she really was.
“Celeste is out sick, but she would have had to get my okay for any ad.”
“My company, Perfect Charm is starting a new advertising campaign, and I wanted to place an ad in your magazine,” Veda said.
“Were you wearing some of your company’s handiwork last night?”
Veda’s brows furrowed, but heat started in her eyes. “Yes,” she said tartly and Sabrina’s lips twitched in amusement.
“You looked so hot I couldn’t stop thinking about you all night” she murmured.
“Stop it,” Veda snapped and shot to her feet. “You were so disgusted by me you couldn’t get out of that room fast enough.” She was toe-to-toe with Sabrina glaring up at her. “So drop the bullshit.”
“You’re a gorgeous woman, Veda,” Sabrina told her. And she did find her extremely attractive.
“If fat was gorgeous,” she muttered and averted her gaze but not before Sabrina saw the pain in her eyes.
She hadn’t thought beyond her own fears last night when she’d bolted. All she could think was that Veda was something different, and the way Veda responded to her was like magic. She could easily fall into lust with her and that could lead to trouble.
Sabrina got to her feet, hands clenched as she moved around to the other side of her desk. The scent of Veda and the warm sweetness of her was a lure that she wouldn’t be able to resist too long if she stayed so close to her.
She didn’t do commitment—normally, and Veda struck her as the kind of woman in search of something more. Her expression was so open and artless, innocent. Veda had never known the kind of soul-deep pain Sabrina had lived through as a child, but that meant she had so much less baggage.
Sabrina was willing to bet when Veda loved it was with her whole soul and it was a love worth having.
“How big of an ad were you thinking? We have four sizes.”
“Full page,” she replied. “I’d like the numbers on your readers, including age and target audience demographics.”
“I don’t have them on me, but I can send you a packet including ad sizes and price once I’ve accessed the information.”
“Okay. I’ll give you my company email address,” she said and came to stand in front of the desk. “Do you have a pen and paper?”
Sabrina opened a drawer, pulling out a pad and pen. She pushed them across her desk. Veda wrote down the information and looked at her.
The need in her eyes was raw and gnawed at Sabrina’s heart, made her chest tight. She wanted to see Veda again and it had nothing to do with business, but her life seemed like it was about to get a little complicated.
She was used to playing the kind of games she might need to play with the feds, even with Charlie, but Veda could get caught in the cross-fire. But if Veda pushed this, she would be powerless to fight it.
“We could always just meet over drinks and dinner,” Veda said.
Sabrina studied her, wondering what was under that dress. Something nearly as sexy as last night’s lingerie?
“You want to see me again,” Sabrina murmured. She liked the idea more than she wanted to.
“I didn’t say that,” Veda said quickly. “And I wouldn’t after last night.”
Sabrina pushed her hands into her pants pockets to keep from touching the beauty across from her. “Sure. Where would you like to do it?”
“I—umm—”
The café-au-lait color of Veda’s skin betrayed her with the faint blush that colored her cheeks as hunger filled her eyes.
“Why don’t we meet at the country club?” Sabrina suggested.
“We should meet over breakfast tomorrow morning that way I’ll have the evening to go over things.”
“If you like,” Sabrina agreed congenially. “Say nine?”
“Yes.” Veda nodded slowly as their gazes held.
“It would be so easy to get addicted to you, Veda,” Sabrina whispered, unable to believe she’d said the words out loud. “So easy to crave your sweet kiss, and the feel of your hands on me, but I’m not good for you, baby girl. I’m one of the girls your mamma warned you about.”
“Actually, it was my father,” she murmured with a little smile.
“You should listen to him, Veda, for both our sakes.”
Veda rubbed her bare arms and Sabrina wished it was her hands caressing the silky skin.
“What if I don’t care?”
“You better start because if you let me in, I won’t give a damn. I’ll take everything good you have to give and walk away when I’m done.”
Veda started to speak and her office door burst open. “Sabrina, you bitch,” Pamela growled. “You promised me you’d come by this morning, but I guess you were too busy with that slut.” Pam stalked towa
rd Veda and shoved her so hard she slammed into the desk.
“Pamela, are you out of your mind?” Sabrina snarled as she rushed to Veda. The wince of pain that crossed Veda’s face enraged her, and Sabrina wanted to throttle Pamela for daring to put a finger on her. “Veda, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Veda said pushing Sabrina’s hand away. The rebuttal should have restored her to reason, but it was acidic rejection. “I need to go.”
“Yes, you do,” Pam snapped.
Sabrina back-handed her sister across the face and fisted a hand in her blonde hair as she stumbled back. “Don’t ever pull anything like that again, or I’ll beat you to death.”
“I really have to go,” Veda said and hurried from the office.
Sabrina closed her fingers around Pam’s throat and squeezed. She shouldn’t be this angry, but the irrational part of her that was already craving Veda, was like a feral beast.
“I told you I’d bring the money by later. That’s what I meant, Pamela. Don’t ever come to my work with this shit again or I will kill you.”
“Charlie is an FBI agent. He’ll hunt you down,” she snarled.
“I’ll gut him and mail him to his partner,” she murmured coldly. “In the meantime, I suggest you go get him to bail your ass out because the FBI is investigating you and your dealer boyfriend for trafficking and murdering one of their own.”
“What?” she asked, her face draining of color.
“Yeah. Whatever you’re into is catching up to you.” She released Pam in distaste. The look on her face was a confirmation of truth. “Give me the tape, and I’ll give you enough money to leave the country.”
“I’m not leaving him,” she snapped. “Charlie will fix this. You get me the money by this evening—all of five thousand or you’re the one who’s going to jail.”
Chapter Seven
Pamela was still shaking when she made it out to her car. She fished her cell phone from her purse and quickly stabbed in Westmore’s number. Black Jack had told them everything would be taken care of, but she and Westmore were going to be left holding the bag on that agent’s death.
“Hello?”
“Honey, it’s me,” she said. “The FBI is snooping around.”
“I know. They don’t have anything, so don’t worry about it,” he said soothingly.
“They have something,” she retorted, shaking. She didn’t want to go to jail, and he’d promised her no one would ever find out. “They talked to my sister. I don’t know what she told them.”
“What could she know?” he demanded. “You didn’t say anything did you?”
“No!”
“Just go home. I’ll be there later,” he said. “I’m going to settle things with him. Go by the bank first and get the tapes.”
“Okay,” she said.
“Don’t get high, Pam,” he said. “I mean it.”
He had to be crazy. She needed a line or two to take the edge off. “Okay.”
“You’ve got to get clean before you become a liability to us,” he said. “It’s rehab for you and while you’re in, I’ll have time to square things with The Hatter.”
“Fine, whatever,” she retorted. Maybe she did need to get clean. She thought more clearly when she wasn’t high, and she’d need her wits with the fucking FBI snooping around.
“I’ll see you later, baby.”
“Later.” She ended the call and leaned back against the seat. She had to call her brother. He’d make sure she was taken care of no matter what.”
****
After her meeting with her designer, Veda decided to call it an evening. Her father and Anne- Marie were expecting her for dinner, but she wasn’t in the mood. What she needed was a drink and a woman to make her body melt.
She blew out a sharp breath and gripped her rosary’s medallion.
There was a brief knock on her door but before she could answer it was opening to admit Claude. He gave her a smile.
“Hi, Dad,” she said. “I’m just getting ready to go meet a possible vendor. It’ll be drinks and dinner, so I won’t be able to make it tonight.”
He frowned. “Veda,” he sighed her name. “I made you an appointment with a new doctor.” He held up a card. “He has experience in treating women with eating disorders.”
She took the card and dropped it on her desk. “I’ll put it on my calendar. Have you thought about the perfume?”
“I’m not changing my mind until you’ve been working with this doctor for six weeks,” he replied. “And as part of that stipulation, you need to start dating.”
“Dad, I’m never going to be straight,” she told him coolly. “So we’re going to have to renegotiate, but not tonight. I’m going to be late. I want to go home and change.”
His gaze swept over her. “Why?”
She smiled. She wasn’t picking up anyone tonight, but she was going to have a good time and dance Sabrina off her mind. “I might go out after.”
“With a woman,” he said gravely. “You need a man.”
“I’d have to get plastered first,” she said coldly. “I don’t do men because I don’t get off when I’m with them. I have to fake it. Now, a strong woman wearing a strap-on, that gets me off.” She grabbed her purse to the sound of her father making what sounded like a choking sound. She glanced at him to find an uncomfortable look on his face.
“I didn’t need to hear that part.”
“I think you did,” she said calmly. “And furthermore, I think you need to hear this part too. I like dominant women, who enjoy S&M.”
“Enough,” he said, his face contorted into a grimace.
“Once you get it through your head who I am, you’ll stop trying to shove men off on me. I’ll let you know how I like your shrink tomorrow. After I tell him all about my big gay lifestyle, you might need to find someone else because that part of me can’t be fixed.” She breezed out of the office angrily.
Veda expected her father to follow in protest, but he didn’t. She was glad he was taking the time to take that in. The man loved her and had always acknowledged her as his child even when her mother was alive.
Anne- Marie had been unable to have children and was frigid on top of that. She’d come out of it but was starting to regress again. Veda thought it was because the woman was a lesbian and trying to force herself to live a life she wasn’t meant to live, but who was she to judge?
The elevator dinged and the doors opened revealing the woman of her thoughts. Anne- Marie gave her a smile as she stepped out.
“Good evening, Veda,” she said congenially. “You’re looking fitter these days. I guess that personal trainer is working out.”
“He’s doing his job,” she said with a shrug. Anne- Marie had introduced them.
“Yes, you’ve lost some belly fat. It looks good on you,” she said reaching out to pat Veda’s stomach. “I’m glad you’ve finally started realizing that what you think about yourself is more important than what anyone else can ever say.”
“I’m getting there,” she said.
“I’ve tried to convince your dad to stop with the check-ups.” Anne-Marie gave her a sympathetic smile. “How are the new designs coming?”
“Fine. Madelyn and I did some work on them today. The fabrics we chose are divine. I’m crunching the numbers after my meeting tonight to see if we can afford them. I’d hate to give up some of those really girly fabrics. The look won’t be right without them.”
“Your father won’t mind if you go a little over budget.” She shrugged. “He’s always been permissive when it comes to you.”
“Not always,” Veda answered softly. “I’m going to be late for my dinner meeting.”
“You need other interests. You work too much,” Anne-Marie said and frowned. “You need a lover or some girls’ nights out.” She smiled. “You and Lyssi and Cinnamon should hang out more.”
She smiled. Cinnamon was her cousin on her mother’s side and had become a familiar face with Anne-Marie’s family wh
en Veda was in junior high. “Good evening, Anne-Marie,” she decided to take the stairs down. Waiting for the elevator would only keep Anne-Marie talking. She didn’t dislike the other woman. She just wasn’t up for another lecture on her life.
****
Sabrina left work earlier than she planned with so much paperwork still to be finished, but she needed to talk to Pamela one more time. She parked in an empty spot in the apartment complex where Pam lived and cut the engine of her Mustang.
She had her own key in case Pamela was passed out or dying. Tonight she wouldn’t give a damn. The girl had burned her last bridge with her last night. The attack on Veda had been unacceptable and assured that Sabrina wouldn’t give her a dime.
She let herself in and almost tripped over Pamela’s shoes. “Damn, Pamela,” she muttered. The apartment was quiet and smelled of day old trash and vomit. The flat screen TV mounted on the wall was on and a video was playing in the DVD player. She headed for the stairs that led to the first floor where the bedrooms were located.
“Pamela?”
She didn’t get so much as a groan in response.
“I’m here with the check.” Still no response. She must be passed out.
Sabrina checked Pamela’s bedroom and found her sprawled over the bed in her bra and panties. She rolled her eyes and headed for the spare bedroom where the computer was. The bed was neatly made and the desk was in perfect order.
She crossed the room to it hoping finding the video footage would be as easy as that. She was surprised to find a small stack of tapes lying on the desk along with SD cards. She picked up the cases and found two labeled Daddy and Sabrina. The other two were porn flicks that she left put.
The phone rang and rang and rang and rang before she finally heard the groggy voice say, “Hello?”
She looked at the SD cards next to the cassettes wondering if the boyfriend had had the videos copied onto them. She looked at them and found them labeled.
“I’m not high,” Pam muttered. “I was feeling sick so I lay down for a bit… I left them out for you. I think I’m going to give my brother the copies we made in case something happens. Did you take care of things with Trigger? …A thousand? My sister’s supposed to be bringing me a couple of thousand… I’ll be waiting for you. Yeah. Love you too.”
Burning for an Assassin Page 4
