by Tara Oakes
The two of them look through the list of expense charges, but there voices fade.
Tourville, Texas?
Something clicks, almost immediately as I trace the stops of my few days with Chris, all the places we’ve stopped along the hunt for the blackmailer.
“Hey AnnMarie?” I ask out, interrupting their impromptu business meeting. “How about you just email the list to Cooper and he can go through them later. He’s got an appearance to prep for, and I don’t need him getting distracted.”
She eyes me as if I’ve just pissed on her Gucci’s.
“Thanks,” I dismiss her.
“You’re a lifesaver,” Cooper is grateful for my intervention.
I straighten his tie. “Don’t mention it. What else are girlfriends for, hmm? Now you get going and put together your key points for tonight. I’m going to go home and get changed. I’ll meet you at the event.”
He nods, looking relieved. “You’re the best.”
I turn him around and give a gentle push out the door. “You have no idea how right you are.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHRIS
“Looks like his story pans out, Gibson,” Frank hands me the papers as he enters my office. “His credentials are legit and his editor even backed him up, said he personally approved the assignment over a month ago.”
I had a feeling it would come to this, that I’d have nothing to hold that asshole on.
“Where’s legal at, on the possible blackmail charge?” I abandon my paperwork and lean back, clasping my fingers behind my head, praying for some good news while chewing on the end of a pen.
The rookie agent shakes his head. “Nothing yet. Technically the photos and the money were mentioned separately so it might be hard to tie them together, but they’re trying. They’re searching the databases for a case with precident to use.”
“Fuck,” I rip the pen from between my teeth and hurl it across the room where it bounces on impact with the wall. “I really, really, really, don’t want to have to march in there and tell that cocky son-of-a-bitch that he’s free to go, you get me?”
The young kid, fresh out of the academy shrugs his shoulders. “Sorry, Gibson.”
I wave him away, giving him permission to get the fuck out of my sight.
My phone rings and I get a surge of optimism. It must be Beau, having finally gotten the transcripts from the reporter’s phone call to the throwaway line last night.
One look at the screen of my cell tells me I’m wrong.
I take a deep breath. “Jess?”
“I know who his source is, who was feeding him the information,” she blurts out, sounding breathless as if she’s running.
I shoot up. “Whoa! Calm down. What are you talking about?”
“I know who told the reporter about the pictures. He wasn’t working alone. This whole thing is so much bigger than an article, Chris. I need help, please. I need you.”
Three well-placed words and it’s as if the last twenty-four hours never happened. That’s all I need to hear from her, no matter the context.
She. Needs. Me.
~*~
I can’t believe I’m wearing this.
I look like a fucking monkey.
Whatever. I ring the doorbell and stand back, waiting. The double oak doors open with a very tired-looking Senator as my greeter.
“Agent Gibson,” he steps aside. “Please, come in.”
I’m sure he feels as awkward in this situation as I do right now. “Senator.”
He corrects me. “Just Mr. Leary, now.”
I’d heard about the press conference in the news this afternoon. Very few things manage to shock me in this world anymore, after all the things I’ve seen, but he managed to do it today.
“Then I’m just Chris today.” I hold out my hand.
We’ve had our differences, had our opinions about each other, but I know how much he means to Jess, and the things he said in his speech today must have meant the world to her.
We stand in silence for a brief second before he takes my hand and we shake, firmly, honestly.
“Oh, good! You’re here!” Jess hurriedly makes her way down the grand staircase, her cheeks flushed from the quick pace.
My breath catches. “Wow. You look…”
“Beautiful,” her dad finishes my sentence.
She looks back and forth between the two of us. “Aw. Look at you two. It’s like a budding bromance right before my eyes.”
I clear my throat awkwardly, just as Mr. Leary straightens his shoulders. “Well, you two have a good night. Call me if you’re staying out so I can set the alarm.”
Jess reaches up and kisses her dad on the cheek. “Night, daddy.”
She grabs my hand and practically pulls me out the door to where my car is waiting. I see her dad standing and admiring the black beauty parked in his driveway as he waves goodbye to us before closing the door.
“Hey Princess, relax! You’re gonna tear my arm off,” I intentionally slow my pace before reaching to open the passenger door for her.
“We’re taking the Charger?” She seems surprised.
The hinges creak slightly as the heavy door moves. “Yup. I thought we’d make an entrance.”
She looks smugly at the fully-original 1967 classic muscle car. “This is definitely going to make an entrance.”
I close the door when she’s in. Once inside, I brace for the bone-thrilling roar of the engine as I bring my baby to life.
She laughs. “I think I just came, a little.”
I smirk at her as I put the car into gear and we tear out of the drive. “Wouldn’t be the first time you came in that seat.”
She blushes.
“I’m serious, though, Princess. You look beautiful. Really.” I’m 100% sincere, all tracing of joking aside.
Jess smiles at the compliment. She knows she’s fucking hot, and she knew damn well what that dress was going to do to me before she even put it on.
“So, since you won’t give me all the details, what’s the plan?” I’m hoping she’ll give me enough information so I’m not walking into this thing blind.
She purses her lips tight as if she’s holding a whopper of a secret. “Everything’s already in motion. We’re just gonna show up for the fireworks.”
~*~
JESS
I check my phone once more. It’s almost time.
“Ready?” I ask Cooper as he’s set to take the stage.
He looks nervous. It’s a packed house and there are some very influential and wealthy people waiting to hear him speak. I don’t blame him for getting a case of cold feet.
He nods. “Ready as I’ll ever be. Wish me luck.”
I smile smugly. “You don’t need luck, Coop. You’re gonna get everything you deserve tonight and more.”
“Thanks again, babe,” he kisses me on the cheek before stepping on stage, plastering the perfect political smile on his lying face.
“Break a leg!” I call to him. Once he’s out of earshot, I finish my thought. “Or an arm, your neck, hell, fall and break a tooth for all I care.”
I quickly exit the stage area and make my way down to the ground floor where dozens of fully-dressed tables are set up, packed with potential donors eating their very overpriced meals and waiting to hear the next Senate hopeful make his speech.
I pass the electronic booth, where the sound engineers are turning knobs and sliding dials to get the perfect acoustics. Ed, one of the AV techs who routinely works these events nods to me as I approach.
“Everything set, Ed?” I ask.
He nods, pointing to the stage where a large projection screen hangs behind Cooper, playing an introduction slideshow medley of perfectly-staged pictures of Cooper holding babies, looking serious while talking to voters, waving a flag, all the normal bullshit.
“Yup. At exactly 8 o’clock, I’ll tap into a live feed and play it on the monitor.” He’s memorized the instructions I’ve given him.
; Patting him on the arm, I move along, eager to get a good seat. “Thanks again, Ed.”
The music wanes down and Cooper begins his speech.
“Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen,” I roll my eyes at his voice echoing through the room.
I spot Chris, leaning against the bar, pulling an olive off his martini toothpick with his teeth.
“Don’t get drunk,” I warn him as I steal a sip from his glass. “You’ll be working in a little while.”
“You gonna tell me what’s going on now, or what Jess?” He’s getting impatient.
I shake my head. “Remember that time I went undercover as a stripper and pretty much solved your case for you?”
He can tell I’m setting him up. “That’s not exactly how it happened.”
I laugh. “Well, now that my dad’s retired from politics, I see no reason to stay in it. I’ll need a new career, you know.”
His eyes widen. “Are you telling me you want to be a stripper?”
I hit him playfully in the chest before turning around to lean my back up against him. I carefully pick up one arm and then his other, wrapping them around me.
“I’m just thinking that since it comes so easily to me to solve such high profile cases, that maybe I have a knack for this. Maybe I should join the Bureau?”
His breath tickles against my ear as he speaks. “You want to join the Bureau?”
I nod. “Yup. I figure, at the rate I’m going I can move up pretty quickly.”
He has no idea how serious I am. I know it sounds ridiculous. His grip tightens around me and I feel his warm, wet tongue play with the top of my earlobe. “We can always play good cop/bad cop tonight. Or, maybe I can teach you some interrogation skills.”
My eyes flutter just thinking about the naughty game we used to play, with him thinking of all kinds of delicious ways to extract information from me.
Cooper finally sees us from his place on the stage, Chris practically molesting me as I arch my neck to give him better access. Coop stutters on his words, awkwardly pausing his speech while he takes the sight of us in.
I smile, and wave my fingers to him, confusing the shit out of him. He rebounds quickly enough and continues on with his performance.
“You’re so evil,” Chris admires my handiwork as I officially let Cooper know we’re no longer a couple.
“Shh!” I tell him. “You’re gonna miss it.”
On cue, the screen behind Cooper lights up, with a live broadcast of a special report that’s interrupted all regular programming. At first, Cooper moves along, thinking the distraction is a glitch of some sort.
It doesn’t take him long to ascertain that the feed playing behind him is something else entirely. I’m practically bursting at the seams with excitement as I watch my plan unfold.
“This is Barbara Summers reporting for WKTV, in Charleston. We bring you a special report, breaking news with a political bombshell.” The veteran TV anchor begins to captivate the audience.
Murmurs and low chatter spread from table to table as no one knows what to make of this. Even Cooper steps back to watch.
“I have with me an associate of Senate hopeful Donaldson’s campaign, a Miss Natasha Banks.” Barbara introduces her special guest.
I angle my chin back to whisper. “I think Tasha looks pretty good, hm? She looks natural in front of a camera.”
Chris stops breathing. “Oh my God. What did you do?”
“Miss Banks, why don’t you tell the viewers what you’ve told me?” Barbara is getting to the meat of the story.
Tasha nods, thanking her host for the opportunity. “Thank you Barbara. We here at the Donaldson campaign were saddened today at the untimely resignation of Senator Leary, a worthy political opponent, and dear friend of Mr. Donaldson’s even though they may share different political views.”
“That was a nice touch, don’t you think?” I ask Chris.
“Shhh!” It’s as if he’s watching the Sunday game and I’ve interrupted him.
“We, as the rest of you, were very curious to find out who would be taking his place in the election, and only hoped that it would be someone as worthy as his predecessor, someone worthy of the office of which he could be elected into. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
The talking in the audience takes on a new energy, prompting Cooper to look around nervously, loosening his tie. The spotlight shining on him only serves to show the beading sweat on his face all the more better.
“We have knowledge of certain illegal practices of Mr. Braun’s that cannot be ignored. We would be doing the great people of South Carolina an injustice if we did not divulge the information we have, Barbara.” Tasha is masterfully working the story.
“Please, Miss Banks. By all means, tell the viewers at home what this information could be,” Oh, Barbara Summers is practically foaming at the mouth, knowing her ratings are soaring through the roof right now.
Tasha takes a deep breath, knowing this is her moment. “Cooper Braun has been soliciting prostitutes and has been illegally funneling campaign funds to pay for his activities, unbeknownst to the Leary campaign.”
A collective gasp overcomes the audience. Cooper turns and waves his arms. “Shut it down! Turn off the feed!”
“That’s quite an accusation, Miss Banks. One I hope you don’t make lightly.” Barbara is playing devil’s advocate.
The camera zooms out, showing Tasha sitting next to another lady, a blonde woman wearing a boxing robe. “I’d like to introduce Missy, an exotic dancer at a Gentleman’s Club in Tourville, Texas. She would like to add to the conversation.”
Missy, fully decked-out in the television appropriate part of her stripper costume begins to speak. “Hello, Miss Summers, Can I just say, I’m such a fan! I watch you every night, and I myself would love to be a newslady one day. People say I have the smile for it.”
Barbara nearly chokes. “Well thank you, Missy. Yes, you certainly have a big—smile,”
The audience laughs as Barbara’s very subtle joke.
“Well, like I was telling Tasha, Cooper Braun paid me five hundred dollars for sex.”
“No! It’s not true!” Cooper shouts into the microphone that is still on, causing everyone to cover their ears as they get up and leave, afraid of the political fallout for being associated with someone like him.
“We have the proof, Barbara. We have the credit card receipts as well as a cell phone picture that Missy took as a souveneir for Mr. Braun. We also have surveillance camera footage of the two of them entering and exiting the private room he secured for their encounter as well as him tucking in his shirt and buttoning his fly on the way out.”
The room turns chaotic with chairs being pushed aside and people scrambling for the exits, abandoning the one-time campaign.
“I think this is your cue,” I step out of Chris’s arms. “I believe you have enough on him for soliciting prostitution, conspiracy- since he was the one who told the reporter about the pictures and went across state lines to retrieve them, misuse of funds, and whatever else you can think of.”
Chris stands back, astonished. “How the hell did you put all that together?”
I reach to take another sip of his martini. “Simple. Not that many people knew about me stripping that night. Cooper did, though, as I was an idiot and told him while we were dating. Then, this afternoon I overheard someone from accounting going over some suspicious charges, because they were getting his statements ready to be officially vetted to run in the campaign. I overheard two charges from Tourville, Texas.”
He still doesn’t put it all together.
“Do you remember when the bartender told us how expensive the private room was? We both almost had a heart attack. Very few people carry that amount of extra cash on hand, especially cheap asses like Cooper who charge their dog grooming bill to his expense account. So, I had a hunch and did a little digging. I called up Tasha and she flew down to Benny’s club and found out which girls were workin
g that night. She offered Missy the opportunity to tell her story, get some fame out of it, and hopefully immunity for testifying against Benny and the club once she turns states evidence against all their illegal prostitution, drugs and gambling. She’ll get her fifteen minutes of fame, Tasha gets the opportunity to actually feel like she’s made a difference in the election, and you get another promotion as you get credited for making the case. Oh, and I get payback on Cooper for fucking my dad over, cheating on me with a hooker even though we technically were not in a sexual relationship, and trying to ruin my reputation with those pictures.”
Chris is speechless. “You scare me sometimes.”
I reach up, put my arms around his neck, and skim my lips over his. “Don’t hate the player baby. Hate the game.”
“I’m so fucking hard right now, you have no idea. Seeing you like this turns me on like crazy, Princess.” He’s breathless.
I close in on him, molding my mouth to his and using my tongue to seductively part his lips. “Imagine how bad-ass I’m gonna be when I actually graduate the academy.”
He groans. “You’re serious about that? But you hate how much my job takes me away.”
I shrug my shoulders. “I figure, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. You can’t choose between me and your job, Chris. I know that would never work.”
He holds my head in his hands and stares into my eyes. “You’re right. I can’t. I love them both.”
THE END
(for now)
Stay tuned for Beau and Raven’s story in the
Second book of the
BADGE BOYS
Series
February 2015
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