“I’m sorry, my mind was somewhere else.”
“No problem. I asked if you worked at City Hall as well?”
“No, I own a small real estate company. In fact, we handle a lot of deals for the city, which is why Greg asked me to come.”
“Yes, yes. I invited Trinity since Riley and I had business to discuss. I didn’t know that he was going to bring you, Adeline.”
“I’m sorry, I can call a taxi.” Adeline pushed her chair back, and Greg didn’t say a word.
“No, you’re not.” Riley placed a hand on hers.
“Maybe that would be best, Riley, so we can talk business,” Greg suggested.
“I invited Adeline because she knows all about my ideas for the project and actually has been helping me in my office in her free time. If you feel that it is best to discuss this another time, then she and I can go.” Riley started to stand.
“Oh no, I just had no clue that the two of you had become so close, or that she knew so much about your business.” Greg gave Trinity a look and then smiled. “Let’s order lunch and then we can talk business.”
“He isn’t happy that you’re there,” the voice said into Adeline’s ear. She fought to mask her smile. She liked knowing that her friends were there with her.
They ordered and Greg immediately set in on his spiel. “Trinity often acts as a liaison for us. Especially for things like this.”
“What do you mean?” Riley took a bite of his lunch and looked over at Trinity to see if she was following along or lost in space. She came across a tad ditzy.
“We’re family, and there is a reason people say not to mix business and family. Her company acts as a holding company, they buy the property from you at the agreed upon price and then sell it to the city, so we don’t have anyone claiming nepotism.”
“But I was selling it to the city for practically nothing.” Riley could smell a rat a mile away, and Greg was a rat, he was up to something. Probably the same thing he was up to with Loren’s property. He would sell it to the city for twenty times more.
“Honey,” Adeline said, “why don’t you just transfer it to me and I’ll sell it to the city? That way, we don’t have that nepotism connection at all.”
Greg looked sick to his stomach. “Well, that isn’t how things work. It isn’t that easy.”
Adeline tilted her head to listen and gave Greg her innocent smile as she batted her eyelashes and played poor, stupid, little female. “You and Riley are still a couple, people saw you together at the dinner. Plus, Trinity is a real estate business, it is a much more professional way to do things and it removes all of us.”
Adeline, refusing to be beaten, smiled widely at Greg and then reached under the table and slid her hand onto Riley’s leg. “Ri, didn’t you say that you were seriously considering just donating the property? Why not avoid all of the hassle and just do that? You’ll get the larger deduction on your taxes. I’m sure the city will gladly accept a donation of land, especially when it is slated for affordable housing. I can get a few of my friends who work for local news stations and the newspaper and have them run stories about the land donation and how it is going to be used.”
“What friends at local news stations and the newspaper?” the mystery voice said into Adeline’s ear.
“Addy, that’s a great idea.” Riley placed his hand on hers and held it firmly in place against his strong thigh.
“Let me see how that works,” Greg sputtered.
“It’s easy, I looked into it years ago when I wanted to start a women’s shelter.” Adeline dismissed Greg as though he knew very little about how things worked.
“But . . . but things work differently today.”
There was nothing that Adeline liked less than a weak man. Greg Delaney liked to pretend he was strong, but he was a weak-ass bitch.
“I think that Addy . . .” There it was again, that nickname, a name no one had called her since she was a kid, a name that only Sasha had called her. She had hated it since, but coming from Riley, it sounded endearing. Like he saw her differently than everyone else did. It was almost as if he didn’t see her tough-girl persona, instead he saw her as someone sweet, someone worth protecting, someone worth loving. “Had a great idea. Why don’t you look into a donation? I could really use the tax write-off. This way, we won’t have to go through all the legal red tape of transferring ownership from me to Trinity and then from Trinity to the city.”
“I will look into this, but I don’t think it is a smart idea. Loren told you to trust me, believe me, I understand how all of this works much better than your girlfriend does.”
Adeline jerked back, not because of Greg’s words, but because Riley tensed his hands and squeezed the ever-loving-shit out of Adeline’s fingers without knowing his own strength. “If you’ll excuse me for a second.” Adeline stood and went to the restroom.
“Sunday can you hear me?”
“Yes, what’s going on?”
“I’m going to take one of my earrings out and leave it on the table. Can one of you head over to Cooper’s Hawk and pick it up? As soon as you hear them leaving, call and tell them you left the earring so they can hold it at the front hostess stand. But I want Riley and I to follow them. Let me know what they say.”
“Will do.”
Adeline removed the earring without the mic and cupped it in her hand. Fluffing her hair, she brought the left side forward to hide the fact that she was missing an earring.
She took a seat, expecting to have to make some excuse, but Riley was ready to go. She took one last sip of her soda, wiped her mouth with her napkin, and set her earring and napkin on the table.
Riley walked out of the restaurant, his arm around Adeline a little tighter than when they walked in. Something about Greg’s dismissal of her made him protective, and something about the way he touched her had made her want more.
“They’re talking,” a voice said into Adeline’s ear.
“I left one of my earrings on the table. The girls are listening to what is being said. How much of a hurry are you in?”
“You are scary.”
Adeline grinned.
“Not in a hurry. I have the rest of the day.”
“Let’s see what they’re up to.” Adeline and Riley got into his truck and moved to the next parking lot, where they still had a clear view of the front doors of the restaurant.
“Holy shit, Adeline, you are missing it.”
“What? What am I missing Livi?”
“Greg is pissed that you were there, he hates you. He’s pissed that Heather, I guess that’s her real name, wasn’t more active in persuading Riley to use her realty service. But Heather is trying to explain that she doesn’t know anything about real estate in the first place. I guess Greg wanted her to convince him to just sell it for a minimal amount so he could deduct all the land value and Greg could sell it to the city and he and Heather have the profit.”
“Shit.” Melanie cut in. “I think the man is either pulling the wool over Hillary and Heather’s eyes or he’s trying to set up homes with each of them. Maybe he’s really a polygamist?”
“Well, that would fuel the rumor mill.” Olivia went back to recounting the events. “She sounds like she is about to throw some epic temper tantrum and Greg is trying to calm her down.”
Adeline quickly relayed what was going on to Riley.
“Oh, shit, they’re coming out. They are dropping the words fuck and cock a lot, so there is about to be some serious business going on.”
“There they are.” Riley pointed.
“Yep.” Adeline didn’t know how to tell him what the girls had just relayed.
“What’s wrong, Addy?”
She bit back a smile and whispered, “He and that woman are having an affair, and from their last bit of conversation, they are getting ready to continue their affair.”
“Motherfucker,” Riley seethed.
They watched as Heather walked out of the restaurant. She got into the backs
eat of a large car with extremely dark tinted windows. A few minutes later, Greg walked out and got into the same car’s backseat. Riley started his engine, ready to follow, but Adeline stopped him.
“Holy shit, are they going to make out in the parking lot? Go, Adeline, go up to the car and hold the necklace up to the window.” The voice was loud and clearly Sunday’s.
“But the windows are dark tinted. “You’ll still be able to see something, and then when they finally come out, we’ll be able to piece it all together.”
Adeline put her hand on the door, but Riley reached over to stop her. “Whoa, wait a minute, where do you think you’re going?”
“I want to know if we can see anything though the windows.” She reached up and removed her necklace.
“Not without me you aren’t.”
“Fine come with me.” Adeline pushed the door open, and Riley was right behind her, sliding across the seat and out onto her side. Holding the pendant, she walked toward the car and tried to move so that she was constantly looking away. She came from around the back and up to the side, crouched, and then pressed the pendant of the necklace against the glass.
“Holy shit, Adeline. Your mic is picking up everything. We’re recording. Don’t talk.” One of the girls whispered, so Adeline pressed her finger against her lips to signal to Riley to do the same. “Bingo, we got it. Oh yeah, you can see perfectly clearly that it is Mayor Delaney and that he is wearing a wedding band.” Adeline’s heart broke just a bit at those words. She wasn’t sure why, since she knew Greg was a pig, but she always held out hope.
With the affair clearly in the bag, Adeline decided that she might as well go pick up her earring. After waddling away from the car until both she and Riley were in the clear, she handed the necklace to him. “Here, you stay in front and hold this, maybe he’ll crawl out half-dressed. I’ll go in and pick up my earring.”
“Olivia is on her way,” Melanie chimed into her earpiece.
“Got it.”
She should have felt good about finding the evidence they needed, but really, it made her kind of sad. This just meant they were one step closer to the end of the case. Deep down, Adeline knew the real problem: once the case was over, Riley would be gone. There’d be no more need for him to call her or take her out, and she really enjoyed being with him, even though he’d only kissed her that one time.
She picked up her earring from the hostess and walked out just as Olivia pulled up into a parking spot. “Didn’t Melanie call you?”
“Shit, I was driving so I didn’t answer.”
“We were still here, so I told her to let you know that I’d grab it. But since you’re here, you might as well give me a ride back to the office and save Riley a trip.”
“I don’t mind.” Riley reached for Adeline, but she stepped toward Olivia’s car.
“Are you sure, Adeline? I’ve got a few errands to run.”
“I’m sure, it will save him the trip. We’ve inconvenienced him enough by having him help with the case.”
“I didn’t mind, really.” He placed a hand on the passenger door of Olivia’s car before Adeline could open it and cupped her face, pulling her toward him. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but if you’re trying to play hard to get, don’t worry, you’re worth playing for.” He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss at the edge of Adeline’s lips and then opened her car door.
Chapter Eighteen
Adeline
Adeline was throwing her hands up in the air shouting as she stood next to Sunday, “I don’t fucking care. You all saw the guy at lunch, well, at dinner it was him plus another goon. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Greg had sent his bodyguard off on some fool’s errand before he got into the car, then we would be busted, if not worse…in a gun fight. We need to fucking up our game.” Adeline took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure. After all, it wasn’t Sunday that she was mad at. “What did you find Sunday? Do all mayors have bodyguards?”
“I don’t know about all mayors, but Orlando’s never has, from what I can find.”
“See? We need to pay closer attention, move in pairs until this is over. I’m headed to Max’s, anyone want to go with me?”
The Maximum Guns and Ammunition shop had become a frequent hangout for the girls. As a retired deputy, Max, the owner, knew everyone, and he was someone the girls trusted. Not to mention one of the few people who knew the truth about their job.
Adeline counted her blessings often, and one of them was Max, the owner of the gun shop. He had been on shift the night Adeline had gotten pulled over for speeding. When she confessed to having a gun in the glove box, he was impressed. One, because she had it stored properly, and two, because she appeared confident and knowledgeable when she answered his questions about the gun. After that night, the girls all started going to Maximum Guns. He trained them in defensive tactics and grappling, and he also supplied them with the latest tools for their trade.
They had been newbies at the time, Melanie at least had some experience shooting. She had followed her father plenty of times to the shooting range when she was younger. But it was Olivia who shocked them all. She had mad skills, a natural sharpshooter. She never missed a target, even blindfolded. She just listened to the sounds. She’d fire once, and by the echo of the impact, she naturally knew how to adjust. It didn’t take long for Olivia to be teased as their go-to marksman . . . markswoman, if they ever needed a markswoman.
Adeline, who was the first to arrive, hightailed it from the car and headed toward the door with her duffle in hand, storming the gun shop through the bulletproof glass just as the others pulled into the parking lot.
“Hey, Max, how’s it hanging?”
“Good god, Adeline, that is crass.” He grinned. “I was wondering when I’d see you four.”
“Well, here we are,” Olivia said as she and the others strode through the door.
“What can I do for ya? Here for practice or something else?”
Adeline glanced over her shoulder to get a quick look at how many people were in the shooting area. Faint sounds of gunfire could be heard echoing from within the protective glass enclosure that was divided into eight sections.
“We’re here for practice.” Olivia slapped a wad of money onto the counter.
“Must have a new case, eh?” Max slowly slid the money toward his side of the counter and dropped it into the till. “Hey, I just got this beaut in, you need to try it, Olivia. Got quite a kick, but the accuracy is spot on.” He handed the snub-nose revolver over and Olivia balanced it in her hand, feeling the weight. “Only a five shot . . .”
“Yeah, but you only need one,” Olivia and Max said in unison.
“Okay, if you two will stop with the love affair over the gun, let’s practice.” Adeline picked up a cardboard target, walked to the changing area, and set her duffle bag inside one of the lockers. Then she pulled out her earplugs and padded ear guards. She slipped those on, then pulled out her 9mm Smith and Wesson, a box of ammunition, and her shatterproof eyeglasses out before she closed the locker. Just to the left of the small storage area were two soundproof doors. They all had to enter through the first one together and wait for it to close before opening the second one. It ensured that no loud noises or ill-aimed bullets made their way out into the customer area.
As they walked down the row to four empty stations, Adeline mentally clocked the tourist who were happy to be in a state—or country, for that matter— that allowed guns. Because if the shock over getting to shoot wasn’t enough for the male visitors, then seeing four women dressed in heels and dresses definitely did it.
“Poor babies are going to be shown up,” Adeline whispered around a smile. “We’ll make sure that Olivia goes first. That will probably make them clear the area fast.”
Placing their targets on hooks on a slide belt, they each pressed a button on their stand and slid the target back, letting their targets slide past the five, ten, fifteen, and didn’t stop until they
hit fifty yards. Taking one step back, Adeline looked around the divider wall and smiled, meeting the eyes of Olivia, Sunday, and Melanie.
Olivia loaded her Glock, fired, and hit the bull’s-eye.
Sunday loaded her Beretta 9mm, fired, and hit slightly off-center.
Melanie and Adeline each loaded their 9mm Smith and Wesson shields, fired, and also hit slightly off-center. Not as great as Olivia, but very few people were.
With a push of the button, they pulled the targets up to twenty yards and repeated, ready, aim, fire. Line by line, mark by mark. As the targets got closer, Adeline’s, Sunday’s, and Melanie’s accuracies increased, and Olivia’s stayed on point. By the time they were pulling the targets down, the guys were nowhere to be seen.
Unloading their guns, they packed their remaining ammunition back in the boxes, and then headed back to the small holding room to grab their stuff.
“Olivia, why do you need to practice again?” Adeline asked.
“I don’t want to get rusty.”
“Says the natural-born gunslinger.” Adeline popped her ass up onto a nearby counter.
“Hey, did you intimidate those men or something?” Max hollered from across the store.
“Blame Livi, it was her first bull’s-eye at fifty yards that sent their pussy asses running.” Adeline examined her nails as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Olivia sneered. “Olivia, don’t you have a thing for bearded guys?”
Olivia arched one brow, totally lost by Adeline’s question.
“Think about it, Max is bearded, he’s the only guy who can probably outshoot you, and he isn’t intimidated by you. Hell, he’s the perfect man for you.” Adeline winked at Olivia.
“Absolutely not.” Olivia shook her head vehemently. “Not funny. He’s old enough to be my dad, maybe my grandfather.”
“I think Adeline is on to something. I mean, they’d be awesome together, and maybe we could get a discount on shit. You think?” Melanie gave a devious smile to Olivia.
Roadster (Iron Ladies Book 1) Page 12
