“Wow. You have four brothers, too?” he asked and then cursed himself. Reece Langston had four brothers. Mark Reece did not. He was about to change the subject and hope she didn’t bring it up again but her focus was elsewhere. An arrogant-looking guy with a determined expression headed in their direction at a fast clip.
Jessica went a bit pale. From several yards away and closing fast, the man gave Reece a dirty look and shouted, “Agent Hayes, you’re needed upstairs right now.”
~ ~ ~
Jessica watched Neil’s approach with active horror. He yelled out her name across the lobby, intruding on their quiet conversation, and advanced on the two of them with a particularly triumphant look in his eyes. What was he up to?
In as tolerant a tone as she could muster, she waved him off and said, “I’ll be up in a few minutes.” She still had to broach the subject of inviting her fake college roommate with a tagalong fake boyfriend out with them tonight. It was supposed to be their first night out together and not the perfect time to bring along anyone else in her opinion, but she’d be overruled again if she brought it up.
Neil scowled at Reece, stepped way too close to the two of them, and said, “No. Come right now.”
He reached for her like the smarmy dirt bag he was. Reece suddenly moved in close, putting himself directly in her path. Neil’s hand landed on Reece’s jacket sleeve instead.
“Hands off of me, dude,” Reece said over one shoulder. Neil snatched his hand back, watching Reece half cradle her in his arms with a most obvious and inappropriate jealous expression plastered on his face.
“Run along, little man. This is a private conversation. I’ll think about sending her back upstairs when I’m through with her.”
Neil’s face went tomato red and his lips trembled in rage. “You…she…I…” He took a deep breath and tried again. “This is her place of work, she’s needed upstairs, and there is an unwelcome guest here currently.”
Jessica started to speak, but Reece’s arm tightened around her shoulder. She closed her lips firmly to keep from screaming. Reece hugged her even closer to his warm side. “You are absolutely correct that there are one too many people standing here. And I hate to say this, but it’s you, little man. So go away.”
Jessica hugged closer to Reece, resting her head on his muscular shoulder. Neil turned and stomped off like the villainous cardboard character that he was, probably to plot more mayhem and give her grief. But at least he was off the team until he got his uncle involved. It probably wouldn’t be long before she was dodging him again, but she’d enjoy the reprieve for as long as it lasted.
Lifting her head to stare deeply into Reece’s eyes, Jessica realized this was not the time to bring up the change of plans for their evening. She’d wait and spring it on him when he came to pick her up. She operated on only a gut feeling, but went with it for the moment.
Instead of going back to the conversation about tonight’s date, she asked, “How long will you have my car?”
“Not too long. Two hours tops.”
“Okay.” She squeezed his arm. “And thank you.”
“Like I said, it’s a safety thing.”
“No. I meant, thank you for keeping Neil from touching me.”
Reece’s expression hardened. “Has he been bothering you?”
“Yes. He has.” But you give me strength.
“I can make sure he never does it again.”
“So can I.” She lifted one shoulder. “I should take care of any further issues myself, but thanks anyway.” Reece made her feel stronger. He made her feel powerful.
“Well, keep me in mind. Because if I’d known that earlier, I could have ‘accidentally’ punched him in the throat before he left. Trust me, it would have been my pleasure.”
She laughed. “I appreciate that, too. I’ll let you know if he acts up again.”
“You do that.” He held her car key up. “I’ll be back soon.”
Jessica nodded. “I’ll look forward to it.”
“Maybe I can come up into the building and see where you work.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. You just want another opportunity to ‘accidentally’ punch Neil in the throat.”
His eyebrows lifted and he laughed. “You’re right. I guess I’m pretty obvious.”
“Well, I’m a trained professional.”
“With a sexy badge.” He kissed her cheek.
“Damn straight.” She placed a light kiss on his mouth. It was only a peck, but her lips tingled with pleasure all the same, along with another, more intimate, place in her body, making her anxious for tonight even if she had to share him with an FBI op.
Reece walked away whistling. She watched every step until he exited. He had a great butt, too. Head floating in the clouds, Jessica managed to get back to her desk without incident. The phone started ringing the moment she sat, as if someone watched her. She didn’t recognize the number on the display.
“Agent Hayes,” she said in as professional a voice as she could muster.
“Do you still have a date for tonight?” Pierce asked.
“Yes.”
“Did you invite your long-lost college roommate and friend out dancing tonight?”
“Not yet. I figured it would play better as a really late addition. I didn’t want him to decide to go somewhere else if the others were coming along.”
There was silence on the other end of the line as if he assessed her reasoning for holes he could argue, but didn’t. “All right then. Are you meeting him at the club?”
“No, he’s coming to pick me up at my place. Elsa and Gordon can show up an hour before, but if you want to sell it, they better have luggage.”
“This is not my first rodeo, Agent. That’s already in the works.”
The rodeo phrase he uttered in such a matter-of-fact way struck her as hilarious. She had to stifle a laugh, coughing to cover her amusement. But if he watched her from somewhere, he’d see her laughing at him. Hopefully her temporary boss had a sense of humor.
“Good. I assume you have my address already.”
“Indeed, we do.”
“Anything else I need to do at my house to prepare? Or any tasks I’ll have to take care of once we’re inside the club tonight?”
“No. You’re providing the way inside and distracting your date to keep him from figuring out what your long-lost friends are doing.”
“Oh? I have to distract him, too?” Jessica could only think of one singular thing that was certain to distract Reece, but it wasn’t something she’d do in public.
There was silence at the end of the line again. “Well, yeah. Although, given how protective he is of you, I suspect you won’t have to do anything you weren’t planning to do anyway.”
“How do you know he’s protective of me?”
Another long silence ensued. In a low tone he asked, “Did you forget, Agent Hayes, that federal buildings have lots of video cameras recording twenty-four-seven, especially in the lobby? For a couple of seconds, I thought your guy might do us all a favor and take Wiley out permanently.”
Jessica straightened her posture as if by reflex and looked over at the camera in the corner of the office. “I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you didn’t send nimrod, I mean, Neil down to get me.”
“Your assumption is correct. Besides, you already know he’s off my team.”
“Still? I figured he’d tattled to his uncle by now.”
“Doesn’t matter. I outrank his uncle. He’s off permanently. If he ever bothers you again, I’ll expect you to tell me. Your new boyfriend isn’t the only one willing to punch that douche bag in the throat.”
“You had audio, too?” Jessica felt the blood drain from her face. What else had she said to Reece? Good heavens above, had he heard them talking about her badge and Reece’s discarded shirt? Shit. Shit. Shit.
“No comment. Keep in mind that I will be listening in tonight, as well. Elsa will give you a small communication dev
ice to tuck inside your ear, so you’ll be kept abreast of our progress.”
“Is that a good idea? I don’t want Reece to see it.” That would be a difficult thing to explain or she’d have to lie and say it was to enhance her non-existent hearing loss. Which he wouldn’t believe, because how lame was that? She wouldn’t believe it either. Shit.
“Don’t worry, it’s the latest tech and very small. You’ll forget it’s there.”
That’s what I’m worried about.
Jessica closed her eyes and hoped Reece wouldn’t notice the device or nibble her ears as they danced. Or divulge anything of a personal nature that she didn’t want the entire FBI to hear, which was ridiculous because they’d be dirty dancing in the middle of the floor as he whispered naughty things in her mic all night. “Awesome,” she whispered to herself.
Pierce must have heard the sarcasm in her tone. “Listen, Agent Hayes, I know this isn’t an ideal situation for you personally. I want you to know that I do appreciate your sacrifice. The recording tonight is for tactical reasons. Only a very limited list of people will ever hear what is said tonight. I hope that’s helpful.”
“It is. Thank you.” And even if it’s not, I don’t have much choice, do I?
Pierce then added, “When he brings your car keys back, ask him to pick you up around nine. That should give us plenty enough time to prepare.”
“Got it.”
Apparently Pierce was watching the parking lot video, too. Two hours later, he called to give her a heads up that Reece was back with her car. She was able to meet him in the lobby without being called down.
The minute he saw her standing where they’d been before, he smiled and approached her. “Did you set up surveillance on me or something?”
“Of course. That’s what FBI agents with badges do all day. Didn’t you know?”
He grinned. “Well, I had my suspicions.” He handed her the key, but grabbed her hand and held on. “What is your address and what time can I pick you up tonight?”
“I’ll text you my address. How about nine o’clock? I should be home and fairly presentable by then.”
“Perfect. See you tonight.” He strolled away, whistling a happy tune.
She’d wanted to kiss him, hug him and apologize in advance for tonight, but refrained from touching him at all, not trusting herself.
Jessica hoped tonight went smoothly, and that he never had any idea what was really about to happen at his exclusive club.
Chapter Eight
While he sat in Tire Planet’s waiting room waiting for Jessica’s flat to be repaired, Reece sent a courtesy text to Hector, the bouncer on duty this evening at the Lexicon Club, that he’d be there with a date. Hector asked if it was the female Fed he’d been seen with in the media coverage after the coffee shop robbery.
Reece confirmed it, knowing Hector would pipe it immediately to the owner of the Lexicon Club. Travis Arthur owned a lot of clubs, but none more high-end and exclusive than the LC, which was his pride and joy.
Arthur didn’t care for anyone in law enforcement invading or being involved with any of his clubs, especially not the LC, at least not until now. What he did like was the idea of having a pipeline into the inner workings of the FBI.
Reece was about to prove his worth and his willingness to play along with Arthur’s rules. It had taken quite a long time to earn the trust of a man who didn’t give it easily. Honestly, tonight would truly cement him into this organization where he might finally be able to see the end of his undercover work here.
Ideally, he wanted to get Arthur’s sacred files. The man was the very definition of well connected. He knew everyone, and everyone knew him, from local guys to criminals all over the world. But no one seemed to know where Arthur kept his contact list. No one even knew what form the list was in. It could be a flashdrive in a safe, a little black book in his back pocket, or a hard copy ream of paper in a safety deposit box in Switzerland.
Through the LC grapevine, Arthur had learned about Reece and the coffee shop robbery and that subsequently Reece had been seen in the company of that same agent the next morning. It was even possible Arthur had a contact in the FBI already feeding him cursory information.
Reece hoped not. If Arthur was all gung-ho on the go date a federal agent track, he must not have the access he wanted. Arthur would be at the club tonight. He’d want to see Jessica for himself and meet her. Reece would have to be a lot more forward than he would normally be if they were just out on a date and his job wasn’t dictating his actions.
Reece’s one caveat to his undercover superiors was that any information fed into the LC grapevine to Arthur would not come from Jessica. They’d agreed when he pressed, although it didn’t matter. Ultimately, they’d find some plausible excuse to force him to do exactly what they wanted, regardless of his wishes.
They always did.
Not for the first time, Reece contemplated giving up this life and trying something else for a change of pace. He loved the action and pretending to be someone else was a kick, but he was tired of it. After this job—if it ever ended—he planned to look around. His brother Zak was involved with a group called The Organization, doing similar but privately funded work, and he seemed to like it there. It was an option, anyway.
Reece just needed to hang tough for a little while longer. Once he fully gained Arthur’s trust, discovered where he kept his history and contact files and then appropriated them, he’d be free to leave this seemingly endless operation.
His only true regret when the time came would be leaving Jessica, if they were still together. He hoped privately they would still be a couple. Although, given the secrecy and sensitivity of this job—not to mention the expense of his lengthy stay here—he’d never be given permission to divulge any after-action info to her anyway. Reece might have to leave the area to go to another job in another city on the whim of his chain of command.
In fact, he might have to leave her without even saying goodbye. A depressing thought he tucked away as useless to worry about right now.
Reece parked his car near her apartment building and headed for her door. There was no security in her building beyond whatever personal locks she had on her door. He was able to go straight to her apartment on the second floor without being buzzed in.
Standing in the hallway outside her door, he thought he heard voices on the other side, but also heard music. Maybe she was getting her courage up for tonight.
He knocked twice and the door was swept open quickly, as if she’d been standing there waiting for him. When he saw her, all civil and logical thought drained from his head. She’d straightened her hair and wore it down. He liked her work look of a tidy ponytail, but her evening style was spectacular.
The outfit she wore, or rather almost wore, caught his attention next. He saw a low-cut neckline, lots of cleavage, and black leather. There were triangular inserts of dark red leather beneath her breasts, presumably to make them look bigger, which he liked, and more artfully placed red leather inserts along the lower hem of the top.
The skirt was extremely short. Next he noticed her bare thighs and the black leather boots that came above her knees. The question of what she was wearing beneath her skirt would be reserved for the dance floor, if he could talk her out there, or perhaps later this evening if he could talk her back to his place.
She did a little curtsy and asked, “What do you think?”
He leaned against the doorframe. “I think we should stay in tonight.”
“Very funny. I’ll have you know that I spent considerable time straightening my hair to get it to look this good. Trust me. We’re going out.”
He gave her a predatory grin. “Perfect.”
“Also, I have another not-so perfect surprise.” She glanced over her shoulder and then gestured him inside. There were two mismatched suitcases by the sofa in the living room and he heard voices beyond a door on the other side of the room.
“I have two unexpected guests.”
“I see that.” His gaze went to the door across the room again when laughter peeled from there.
“My semi-flaky, yet very lovable college roommate, Elsa, and her boyfriend Gordon surprised me less than an hour ago. They came for an impromptu visit.”
“That’s okay. Are we still going out?” He glanced at her hair again. “I mean, you did spend all that time on your hair, which looks amazing, by the way. Honestly, you look stunning.”
“Thanks.” She directed her gaze to the floor, pushed out a breath, shook her head and started talking. “The thing is, I told them where I was going tonight. They squealed in delight and immediately assumed they’d be able to go with us.” Her gaze flitted to his face before dropping to the floor again. Her cheeks were pink.
“I see.” She was adorable.
“I’ll understand if it’s a problem.” From across the room, they both turned when another high-pitched squeal came from behind the closed door across the room. “I will, however, make you explain it to them.”
Reece took her in his arms and kissed her. She tasted so fucking good. “It’s not a problem, Smith. I’m just delighted we still have a date. I may have mentioned to my co-workers that I was bringing someone to the club tonight. Doesn’t matter how many of us show up as long as you do.”
“Are you sure? I’m not a club girl, as I mentioned, but Elsa most definitely is. The two of them had actually heard of your club. I mean, they really want to go with us tonight. I hope that’s not an issue.”
Reece winked. “No worries. I can get us all in.” In fact, that would be perfect for his needs tonight. Instead of awkwardly introducing her around the club, he could play host and do it while impressing her out-of-town friends, and while he romanced her publically through the night with all eyes in the club watching them canoodle.
Just then the door across the room burst open and a girl and a guy ambled out, dressed in club clothing and seemingly ready to party all night. By her name, he’d expected Elsa to be a tall, ice-blonde Swedish girl, but she was tiny and brunette. He’d thought Gordon would be a mid-western farm boy, but he was an Asian dude who looked totally in love with his woman. Often stereotypes didn’t work for names, as in this case.
Bouncer (Bad Boys in Big Trouble Book 2) Page 9
