“So what have you been threatened with, at gunpoint?”
“Dire things I don’t wish to repeat in the company of a lady, mostly because I’m the one who can’t take hearing them out loud again.”
She coughed to hide her laugh. “So his uncle didn’t buckle even after last night’s near fiasco when Nimrod Neil showed up at the club?”
“Nope. And I explained that incident in great detail. He was unmoved. Said it was a mistake anyone could make. He also applauded Neil’s proactive thinking for going there in the first place to help out his fellow agents, if you can even believe that load of bullshit.” Pierce rolled his eyes and shook his head. “The two of them are useless and delusional, as far as I’m concerned.”
Jessica nodded. “You’re right. Neil must have a firsthand account of something juicy or a video. Movies can be very persuasive.”
“That’s the truth.” He looked into her eyes with a sudden intensity she found difficult to look away from. In a low tone, Pierce said, “Here’s another truth. I’ll do my best to keep him away from actual teamwork, and not working with anyone else. If that fails, then I give you leave for whatever you need to do to defend yourself. I’ll always back you up before, during or after any incident.”
“Sir?”
“In other words, if that ass-kissing little prick gets out of line or touches you inappropriately, don’t punch him in the throat. Kick him in the balls. It’ll hurt more and dissuade him faster. Trust me. I’ll take any heat for you.”
She nodded again, stifling a laugh. “Thank you, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Jessica had already planned to use Reece as a threat to keep Neil away from her, but having her boss back her up was huge.
For the next several days, however, Neil was on his best behavior. Even in the meetings with Pierce and the others, he didn’t ogle her or make so much as a squeak to voice an opinion. Jessica was not fooled. It was only a matter of time before chaos reigned down around them.
She didn’t expect he’d be able to keep this good boy act up forever, and couldn’t possibly depend on him turning over such a new leaf after only a single threat from Pierce.
The task force met daily to strategize and plan every possible tactic to catch their prey, with someone listening to the planted devices twenty-four-seven hoping to glean information. So far nothing of note had been heard.
Jessica got a surprising text from Reece late Friday night, inviting her to the club Saturday. Before responding, she called Elsa and read the text word for word over the phone.
“You must accept.” Elsa’s tone was excited.
Jessica balked. “Is it reasonable that you’re still staying at my apartment?”
“Why not? I’m on a long spontaneous vacation. I notice he didn’t invite Gordon again.”
“Could be an oversight, or maybe it’s because it’s a Saturday night. If you aren’t a girl, you aren’t getting inside. Guys don’t get in typically unless they plan to spend the vast amount of money needed to sit at a premium table, right?”
“True. Okay. We can still work with that. Any ideas about the VIP he’s guarding in the premium space?”
“Nope, but I hope it’s the guy Pierce is after.”
“That seems almost too good to be true, you know?”
“I know. But if it’s anyone doing anything they aren’t supposed to be doing, we’d get a heads up either way, right?”
“Yes, right. One other thing, chica—you’ll have to get out and dance with me. He’s obviously expecting it.”
Jessica’s face went hot. “Is that necessary? Can’t I just protect our purses and drinks while you get out there?”
“No. Trust me, two girls dancing together can get away with so much more than just one alone. We’ll stay on the edge of the dance floor as close to the premium table your boyfriend’s guarding as we can get. Text him back and accept his generous offer. Tell him I wouldn’t let you say no. Meanwhile, I’ll call Pierce and start strategizing. That will also mean we work all day tomorrow to get ready.”
Jessica didn’t have much enthusiasm when she said, “Awesome.”
Elsa’s trill of laughter came through the line, making her feel a little bit better. “I’ve got your back, chica. Not to worry. Tomorrow, I’ll teach you some simple rocking hot dance moves that will turn heads, especially your guy’s. See you in the morning.”
Jessica quickly sent a text accepting Reece’s invitation before she lost her nerve and had to explain her childish fears to her boss. It wasn’t that she hated dancing, per se. She hated being the center of attention. She would loathe every moment of being on the dance floor. Then her memory of dancing with Reece filled her mind. He’d been perfect and kept her distracted while they moved around the crowded dance floor.
Thanks for the invitation.
Elsa is over the moon, of course, even though
Gordon left for home already. She says I have to dance with her.
She’s promised to teach me something new.
I’ll miss being attached to you while you lead.
But I’ll enjoy it if you watch my new hot dance moves. J
When Reece confirmed, he said something about losing his job if he watched her too much, but that it would be worth it.
She had to calm her racing nerves over dancing alone with Elsa, hot new moves or not, and the idea of Reece watching her do it.
Chapter Twelve
Reece watched the dance floor without really seeing it. The meeting hadn’t started, but he hadn’t been allowed to guard inside the curtained area anyway. He also hadn’t seen so much as the gender of the person who’d entered a few minutes ago. Arthur hadn’t made an appearance, but that could be to allow his special guest to get settled in.
Earlier he’d stood at the entrance to the club, keeping a lookout for either Jessica or the person he was supposed to be escorting into the club for the discreet meeting center court no less. The word oxymoron circled his brain more than once. He’d stopped rolling his eyes, but decided they were utterly foolish. Guys like these yahoos tonight got high on their own power, and after escaping justice for too long, came to the erroneous conclusion they were untouchable.
He couldn’t wait to prove them wrong.
The night was lively, meaning it was insane for a weekend. There were people lined up around the block to gain entrance. He’d reserved a table for Jessica and Elsa, but not in the premium section where he’d be. If she showed up after the special guests, Hector assured him they’d get inside without delay.
Reece didn’t relish his role standing outside the curtains of the premium table. At least not yet, since Jessica wasn’t here. Once she arrived, he’d have a great view of her table and the dance floor. He was anxious to see the hot new dance moves she’d learned. There was also a speaker nearby limiting his ability to listen in to any conversation in the curtained area to break his boredom. If he’d been invited to guard inside he might have been able to hear some of what they said, but would have missed watching Jessica dance.
He wished he didn’t want to watch his girl more than he wanted to listen to these secret proceedings. For his part, he needed to stick with Arthur closely after the meeting. Something had been staged to help with that endeavor.
Reece knew the drill, even though this was technically his first time at VIP guard duty. Arthur would make an appearance, and Reece would have to pay attention to glean any information regarding the addition to his little black book of criminals or whatever was used. Even finding his method of recording his clients would be a boon. In addition to a lengthy life of crime in his younger days, and being a money launderer extraordinaire, Arthur did favors for people and fully expected favors in return. All contacts were supposedly entered into his super-secret system when he acquired a new special friend.
There had recently been an anonymous suggestion within his rank and file that perhaps Arthur was some sort of genius savant with the ability to remember infinite details of intric
ate deals forever without writing them down anywhere. And further, that the only recording system he used was his mega smart brain. In that case, Reece was screwed and so was the agency he worked for.
His mission was to find out what Arthur’s system was and do his best to thwart it permanently. The hardest part was waiting to be trusted while in the company of criminals and their various activities. Reece had never been so close to his goal. If Jessica’s case helped him learn how the system worked, he’d be grateful and he’d ensure his higher ups knew it.
Tonight, he’d likely have to ditch her after making a big show of inviting her here. But the diversion he’d planned was to make Arthur feel threatened and then provide immediate protection, thereby staying at his side after this important meeting.
He hadn’t given Jessica a specific time to arrive, and it was still possible she’d stand him up, but he didn’t think so. Assuming Elsa and Gordon had planted bugs at the table as he suspected, Reece had pretended to do a bug sweep last night. He’d also commented to the security guy he’d enlisted to help him that it was a shame this premium table was going to be empty for the whole night until ten o’clock before the secret meeting Saturday night.
The guy had smiled and commented that at least Reece had a worthy girlfriend to bring in to enjoy it on occasion.
Later, Reece had done a real sweep and still found nothing. Maybe those listening to the bugs had clued into his hint and temporarily deactivated them to avoid detection. Or he was off his rocker and Elsa and Gordon were merely friends of Jessica’s without ulterior motives. Either way, tonight should be interesting. He’d do well to focus on his own needs and not the fantasy of a conspiracy headed by his reluctant girlfriend.
Neither Jessica nor Elsa had arrived by the time two black vehicles rolled up to the entrance right before ten. The first was a huge SUV. Four large men stepped out the moment it stopped, as if they’d choreographed their exit in advance. Maybe they had.
They strode purposefully to the back of the second vehicle, forming a wide, two-man wall on either side, one of them opening the limo door. A figure emerged, opening a black umbrella as they disembarked. Two more alighted from the vehicle without any shelter. The four large men from the SUV walked alongside the person under the umbrella all the way to the front door. Hector had closed the rope, keeping those first in line back, standing in front of them as Reece opened the Lexicon’s front door. He held it wide for the approaching group. One of the men from the SUV hurried two steps ahead to enter before the hidden figure.
Reece tried to get a glimpse of whoever had come out of the limo, without success. The umbrella shielded the person above his or her shoulders and the large men covered any further view. He didn’t even see the person’s legs. He waited until all seven had entered before walking in behind them to guide them to the center court table.
The figure beneath the umbrella remained hidden all the way. He saw two of the men take out bug detectors. Reece, directed to stand guard outside the curtains, hoped they weren’t about to discover the place had been wired for sound.
No alarm was raised. The bugs must be turned off, if they were even there. Perhaps he was completely wrong about Jessica, Elsa and Gordon. But he didn’t believe that.
The mystery guest had been inside for less than ten minutes when Reece saw Elsa just inside the main entrance. He searched behind her for Jessica, then realized she must have entered ahead of her friend. Remembering her first night here, Reece thought about the leather miniskirt and thigh boots that had intrigued him through the evening. Tonight, she looked so different he hadn’t recognized her.
The visceral reaction to the dress she wore sent his pulse through the roof. A glance at a few of the males in the room told him both she and Elsa had been noticed. He couldn’t leave his post, but had directed Sam to escort them to their reserved table near the floor by the stairs to where he stood guard. Reece did his best to keep his tongue from slipping between his lips to drool.
Elsa had a complicated hairdo with some sort of elaborate flower attached near her temple by some unknown magical means. She’d apparently done Jessica’s hair as well, since she sported a similar hairclip, but without the big up do. Her dress was clingy enough to show off her amazing curves and made out of what looked like shimmering metal pebbles. It was short, like before, but instead of thigh boots, she wore sexy, black, fuck-me shoes with spike heels. To say she had stunning legs would be like saying the Mona Lisa was a nice painting, but it was the closest word he could think of to describe her.
Reece heard movement behind the curtain. He turned his focus from the dance floor as Sam led Elsa and Jessica to their table. If the meeting was already over, it was the shortest in the history of the club. He hadn’t heard Arthur come in, although he could have entered from the opposite side, but he would have expected to see Dixon nearby at the least. With the curtains in place, he couldn’t see the back hallway leading to the premium seating.
A glance back at Jessica’s table. It was empty. He searched further. Sam was already on his way back to his perch by the front door. Reece’s gaze shot to the dance floor and he saw her. She stared directly at him, arms in the air, her body undulating perfectly to the beat of the music.
He nodded to let her know he watched. She smiled seductively and kicked her sexy moves up a notch. The sway of her hips and lovely body hypnotized him for a moment. He cleared his throat a couple of times.
He heard more low voices from behind the curtain, only the murmuring was getting louder. The tone seemed cautionary at first and then more concerned. Shit. He hoped they hadn’t discovered any listening devices. He turned from the dance floor and his sexy girlfriend to address what was going on at center court.
“No. Just stay here,” said an over-loud, raspy voice. “I’ll be fine. No one saw me come in. They won’t know I was under the umbrella. I could be anyone. When Arthur gets his ass in gear and makes an appearance, tell him I’m on the dance floor with a hot bitch panting after me. And when I get lucky, he can wait until I’ve been satisfied.”
The curtain closest to him parted suddenly, revealing an average-sized man with a wholly unconvincing and very cheesy comb-over. Reece wasn’t an expert on the attractiveness of the male species, but he didn’t think the guy had a snowball’s chance in hell of getting any bitch, hot or not, to pant after him, let alone have sex with him. Although more often than not, money talked and everything else walked.
Mr. Comb-Over surveyed the dance floor as if he looked at a buffet, trying to figure out where to start first. “Fuckin’ A. As promised, the women here are first-class and super sexy.”
His eyes fell on Jessica and Elsa. “Look at those two hot bitches dancing together, will ya? Gives me a stiffy just watching them, you know what I mean?” He shot his bony elbow into Reece’s arm twice, passing him by. “Hot damn, it’s time to party.”
The man clapped his hands, rubbing them together hard and fast, practically licking his lips as he descended a few steps and got closer to the dance floor. He called over one shoulder to his six-man detail, “Don’t wait up for me. I’m headed into paradise. I’ll be back when I get laid.”
Reece looked on with horror as the VIP headed to exactly where he wanted to be. So much for secrecy. Four of Mr. Comb-Over’s men followed, trying to surround him, which would look ridiculous in this venue, but the arrogant man waved them off. Jessica and Elsa were still dancing wildly. He shouldn’t leave his post, but as the lead security person for the club, it was his duty to ensure idiots exactly like this bozo didn’t harass the female guests.
“Sir,” he called out loudly, speed-walking to the front of the pack to come alongside Mr. Comb-Over. “My boss will be out very soon to meet you. Perhaps you should go back to center court and wait for him. I’ll have some appetizers sent up.”
Reece half-blocked him from his intended targets, trying to herd him back behind the curtains, but the man was having nothing of it. He’d made up his mind to hunt for women.
“Out of my way.” He pushed Reece’s shoulder halfheartedly and put his lust-filled gaze back on Jessica and Elsa, moving toward them with his entourage following like faithful lapdogs looking for a treat.
Mr. Comb-Over suddenly started dancing, if one could call it that, jerking his hips from side to side erratically as he stumble-walked, snapping the fingers of each hand in the air to the beat of the music like some Greek Zorba, only with considerably less finesse.
“Hi there, beautiful girls,” he said with a big goofy grin, swaying and slamming his hips completely out of rhythm to the music.
Reece watched helpless as the VIP moved closer and closer to Jessica and her friend. He scanned the room, looking for Arthur. He was the only one who could stop the madness of this particular freight train bearing down on them.
“What would you two girls say to joining me in my private booth?” He pointed over his shoulder to center court. “I have the best seats in this place.”
Elsa narrowed her eyes, but didn’t stop dancing. “That’s very nice of you, but we’d like to keep dancing. Thanks anyway.”
Reece relaxed, grateful that he wouldn’t have to intervene. Elsa could probably hold her own with the likes of this ass.
Undeterred, Mr. Comb-Over then asked, “How about I make it worth your while? What would you and your friend say to a raunchy threesome with me upstairs? I promise that I’ll pay you very well if I’m satisfied.”
~ ~ ~
“Dude, I’m not a prostitute!”
Elsa had stopped dancing to shout over the din of the music. Jessica also dropped her arms to her sides. She’d gone motionless the moment the guy with the bad hair had propositioned them, wondering what would happen next. This was, after all, the man Pierce wanted. And he wanted him very badly. He’d mentioned in passing that he yearned for this man to hang, fry, get the needle, all of the above, or at the very least spend the rest of his life in prison, never again seeing a single ray of natural light.
Bouncer (Bad Boys in Big Trouble Book 2) Page 13
