by Radclyffe
“What did you expect?” Sandy sat up straight, her chin thrust out. “Do you think I’m going to all of a sudden become someone else? Just because I’ve got some new clothes and a day job?”
“No, Jesus.” Dell clenched her hands by her sides as Sandy hopped off her lap and stalked across the room. “That’s not what I meant.”
Sandy picked up the bag of clothes, tossed it inside the tiny closet next to the door, and slammed it closed. Then she spun around, her arms folded beneath her breasts. “If you wanted a girlfriend you could take home to meet your family, you should have picked someone else.”
Dell jumped up. “I never said that, San.”
“Then why do you want me to take this job so much?”
“Because I want you to be safe,” Dell yelled. “Is that so hard to figure out?”
“Hey!” Sandy yelled back. “Get over yourself, rookie. I never asked you to worry about me. And I sure as hell never asked you to look out for me.”
Before Dell could say anything else, Sandy yanked open the door and stormed out. The walls rattled as the door crashed shut.
Dell yanked her hand through her hair. “What the fuck was that?”
*
Sloan ignored the muted whir of the hydraulics as the elevator ascended. A few seconds later, a faint whoosh indicated the doors had opened, but she kept on scanning the data scrolling on three screens. The click of heels on hardwood floors pierced her concentration and she spun on her chair. Michael was smiling as she wound her way through the labyrinth of desks and equipment.
“Hey,” Sloan rose, “what are you doing here?”
“Looking for a dinner partner.”
“Really? A little early, isn’t it?”
Laughing, Michael propped her briefcase in front of the bank of computer monitors and laced her arms around Sloan’s neck. Then she kissed her. “It’s after seven, love.”
Sloan frowned. “It is?” She checked the room, realized she was alone, and vaguely remembered Jason saying he was leaving. Dell was gone too. Hours ago, now that she thought of it. “Am I late for something?”
“No, but we could be if you’re not all that hungry.” Michael traced the muscles in Sloan’s shoulders through the cotton shirt she wore. “I was going to suggest that we walk over to Old City and grab something for dinner, but if you have something else in mind…”
“I do now,” Sloan muttered, nipping at Michael’s lower lip before she kissed her more thoroughly. She was always ready for Michael. “The team is going to get pretty busy pretty soon. Maybe we should have dinner. You can tell me what’s happening at the office.”
Michael leaned back in Sloan’s arms, smiling softly. “Now you want to talk about work?”
“I want to talk about you. What do you say?”
“I say I love you.” Michael grasped Sloan’s hand. “Let me take you to dinner, and then we’ll come home and you can do unspeakably wonderful things to me.”
“I think I can handle that. I’ll just grab my jacket.” Sloan slid from Michael’s grip and started toward the conference room.
“Don’t forget the benefit this weekend,” Michael said casually. “If you’re not too busy, I’m counting on you to be my date.”
Sloan spun around. “What?”
Michael started, her expression confused. “I’m sure we talked about it. The Women’s Business Association is one of the sponsors for the mayor’s outreach program. There’s a fund-raiser this weekend?” She frowned. “I know my memory’s still a little patchy, but—”
“You can’t go,” Sloan said flatly.
“I don’t understand.” Michael searched her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Sloan turned her back and started for the conference room again.
“Sloan,” Michael called after her. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you can’t go.” Sloan shoved open the conference room door and stormed inside. The room was dark and she didn’t bother to turn on the light. She grabbed the nearest chair, lifting it a few inches as she thought about throwing it somewhere. Anywhere. A red haze of anger blurred her vision and her ears rang as if someone had fired a round right next to her head.
“Darling,” Michael said from behind her.
“Don’t turn on the light,” Sloan said, afraid for Michael to see what was in her face. Fury and fear and foreboding. And a terrifying sense of impotence, as if things were spinning out of control and she was helpless to stop them.
“You’re starting to scare me.” Michael rested both hands gently on Sloan’s back. “You’re shaking.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.” Michael wrapped her arms around Sloan from behind, rubbing her palms over Sloan’s chest. Sloan’s body was so tight it felt as if she might snap like a high-tension wire breaking in the wind, lashing anything in its path. Michael might have been frightened if she hadn’t known with every fiber of her being that Sloan would never hurt her. She leaned her cheek against Sloan’s back. “I love you.”
“Then just trust me on this, Michael.”
“I do trust you. But that doesn’t mean I don’t need to understand you.” Michael kissed the side of Sloan’s neck. “I have to go to this, darling. I’m giving one of the introductory speeches.”
“Get someone else to do it.”
“I can’t. I have a job, too, Sloan.”
“God damn it, Michael,” Sloan barked, spinning around, breaking Michael’s grip. “It’s just a job.”
Michael backed up, the light from the main room falling across her face, etching her shock in stark chiaroscuro. “Where is this coming from?”
Sloan knifed around her, not letting their bodies touch, and stalked out of the room. She picked up speed as she hit the elevator button. What could she tell her? That she had an irrational fear that Michael would be drawn into the evil that was a daily part of her life, that the deadly depravity would find her, would take her. The roaring in her head made it impossible for her to think. Or to explain.
“Sloan,” Michael called, but the elevator doors had already closed behind her. Michael sagged against the table, trying desperately to understand what had just happened. Trying to dispel the cold, distant expression in Sloan’s eyes. Sloan had looked at her as if they were strangers.
Michael waited in the dark, praying for Sloan’s return. As the night and the aching silence stretched on, she finally went upstairs alone.
Chapter Seven
Mitch sat alone at a table in the back of the darkened room, nursing a beer and watching the performance onstage at the Troc with only half a mind. Sandy hadn’t come home before he’d had to leave. He kept thinking of the new clothes abandoned on the floor of the closet, and wishing he’d had a chance to see Sandy model them. Wishing he hadn’t pushed so hard, because he knew Sandy hated to be pushed. Sandy didn’t talk much about her life before the streets, but it didn’t take much imagination to figure out she’d been pushed around a lot when she was a kid. Why else would any teenager leave home to sleep in a flophouse and sell the only thing that belonged to them just to survive another day. Sandy was tough, she was smart, and she could take care of herself. Mitch knew it. He loved that about her.
“Fucking coward,” he muttered. Him, not Sandy. He was afraid he’d lose Sandy, just like he’d lost Robin. But he lost Robin because Robin had walked out. Robin had been ashamed of them. Mitch dropped his head back and closed his eyes. Yep, he’d blown it. One thing Sandy was not, was ashamed. Sandy had more pride than just about anybody Mitch knew. “Asshole.”
A firm hand clamped Mitch’s shoulder and a deep raspy voice said, “Talking to yourself, guy?”
“Not anymore.” Mitch rolled his head to the side and squinted up at the wiry figure looming over him. Even in the semi-gloom he recognized the sharply cut profile of Phil E. Pride, one of the members of the Front Street Kings drag troupe. Mitch checked the stage and realized the show was over. Man, he’d been drifting, which was
not a good idea while he was working. He straightened in his seat and kicked out a chair. “Sit down. I’ll grab us a couple of fresh beers.”
“Thanks,” Phil said.
Mitch hustled to the bar tucked into one corner and snagged two drafts from the bartender just ahead of the crowd. Holding them high so they didn’t spill as he jostled his way back to the table, he reviewed his cover story in his head. Then he set the beers down and reclaimed his chair. While he’d been gone, Ken Dewar, the leader of the Kings, had joined Phil.
“Sorry, Kenny,” Mitch said to the flat-topped blond with the construction worker’s build. “I didn’t get you a brew.”
“No problem.” Ken swiped Phil’s glass and took a long pull.
“Solo tonight, Mitch?” Phil asked conversationally as he reached across the table and retrieved his beer from Ken.
“Yeah. I’m kind of in between girls, if you know what I mean. So I needed a little peace and quiet.” Mitch sipped his beer and cupped himself for a second to settle his dick more comfortably in his tight black jeans. Somehow the fullness in his palm and the pressure against his crotch felt reassuring. He knew these guys and he liked them, and they seemed to like him too. They never probed into what he did for a living, and he suspected they knew he was more than the bar back and occasional bouncer he let on. The deception bothered him, but he reminded himself that his secrecy was as much for their safety as for the success of his assignment. He knew nothing of their other lives either.
“In between?” Ken laughed. “You mean you’ve got two girls pissed at you instead of one?”
“Something like that,” Mitch said.
“So, uh, Sandy break up with you?” Phil asked.
Mitch tamped down the swift surge of jealousy, but it wasn’t easy. Phil had made his appreciation of Sandy pretty clear when Mitch had introduced them. Since Mitch had been trying to get close to Irina, he’d been forced to let on he wasn’t super serious about Sandy. Considering new developments, he could hardly get territorial now. But Phil was a good-looking guy. Strong shoulders, trim waist, and a nice healthy bulge in his jeans. He was also way confident around women. A lot more confident than Mitch. “Sandy didn’t dump me yet. I’m hoping she’ll cool off and cut me some slack.”
“Well, good luck on that.” Phil slapped Mitch’s back. “But if you need a little help keeping her entertained, you know who to call.”
“Sure, right,” Mitch said, forcing a grin. “Listen, I’m meeting Irina at Ziggie’s later, so in case anyone’s asking, you haven’t seen me.”
Ken let out a long whistle. “Man, you really do like to live dangerously.”
“What’s the point, otherwise?” Mitch drained his beer. “I thought I’d bring her around to the show on Saturday. Introduce her properly to you guys.”
“Sure. Always happy to meet a lady.” Phil eyed Mitch speculatively. “If you need us for anything, just give us a call.”
“Sure, but everything’s cool.” Mitch rose. “I’ve got it all under control.”
As he headed for the door and his meeting with Irina, Mitch hoped to hell he was right.
*
Through the swirling haze of anger, Sloan recognized the dark expanse of water to her left and the twisting road in front of her. West River Drive. The road peeled away beneath her and she took the tight turns fast, leaning hard into the curves, her body knifing through the wind. She was on her motorcycle because Rebecca had borrowed her car earlier and hadn’t returned it yet. Sloan hadn’t given any thought to where she was going when she walked out on Michael. All she’d wanted was to outrun her rage before it spilled over on Michael and contaminated the only good thing in her life.
As the white lines flashed beneath her, the cold wind off the water bit at her face below the visor of her helmet and her mind started to clear. Her focus shifted once more to Avery Clark. It all came down to the feds, the same group that had turned on her. They’d put her in jail and years later, they were still manipulating her life. Only this time, Avery wanted her to risk something far more important than her life. Michael.
She pulled into a turnoff that was empty save for one pickup truck at the far opposite end. Cutting the engine, she settled her feet on either side of her Harley and unzipped her jacket. Her body was hot and the cold air blowing off the water chilled the sweat against her skin. She wasn’t afraid for herself. She wanted to get close to the men at the top. She wanted the man who had ordered the execution of two cops, and who had sent someone to run her down in the street outside her own home. Except she hadn’t been the victim, Michael had.
The man responsible for that attack had to be out there, and there was no reason to think he wouldn’t try again. Nothing had changed. In fact, the closer the team got to exposing the criminal conspiracies, the more likely the men pulling the strings were to take drastic action. She wasn’t afraid on her own account. She’d spent enough time doing covert work in Southeast Asia to know how to protect herself. Professional assassins in that part of the world put American wiseguys to shame. But Michael didn’t have that kind of skill, and Sloan didn’t know how to protect her.
Her options were few. She could quit the team—she wasn’t a cop or a federal agent anymore. But if she did, there was no guarantee the threat would disappear. She could find whoever had tried to kill her and force them to tell her who gave the order. She’d never been an assassin, but she would kill to protect Michael, and she knew it wouldn’t bother her.
*
When the buzzer rang, Michael jumped up from the sofa, excitement overriding her worry. Then disappointment struck her hard. It wouldn’t be Sloan. Taking a steadying breath, she checked the small monitor set into the wall beside the elevator. Then she flicked the intercom. Sandy’s voice greeted her.
“Hi. Sorry to bother you. I know it’s late. Is Dell there?”
“No. No one’s here. Want to come up?”
Sandy looked up and down the street, her uncertainty and unhappiness clear even in the small black-and-white image.
“I’m not having a very good night either,” Michael said. “You don’t have to talk about anything.”
“Okay. Sure. Why not.”
Michael disengaged the lock on the front door and watched the monitor until Sandy was inside. Then she went into the kitchen to make tea. A moment later, the tall double doors enclosing the elevator slid back almost soundlessly. She called over her shoulder, “Come on out to the kitchen. Are you hungry?”
“No,” Sandy said, climbing up onto one of the stools. “Mind if I have a beer instead of tea?”
“One of those nights, huh?”
Sandy snorted. “For sure.”
“So,” Michael said, joining her at the breakfast bar. She handed her a bottle of one of Sloan’s microbrews and set her own tea aside to cool. “Dell wasn’t happy about the job offer?”
“Oh, she was. She can’t wait to stick me behind a desk.”
Michael couldn’t help but smile, considering that was how she spent almost all her time. But she understood what Sandy meant. “A little overprotective?”
Sandy rolled her eyes. “Like working in an office is going to erase the last two years of my life.”
“Is that what you think she wants?” Michael asked quietly.
“Don’t you? After all, would you want a whore for a girlfriend?”
Michael cradled the steaming teacup while she give that some thought. “I would absolutely hate anyone to use someone I loved, physically or in any other way. I think I’d be jealous too. Of someone touching her, even though I know that’s not what it’s about. And of course, I’d be afraid of her being hurt.”
Sandy leaned her elbow on the smooth granite surface, cupped her chin in her hand, and stared at Michael. “What about being ashamed or grossed out. You left that part out.”
“If I loved someone the way I know Dell loves you, I wouldn’t feel that way about what she needed to do.”
“You know she went to West Point, righ
t? That she’s really smart? I mean, they’re all smart—even Watts.” Sandy sighed. “You didn’t meet her sister, Erica. She’s an uptight version of Dell, and she definitely didn’t think I was good enough for her.”
“I can’t see Dell caring.”
“She says she doesn’t. Now.”
“You know,” Michael said carefully, “you could get your GED if you wanted.”
“Maybe. Someday.” Sandy picked at the corner of the label on her beer bottle with her thumb. “I want to take the job you offered. I don’t want Dell to support me, so I need to be able to make money without doing guys for it. Besides, I’m sick of faking it.”
“Good.”
“But I’m doing something important already. With Frye.” Sandy met Michael’s gaze. “What I do for Frye makes a difference, just like what Sloan and Dell and the rest of them are doing. I don’t want to stop, and Dell wants me to.”
“Aha.”
“Yeah.” Sandy looked around the loft. “Where is everybody?”
“I don’t know. Something’s happening, but I’m not sure what it is.” Michael sighed. “Sloan didn’t tell me, but from the way she’s wound up already, it’s something big.”
“Oh boy,” Sandy said.
“Yes.” Michael squeezed Sandy’s hand. “So, Monday at ten?”
Sandy finished her beer, slid down from the stool, and placed the empty bottle on the counter next to the sink. “Okay. You’ll be there, right?”
“I will. You’re welcome to stay here. I have a feeling Sloan won’t be back for a while.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll hit a few places before I head home. Look up some friends.”
Michael slid her arm around Sandy’s shoulder and walked her to the elevator. “You will be careful, won’t you?”
“Sure. I know what I’m doing.” Sandy kissed her on the cheek. “No worries.”
For the second time that night, Michael listened to the elevator descend before turning back to her empty apartment.
