Billy was already getting bored with the conversation and let out a sigh.
“I’m not joking.”
“Uh huh,” Sonny went on. “So, I’m supposed to believe that you and Eddie Millar are now best pals and you’re doing jobs for him.”
“Eddie Millar doesn’t give a shit about me,” Billy said. “It’s his right hand man, Lincoln Holt, who I’m working for although I take it the orders are coming from Eddie.”
“You’re full of it,” Sonny said and let out a dismissive laugh. “You think I’m about to fall for that crock of shit.”
“Suit yourself,” Billy replied. It’s no skin on my nose if you say nothing. All I need to do is tell Lincoln Holt the name of the man that has the information he wants and he’ll come looking for it himself.”
“Yeah, yeah, keep talking,” Sonny said and picked up the beer to take another drink.
Billy heard the sudden touch of uncertainty in the voice of the other man and kept pressing.
“Eddie has a nice office,” he said. “Although I’m guessing you might not find it as welcoming as I did when I mention that you fucked me around and didn’t give me the information.”
“Are you being serious?”
There was more than a touch of uncertainty in Sonny’s voice now.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the same horror stories I have about Eddie’s temper,” Billy said and smirked. “I’m not sure how much truth there is in them, but I guess I’ll find out when I’m watching you trying to explain yourself to him. That should be fun…, for me at least. I’m not so sure you’ll enjoy the experience as you’re getting cut into pieces.”
He got the phone from his pocket and searched through to find the number he wanted and showed it.
“What’s that?” Sonny asked.
“It’s my connection to Lincoln Holt, so let’s find out how quickly he can get here.”
He faked pressing the button to make the call and brought the phone up to his ear. It was the moment that Sonny cracked under the threat of being taken to see Eddie Millar.
“Wait…, wait,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”
Billy lowered the phone from his ear.
“And what is it going to be like?” he asked.
“Give me something for the information,” Sonny said.
“I bought you a beer.”
“That’s it?” Sonny blurted out.
“Well, I’m not fucking giving you anything else,” Billy replied.
Sonny picked up the beer to take a drink and wished he’d never made the phone call. He still wasn’t sure if he was being psyched out, but didn’t want to take the chance that Billy was telling the truth. He rubbed a hand across his face and let out a frustrated grunt before reaching in his pocket to bring out a crumbled piece of paper.
“That’s Brett Collins address,” he said when he slid it along the bar.
“How do I know it’s genuine?” Billy asked when he picked it up to look at it.
“My sister knows the guy’s girlfriend, Delores Marquez,” Sonny answered. “They bumped into each other a couple of days ago and Delores let slip that she’d moved in with him. My sister passed on the details to me and I already knew the rumor that you were interested in finding out Brett Collins’ address. I thought I might get something out of it.”
“You did.”
“I was hoping for more than a beer,” Sonny complained.
“Then you’re shit out of luck,” Billy mocked him. “And for your information, I wasn’t joking about doing this for Eddie Millar.”
A cold sweat erupted on Sonny’s forehead.
“Then keep my name out of it,” he said. “I don’t want to end up in his office.”
Billy lifted the bottle to his lips and drank every last drop of the remaining beer.
“You and me both,” he said when he was finished, but knew in all likelihood that he would be visiting Eddie’s home again.
He wanted it over as quickly as possible and set the ball rolling by getting his phone out and bringing up the number that he’d used to threaten Sonny. It would get him in touch with Lincoln’s right hand man and he scowled when he made the call.
“What do you want,” the voice on the other end of the line growled.
“I need to speak with Mr. Holt,” Billy said.
“About what?”
“I have some more information for him,” Billy went on. “I can give it to you if you…”
“Hold on,” the man said.
The line went silent for a few seconds and it was Lincoln’s voice that came on the line when the conversation resumed.
“What did you find out?”
Billy explained the events of the day and hoped that it would be enough to get the enforcer off his back. Unfortunately, for him it wasn’t.
“Get to Eddie’s place,” Lincoln said. “I’ll meet you there and you can give us the full story.”
Billy wanted to let out a sigh, but held it in for fear of getting a mouthful of abuse.
“I’ll make my way over there now, Mr. Holt,” he said and the line went dead.
It was time for another cab ride and he let out a curse as he went in search of one. The onset of nerves was already making his pulse run faster, but he hoped when he walked out through the wrought iron gates later that evening, that his work for Lincoln Holt would be at an end.
Chapter 9
Matt knew the turns to make as he walked in the direction of Brigitte’s home, but he kept his wits about him and let her lead the way around them. He didn’t want her finding out he’d followed her earlier in the day and that their coming together in the mall was a deliberate act on his part. Not that there was anything sinister about it and he suspected he would reveal the truth eventually. That was if they had a future together and there was no guarantee of a relationship between them. There was absolutely no guarantee of anything although he’d already got a lot further than he expected that evening. His intention when he accidentally on purpose met her in the mall was simply for them to have a drink together, so they could get to know each other better.
When the opportunity came to walk her home, he’d jumped at it. In truth, he knew it was the right thing to do and part of the reason he offered was to make sure she got home safely. That didn’t mean he wasn’t hoping something might happen, although he didn’t plan to make a move too soon, and suspected the most he might get that evening was a kiss. That there was a connection between them was undeniable and he was sure that Brigitte was aware of it every bit as much as he was. Where that actually led to was the question he didn’t have an answer to…, at least not yet.
The small talk they shared as they walked didn’t disguise the rising tension and it continued to intensify as they got closer to their destination. Matt knew they were about to make the final turn and again made sure that Brigitte led the way around it.
“This is my street,” she said when they walked into it.
He looked around as if he was taking the place in for the first time.
“It’s a nice neighborhood,” he commented.
“Yeah,” Brigitte agreed. “It’s pretty quiet around here, but the people are nice. I’ve lived here all my life.”
“Which house is yours?” Matt asked.
“The other side of the street,” she said and looked to see if there were any vehicles approaching before crossing.
Matt followed in her footsteps and caught up as she came to a stop in front of a gate. He looked to see that the house was completely dark.
“Your father must be asleep already or out somewhere,” he said.
Brigitte looked down at her feet and wondered if she should tell the truth. Saying that her father was asleep in the house would nip things in the bud and bring the evening to an end, but she wasn’t sure she wanted it to. Matt stepped nearer to her and she was all too conscious of how close they were now standing together. She gently bit her bottom lip when she lifted her gaze and, as their eyes m
et, the world around her faded away to only the two of them.
The breath stuck in her throat as nerves churned and her hand trembled when she raised it to tuck her hair behind her ear. Matt beat her to it, with the gentle caress of his fingertips exciting her in a way she never expected. A shiver rippled down her spine and she found herself completely caught up in something that was unstoppable. She knew the kiss was coming and closed her eyes when he leaned in closer. It was as if there was a spark of electricity when their lips met with an intense longing and the touch of his hand played on her hair as the moment stretched out.
Brigitte opened her eyes when the kiss ended and stared at a man she found herself wanting. As crazy and insane as that might be, it took over her thoughts and she knew she was fighting a losing battle. She’d been ignoring her inner voice all evening to end up where she was and couldn’t stop herself going further.
“My dad isn’t inside sleeping,” she admitted. “He left on a business trip this morning and probably won’t return for a few days.”
Matt nodded his head.
“So, you have the place to yourself then?”
“Yes,” Brigitte said then dithered. What she was thinking was going to get her in trouble. She knew it and still couldn’t stop the words coming out. “You got the last round at the bar, so I guess it’s my turn. Would you like to come in for a drink?”
“You’re sure?” Matt asked.
It was nice that he asked and gave her the chance to take the offer back, but she brushed off the idea of doing so quickly and nodded her head when she opened the gate to walk inside the garden of her house. Matt followed and closed the gate before she led the way to the door.
“Hold these,” she told him and handed over the bags containing her purchases.
It enabled her to more easily search for her keys and she was all too aware that her hands were trembling even more when she brought them out and used them to open the door. She waited for Matt to step inside and closed the door before switching on the light.
“Nice place,” he commented as he looked around.
“I’d like to say that’s down to me,” she replied and laughed. “But it’s my dad that chose the décor.”
She removed her jacket to hang it up then took what Matt was carrying to let him do the same. Leading the way inside the lounge, she moved to an armchair and dropped the bags beside it.
“Make yourself comfortable,” she said and walked over to a cabinet to open it. “My dad’s not much of a beer drinker, so I can’t offer you that.” She scanned the bottles. “You can have whisky if you want.”
“That’s fine,” Matt replied.
Brigitte picked up a couple of shot glasses and a bottle of whisky then walked away from the cabinet. She saw that Matt was sitting on the sofa, so went to the armchair opposite and put the bottle and glasses down on the coffee table. After pouring the alcohol, she pushed a glass across to him and watched as he picked it up.
“I didn’t see you as a whisky drinker,” he commented.
“I have the occasional nightcap with my dad,” she replied and shrugged her shoulders. “And it’s not so polite to let a guest drink alone.”
She lifted the glass to take a sip and felt the slight burn of the whisky going down. The walk home in the fresh air did clear her head, but the sip of whisky was enough to bring on the lightheadedness she’d experienced in the bar.
“So, what did you treat yourself to?” Matt asked.
Brigitte saw him staring at the floor beside the armchair and looked down at the bags.
“A new outfit,” she told him.
“Do I get to see?” he went on with a smile.
“No,” Brigitte exclaimed and laughed. “I was going to phone my friend to go out, so I could wear it.”
“And I stopped you,” Matt said. “You can try it on now and I’ll give you a second opinion.”
She shook her head and laughed again, but he carried on asking and she finally relented. Finishing the whisky first, she got to her feet and searched for the red dress. She pulled it out and held it up against her body.
“That is short,” he teased her.
“Too short?” she asked when she glanced down at where the hem was on her thighs.
“With legs like yours, a dress can never be too short.”
Brigitte remembered the interest he showed in her on their very first encounter at the government headquarters.
“You think I have nice legs?” she asked and looked at him.
“It’s difficult to tell in those jeans,” he joked. “Maybe if you do like I said and actually put the dress on…”
Brigitte was aware of the immediate rush of her pulse and wondered if she should carry on down the road things were going. The idea of getting dressed up for Matt excited her and she was pretty sure where it would lead.
“I shouldn’t,” she said hesitantly.
“Please,” he said and smiled.
Her breathing grew heavier as the flicker of arousal came to life. She could see the way she was being looked at and liked it. Her hand brushed across her lips as she contemplated giving in to his request.
“OK,” she finally said. “Wait here and help yourself to another drink.”
She reached down to grab all the bags and moved across to the door to walk out of the lounge. Her chest heaved as she sucked in ragged breaths and she was aware that she couldn’t stop trembling. There was no doubt where things were heading, but she was unable to call a halt to it. The way Matt looked at her was a thrill and she wanted more. She was sure she would get it when he saw her in the red dress.
She glanced down the stairs when she got to the top, but knew that he wouldn’t follow her. He’d been nothing but a gentleman to her, but his reputation went before him and she knew that she was playing with fire by getting involved with him. That didn’t stop her though and she hurried in the bedroom and spilled the contents of the bags on to her bed. She was quick to strip off the clothes she was wearing and picked up the boy shorts and matching bra to put them on.
Her fingers touched on the plastic wrapper holding the stockings and she considered putting them on before deciding to pass. Picking up the dress, she slipped it over her head and hauled it down into place.
“Shit,” she let out when she remembered she’d wanted to buy a new business suit for work.
She’d forgotten all about it that afternoon and would have to carry on wearing the short, black skirt and jacket she normally put on for work. The red dress she was wearing was even shorter than that skirt and she really was putting a lot of her legs on view. She grabbed at the hem to drag it down as low as it would go, but it was still well above mid-thigh. Moving over to the wardrobe mirror, she checked her appearance and ran her fingers through her blonde hair.
She remembered standing in the restroom of the bar and thinking about being with Matt. That moment was definitely closer now and the idea of it filled her mind as the tingle of heat fluttered through her body. She let out a slow breath as she stared at herself then spun away from the mirror. Moving over to the bed, she gathered the items on it to store them out of the way. She told herself she was simply tidying up, but knew that wasn’t the only reason she did it. When she finished, she moved over to the door and ran her hands down over her hips to smooth the red material in place.
“This is nuts, Brigitte,” she told herself, but still moved out of the room to walk downstairs.
She stopped when she got to the lounge door and took a couple of deep breaths before stepping inside the room. Matt’s gaze came to her and she saw the way his eyes widened.
“You look fantastic,” he said.
“Do you really mean that?”
“Are you kidding me,” he went on and laughed. “That dress couldn’t be more perfect on you.”
“Thanks,” Brigitte said. “It’s not too short then?”
The question got her what she wanted and she saw Matt’s gaze slide down her body to the hem.
“It’s short,” he said. “But you sure have the legs to pull it off.”
“You do seem to like looking at them…, although you shouldn’t really be doing it during the meetings at the government building.”
“You noticed that,” Matt said and got to his feet.
“Difficult to miss when you make it so obvious,” she told him.
The tingling flutter rippled through her, and her breathing slowed as he moved right up to her, his eyes flickering across her body.
“Well, it’s not my fault you look like that.”
Enforcer Page 11
