Her deep cherry smile stole another breath from me, making the pit of my abdomen tighten. I concentrated on the jack-hammer in my chest and sucked in air, finding my voice. “You’re going to make every woman in that restaurant jealous because every man’s head is going to turn in your direction.” I reached for her hand and pulled her out the door. She fell against me, heating up parts of me that wouldn’t be tamed. I whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry. I’ll carry a big stick to beat them off.” An enticing floral scent, like maybe rose, mixed with spices, like cinnamon and clove, filled the air around her.
She giggled and with a gentle push against my chest, she righted herself. “I’m the one that should be carrying a stick to beat off all the swooning females that will surely want to dangle from those muscular guns of yours.” She squeezed my upper right arm. “Like a rock.”
I folded my arm around hers as we walked down the hall. When we got into the elevator, her gaze melded with mine. Again, an undeniable rush of current spiked through my torso.
Kendra leaned into me and whispered, “You look handsomely sexy with those Clark Kent glasses.”
I chuckled, slipping my arm around her narrow waist and thinking of the silly magazine article my sister-in-law, Sherry, had given me. She’d been playing matchmaker for years with me, trying to find someone for the only single brother left in the family. 101 Wily Ways to Wake-up Passion and Win a Woman. When I licked Kendra’s wrist and palm in the plane, she appeared more in shock than in passion. I chuckled again.
“What’s so funny?” Kendra tilted her face too close to mine.
Another rush gusted through my chest. “I am.” And as if on cue, the elevator doors whooshed open.
* * *
Kendra
As we strolled out of the elevator, the best description of my feeling screamed self-conscious. How Tressa had pulled every aspect of my costume together in such a short time was beyond me. Jenna directed me from the sidelines on anything Tressa missed, which wasn’t much. The gown fit against my body like a tight glove, not even room for undergarments. Thank goodness it came equipped with such things, at least on the top half. Jenna got a real laugh when I stumbled across the room in the heels. I didn’t have near enough time to practice in those five-inch stilettos, but the gain in height brought me eye-level with Derek. “Don’t walk too fast,” I said to him. “I might crash and burn, right out of these shoes.”
“That was nice of you to give him a heads up in case you take a nose-dive into the carpet.” Jenna giggled a bit too long over her funny, and then said, “And might I add, you and Derek are making way too many googly-eyes at each other. Although, you’re both as smoking hot as an active volcano ready to explode. Good grief, you’re making me sweat!”
Derek laughed, showing his even white teeth and the dimple on the left side of his mouth. I thought it was from what Jenna said, which threw me off for a moment. Then his lips nipped the skin close to my ear, and he whispered, “We’ll keep it at a pleasurable pace.”
His warm breath did things to me, so did his arm as it tightened around me when we reached the restaurant entrance.
The hostess smiled and quickened her pace to us, two leather-bound menus in hand. “Will there only be the two of you tonight?”
“I hate being invisible,” Jenna quipped. She’d worn a gray and fluorescent green name-brand work out clothes, and now, unexpectedly, she looked like a stunning model in a shimmering green dress, similar to what I wore.
I wanted to ask her how she’d changed without me noticing, but that would have to wait.
“We are meeting a gentleman, Mr. Gimbel,” Derek said.
“Oh, yes. He is already seated and expecting you. Right this way.” The hostess dropped the menus on the entrance podium and led us to a secluded section, a linen-covered table close to a corner. Odd, no menus for a dinner meeting.
Mr. Gimbel, a balding man somewhere in his fifties, wore a pair of glasses similar to Derek’s and looked up as we approached. “Mr. Knight.” He stood and shook Derek’s hand. “And who is this striking beauty on your arm?”
Jenna grinned at me. She stood behind Mr. Gimbel. “You look like a Goddess, Sparky.”
My face heated.
Then Derek introduced me, “This is Kendra Spark, a consultant working with us.”
“Please sit and let’s enjoy a glass of wine.” He waved his arm toward the chairs and then raised his glass of white wine.
“I miss wine.” Jenna paced around the table, pouting. She’d stuck with me ever since she’d escaped from her locked-down safe place. Neither of us sure of what might happen if she attempted to go back there.
Derek slid out the chair across from Gimbel for me, and then he settled in the seat nearest Gimbel. We both took a sip from the wine-filled fine crystal stem-ware in front of us.
“I want you to realize we’ve had our agent in play for almost two years.” Gimbel got right to business as he tucked his eyeglasses inside his jacket. “Nothing can compromise that position.”
Derek nodded and leaned closer to Gimbel. “We have a human trafficking situation, young teen girls, and we have reason to believe Merretti is involved.”
“There may or may not be information available with regard to that situation. I’m not at liberty to say, but the one person that will is waiting for you in room 318. Your pictures were just sent there for recognition verification.”
I glanced around to see if anyone held a cell phone. No one did. Luke sat alone a few tables over. I almost didn’t recognize him with his hair slicked back.
Gimbel sipped his wine again then raised the glass toward us. “Cheers. Dinner will be served in the hotel room.”
“That ought to be interesting,” Jenna said.
Glad she will be another set of ears in our interview with Tory.
Derek and I raised our glasses then took another sip also. He pushed away from the table and helped me from my chair. “We appreciate this.”
“I believe you should think of this more like owing the WPD one.” Gimbel smiled and took another drink. “I have one more request before you go. No active surveillance devices allowed in the hotel room.”
“Understood.” Derek nodded. He smiled at Luke as we passed his table on the way out of the restaurant. Ray sat at the bar and tilted his head toward us. Derek guided me to the restrooms.
“Go in there and take off your devices then hand them to me when you come out.” He turned back toward Ray and nodded for him to come over. “I’m going to leave this stuff with Ray.”
I went into the bathroom stall and pulled out the earpiece and unpinned my brooch camera. Derek waited right outside the door. I handed him the devices as I passed.
“Wait for me by the hostess station,” he whispered and then went into the Men’s room.
I assumed that must be where he would make the hand-off to Ray. This all seemed so cloak and dagger to me.
“Do you hear the Mission Impossible theme song playing in the background?” Jenna stood beside me and chuckled. Apparently, she felt the same way I did about all the secret stuff going on.
Derek met me and we left. As soon as the elevator doors opened we stepped inside. He pressed the button and the doors whooshed closed before anyone else entered.
“I’d say Mr. Knight wants you all to himself, Miss Sparky.” Jenna’s brows waggled up and down.
I turned my head, ignoring her. “How did Gimbel get pictures of us?” I couldn’t stop thinking of the extravagant surveillance he must have set up inside the restaurant.
Derek pulled his glasses off. “With these.” He held them close to my eyes. Techy symbols flashed across the lenses, similar to a computer program. “Did you notice him tuck them into his pocket?”
“I did.”
“Very observant. He had just taken our pictures and then put his camera away.” His smile sent a plume of flutters into my middle as he also tucked his glasses into his pocket.
I gasped and pulled myself back to the c
onversation. “So, super-spy technology is actually like playing with James Bond toys.”
“James Bond, you say.” He drew me to him and crushed his lips to mine.
“Holy-hotness!” Jenna’s ad-lib registered.
But, it made no difference in my response to Derek. My breath stuttered as my whole world synced into his. A solid man-body conforming to mine and visa-versa. I wanted to wrap my legs around his waist, but the dress cocooned my movements. Thank goodness, because DING, the elevator doors slid open on the third floor. A couple entered.
Breathless, shaky, and enthralled at the same time, I broke away from Derek. My consistent response to him was as if I possessed no proprieties, no boundaries. According to my romance book characters, I’m identified as a wanton slut, anyway, that’s how I see myself.
Derek grabbed my hand, politely excused us to the new passengers, and we exited. Once the doors closed and our heartbeats had a moment to relax, we hurried as fast as the stilettoes allowed me through the hallway. Jenna moved along beside us in silence.
Derek knocked on the door of 318.
Tory opened it. “The room is clean of any surveillance devices. You must remove anything of that nature before entering.”
“We’ve already done that.”
She moved away from the entryway to let us in.
“Wow, she looks a lot different in the light of day,” Jenna said.
Tory’s blonde hair was pulled back into a clip; her tan face scrubbed clean of make-up. She wore ragged blue jeans and a thin gray hoody, looking nothing like the woman we saw with Vinny at the Midnight Mix nightclub.
“Your timing is impeccable. Hope you like Cheerwine Barbeque Chicken.” She directed us to a table set for three.
The scent of the food made my stomach growl in hunger.
“I’m Tory, aka Shay Saunders, Vinny’s main squeeze. And you’re Derek and Kendra, right?”
Derek nodded.
“Were you at Midnight Mix last week?” she asked, looking at Derek.
“Yes, but you weren’t there very long.” Derek slid out my chair and then sat beside me. “Actually, neither were we.” He glanced my way, then back to Tory.
“Yeah, something spooked Vinny. He sent me back to my suite at the hotel. That’s what he does with me if he has any sort of business or meetings. He’s exceptionally private, shares nothing, trusts only a select few, and so far, after two years, I’m still not one of those people.” She uncovered her dinner and offered the bottle of wine to Derek.
He filled our glasses.
“I’m lucky to get out on my own without a tail. There’s always someone following me around. Tonight, I managed to lose him and my phone.”
I uncovered my plate. Everything looked delicious, but the talk of Vinny swept my appetite clean away. Though, I did partake in the wine.
Jenna stood by the window, staring out at the view. “Vinny is the worst kind of danger because he adheres to caution and knows how to cover his tracks. He also has a lot of connections,” she said as if talking to the window.
My heart cringed at what Jenna’s ghost-life must be like. Her limitations of engaging in life with everyone she loved was difficult to fathom. Grandma Ellie made it appear so easy, but then she had an agenda with teaching me about my ability. Jenna had a skill-set of analyzing criminals. We needed to remember her abilities were required for the team.
“Are you aware of human trafficking in this area? Young teen girls to be more specific.” Derek set his fork down after a few bites and tossed his napkin on the table.
“To be honest, Vinny doesn’t pillow-talk. I’m not allowed near his study, which is always locked unless occupied by him. And he has never let me board either of the Midnight Bliss Cruise Liners. A few agents have gained admission, but not one of them have found anything other than gambling, drinking, and dancing. There are a couple levels, so it’s difficult to keep an accurate headcount, plus my understanding is a concierge directs traffic as they board. There are a couple doorways behind his station, but none of the agents have been able to detect where the doors lead. It’s a heavily guarded area.”
“That sounds like a place to start. Because the bodies of a couple girls have been found along the shoreline, there’s a good possibility they originated on a boat. Would you agree?” Derek’s jaw tensed as he stared at Tory.
Her gaze dropped to her plate and she shook her head. “The thing is, I know Vinny is somehow involved with human trafficking, drugs, and a number of killings, but to find evidence has been impossible. If anyone gets close to…,” she lifted her head, eyes shining with moisture. “Let’s just say, if he even suspects a person knows anything that might drag him down, they end up dead. Or, they will accept prison time over giving up any dirt on Vinny. He’s a regular bully and so are all the men that work for him.”
Jenna moved to my side, studying Tory’s face. “She has a personal connection to Vinny, Sparky. This isn’t just about the undercover job to her.”
“What’s your story with him, Tory?” I asked because I knew Jenna was right on this. Derek snapped his head around in my direction and gave me a curious look. I continued, “Did you lose someone because of him?”
“Excellent, Sparky.” Jenna nodded, and then watched Tory.
Tory’s lids closed for a beat, and then she said, “I lost my younger sister to that prick.”
Chapter Seven
Kendra
“Your meeting with Tory didn’t last very long,” Tressa said as soon as Derek and I walked into the hotel room. She sat at the table, laptop in front of her and a couple monitors spread across each side. “Glad you’re here. There’s something I think you should see. I hacked into a couple monitors in the restaurant.”
Jenna stood next to Tressa before Derek strode over. I removed the five-inch killer shoes and then followed. A number of things on the table surrounded her, like a stack of cell phones, ear coms, cameras, notebooks, other techy things I didn’t understand.
“What’s he doing here?” Tressa asked, pointing at one of the monitors.
“Yes, exactly my question.” Jenna shook her head. “Sparky, there’s no good reason for him to be here the same night Gimbel and Tory are here. Something stinks. Luke or Ray should be back down there.”
Vinny sat in a low-lighted area at a small round table enjoying a drink with a gorgeous brunette in the hotel restaurant. They leaned into each other and conversed like a couple in love.
“Gimbel left about half an hour ago and then Vinny shows up. The woman comes to the table minutes after him, like she arrived separately.” Tressa clicked a few keys. “I’ve got facial recognition software working on her.”
Jenna stared at the screen. “She’s dressed to the nine’s and she’s also wearing a diamond encased wedding ring with monster-sized rocks. Look at her.”
“That doesn’t make me feel very secure about Tory being here, or the fact that Gimbel was here earlier,” Derek said. “Seems like too much of a coincidence to be discredited as anything other than intentional.” Derek sighed, pinching his lips together. He looked at me, and then said to Tressa, “Get Ray and Luke back in the restaurant with activated eyes and ears. They may be in their room. I’m going to let Tory know that Vince is here.”
“That woman he’s with is wearing a substantial diamond-studded wedding band on her left finger. Whoever she is, she’s married and has money,” I relayed Jenna’s observation.
“I can text Gimbel,” Tressa volunteered.
The monitor displayed Vinny lifting the woman’s chin as he laid a showy kiss on her lips.
“No, a message might take too long getting to Tory. She didn’t bring her phone and I don’t think they’d call her room phone. I’ll be right back.” Derek hurried out the door.
Jenna morphed through the ceiling as Tory’s room was directly above ours. An uncomfortable feeling of danger slid down my spine and produced goose bumps skidding over my arms.
Tressa studied me, making me feel ev
en more uncomfortable. “Is everything okay between you and Derek?”
“What do you mean?” I wasn’t sure why she’d ask.
“I didn’t say anything earlier, but I questioned his inappropriateness…having a meeting with you in the bedroom and all.” Her cheeks flushed as she turned her attention back to the monitor. “I just wanted to make sure you are okay with his behavior.”
Jenna plopped to the floor from the ceiling between Tressa and I. “Tory is gone and the inside of her room looks like a bomb went off.”
Fear shot through me like a steady stream of broken glass. Derek.
“Tressa, text Derek and let him know that Tory is no longer in the room and he needs to get back here right away.” I did my best to keep my voice even.
She looked at me like I’d lost my mind. And I was very much in the process of doing just that.
“Tressa, trust me. Call or text Derek to get back here. Tory won’t be in that room.”
She picked up one of the phones on the table. “This is Derek’s cell. He doesn’t have a phone with him. He gave it to Ray earlier.”
* * *
Derek
My gut told me that Tory was in imminent danger. I took the stairway rather than be held up by the elevator. Only a couple minutes getting to the room, I listened through her door. No sound. I knocked. Nothing. The elevator doors dinged and opened. Kendra? She ran barefoot down the hallway, waving her arms for me to stop.
“She’s not there.” Her words came out on pants of breath, either from running or anxiety, or maybe both.
I recalled the fit of hysterical laughter she fell into a couple of times during some pretty edgy moments during our last case. Her way of dealing with highly intense emotional events. The last thing we needed right now.
After a short pause that seemed to steady her breathing, she said, “Jenna has already morphed through the ceiling and looked around. Tory’s room is turned upside down and she’s gone. Jenna says it’s hard to tell if there was a struggle. Tory could have left before the room got totaled.” Kendra looked to my left.
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