by AE Jones
Talia stared at me for a moment. “Kyle is not comfortable in it, so we should look at something else.”
Doc nodded, and I went back into the dressing room. The second dress never made it out of there. No way was I wearing it anywhere in polite society. I reached for dress three, which was a deep burgundy, and slipped it on. It actually looked pretty damn good in a-way-too-short kind of way. The thin straps showed off my shoulders, and at least my bum was covered this time. But I would have to remember not to reach up for anything, or all my secrets would be exposed.
I opened the curtain, and the saleswoman grinned while she held out a pair of slinky black sandals. I slipped them on and presented myself for Doc and Talia’s inspection.
Doc smacked her hands together. “That’s the one!”
“It’s perfect, Kyle,” Talia agreed.
“That it is,” Doc agreed. “Talia, you should buy the gold one. Those two dresses will knock ’em dead, if they aren’t already.”
Talia and I changed while the clerk rang up our purchases. Then we all climbed back into Talia’s car.
“Now, on to the beauty shop,” Doc announced.
Oh, hell no! “You didn’t say anything about a beauty shop.”
Doc grinned. “Of course I didn’t. You wouldn’t have come.”
“I’m not going to any beauty shop.”
“Did I mention there’s an old-fashioned ice cream parlor across the street from it?”
“You have no shame, woman.”
Doc laughed. “And you need to sow some oats, Kyle.”
Talia said. “I agree, you need to have some fun.”
“I don’t need to sow any damn oats. What are you two, the supernatural version of Thelma and Louise?”
“Hardly,” Talia scoffed. “This car is a classic. No way would I drive it off a cliff.”
Chapter 11
I stared at my reflection in the office bathroom mirror. It was probably good I’d stuck with the smaller sundae instead of the banana split I really wanted. The burgundy dress fit like a second skin. And the rest of my actual skin wasn’t covered up very well. The dress was open to the small of my back, and the skirt hit mid-thigh, exposing my legs to my open-toed sandals. Toes sporting burgundy nail polish to match my dress and the couple of burgundy highlights added to my blond hair.
I didn’t look like me. Or rather, I didn’t look like the old me.
Talia stepped out of the bathroom stall where she had changed and straightened her dress. “Are you ready, Kyle?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I opened the door, and we walked down the short hall into the main office space where Misha and Jean Luc waited for us.
Misha whistled. “You two look amazing.”
Jean Luc nodded and reached for Talia, but she shook her head and backed up a step. “Don’t want to smell like you, my dear. I’m supposed to be on the prowl for a male, remember?”
Jean Luc growled, and she laughed lightly.
“Where’s Dalton?” I asked.
As if in answer to my question, the office door opened and Dalton walked into the room. His eyes tightened on me for a second, and then he looked away. An irrational stab of disappointment surged through me. What had I expected? He wasn’t the same person anymore. And I wasn’t either. Once this case was resolved, he would return to Chicago, and I would be here with Griffin.
Talia and I drove to the club in her Mustang while the guys followed in the surveillance van.
“Can you hear me, Misha?” I asked, checking our earbuds.
“Loud and clear, little one.”
“How about the trackers?” Talia asked.
“Yep. Two little blips are showing on my monitor. But you two are going to behave tonight so we don’t have to worry about trackers, right?”
“Absolutely,” I answered. “This is a fact-finding mission. Nothing more.”
We parked and hustled to the club entrance as fast as our heels could carry us. Springtime in Cleveland meant it was still God-awful cold and wet. And we were outside in sandals and barely-there dresses supplemented with nothing more than short, light wraps. I’d never asked if vamps could feel the cold, but I was going to freeze to death before we got inside. Hypothermia was definitely not sexy.
The bouncer looked us over, eyes locked for a long time on Talia—big shock—before nodding for us to enter. We walked into the small alcove and were greeted by a blast of heat and music. We slid off our wraps and handed them to the smiling coat room attendant.
“First time here, ladies?”
“Yes,” Talia said.
“Welcome.” She looked us over too, and already I felt like a piece of meat. “You should both fit in here quite nicely. In the main salon you’ll find a bar. There are several rooms branching off of the main salon, but please don’t enter those. They’re by invitation only.”
We walked into the main room, and it took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the low light. The bar was some kind of dark wood with a brass runner around the top. Leather high-back chairs surrounded the bar, and several clusters of sleek tables, chairs, and sofas were scattered throughout the space. It was definitely high-end, but that didn’t conceal its true purpose. Especially when the men in the room started to stare. And they weren’t subtle about it. And the more overt stares we got, the more I wanted to laugh. Whether human or supe, men had never been a subtle breed.
I followed Talia to the bar, and the bartender appeared as soon as we were seated. “What can I get you ladies?”
“I’ll have a chocolate martini.” Now, I’d never so much as sniffed a chocolate martini, but it seemed like the right thing to order as part of my undercover persona.
He reached for a glass and then turned to Talia. “I have a special red for you.”
I arched my eyebrow at her when he turned away, and she leaned closer and whispered. “Shifter.”
Which made perfect sense for a bartender. He would be able to sense what you were right away. My life would be so much easier if I could tell when someone was a supe. A lot of times I could guess, depending on the situation, but at times like this, I was clueless.
The bartender placed the drinks in front of us. My martini had a curl of chocolate on the rim. Talia’s glass looked like it held a deep, red wine, but I knew better. I reached for my purse and the bartender shook his head. “Taken care of.”
“That was fast.”
He skimmed his eyes over both of us. “Not really. You two won’t have to worry about paying for a drink tonight.”
Jean Luc growled in my earbud. Talia chuckled.
I smiled at the bartender even though what I wanted to do was go home and take a shower. I glanced sideways at Talia and murmured, “Let the games begin.”
She chuckled again and spun her chair so she was facing the room. I blew out a breath and did the same.
Thirty minutes later, my wish to take a shower had morphed into visions of being sprayed down by a biohazard team. Talia was handling the attention quite well, and I was faking it as best I could, but my face hurt from all the smiling. I hadn’t smiled this much in…well, ever.
When an enormous male, I was guessing demon, came lumbering toward us, my smile faltered slightly. He was a bigger than Misha, which was saying something. But while Misha’s demeanor was welcoming, this guy’s was frosty. With grim lips and a glare that would melt glass, he set off my scary meter.
He stopped in front of me. “Someone would like to meet you.”
I widened my eyes. “I think the proper greeting is ‘hello.’”
His mouth dropped open slightly, but he recovered his frown and continued. “My boss would like to meet you, follow me.”
“And who would that be?”
“Eli Miller. He owns the club.” He crossed his arms as if to intimidate me, but I stayed on my barstool.
I smiled sweetly at his bluster. “I’m flattered, but if your boss wants to meet me, then he should introduce himself.”
The be
hemoth gawked at me for a moment—maybe he had never heard the word “no” before—and then he turned away and lumbered back to the corner alcove.
Talia leaned over and muttered, “What are you doing?”
“I’m playing a hunch. If we’re setting up a deal with Eli, he wouldn’t expect us to be all giggly and gushing, would he?”
“I hope you’re right, McKinley.” Dalton’s voice sounded in my ear, and I closed my eyes for a second, breathing carefully.
“Can you see what he’s doing?” I asked Talia.
“He’s talking to a man in the back corner booth and gesturing toward us.”
“Does Eli look pissed?”
Talia picked up her drink and casually glanced back. “He’s frowning.”
Crap. Please let me be right. I set my martini glass down and smiled at no one in particular. The Jeopardy theme song played in my brain, counting down the minutes. I hated the Jeopardy theme song. When the buzzer sounded, would it mean I’d blown it?
Hmm hmm hmm hmm—hmm hmm hmmmmmm. Hmm hmm hmm hmm, HMMM, hm hm hm hm hm…
“Eli’s walking this way,” Talia whispered.
“I’d like to bet it all, Alex,” I mumbled.
Talia stared at me like I had two heads.
“Never mind.”
I watched him approach. It was a bar after all, and I wasn’t playing the shy debutante. He was around six feet tall, stocky, and his black hair was slicked down with too much product. Maybe he and his bouncer worked out together. Hell. His bouncer could probably bench press a Mack truck.
When he finally stopped in front of me, the other men who’d been circling us seemed to slink away at the same time. Interesting. Definitely the alpha in the room, even if he wasn’t a shifter.
He showed his teeth and ran his eyes over me. “I understand from Johnny that you weren’t inclined to join me without an introduction.”
“He’s correct.”
“What about now?”
I shrugged. “Still waiting for the intro.”
He barked out a laugh. “I’m Eli.”
“Hello, Eli. I’m Carly. And this is Shauna.”
He dipped his chin in Talia’s direction as a greeting. “You two friends?”
“Yes. We do everything together.”
Eli’s eyes flared for a moment, and then he grinned. “Good to know.”
Eli Miller was a smarmy, smarmy demon. Why was I not surprised?
“Will you both join me?” He held out his hand to me, and I took it.
Talia joined us, and we wound our way through the people until we were in the back alcove. He gestured to the corner table with burgundy leather, and Talia and I slid into the booth. Which wasn’t easy in extremely short dresses. At least for me. As usual, Talia handled it with aplomb. Of course a waitress appeared as soon as we were seated.
“Would you like something to drink?” Eli asked.
“I’ll have a white wine,” I answered.
“I’ve got a special supply of AB neg you might like, Shauna.”
“That sounds great,” Talia said.
The waitress hustled away, and Eli settled back into the booth. “I haven’t seen you in here before. Are you two new to the area?”
“I’ve lived here for a while. Shauna moved here a couple of weeks ago. I’m introducing her to everything Northeast Ohio has to offer.”
“And what made you decide to visit us?”
“We heard it’s a great place through the grapevine.” I stopped talking while the waitress placed our drinks on the table. I picked up the wine and took a sip before continuing. “We also were hoping to discuss a little business venture with you.”
Eli’s eyes tightened on my face. “I don’t deal in drugs or prostitution in my club.”
“McKinley,” Dalton growled in my ear piece, but I ignored him.
I shook my head. “Not even close to what I’m talking about.”
“What type of venture?”
“We hear you also deal in transportation.”
Eli sat up straight, and his guard took a step closer to the table. “Who told you that?”
I hesitated, and he grabbed my arm and squeezed. I managed not to gasp, but Talia flashed her fangs and hissed.
“Is she your bodyguard, too?” Eli asked.
I pulled my arm from his grasp and didn’t rub it. No way would I show him any weakness. “It pays to have your friends close.”
Eli looked pointedly at his bodyguard. “I couldn’t agree more. Who told you about me?”
“Charles Jenkins.” I held my breath waiting for his reaction.
After a moment he seemed to relax.
“What type of transportation are you looking for?”
“I have a friend who needs to travel to the demon realm.”
He nodded. “I’m only the front man for these deals. I do the negotiations. Which start at 100K.”
I didn’t blink at his number. “We have the funds.”
“When does your friend need to cross over?”
“As soon as possible.”
Eli frowned. “It takes time to set these things up. We don’t want the border patrol to get a whiff of it.”
“We’re not looking for trouble with them, either. Our business is urgent.”
“Let me see what I can do for you. But a rush job costs more.”
“Fine.” I pulled out a fake business card. “Contact me when you have an idea of when this will be a go.”
I started to slide out of the booth, but he laid his hand over mine. “How about you stick around for a while?” He rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand, and I bit my lip to stop it from curling up in disgust.
I smiled. “My rule is business before pleasure. If you’re able to pull this off for me, then I’ll pay you another visit with pleasure in mind.”
I finished sliding out of the booth, praying my butt wouldn’t stick to the leather. Because that wouldn’t be sexy, and I was trying my damndest to be confident and sexy.
Talia and I collected our wraps from the coat room, the bouncer at the door smiled at us, and we smiled right back as we stepped out onto the street.
Talia grabbed my hand and I jumped. “Slow down, Kyle. Don’t blow it now.”
I glanced back at the bouncer who looked at our joined hands and then at our butts. When he looked up at me, I winked at him, and he chuckled. I was so pulling off the sultry right now.
“Meet us at the office,” Dalton barked in my earbud.
My sultry deflated like a day-old balloon.
Chapter 12
“I’m confused, McKinley.” Dalton paced back and forth in front of the whiteboard like an irate schoolteacher.
“Confused about what?”
“Do you not understand what a fact-finding mission is?”
“Of course I do. And we found out a lot of facts on our mission.”
“We talked about this before you went under cover. You were to casually ask around, not set up a meeting with Eli.”
“How exactly was I supposed to find out if Eli was dealing in crossovers if I didn’t set up a deal with him? He wasn’t going to blurt it out during polite conversation.”
“She’s right,” Talia chimed in.
My eyes widened. I was so used to fighting the overbearing sea of testosterone that it was a nice change of pace when someone agreed with me. Apparently having another X chromosome handy was a good thing.
I reached down and pulled off my sandals. “If I’m stuck torturing myself in four-inch heels, I’m going to find out the truth and fast.”
Misha chortled. “You both did a good job.”
Jean Luc nodded, and I pointed at him while I glared at Dalton. “Even he thinks we did a good job, and he’s ridiculously overprotective of Talia.”
Jean Luc’s gaze narrowed on me. “You and Talia will not be going to the next meeting alone.”
“We won’t need to. Now that Eli knows we need to send a demon over, we can bring Misha into the picture.�
�
Talia sat at the table and pulled off her own heels. “They’re going to probably want a down payment to prove we have the cash.”
“No problem,” Misha said.
Dalton’s eyebrows climbed. “You’ve got that kind of cash available?”
I gestured at the lime green sofa. “I know the seventies décor here screams cheap, but we’re not a nickel-and-dime operation.”
“I knew that when I saw the surveillance equipment you use,” Dalton fired back.
I opened my mouth for a retort and then stopped. What was the point? Being snarky with him didn’t help, and I was committed to being the new and improved Kyle. He wasn’t the same Dalton, either, and he sure didn’t need to deal with my baggage. Hell, he didn’t even remember I had baggage—namely him.
I got up, holding my heels dangling by their straps. “I’m going to go change out of this getup, and then we can discuss next steps.”
My phone beeped as I walked down the hall, and I pulled it out. Misha had hooked up the number I gave Eli to ring on my phone, but I doubted Eli would be calling so soon. It was Griffin.
I answered the phone. “Hey.”
“Hi. Just checking on you.”
“I’m fine. We’ve finished the operation for tonight, so you can quit worrying.”
“Yes, ma’am. How did it go?”
I sat at my desk and swung side to side in my chair. “Good. We were able to set up a meet with Eli. Hopefully we can get a better handle on how this crossover process works.”
“And Dalton?”
“If he helps us solve the case, then I can live with it for now.”
Griffin paused for so long I thought I’d lost the connection. “Are you still there?”
“Promise me you won’t do anything crazy, Kyle.”
I wasn’t sure if he was referring to the case or something else, but I didn’t want to dwell on it. “I promise. I’ve got to go meet with the team to do some planning.”
“Okay, my sweet. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
I turned back to face my desk and jumped, dropping my phone. Dalton was leaning on my office doorjamb.
“Who were you talking to?”
He was eavesdropping on my conversation and had the nerve to speak to me in that tone? The new and improved Kyle McKinley had left the building. “None of your damn business.”
