He started laughing and couldn’t stop. He laughed so loud, Heather and another agent looked in.
“Jack, this isn’t funny. If I get fat, I won’t have any jeans to wear.”
For some reason, he thought that was funnier than getting fat.
“If I don’t have jeans to wear, I’m going to have to run around pantless. How would you like that?”
“Really? I’d love it. Your jeans are so tight, a guy would have to slice them off you.”
“Did I just hear you correctly?”
“Yes.” He wanted the last word. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Grinning, Jack headed to the conference room to resume the afternoon briefing. The other agents filed in after him.
“Can you share with us what was so funny?” asked Heather. In situations like this, Heather was the unofficial spokesperson.
Jack grinned and rubbed his jaw. “Sure. Cassie’s worried she’s getting fat. She couldn’t zip up her jeans this morning.”
“That’s not funny, that’s serious,” said Heather.
The guys hid their smiles.
Cassie laughed and did a happy dance around the condo. “Gotcha, gotcha,” she sang. Her goal that morning had been to make Jack laugh, and she did. From what she could tell, his life was all work and no play. She barely kept a straight tone over the ludicrous concerns of her jeans. True, they didn’t zip up easily, but after last night, her past vain lifestyle was silly, and she’d never complain about stupid stuff again, or so she hoped.
Her day had been spent at the main branch of the Seattle Public Library on the computer. She had wanted to check her offshore account balance, but not from Jack’s condo. After reading everything about the mob, she had been concerned they’d track her from it. Cassie verified the rules and regulations about Cayman banking and felt confident they couldn’t trace her easily. Nothing was foolproof, but some things took longer.
Next, she searched for information about Sergei and found the same blurb and picture in the Los Angeles Times with his arm around Sashay. Something bothered her about the whole Sashay thing, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Besides being totally artless, in her opinion, there was something more attached to it all. But what? Cassie did a few more Internet searches, but she didn’t even know the woman’s last name.
Just before she left the library, Cassie checked her e-mail one last time to see if a report had come back from the lab. They had said within twenty-four hours, and sure enough, they’d sent the results. Everything had come back negative. She said a quick thank you prayer and got ready to log-off when a new message appeared from a Lady O. Her heart skipped a beat before she opened the e-mail. As silly as it was, she and Alexa had had code names from college. Alexa was Lady Olivia and she was Lady Cecily. Her message was brief: call me. Cassie refused to read into those two little words. She decided she would when she got back to the condo.
Instead of spending money on a manicure, she’d picked up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and salad. Jack had been generous in feeding her, and it was time to reciprocate. Cassie had just put the groceries on the counter when he’d called.
She hung up from talking to Jack and wondered what the favor was. She checked the time and decided if she were going to call Alexa, she needed to do it now before she picked up her girls from school.
When she answered, Cassie said in a British accent, “This is Lady Cecily.”
After a long pause, Alexa replied, mimicking her. “Oh, Lady Cecily, I am so glad you called. Have you seen that old movie, The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming? I was hoping to see it with you this morning, but I have no money. My dear husband accused me of taking his. All of his. Very angry.”
“Oh…oh, dear.” A sick feeling settled in Cassie’s stomach.
“He was quite mean about the whole thing, too.”
“I see.”
“Yes, I thought so. Thank you for ringing. Perhaps we can do lunch? Soon?”
“I’m still traveling about, but soon. I’ll call. Bye now.” Cassie shut off her phone. Were people listening in? Obviously, Alexa thought it possible.
No longer feeling like a happy dance, Cassie closed her eyes and thought about Alexa’s message. For Sergei to approach Alexa, it meant he was getting desperate. That money belonged to somebody else, and they were putting the heat on him. Part of her wanted to transfer all the money back in and then out again, dangling every red banking flag out there, turn up the heat and burn his balls, but then he’d know she’d talked to Alexa, putting her at risk.
She might not be able to stick it to Sergei, but she sure could do her part tonight in bringing down the Russian front. “Don’t mess with Katerina, darling.”
With time on her hands waiting for her nails to dry, Cassie carefully opened the laptop. Jack had said all the I.C.E. cases were on their website. Using the eraser end of a pencil, she tapped away on the keyboard and brought up the contraband section. Every imaginable way possible was used to try and smuggle in illegal everything, even stolen art from World War II. Which brought her back to Sashay’s art and Sergei. One time, she’d made the mistake of telling Sergei she thought he was wasting his money on her art. He sneered and then laughed, like there was some big secret. On top of that, she was not allowed to touch the statues or dust them. Then he banned her from his office, which was fine with her. On the surface, her art appeared innocent, but now she wasn’t so sure.
With her nails completely dry, it was time for the next stage of her disguise. She had just over an hour to transform into Katerina. What will Katerina do when he returns home? After that kiss this morning, only Katerina knew.
Chapter Twenty-Six
"Cass?”
“I’m back here, Jack, finishing up.”
Still in yoga shorts and Jack’s flannel shirt, Cassie did not feel like a Katerina yet. She examined her appearance and liked the results. Her eyes were heavily made up with dark colors, giving her a sultry look, finishing off with bright red nails. She came out of the bathroom, nearly knocking into him.
He stepped back, his eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You’re not dressed.”
“No. I thought we would eat first. I don’t want to spill anything on my clothes.”
“Oh, right. So, what did you pick out for me to wear?”
Cassie pointed to the bed where she’d laid out a dark blue, almost black, suit, a dress shirt one shade lighter than the suit, and black loafers.
“Where’s my tie?”
“You’re not wearing one.”
“I’m not?”
“No. You’re going for an informal dressy look. By the way, was Heather able to get any items off my list?”
“She brought in two big shopping bags. I left them in the office. When we get there, you can go through them.”
“You get dressed, I’ll get dinner ready, and after we eat, then I’ll finish up.”
Cassie headed to the kitchen, smiling. Someone was unhappy when he got home, she could tell by his pouty demeanor.
To say he wasn’t disappointed was putting it mildly. He’d hoped Cassie would give a repeat performance from last night instead of being all business-like. Where the hell did that come from? He’d envisioned her moving around in that dress and brushing up against him.
Within five minutes, he was in and out of the shower. Jack had decided earlier he would not be packing a gun into the nightclub, but he wouldn’t be going in weaponless either. Jack pulled his weapons box off the top shelf in his closet and chose two thin, deadly knives. Even though he hadn’t been a SEAL for a while, this was how he had been trained. Jack adjusted the knives just above his ankles in his inner calf. Specialized socks held the blades in place. He finished dressing and checked his image in the mirror. No one would detect the knives.
Cassie sm
iled when she saw him. He thought she looked cute in his kitchen with his flannel shirt hanging down passed her butt. Was she naked underneath, or did she have on cute little panties? More than anything, he wanted to grab her and find out.
Two place settings of chicken and salad were set on the counter. That made sense after complaining about her jeans. Jack took his place at the counter, and she joined him. During dinner, he briefed her on the night and what to expect. He sensed a change in her but wasn’t sure what. When they finished eating, Cassie cleaned up, and then excused herself. Somehow she’d taken control.
In less time than he expected, Cassie emerged from the bedroom and paused. Her short, tight, shimmering dress with her tall heels had him at attention. He sucked in his breath and boldly stared. At the moment, she had him by the balls and didn’t know it. He wanted to keep it that way. If she was aware of how she affected him, she didn’t show it.
Slowly she turned, displaying the V back and the tightness around her hips, and then she shook her mass of hair and looked over her shoulder at him. Holy hell, she made him so hot. Did she not know the picture she painted? For a second, she bit her lip, and Jack recognized the sign. All she wanted was his approval.
“You look stunning.”
She offered him a shy smile. “Thanks.”
They listened to the language lessons on the ride to his office. He was amused at her determination to get his accent correct. Actually, he had it down pretty good, but he enjoyed teasing her. Jack pulled into the parking lot of I.C.E. and said, “Interesting.”
“What is?”
“There are a lot of cars here tonight.”
He came around and opened her door and helped her out. Holding her hand, he escorted Cassie into the building and down the hall to Criminal Investigations where he swiped the door lock with his identification. He suspected someone had been on lookout duty. The majority of the desks had agents sitting at them, purposely looking busy.
“Don’t you guys have something better to do on a Friday night?” asked Jack loudly.
Paperwork, getting caught up, behind were just some of the comments coming back. Heather waved from his office door, held up the bags, and pointed across the room.
“Let me take your coat. It looks like Heather is ready.”
Jack noticed all the men watched Cassie cross the room, and when they saw the back of her dress, he saw a few jaws drop. The room had gone silent. Not until Cassie and Heather were out of sight did the chatter pick up. He knew what the guys were thinking, because he was thinking it too.
Bill, who was going to be in the van with Heather, gave him the thumbs up. “The van is ready to go. We got Seattle City Light to put up a couple of barriers slightly down the street by a manhole. No one should question us.”
“Are Seattle Police and FBI out at the van now?”
“Yes. When Heather finishes up, we’ll head out.”
Jack and the agents covered the details and any scenarios that could develop. Other than being identified as Feds and firmly escorted out, Jack figured the evening should be routine.
Once again, silence blanketed the room. Jack glanced up. Heather and Cassie had returned.
“Holy shit,” he muttered, but also heard it from the guys.
Wearing a platinum blond shoulder length wig, Cassie strode forward. Heather walked several steps behind, grinning. Cassie stopped in front of Jack and tossed her head, letting the hair settle back in place. “Call me Katerina.” Her eyes widened, then smoldered, her red lips pouted. Finally, she grinned mischievously, and he laughed.
“So what do you think, boss?” Heather asked.
“Ah, wow.”
“I think so too. Cassie looks unbelievable.” Heather pointed to the wrist full of bracelets that took up about four inches on Cassie’s right hand. “That’s our live camera feed. Her microphone is just inside the top of her dress, and she will be wearing an earpiece. You won’t. I need her coat to attach another camera and microphone, and then you’re next.” When she finished, Heather reached into the shopping bag and pulled out a case. “We have business cards for you just in case anyone asks. Here’s your money clip, no wallet. I need you to find a spot for your mike and another for a camera.”
Jack took a look at the minute equipment. He slipped the microphone wire inside the outside pocket, and the pen size tip of a camera poked through the lapel button hole. Heather double checked it.
“Your live feed will be coming out of this watch and hopefully the lapel.” She held up a thick gold banded men’s watch. His eyes shot up at the brand, and he slipped it on. His brows shot up when he counted out the money.
“Seven hundred seems like a lot.”
“A thousand was too much, and anything less than five hundred didn’t seem right. That’s what Cassie said.”
“Where’s the business card?”
She handed him a slender case, and he pulled one out.
“Andrei Sokolov?”
“Sokolov means falcon. So your code names are The Falcon and Chickadee.”
“Code names?”
“I just thought it gave it more pizazz. You are going undercover.”
He shook his head. “Whatever. Whose address is this anyway?”
“I went online and found a really great place in Newport Beach who had a bunch of Sokolovs living there. I earthed it, and it looks hot. That’s where you’re from, and Cassie is your wife.”
Cassie grinned and dangled her left hand so Jack could see the enormous ring.
“So you picked my last name because of its meaning? Just out of curiosity, what does Koslov mean?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll look it up on my list.” Heather whipped out her smart phone.
He lifted Cassie’s left hand up to his eye level and took a close look at the ring, and then looked into her eyes. They smoldered. She winked. This was going to be one interesting night.
“Male goat,” Heather announced.
A quick smile passed between them.
“That sounds about right,” he said.
Heather handed Jack a clipboard with documents for him to sign. He leafed through the paperwork. “Heather, where did you get this jewelry? Is it covered for loss? That ring on Cassie’s hand has a value of ten grand. Accounts payable will have my butt if anything happens.” He handed her back the clipboard with everything signed.
“Ethan’s uncle has a jewelry store. The uncle said if you lose it, he’d be grateful. He has it well insured and hasn’t been able to sell it.”
“That’s the last thing I want to hear. Where is Ethan anyway?” Jack glanced around.
“That’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” Heather motioned with her head toward Jack’s office. He followed her in and waited. “The guys don’t want to miss out on the fun, and they were hoping you’d let Ethan run the live feed to the big screen in the conference room. They have a point in that all their eyes can see stuff that we might miss in the van. We’ll have four cameras going.”
“Is that why they’re all here?”
“That and they wanted to see your…girlfriend.”
He shook his head and let out a deep breath. Having Cassie go undercover was one thing, but being put on display was another.
“You know they’re right. If you’re not fingered at the door, I’m thinking you and Cassie can pull it off. This is our one chance. They’ll see things we’ll probably miss.”
He knew Heather was correct. “Ask Cassie to come in.” Heather started out the door and Jack said, “If she says no, I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
She nodded.
“And, I don’t want to find out later that Ethan ran a high-jacked feed.”
Cassie stepped in and Jack reached for her hand, pulling her away from the door. �
��Something’s come up, and I have to admit, I hadn’t thought of it. Our tech guy Ethan can run a feed into the big screen here, where the guys can watch what’s happening. They all can be spotters. But, if you feel awkward about the agents watching, I’ll nix it. I don’t want to do something that makes you uncomfortable.”
“Do you think it will help?”
He nodded. “I do.” Jack held his breath.
She reached up and touched his face and smiled. “Jack, this is an acting job. That will be Katerina Sokolov and not me. As long as I’m with you and safe, I don’t care who watches, except if I have to use the toilet.” She grinned.
He brushed the hair away from her face and leaned in quickly, kissing her on her nose. “Thanks.”
She pouted, and he smiled.
“Hey, I don’t want to ruin those luscious lips, my little chickadee.”
With his arm around her, they exited his office, and he signaled to Heather. “Take Cassie out to the van and introduce her. Make sure everything is working.” He waited until they left. “Okay, listen up.” Jack waited until he had everyone’s attention. “If I hear of one lewd comment being made about Cassie or any gossip, your asses are in the slammer. You got that?” He waited a few seconds before continuing. “I appreciate your volunteerism for tonight. Every detail will be important from the outside on in. No one has been able to get inside, not even the FBI, so this might be the one and only chance. It might be a long night. Pizzas are on me. I suspect Ethan already has the feed ready to go.”
He saw the grins. Yeah, it was ready.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jack pulled into the parking garage of the Hilton Hotel on 6th Avenue. The plan was to take a cab to the nightclub, giving the appearance of staying at the hotel. His agents headed to the SODO district—south of downtown, where Seattle City Light had a van parked out on the street just down from the club. It would not be unusual for another van to join them.
Deep Into The Night (Hartz Island Series) Page 17
