The self-serving voice at the other end of the phone line belonged to Chad Williams.
Keri had put the conversation on speakerphone so her partner, Steve Alston, could listen in and help evaluate the call. The cramped conference room, which was being used as work s.p.a.ce for the entire team, remained surprisingly quiet as the recording continued.
"I"ve already told you that I"ll make it worth your time, Chad."
Keri tried to conceal her growing impatience with the petty thief turned informant. "So what"s the deal?"
It had taken a few days to track Chad down. Then Keri had gone through the process of proving him reliable with doc.u.mented drug buys from two of Davis"s street dealers. Now it was nally time to set up the meet between Davis and Keri. If Chad backed out, she"d look like the new kid with a good game but no substance. This was her opportunity to impress the team and Alex all at once.
Once again, the image of Helen Callahan sprawled across the conference room table made p.r.i.c.kly-sick heat gather in the pit of her stomach. Keri wished she could stop thinking about it, but the strong current between Alex and Helen had been palpable and that bothered her. She wondered about the nature of their connection. Obviously they weren"t just professional colleagues. She"d hardly seen Alex since that day and had a feeling the lieutenant was avoiding her. That bothered her as well, and it made her nervous. Alex wouldn"t want the entire division to hear about that indiscretion. What would she be willing to do to keep it quiet?
* 95 *
Keri had thought about saying something but decided the best idea was to keep her head down. It would soon be clear that she knew how to keep her mouth shut, since there would be no gossip. Holding back a sigh, she returned her attention to Chad"s monotone.
"Sonny is having a party at his place soon. You know, a little blow, some broads. He told me to drop by and check out the action to see if I"m interested in hooking up with his crew."
How could anyone trust this man, with his schoolboy good looks and morals of a snake? Sad to think her whole career could depend on a sc.u.mbag like Chad Williams. But most drug dealers weren"t arrested hanging out with society"s elite. She had to get down and dirty for the big payoff.
"Soon doesn"t cut it, Chad. I want speci cs. That"s the only way you get paid. We need to get this ball rolling."
Steve gave her a quick nod of encouragement. He already knew her well enough to know this call wasn"t just important to the case but also to her. She didn"t bother to pretend that she had nothing to prove.
She liked Steve and felt safe with him.
"Chad, I need to make contact now. There"s got to be a way. Where does he hang out?" Keri prodded Chad"s drug-fried brain to come up with other options.
"You might have something there. He goes to a bar called Sh.e.l.ly"s over on Murray Street. I heard he"ll be there tonight. We could accidentally b.u.mp into him. How"s that?"
"Keep it in your pants. Go by and see if he"s there. If he is, page me and I"ll come over." Keri got the thumbs-up from Steve.
"Okay, that"ll work, but don"t bring no skin-headed, cop-looking dude with you. Bring another chick or something."
"You just take care of your end and I"ll do the rest." Keri hung up and looked at Steve. "What"d you think?"
He stroked his scraggly brindle beard pensively between his thumb and fore nger, a mannerism that went along with the long-haired biker look he"d adopted for his cover. "I think we need to nd you a female partner for the night."
They both glanced toward Paige, the quiet, honey blond techie, and Renee, the talkative African American, and couldn"t see either of them partnering with her for this job.
* 96 *
Steve shook his head. "If we decide to wire you, Paige"ll be monitoring. Renee can"t go and Sergeant Price popped him that time. I think he"ll remember her."
"The lieutenant can do it." Beth"s voice came from the other side of the room.
Keri hadn"t noticed her come in. Without thinking, she said, "What?"
"She"s been in Vice/Narcotics four years and lls in all the time,"
Beth said. "Right, Steve?"
"You"re right, Sarge. Why didn"t I think of it? She"d be perfect."
"Then it"s settled." Beth ashed that sideways it"ll-make-you-a-better-person grin Keri had come to know during their few days together.
Her pulse kicked up at the thought of spending time alone with Alex. "Will I be wired?"
"No, this is just an introduction," Beth said. "You"ll have to wear something a little s.e.xier, and you won"t be armed. This is the honey to lure the little pervert into our trap."
"Sh.e.l.ly"s?" Keri had heard the name but wasn"t sure of the clientele or how upscale it was. If she was going to blend in, she needed the right look. "What kind of place is it?"
Steve burst out laughing with the rest of the team. "Sh.e.l.ly"s is sort of like a wi- coffee shop. You can hook up with anyone there, gays, straights, trans, whatever your little heart desires."
The surprise must"ve been obvious on Keri"s face because the guys continued to laugh.
"What"s the matter? Never played for the pink team before?" Rick Jones teased. The Caldwell PD detective was in his thirties with Andy Grif th looks. His affable personality had already made him a favorite on the team.
"Yeah," Renee joined in, "I hear it"s kinda like going black. Once you been there, you never go back."
Mike Fields, the African American of cer from Layton PD, looked confused. "What does that mean?"
Renee elbowed him. "I"ll explain it later, pretty boy."
"You"re not supposed to act gay, just a little bi," Beth pointed out.
"We want Davis to think he"s got a shot at you, but if he hangs out in * 97 *
this place maybe he likes to watch girl on girl, too. Most straight guys do." Beth paused. "You all right?"
Keri didn"t know how to answer. Beth"s plan was just sinking in.
She was supposed to act "a little bi" with Alex. Yeah, that was going to be a challenge. Her stomach reacted with the same queasiness she felt every time she thought about that woman. Trying to hide her anxiety with humor, she muttered, "Yeah, I just didn"t realize I"d be losing my virginity twice tonight-my first undercover job and my first time in a swingers" bar."
Everyone reacted the way she hoped, with hoots of laughter. Steve slapped her on the back good-naturedly. "You"ll do great. Who"s going to tell the lieutenant she needs to look hot and put on a oor show?"
"Lucky me," Beth said, chuckling.
Keri kept her head down. Hot color had drenched her cheeks and neck. "What kind of backup will we have?"
"We"ll use the two vans for surveillance so we can set up and not be seen. I"ll give you the rest of the details at the brie ng later, after I"ve spoken with the lieutenant."
"Hey, good luck with that," Steve called as she strolled away.
v "I"m doing what?" Alex raised her head from the surveillance reports she was reading. "It"s not that I mind pitching in, but can"t one of the others handle this?" She knew the real reason for her reluctance, and it had nothing to do with operations.
"n.o.body else can do it, Alex. We need to make contact as soon as possible and this is our first real chance. It sounds like this sc.u.mbag likes to frequent alternative bars and watch women together. He"s probably dealing out of there, too."
Alex groaned inwardly. It was dif cult enough to work with Keri every day, keeping her at arm"s length and ghting their growing attraction. But the reality of being alone with her in an environment lled with liquor, s.e.xy lighting, soft music, and bodies in all stages of vertical lovemaking raised too many red ags.
Beth sensed her hesitation. "It"s a one-time thing. Once the intro"s made, you"re out. I"m sorry to spring this on you, but I had to improvise."
* 98 *
She bit her tongue to keep from smiling. She knew Alex wouldn"t have any tactical objections to the a.s.signment. She"d worked undercover hundreds of times before. So her anxiety had to be about Keri. Beth played her nal card. "She"s probably feeling a little overwhelmed right now. It"s her first UC a.s.signment. She"ll be nervous and we can"t afford to have her blow this. I need you there to keep her on track and so does the team. This could be your chance to try out that mentoring thing you talked about."
"All right, enough already. I"ll do it, but just this once. Now get out."
"You"re a trooper, boss. We"re meeting back here at twenty-one hundred hours." Beth blew an air kiss and ducked out the door just as Alex playfully hurled a small statute book across the room at her.
v Keri"s entire wardrobe lay strewn across the bed as she surveyed her choice of out ts for the night. She had no idea what to wear. The faded jeans with threadbare patches beside the crotch and on both cheeks of her a.s.s could possibly be considered s.e.xy. She pulled them on along with a white Lycra T-shirt that stretched tightly across her chest and accented her small, athletic b.r.e.a.s.t.s. It stopped well above her navel, exposing several inches of tanned esh between the shirt and the waist of the low-cut jeans. She added a short jeans jacket for the nishing touch and walked into the living room.
"Whoa, look out, druggies, here she comes." Kevin whistled and threw a pillow at her.
Keri snapped it from the air and threw it back. "Where"s your ball and chain tonight, bro? Do you have a pa.s.s to be out by yourself?"
The two of them often joked that they used to bicker in utero.
She"d never blamed her twin for her abuse. It wasn"t his fault she was born female and their father saw her as a punching bag, but she knew Kevin felt guilty for not intervening.
From the worn sofa, her father held her mother"s hand and glared his disapproval. "Are you really going out like that?"
"I"m on a.s.signment, Dad. Don"t worry, I"ll be with Lieutenant Troy."
* 99 *
Bobby Morgan"s eyebrows lifted, layering deep grooves into his forehead. "You tell her to keep the boys at least a hundred yards away from you."
Keri crossed to her mom, leaned down, and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Mom. I"ll be careful...and don"t wait up."
"Have a nice time, dear," her mother said vaguely. Keri wasn"t sure how much she"d taken in.
After rea.s.suring everyone again that she would be ne, she waved good-bye and drove back to the of ce with her nerves bunching in her stomach.
Predictably, she was greeted with whistles and catcalls when she walked into the conference room twenty minutes later. She took off the jacket, slung it over a chair and spun in a series of 360-degree twirls across the length of the room. Concluding with a split to the oor, she gave her best Elvis imitation of "Thank yuh ver-uh much."
Alex watched from a corner chair she"d chosen for the brie ng.
Not only was Keri Morgan drop-dead gorgeous in the out t, but she"d already won over the entire team with her personality and entertaining antics. She was the right choice for the job, however awkward the consequences were for Alex. It wasn"t Keri"s fault if her boss lost concentration every time they were in the same room.
Keri"s nal split left her kneeling in front of a pair of black cowboy boots with silver tips. She lifted her gaze from the boots to skintight black jeans that covered muscled legs and continued to the join of thigh and torso before disappearing under a bronze-colored blouse. A transparent pattern woven into the blouse revealed ashes of a white camisole underneath. Full b.r.e.a.s.t.s rose and fell with each breath and a steady pulse pounded on the side of the sleek neck. A square jaw and lips ripe for kissing brought Keri back to her senses.
In a matter of seconds-seconds forever etched in her mind-she had followed the undulating curves of Alex Troy"s body and thought of kissing her again. She made eye contact with Alex as she stood. "Nice boots, Lieu."
Alex"s insides ached. The look in Keri"s eyes seemed to brim with heat. Maybe they simply mirrored Alex"s own desire or her fear.
Something was certainly churning there, and the intensity rattled Alex"s usual detachment.
Mercifully, the pager on Keri"s side vibrated and she grabbed * 100 *
it, glad for the distraction. She read the display and recognized the code she"d given Chad. "It"s showtime," she said aloud to no one in particular.
Beth held her arms out and waved everybody forward with her hands. "Gather "round and let"s go over the plan one more time." Beth turned to Alex. "You wanna go first, Lieu?"
The of cers rolled their chairs closer to the table as Alex began to speak. "Our workup on Davis shows he"s pretty clean, records wise, except for a blip on the IRS screen. Your surveillance has given us an idea of his patterns, but we need to nd out about known a.s.sociates.
That"ll come when we get closer.
"Today I received the lab results from the first four deaths of our college students. The report con rms that the drugs in all of their systems are from the same batch of ecstasy. I"m still waiting for the tox results from Stacey Chambers. I want everybody to utilize the utmost caution." Alex nodded for Beth to review the evening"s operational plan.
"Lieutenant Troy and Morgan will be going into the club to make contact. The rest of us will leave first, nd the best places to set up, get in position, and wait for their arrival. Neither of them will be wired, so I want surveillance as tight as we can get it."
The of cers dgeted in their seats, tired of the talk and ready for action, as Beth continued. "Rick and Paige, you"ll be in front in the panel van. Take pictures if possible for later identi cation. Mike and Renee, you"ll cover the back lot and alley in the blackout van. If Davis leaves, meets, or talks to anybody back there, I want to know about it.
If we"re lucky, this"ll be a routine intel-gathering operation and our first contact with the target. Is everyone clear on their a.s.signments?"
Everybody nodded.
Beth tossed a set of car keys to Alex. "She"s Jane, you"re Tarzan.
Make us proud...and don"t wreck the "Vette."
Keri and Alex stayed in the conference room after everyone else had gone, waiting for the signal to proceed to the bar. After a few minutes, Alex cleared her throat and rolled her chair closer to Keri, her heart pounding faster in direct proportion to their proximity.
"Morgan, I know you"re nervous, but you"re going to do a great job. I"ll guide you through it. Just follow my lead. If you have questions, I"ll try to answer them."
* 101 *
Keri heaved a sigh. "What exactly do you have in mind for our oorshow?"
Alex had to smile at the irony of her situation. "Just act like"-she traced the strong line of Keri"s jaw with her index nger, her eyes never leaving Keri"s-"we"re very good friends."
The current from Keri"s body teased slowly up Alex"s arm and dove directly to her core. Keri"s blue eyes turned hazy and her nostrils ared as the pulse at her neck raced. Alex swallowed the burst of attraction that blocked her throat.
Intense heat radiated from the point of contact on Keri"s jaw and through her body with lightning speed. She felt mesmerized by Alex"s touch. The tenderness and intimacy of it belied the tough exterior Alex tried to portray. Keri held her gaze and felt as though she were looking into the soul of a woman saved. Her heart thumped against her chest.
She heard the blood racing through her veins, headed toward the ache between her legs. It was the most exquisite pain she"d ever experienced.
She prayed it would never end.
"It"s a very intimate environment," Alex said. "Not like most bars, so prepare yourself." She ran her tongue slowly across her lips.
"Yes, I can imagine," Keri nally managed.
"Oh, you can?" Alex teased.
"I mean...Oh, h.e.l.l, I don"t know what I mean." Keri stopped.
They were both kidding themselves if they wanted to pretend they"d have to fake some heat.