An Eye For Illusion: A Private Investigator Romantic Suspense: (Dunn Security Group Book 2)

Chapter 32

The last twenty-four hours have been a fucking whirlwind, but we finally have a plan to bring down Elliott as well as Vinny and his drug ring.

I didn’t want to leave Jade this morning, especially after the night we had, On the way over to Donovan’s my mind replays last night over and over. How good Jade’s pussy tasted. How sweet her lips were and how damn good it felt to hold her in my arms. When we finally decided the tub water was too cold to stay in, we made our way back to the bed and passed out from sheer exhaustion. Last night was amazing and fucking intense, but I think I finally got through to Jade that this isn’t some fling for me. It’s real, and it’s serious for me.

I love when she lets her guard down. She’s lighter, she smiles more, and she doesn’t care what I think about her. She’s just her, and I got to see that last night and this morning. I crave more alone time with her. More time to get to know the real Jade.

I’m pretty damn sure she feels the same way. The way she clung to me as I tried to get out of bed to leave made me want to climb right back in and savor the time we had together, but I’ve got a small window of time to get this shit wrapped up in a big red bow before I turn it over to the cops.

I’m still missing the proverbial smoking gun, but I think I have compiled enough that the police can take it from here.

My burner phone dings when I’m just a few short blocks away from Donovan’s. I pull it out of my pocket and quickly look at the incoming text.

Frankie: Vinny wants us to do a run. Meet me at the bar.

Me: Now?

Frankie: Yes, fucking now. He said it was a new VIP client and we need to move our asses.

Me: and Vinny wants me to do a run with you?

That was fucking stupid Colin. Why am I questioning it? This is exactly the shit I need to ensure my case is airtight.

Frankie: Since you pulled off the impossible and found his fucking car. Vinny said you’re in. Now get your ass over here, Vinny’s counting on us to come through in time.

If I have the location of where they store their drugs, on top of all the voice recordings I have compiled then the cops will finally have enough to take Vinny off the streets for good and Moore will be guilty by association, at the very least tarnishing his reputation and ruining his career.

But most importantly it will give Jade the proof she needs in order to convince her father.

Me: Be there in ten.

I set down my burner phone and pull out my other cell phone that I keep in the car. I immediately call Donovan.

“Frankie just called. Vinny wants me to do a run with him.”

D curses over the line then blows out a heavy breath. “I’m assuming you are doing it.”

My eyebrows knit together, “Of course I’m fucking doing it. This is it, it’s what we need to put the nail in Vinny and Moore’s coffin.”

“Only if it’s not a setup to take you out, Colin,” D sounds frustrated and pissed.

“What choice do I have, D. What I have so far is a lot of talk around his fucking goons, but I don’t know where they are storing the product and neither do the police.”

“Where does Frankie want to meet you?” he asks.

“At the bar in 10 minutes.”

Donovan curses again and I hear rustling in the background. “Stall him. I will be right behind you.”

“You coming?”

“Of course I’m fucking coming, Colin. You are in over your head with these guys, but I won’t be where they can see me.”

I bristle at his lack of confidence in me. “I can fucking handle it, D.”

“Yeah, well I would rather you not end up dead. Make sure you stall him a bit at the bar and stay as visible as you can. I’ll have your back.”

“What if this shit goes sideways?”

“Then I’ll be there to take them out.”

There’s no time to waste as I make my way over to Donovan’s with all of the evidence, we need to end this once and for all. He calls on my way over.

“Damn that felt like it was too easy, bro.”

I feel an unsettling feeling in my gut about how that all went down but I got the information I needed. “Do you think it was a set up?”

“I don’t think so and if it was to take you out you would have never left that warehouse.”

My stomach flips at the thought of never seeing Jade again. “They must trust me then,” I say.

“They never trust anyone, Colin. Never.”

“I’m just glad I didn’t actually have to do the damn run,” I add.

“Yeah, you are one lucky son of bitch for sure. What happened? Honestly thought shit was about to go down when Frankie looked over at you after taking that call.”

“Dude, I know. I almost shit my pants, but he said that it was Vinny and that the deal was off.”

We were loading up in Frankie’s truck with the bricks of cocaine just as that call came in. “It was a new client, and they must have done something to spook Vinny enough to not want to go through with it,” I say.

The whole thing played out more perfectly than I could ever imagine. So perfect that it has me second guessing that it actually happened. That I actually got what we need.

“Did Frankie say anything to you when he dropped you back at your truck?” D asks.

“Nothing besides he would see me later.”

“Yeah, hopefully behind fucking bars. I’m pulling into my apartment complex. See you in a minute,” Donovan says.

I turn into Donovan’s apartment building parking lot before parking beside his car. I don’t waste any time getting out and meeting him on the sidewalk. We walk to his door, and he quickly unlocks it to let us in.

“Did you get any pictures? he asks as I follow him into his living room.

“Yeah, I was able to snap a few when they were busy jacking off,” I say as I take a look around his place. I can’t help but notice the beer cans and bourbon bottles littering the counter as we pass the kitchen. “Rough night, D?” The beer cans continue in the living room.

Donovan gathers several of the cans and disappears into the kitchen. “Something like that,” he calls from the other room. I hear the cans going into the trash can.

When he comes back in the room, he asks, “First I need to know if Elliott took the bait?”

We both take a seat. “Oh, yeah. He was happy as could be. He is none the wiser.”

“What about Vinny?” he asks as he leans forward with his elbows on his knees. I can see the stress and worry lining his face.

“She told him if Vinny wants a chance to have his company backed by Foster Global, he better be at their wedding.”

Donovan smiles. “She’s a pistol, that one. You better be careful with her,” he adds with a pointed look. There’s no sense in hiding my feelings for Jade anymore from Donovan, not that he ever believed me anyway. He continues. “I have a friend who works at the local police department. He’s trying to make detective, and this case could be the break that gets him promoted. The cops know all about Vinny. He and his guys just never slipped up enough to get caught.”

I pull a zip drive from my inside jacket pocket and hold it up so Donovan can see, then I pull out the discreet recorder I always carry. The one that has the whole conversation with Frankie. “These have everything he’ll need, I got it all, D but we have to make sure we move fast enough.” What kind of PI would I be if I weren’t recording, taking photos and documenting everything I’ve seen along the way?

“We can email everything on the drive to my contact anonymously and tip him off about their whereabouts for Saturday. I can’t imagine PD will waste the chance to follow up on the lead. Vinny is a menace. The sooner him and his crew are taken into custody, the better.”

Venom laces his voice in regard to Vinny. I haven’t heard it before, but it soon hits me like a ton of bricks. Dani.

“How’s your friend, Dani? Did she make out alright after the party?” His eyes dart to mine as soon as I say her name.

He pushes up from his seat. “I wouldn’t know. Let’s get the contents of that drive emailed over. That’ll give PD more time to get their warrants and arrange the bust.”

He doesn’t give me a chance to respond before disappearing for a few moments before reappearing with a laptop in his hand.

“No talking about Dani. Noted,” I mutter.

He extends his hand, his voice flat when he speaks. “Zip drive.”

If we weren’t already crunched for time, I’d push him on the Dani issue, but I’ll save it for later. Hopefully, by Sunday we’ll be free of Elliott Moore, Vincent Maggio, and the rest of the crew.

I hand it over without a word. He reclaims his seat across the room from me, resting the laptop on his thighs. He pushes the drive into a USB port on the side and strums his fingers on the arm of the chair he’s on.

I can tell by the look on his face that the contents of the drive have popped up. “Damn, Colin, how’d you get all this?” He’s genuinely surprised. In his defense, I compiled a lot of evidence in a short period of time. I’ve spent every waking moment on this case, more so than any other because of what’s at stake.

“I told you I had it under control.” I feign offense at how surprised he is by my work.

“You had the investigation under control, obviously, but you were in over your head with the crime ring, cocky bastard.” He smirks.

He clicks through the voice recordings saved on the drive. I spent countless nights at that damn bar and with Vinny’s goons in order to get them. I talked to anyone that was willing and surprisingly a lot of them did talk. Vinny is not well liked within his organization, and he doesn’t have their respect like he thinks he does.

Sprinkle in some doubt about his abilities and provide a listening ear for all of their grievances and suddenly you have some threads that lead to the evidence. Donovan finally gets to the recording I just took with Frankie and his eyebrows practically shoot up to his hairline.

“Dude. This is big.”

The smile that overtakes my face is huge and genuine. “I know.”

“This is what we need.” Donovan says as he continues to listen to the rest of the recording.

“I know, and they don’t suspect a thing,” I say again.

“With Elliott and Vinny at the wedding it will be a perfect time to raid the warehouse,” Donovan says.

“Yep, and then swoop in and arrest them both,” I say with a hint of pride and accomplishment. This case is most likely the biggest one of my career and I fucking nailed it. I’m not saying it was fucking easy because it wasn’t. It was dangerous as shit and risky, but it was a risk I would take over and over in order to save Jade. Let’s just hope it all pays off.

His smirk grows into a full-blown smile as the recording comes to an end. The term “loose lips sink ships” comes to mind, and this ship’s going down.

“I can’t believe you managed to get all of this. Here I thought you were too far up Jade’s ass to be working,” he jokes.

I lean back against the sofa, bending my elbows and lacing my fingers behind my head. I extend my legs in front of me and cross them at the ankles. “What can I say? I’m the fucking best at what I do.” My broad smile mirrors Donovan’s. That’ll teach him to doubt me.

“I’ll give you that. You’re damn good at what you do. These assholes are going away for a long time just with this. Can Jade get the documents where Elliott tried to pitch the fake trucking company to Foster Global?”

“I’m sure she can. I’d like to keep her out of the middle of it as much as possible. Hopefully this mountain of evidence and the location of the warehouse will be enough.” My immediate need to shield and protect her comes to the forefront of my decision-making process.

“No involving Jade. Noted.” He grins as he mocks me though his eyes never leave the screen of the laptop as he types quickly.

“All three of us should get together later this week and make sure we’re all on the same page. This needs to go smoothly.” My tone is serious, but the truth is Donovan is one of my closest friends, and I want him and Jade to get to know each other.

Donovan nods. “That’s a solid plan. Besides, I’d like to get a look at the woman who has Colin Brooks willing to settle down.” His smirk makes me chuckle. He’s right though. There’s never been another woman I’ve wanted the way I want Jade.

Several moments of silence pass as I ponder my feelings for Jade and Donovan types the email to the local PD.

“Alright, I’m sending it anonymously to the police department now.” He holds his index finger up dramatically over the enter button, eyeing me as it descends.

“Send it, dammit!” I order with a laugh.

He taps the enter button and watches the screen impatiently. “Alright, it’s done.” He closes the laptop and pulls the zip drive from the port. “I’m seeing Liam later. Do you want me to have him add this to the case file?”

“Yeah, that works.” I stand from the sofa and make my way over to where Donovan is sitting. “I have to go get a suit.”

He stands. “A suit?” he asks, again with genuine surprise.

“Yeah. We’ve got a wedding to crash.” I clap my hand on his shoulder. “T minus five days until I get my girl, and Elliott Moore is out of her life for good.”

“A lot can happen in five days. Don’t let your guard down,” he says. The serious Donovan I’m accustomed to is back.

“I hear you, man. I’ll be vigilant,” I assure him before I head toward the front door.

“Mighty fine suit you picked out there, Jax. Going anywhere special?” The familiar voice stops me short on the sidewalk. There are only a handful of people who would call me Jax, and unfortunately, I’d recognize his voice from anywhere.

Elliott Moore.As I turn to face him, my fist tightens with the need to punch him straight in his smug face. After seeing what he did to Jade, I’ve fought every instinct I have to not track him down and beat him to within an inch of his life.

“Elliott, how’s it going?” I relax my stance and make my tone confident because I don’t need him picking up any clues that I’m not who I say I am. Jax has nothing to hide. There’s nothing fishy about picking up a suit, and it sure as hell isn’t any of Moore’s business that said suit is for his wedding.

His eyes narrow slightly as he takes me in. His sharp gaze takes in my casual outfit of jeans and a t-shirt before zeroing in on my face once again.

“I was surprised to see you around here. I didn’t think you could hang with the big fish, and I certainly didn’t think you had such expensive taste.” He chuckles, but it’s humorless.

He’s pissed at me, but I can’t figure out why.

I play off his rudeness. “I like the finer things in life sometimes.” I leave it at that. I don’t know why he’s out here because it sure as shit wasn’t on his schedule for the day. I planned to catch him at his first official appointment of the day, but it seems he found me first.

I won’t stop tailing him just because we’ve compiled enough evidence. Quite the contrary. We don’t need anything happening that could compromise the case we’ve built against him and Vinny.

The job doesn’t stop until the client has what they asked for. In this case, the wedding is still on, so that means my job isn’t done. My job won’t be done until this fucker in front of me is behind bars, and Jade is mine forever.

“Hmmm, that’s interesting. I would have pegged you as more of a sloppy seconds kind of guy,” he says as he steps closer to me on the sidewalk.

What in actual fuck does that mean?

I chuckle; this one is also void of any humor. “Sorry. I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

My eyes narrow as my breathing slows. I want nothing more than to deck this man here and now, and it takes all I have not to lay him out flat on the concrete. However, I won’t risk messing up our plan to take him out for good and to end this whole ordeal for Jade. My number one priority is to make sure she’s safe, and I can’t do that if Elliott and Vinny are still walking free.

“Oh, I think you know exactly what I’m talking about, Jax. I didn’t think Jade would stoop so low as to entertain the likes of you, but don’t worry. In a few short days, that pussy of hers will be locked up tight.” His words are full of venom, and at the mention of Jade’s name—not to mention her pussy—my stomach drops.

His laugh is menacing as he squares up to me. “I’ll let her have her fun until the wedding, but make no mistake, she’s fucking mine. Keep your filthy fucking hands off her.” He spits at my feet before turning and walking away.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. He knows.

My only fucking hope is that he doesn’t know who I really am.

If he does, we’re all fucked. Including Jade.