Chapter 17 – BEAU
BEAU
The wolves are dealt with… for now. They understand that Amber is the alpha’s mate and not Zara, so they won’t be back to bother her, at least, not until Amber’s been found.
And with that threat gone, I'm on to the next job.
I'm parked across the road from a strip club on the wrong side of town, late on a Wednesday night.
The club is squat and ugly, though to its credit, without the usual LIVE GIRLS sign or garish lighting, it is marginally more upscale than most of these places.
Two doormen on the front step, both heavy, keep a watchful eye on both the front door and the street.
Inside, my brother Bodhi is on his first shift as a security guard, working undercover on the new case that Chase brought us in on a week ago. A young woman named Emma is being held by the owner of this club as collateral for her brother Jake's gambling debt.
Tonight is about reconnaissance and praying Bodhi makes it through his first night without raising any suspicions. Tomorrow, well, we’ll deal with that when we get there.
For now, my job is simply to sit out here in case he needs me, and to keep an eye out for any sign of Jake’s sister coming or going.
But three hours in, with nothing much happening and no sign of Bodhi being thrown out, I'm reaching for the key when a battered grey sedan pulls up at the curb on my side of the street, fifty yards down.
Why not park in the lot?
I sit forward in my seat, my bear coming alive as the driver kills the engine. The door opens, and an endless, toned leg swings out, then another.
Lisa.
Stunned by her sudden appearance, it takes me a moment to remember she can’t see me here.
“Fuck,” I hiss, sliding down in my seat and dropping my head below the dashboard line, twisting to watch her through the lower edge of the windscreen.
What the fuck is she doing here?
In a skin-tight black dress and killer heels, she crosses the street toward the club. Her hair is pulled back, and she looks beautiful, if maybe in need of a good night’s sleep.
“No. No, no, no,” I mutter out loud, staring on in horror as she walks straight up to the doormen whose greedy eyes follow her every inch of the way.
When she stops in front of them and starts to speak, one of them grins while the other looks concerned.
Despite cracking the window, from this distance, I can’t hear what she says. I can guess, though. She has her phone out, and she's showing them something on the screen, leaning in close, purposefully giving them a clear view of her cleavage.
Is it Emma she’s showing them? Jake’s assured us he hasn’t gone to the cops, but maybe a concerned neighbour has reported her missing.
I glance back to her car, double checking whether there’s anyone else in the vehicle with her, but no, she’s out here all alone.
Both doormen look down at the screen, then at her, and the bigger one shakes his head without a word, checking over his shoulder that they’re not being observed. The other one folds his arms across his chest and stares into the distance. He doesn't speak, refusing to confirm or deny.
Lisa tries again. Tips the phone toward them and says something else, batting her eyelashes furiously. Neither doorman moves, but when a sleek black Mercedes pulls up, they wave through the elegant couple who steps out without a glance.
Get out of there, Red.
She doesn’t want to let it go. I can see it in the set of her shoulders. My hand is on the door handle before I know it, ready to grab her and drag her out of there. Instead, I force myself to stay in my seat and face forward.
I can’t forget that I'm here for a reason. If she gives me away, Bodhi loses his cover. Emma stays wherever the hell she is, and maybe her brother never sees her again.
She must say something different this time, because the bigger doorman finally steps aside and lets her pass. The door swings shut behind her, and the second one lifts his sleeve to his mouth and says something into a radio I can't hear.
My hands are white on the wheel, knuckles aching.
If I get out, she sees me, and so do they. Instead, I stay where I am, trusting Lisa to do her job, and Bodhi to do his.
But my bear doesn’t give a fuck about any of that.
The picture of her inside, turning at exactly the wrong moment and seeing my brother in his black security shirt, climbs into my head and refuses to leave. Every time I push it away, it comes straight back.
If she reacts to him and gives them both away, they could be in trouble.
I don’t know how long I sit here gripping the wheel before the door finally opens, but it feels like a lot longer than ten minutes.
Finally, Lisa steps back outside and rubs her chilly arms with her hands, looking completely relaxed, while I’m still a nervous wreck. She crosses the street back to her car without hurrying, gets in, then pulls out and disappears around the corner.
I peel my hands off the wheel one finger at a time, knuckles aching, and tip my head back, drawing in a deep, calming breath.
It’s definitely time to leave.
Checking my mirrors before I turn out onto the street, I tell myself I'm driving home, but both my bear and me know that’s a lie.
Neither of us will be able to sleep until we see her walk safely through her front door.