Chapter 10
10
COURT
Rolling out of bed, I headed to the bathroom to get ready for the gym. Once I was dressed, I sent a text to Ryan:
Morning! I was wondering if maybe we can grab dinner on Monday? I know it’s a few days away but I can’t wait to see you again and Sunday’s my Friday
I grabbed my keys and headed out the door. By the time I arrived at the gym, I had a reply:
Dinner sounds fun. Where would you like to go?
The Whispering Flask has killer lobster rolls. I know it’s not fine dining but they’re the best in the city. I can meet any time
I love their lobster rolls so count me in. I can be there by 7
7 is perfect. See you then ??
Looking forward to it ??
I got out of my SUV and headed inside the building.
While I ran on the treadmill, I kept thinking about the case. What was I missing? How had I been working at the club for weeks and seen nothing? Had Nick been mistaken, and no drugs were being sold? I slowed the machine down to a walk and picked up my phone to text my cousin. Since I started the investigation, Nick knew to only contact me via the burner so we didn’t somehow risk the case:
Can we meet?
I didn’t expect him to respond anytime soon because, like me, he worked nights, but a few minutes into my cooldown, I got a reply:
Yeah. Everything ok?
Just need to talk
Ok. Where?
My place in an hour?
Yeah. I’ll be there
I did my leg circuit before heading back to my apartment. I downed a protein shake, but before I could shower and change into something that wasn’t covered in sweat, there was a knock on my door.
After checking to see who it was, I swung the door open and Nick gave a brief nod.
“Hey.”
I stepped aside so he could enter. “Hey. Can I get you anything to drink?”
“I’m good, but what’s up?”
We sat on opposite ends of my couch and turned toward each other slightly.
“I’m not getting anywhere with the case, and I’m starting to question if drugs are being sold there at all.”
Nick balked slightly. “You think I lied to you?”
I shook my head. “No, but I’m wondering if maybe you misunderstood whatever it was you heard.”
He sighed. “I heard what I heard, but since Donnie got a girlfriend, he hasn’t been spending as much time at the club. As I’m sure you’ve seen.”
That was probably true, but I had no frame of reference. I hadn’t been at the Sapphire Lounge long enough to compare Donnie’s current behavior with how things were before he started dating Morgan.
“Yeah, I’ve noticed he’s not around much, but thought maybe it was because he’s in charge and delegates things.”
Nick shrugged. “I guess that’s true, but before Morgan, he was often on the floor watching the dancers. Now he just comes around to check on things or meet with his VIPs.”
Right. Like the VIP meeting I couldn’t get close enough to hear because I was babysitting Morgan while she was drunk.
“He hasn’t had a VIP meeting in a while,” I said, more to myself than Nick. “I need to dig deeper.”
“What are you thinking?”
While Nick was the one who had tipped me off and knew I was undercover, the case was still confidential. “Let me worry about that. Just keep doing what you’re doing and let me know if you see or hear anything.”
“Will do but …” he hesitated for a moment. “I’ve actually been thinking of joining the police academy in December.”
My eyes widened. “You want to be a cop?”
He nodded slightly. “Watching you work and knowing you’re undercover is … fun.”
“It’s more dangerous than fun. A lot can go wrong.”
“I understand, but I can’t mix drinks forever.”
I leaned over and squeezed his shoulder. “If you really want to be a police officer, you know I’ll help you out.”
“I know, and thank you. Once you’re done with this investigation, I’ll probably not have a job anyway.”
“Depends on how it plays out, but you have me and I’ll help you any way I can.”
After Nick left, I showered and then called Dalton. I had an idea, and I needed his help.
“Hey,” he answered. “You good?”
“Yeah, but I need you to get me Donnie’s address.” I drummed my hands on the notebook sitting on the coffee table in front of me.
“Okay. What’s going on?”
“Nothing. That’s the problem.”
“Yeah, Sarg is getting a little worried.”
Me too. “I think Donnie has been more focused on his new relationship and, seeing as the shipment already came in, he’s maybe just letting his guys sell the product for him while he rakes in the cash.”
“So, what are you thinking of doing so you’re not pulled?”
“Get me Donnie’s address and I’ll check out the place. See what type of security he has. Stuff like that. Maybe we can run surveillance there or something.”
“If he sees you, you’re fucked.”
“I know, but he won’t catch me.”
“Just be careful, okay? You know how risky it is when you’re digging around like this.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “I know and I will.”
I heard him clicking keys on a keyboard and then he rattled off an address with a unit number. I wrote the number down.
“Thanks. I’ll see if there’s a doorman and cameras. Oh, and there’s something else.”
“What is it?”
Even though we both knew we were just messing around in the bedroom without a commitment, I felt I needed to tell him my intentions with Ryan.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Donnie’s girlfriend set me up with her brother and I’ve decided to play that angle too.”
Dalton was silent for a moment. “Got it.”
“So, no more stopping by and using your key until this is all over with.”
“Of course.”
“All right. I better go. Have to get ready for the club.”
“Again, be safe.”
“I will,” I assured him.
The next day after I hit the gym, I pulled up to the high-rise at the address Dalton had given me. Before I could get out of my Dodge, I saw Donnie walk out of the building and get into the backseat of an SUV. It was too early for him to go to the club, and something told me I needed to see what he was up to. I was seconds away from watching the vehicle drive away, then hurrying into the building, but since I had no idea what type of security system the building had, I started my engine and followed him.
We ended up going north on I-95, and I had a hunch on where he was headed, but I trailed behind him at a safe distance to make sure. Three hours later, his vehicle pulled into the parking lot of the prison in Berlin, New Hampshire. I didn’t have to look up who he was visiting; I knew. From the jump of the investigation, I’d know Joseph Hughes was serving his thirty-year sentence at the federal prison.
I hung back for a bit and then slowly drove past the entrance. When I looked over, I saw Donnie step out and walk to the passenger side. He opened the door and held out his hand, then an older woman slid from the SUV. I recognized his mother from the case file and knew she was dating Hughes. It seemed it was a little family visitation at the prison.
There was nothing further I could do, so I headed back to Boston, calling Dalton along the way to fill him in and so he could possibly get footage from the prison in case we needed it.
I went straight back to Donnie’s building, knowing I didn’t have much time to scope out the place.
Pretending to check my phone, I stopped just short of the entrance of the building and looked up to see if anyone was in the lobby. The doorman stood just inside the glass doors, watching the street. I took a step forward, and as I reached for the door, he opened it for me.
“Good afternoon,” he greeted. “Is there something I can help you with?”
I gave a casual nod. “I’m meeting a friend in Unit 22B.”
The doorman didn’t step aside. “Are they expecting you?”
I shook my head. “No, just wanted to surprise him.”
The doorman hesitated, his gaze flicking to the keycard system by the elevators. A couple of residents swiped their access cards, and I realized right away I wasn’t getting anywhere near Donnie’s floor without one.
“I can’t let you up without approval,” the doorman said. “Let me ring their unit.”
“Actually, I think I’m in the wrong building,” I said smoothly, acting as if I’d just realized it. “My mistake.”
The doorman eyed me for a second longer, clearly evaluating whether I was lying. After a beat, he stepped back. “All right. Have a nice day.”
I nodded and turned around to head back to where I’d parked.
The building’s security was tighter than I’d expected, but at least I had a better sense of how it worked. The keycard system was a significant barrier, and getting in wasn’t going to be easy. Time to come up with a new plan.
Again.
The flashing lights of the club pulsed in time with the beat of “Earned It” by The Weeknd as I stood near the side of the main stage. Mia was working the pole like she always did—fluid, seductive, alluring. She had the crowd practically salivating as she tossed her top and exposed her breasts.
But as I watched her, it felt as though something was off. Her movements were a little more languid, her eyes a little too glazed. The changes were subtle at first, easy to miss, but then— bam —a jolt of realization hit me. I saw her stagger, her hand slipping from the pole as her legs wobbled. The crowd was tossing bills onto the stage, but she wasn’t responding to them, not in the way she should. Her movements slowed, and then she collapsed.
Fuck.
I didn’t even think, didn’t hesitate. I jumped onto the stage just as she hit the floor.
“Mia!” I shouted, crouching beside her and lifting her back up.
The music stopped and I could feel everyone staring. Her eyes were half-lidded, barely focused as her head rolled on her shoulders. She wasn’t breathing right, her chest rising and falling too shallowly. I instantly knew what was happening, but it didn’t make sense if she’d only taken Molly.
“Nick!” I shouted over my shoulder, digging into my pants with one hand for my keys. “Get my fucking first aid kit! Now!”
Nick raced from behind the bar and I tossed the keys to him.
“Mia!” I shook her slightly. “Come on, stay awake, okay? Just another minute and I’ve got you.”
She didn’t respond. Her lips were turning blue, and her skin was cold and clammy. She was fading, and fast. And I knew she wasn’t ODing from Molly.
I glanced up. The other dancers were huddled in the wings, the look of concern on their faces, but no one was moving to help.
“What the hell did she take?” I demanded.
Silence.
They all avoided eye contact, shifting uncomfortably. No one wanted to speak up.
“Someone, answer me!” I barked.
I saw Donnie in the back, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching the scene unfold like he didn’t give a damn.
“Goddammit,” I muttered. Where the hell was Nick? I was ready to do CPR if she had stopped breathing, but Nick needed to fucking hurry.
Finally, he came racing back toward us, his hand clutching the black bag I kept in my vehicle as a first aid kit. He dropped to his knees beside me, the bag hitting the sleek floor with a thud.
I laid Mia down and then ripped open the kit, searching for the Narcan. Once I had it, I pulled off the cap with my teeth and sprayed it into Mia’s nose. For a second, nothing happened. Then she gasped, a ragged inhale that tore from deep inside her. Her body jerked; her eyes fluttered open.
“Mia ...?” I whispered, trying not to scare her.
She blinked, her pupils dilated, but at least she was breathing.
“Shit,” Nick muttered, exhaling a shaky breath. “You ... you saved her, cuz.”
I didn’t answer. My heart was still pounding in my chest like a damn jackhammer. Even with naloxone training, I was always in awe of how fast the drug worked to bring people around. Since the Narcan worked, I was certain the Molly I’d seen Mia take before wasn’t what caused her to OD.
Mia’s face was pale, but she was alive—thank God. Still, she was disoriented, and I knew better than to assume she was out of danger. “We need to get her to the hospital,” I said, as I looked up at the other dancers. “Now.”
Donnie stepped forward before anyone could make a move. “Just a little allergic reaction. Nothing to be alarmed over. Let’s just get her in the back and see how she’s doing.”
Allergic reaction? What the fuck? Was he saying that so the customers would think it wasn’t drug related? He did have a business to run, but my gut twisted, and for a second, I thought I might snap. “What the hell do you mean, see how she’s doing? She’s lucky to be breathing right now, and you want to keep her here?”
He didn’t flinch. “I’m taking her backstage. I’ll handle it from here.”
It. Not her, but it.
Not wanting to cause a scene, I watched as he picked her up in his arms and started for the back. I followed them through the drapes and he looked back at me. We were out of sight from the crowd and he asked, “How come you have Narcan on you?”
I wasn’t going to lie. “Because you can never be too careful,” I said, meeting his gaze evenly. “Clubs like this ... people use. It’s not always the customers I need to keep an eye on. It’s the dancers too.”
He stared at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with a quick nod, he turned back and walked off with Mia to his office where he closed the door.