Chapter 1
ONE
Chloe
“Another Greedy Girl found dead. This is the third murder victim from Club Greed this month. Last night, a neighbor heard shouting, then a gunshot, and called the authorities. When police arrived, they found Julie Landers in her apartment, face down, with a bullet to the back of her head. There was no forced entry.”
I glance at the TV playing in the Saint Pierce police station. The morning show anchor rattles off details about the grim news while an image of a smiling redhead standing on a beach pops up on the screen.
“It’s a damn shame,” Guy Adams, a Saint Pierce officer, says, taking his chewing gum out of his mouth and sticking it under his desk. “A body like that gone to waste.” He shakes his dark-haired head. “Damn shame.”
What’s a “damn shame” is that I have to call this man my partner. Him and his disgusting gum chewing habits. After today, I’m hoping I won’t have to deal with him again.
I’m still waiting to see if I made detective, so I can move up in the world. Captain’s been promising me the promotion ever since I finished all the required courses it takes to become a detective, but so far, nothing.
“Chloe, Captain’s been looking for you,” Marge, Captain Adler’s secretary, says. “He’s in his office.” She scuttles off down the hallway, and I follow her matronly figure, taking a deep breath as I approach his open door. Here it goes.
“Congratulations, Bardot,” Captain greets me as I enter his office. “You’re now a detective.” He’s always been very clipped and to the point, so his no-frills announcement doesn’t phase me.
This isn’t the type of place to show emotion and do a happy dance, but I can’t help the proud smile that lifts my lips. “Thank you, sir. You—”
“No time for accolades,” Captain Adler interrupts, his naked head shining under the office’s fluorescent lights. “I’ve got your first assignment.”
All the excitement racing through me screeches to a halt. My smile collapses because I already know what he’s going to say, and I’m simultaneously filled with anticipation and dread. You can’t escape the news. “Club Greed?”
He nods, not meeting my eyes. “Here’s how I see it, Bardot.” His bushy mustache moves along with his mouth. “Homicide needs your help with this case. You in particular.”
“Why me in particular?” I ask, furrowing my brow. This is a high-profile case, and I should be enthusiastic about the opportunity—yay for me—but his phrasing of me “in particular” has alarm bells ringing in my head.
In a city with only eleven-thousand people, the police force is small, so it’s no wonder they want me on the case. I think right now they’ll take all the help they can get, but why me in particular?
I’ve been a kickass police officer, and I’m confident I’ll be a kickass detective. I’m one of the youngest officers to become a detective in the Saint Pierce Police Department. At twenty-seven, I’m already on my way to becoming captain someday.
But Captain Adler still won’t look me in the eye, making my scalp prickle with unease. He rustles through some papers while I wait for him to answer my question.
His brown eyes finally connect with mine, and I see the apprehension skulking in their depths. “We’ve got a true mess down there at Club Greed.”
I nod, hoping he’ll explain further. His obvious hesitance to elaborate is making my palms sweat.
Captain Adler leans back in his cherished leather chair, and that’s when the alarm bells blare.
I never thought it possible for a grown man to worship a piece of furniture so much, but he has a thing for his state-of-the-art Herman Miller gaming seat.
He’s told us all many times about its ergonomically designed craftsmanship with eight zones of support, meant to keep asses comfortable for the long haul.
I mean, the man won’t shut up about it most days.
It’s turned into an extension of him. And every time we discuss something troubling, he caresses the arm rests. Just like he’s doing now.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“It’s no mystery that we’re all working overtime to figure out who’s behind the latest murders of Club Greed employees. Katherine in Homicide wants to put you undercover.”
My heart freezes, then pounds at an alarming rate. “Me?”
Confession: Katherine terrifies me. She’s a no-nonsense woman without a filter, who has spent her adult life on the force. She worked her way through the ranks, just like me, until she became lieutenant of Homicide.
“I don’t understand. Undercover where?”
“She wants you to go undercover as a Greedy Girl.”
I can’t help but gulp, and internally laugh at the absurdity of me becoming a Greedy Girl. Has he seen me walk in heels? It’s just not good. I knew someone might have to infiltrate the club to get closer to the situation, but I never in a million years imagined it would be me.
As if sensing my expanding anxiety, Katherine strolls into the office. Captain Adler’s stiff shoulders relax. “Just in time. I was telling Chloe about the assignment.”
Katherine’s icy blue eyes rake over my uniform, evaluating if I’m up for the job. “Do you think you’re ready for this?”
“Yes,” I reply, without missing a beat. Even if Captain Adler would make a better Greedy Girl than me, I’d never let on to my superiors about my insecurities.
I joined the police academy at twenty-one because my cousin, Vin Mills, always made working in law enforcement look so thrilling.
He’s a federal agent rockstar, and I idolize him.
While I thought about joining the agency too, I wanted to travel my own path in this world, and not follow in his footsteps.
So, I signed up for the Saint Pierce Police Academy, and haven’t regretted it since.
I always dreamed of helping others in some capacity, so being a cop was the best way to accomplish that goal.
A few years later, I realized I wanted more, to be the one solving the cases and giving the victims closure. Yet, in all those altruistic goals, I never really imagined I’d go undercover. I can’t wait to tell my cousin, Vin about this. He’s always undercover.
Saint Pierce is a town built on tourism.
People travel from all over the country to experience its entertaining nightlife—casinos, nightclubs, and Club Greed, our infamous sex club.
While we have the occasional reveler who gets boisterous and disorderly, what we’ve never had in Saint Pierce is a serial killer.
Until last week when some psycho started murdering Greedy Girls. It has dominated the news, shocking our thriving city to the core.
Beyond the fear that has settled over the community, there’s Saint Pierce’s livelihood to think about too. We need to solve these crimes before any more girls end up dead and our local economy is on life support because Club Greed closes its doors for good.
You’d think Saint Pierce’s residents would oppose such a salacious business, but there’s no arguing that Club Greed draws members with enormous bank accounts who spend their money around town, enriching the community.
The club boasts they make sexual fantasies come true and guarantees anonymity through confidential membership.
But an atmosphere that grants such a claim comes at a price, and the current cost is the welfare of the seductive women it employs.
I can only imagine what the job of a Greedy Girl entails, but considering the way Katherine is critically eyeing my body, I think I’ll be discovering firsthand what the patrons expect of a Greedy Girl.
Am I ready for this assignment?
I don’t know.
I should be thrilled. This is an excellent opportunity for my career and for me to make the difference I’ve always wanted to see in the world. Instead, I feel entirely unprepared.
Finn Grant, another homicide detective, enters the room, interrupting my internal turmoil.
He gives me a once over before moving to stand in front of the captain’s desk. “Her?” he asks, sounding appalled as he jabs a thick thumb over his shoulder. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Yes, her,” Captain Adler breathes out in an irritated flurry. “Do I look like I’m kidding?”
I don’t dare speak. I don’t dare breathe. Instead, my eyes ping-pong around the room, taking in the conversation as if I’m some tween on a take-your-kid-to-work day.
Finn prattles on about how I look too innocent, how I have no experience, how his thinning hair has a better chance of regrowing than I do of pulling this off.
“Enough, Finn.” Finally, Katherine commands the room. “She’ll have to do. She’s the only one who can do it.”
I’ll have to do? That’s inspiring.
Finn turns around, staring at me with fire in his eyes. “If she screws up, I won’t be there to have her back.”
Anger emanates from Katherine’s slim frame. “You will have her back, Finn. Because she is now a member of our team. And we always watch after our own.”
My eyes shoot over to the Captain. “Are you sure about this?”
“You’re our only option, Bardot.” He opens a file and pulls out a picture, tapping it with his index finger.
“This is Devereaux Huxley, owner of the notorious Club Greed, and a person of interest. Everything points to him. But if he’s not behind this, I’ll bet he knows who is.
We just need the evidence to bring him down before anyone else ends up dead. ”
I step closer and lean over Captain Adler’s wide metal desk, glancing at the image of the potential suspect.
Wow! For a split second, my breathing is suspended.
I pick up the photo, needing a better look.
A brown-haired man stares back at me. Not exactly what I imagine a murderer to look like.
But they say Ted Bundy was a looker too.
My gaze travels from his caramel irises to the sharp cheekbones carved on his face before settling on his chiseled jaw.
My eyes linger there, noting there’s enough tantalizing scruff present to consider it a full beard before I’m drawn to his perfect lips.
He’s gorgeous.