Lethal Affairs (13 page)

Pierce leaned back into the cushions of his leather couch and studied Domino, sitting in a matching armchair to his right. On his TV screen, the assassination DVD was frozen on Domino’s image. “It’s reassuring there’s nothing to worry about on the tape, but I still wish we had the original.” The note that had been sent to Hayley and the rest of the items Domino had retrieved from Vasquez’s apartment lay on the coffee table in front of him. “This can’t be everything. There’s nothing ‘promising’ in this case file. That’s old news.”

“If anything else was there, it was well hidden,” she replied. “My search was obviously interrupted, but I got through his desk.”
“Why the hell did she go up there early, and why was she searching his apartment, that’s what I want to know,” Pierce mused aloud. “Her message indicated he’d promised to give her whatever he has tonight.” He raked a hand through his thinning blond hair and scowled. “I need to put someone on this guy, find out what the hell’s going on. Now Strike’s confirmed this note she received has validity, which will make her even more determined. If she’d recognized you, we’d have had to take care of her, and she’s our best hope of finding out who’s behind all this.”
“I’m not happy about this either,” Domino said. “I was taking a risk going up there to begin with, and I shouldn’t have been in that apartment. You need to bring in another op to work with Reno. If I continue with this assignment, I need to stay exclusively with Strike— eyes only. Today could have blown my cover.”
“Agreed. We’ll put you on twenty-four-hour surveillance. I’ll arrange a place with a good vantage point and move you in there tomorrow. And you need to put a tracker on her car.” Pierce picked up his phone and ordered the Organization’s logistics office to immediately secure a home, office, or apartment with a good view of Hayley Ward’s place. It was to be outfitted with the usual equipment and readied for immediate occupancy. He also ordered an operative be sent to Brooklyn to tail Manny Vasquez.
The prospect of watching Hayley day and night through highpowered lenses sent a warm and very unprofessional sensation through Domino’s body. She’d been on such details before and knew the types of images she would likely see—the subject emerging from a shower or undressing before bed. Or entertaining someone in their bedroom; she’d certainly seen that often enough.
She had no idea what she might observe Hayley doing. Their file on her, and Hayley’s own admissions, indicated she was inclined toward brief sexual encounters. One-night stands, mostly. Whether they happened in her apartment or elsewhere wasn’t known. The prospect of this eventuality should have left her cold, but it didn’t.
It had little or no relevance to the mission. In actuality, it would be better if Hayley did continue her pattern of casual affairs, because they would keep her too preoccupied to dig for further evidence of the EOO. But Domino realized to her surprise that she rather hoped Hayley
had
stopped seeing other people.

Hayley was so shaken by her experience at Manny’s apartment she considered calling her sister to come over to keep her company, but didn’t want to expose anyone else—certainly no one close to her—to any type of danger. So instead she went from room to room, checking twice to make sure all the doors and windows were locked and looking again for evidence someone had been in her apartment while she wasn’t there. She inwardly cursed herself for being so messy. Trying to find anything out of place was almost impossible when things were always scattered everywhere like a strong breeze had blown through.

Once she felt relatively secure, she settled onto her sofa with a martini and considered her next move. The knowledge that the EOO probably had her note and the DVD of the surveillance tape unnerved her. But she reasoned it probably wouldn’t do any good to drop her investigation. It wouldn’t make her any safer in the long run. She’d just have to be especially careful from now on. Manny’s words—
watch your back—
rang in her head
.
Maybe it was time to start thinking about going to the police.

She was tempted to at least contact Manny’s former precinct anonymously, to suggest his death hadn’t been an accident. Possible evidence from the car crash might help solve this mystery and bring those responsible to justice. Although…the Organization wouldn’t leave that kind of evidence behind, would they? And tipping off the police might only involve her further, make her look even guiltier.

She’d been at Manny’s apartment. His landlady, and people at the bar, had seen them together. Could the police find her from that? If they did, she’d have to tell them about the assassination tape. Explain why she hadn’t come forward earlier. Now that the EOO had what they wanted, maybe they would leave her alone. If they’d wanted to kill her, they could have.

Domino took in the sparsely furnished studio apartment across the street from Hayley’s apartment complex. She had an excellent view of Hayley’s living room and bedroom windows from one floor above. With her right hand she absently worked the ever-present domino she carried with her, playing the black bone over her knuckles and back again.

They’d set her up with the basic essentials. Against one wall, a thin camping mattress with sleeping bag, though she didn’t expect to use those much. A box of latex gloves. Audio/video equipment and a listening device tuned in to the bugs in Hayley’s apartment and the trace on her home phone. Two sets of high-powered, digital-zoom binoculars, one with night vision. Portable radar equipment, to monitor the tracking device she’d just attached to the undercarriage of Hayley’s Mustang. A makeup kit, wigs, and other items she might need for a disguise. And in a metallic case, a British-made L96A1 sniper rifle, which had a range of 1100 meters.

She brought a minimum of personal items in case she had to flee quickly. It was one of the first things she was taught: you never leave your stuff behind. And she would be back and forth to her own place often enough, accessing the apartment from a convenient rear entrance, while Hayley was sleeping and working.

Domino saw movement in Hayley’s apartment with its open curtains and reached for the binoculars. Hayley, dressed in a burgundy business suit, crossed from her living room to her bedroom. Reaching down, she pulled off a matching pump, then disappeared, presumably into the bathroom. Domino let the binoculars fall to her side and started to lean forward to rest her forehead on the window when she stopped herself. The grease she would have left there would have been as good as a fingerprint. She stepped back and almost knocked the audio equipment over. Exasperated, she ran her hand through her hair. This carelessness was very unlike her. And this whole damn operation was very unlike any of her previous.

Working for the Organization, for a better world, had always been a noble cause, But she had doubts about this assignment and was in no position to express them
.

All orders always included
by any means necessary.
And if that meant seducing, sleeping with, lying, and faking it all, so be it. She had no virtues or identity of her own to have to stay true to.

But it all felt wrong. Hayley was innocent. She didn’t doubt that, no matter what Pierce might make her out to be. Someone with ulterior motives had picked Hayley. They should be the one paying, not her.

Domino looked at her watch. Fifteen minutes until time to meet Hayley. She walked into the apartment’s tiny bathroom to check her appearance, rested her hands on the sink, and stared down at it. Would she be able to cope with having to sit back and watch someone take Hayley out? And what upset her most—the fact she was an innocent or that it was Hayley? Not being able to give herself an objective answer troubled her.

She’d had her share of women. Beautiful, eager women who wanted more than she could give. Was Hayley so tempting because she was forbidden fruit? She’d be fooling herself if she accepted that excuse. There was more to this attraction, and it was something unfamiliar.

Hayley didn’t push or probe, she didn’t demand. She just wanted her, no questions asked, and she was willing to wait for her body and mind. She had accepted her silence and evasive answers and was content to be in her presence.

But although Hayley was accepting the person she thought was Luka, in many ways she was accepting Domino, the woman who couldn’t always give answers or explain.

Domino, surprised, raised her head to look at herself in the mirror. What she had seen in Hayley’s eyes on the boat as they sat in silence and watched the sun go down wasn’t just about getting through the night. It was about hope for a tomorrow. Now she knew what that unfamiliar feeling was.

Hayley had been jumpy all day at work. Remembering her encounter with the intruder in Manny’s apartment, she was still perplexed about why the woman hadn’t killed her or knocked her out. She’d done only the minimum necessary to subdue her.

A bit paranoid being out in public now, she was always scanning her surroundings, trying to pick out someone too interested in her, or a car she saw more than once. She briefly considered canceling her date or asking to stay in, because she worried Luka might distract her so much she wouldn’t be as alert to danger as she should be. Or that if she
was
, she would be lousy company. But she was too eager to see Luka to postpone again. She was very compelling, and inexplicably Hayley felt safer when near Luka’s calm strength.

A nice dinner somewhere quiet and then back here would make her forget her worries for a while. If anything could do it, looking at Luka could
.
The image of her in her black bikini came vividly to mind.

She’d always been attracted to women with lean, athletic figures, and Luka certainly epitomized the buff type, with her flat stomach, tight ass, and lightly muscled arms and thighs. Hayley laid several dresses and skirts on the bed, considering what to wear. She wanted to turn the heat up on Luka’s
eventually
, so she selected a low-cut, dark gray blouse and short black leather skirt to go with the lacy and provocative red bra and panties she hoped might later draw an appreciative comment.

Domino glanced at her watch as she stood before the window. Another five minutes. When she looked back up, she saw movement in the window again and picked up the binoculars. She didn’t expect to see anything significant; she knew Hayley was getting ready for their date. She just wanted to look at her. Though she might tell herself over and over it was only a job, she couldn’t help it.

She gripped the binoculars tightly when Hayley passed by wearing only a red lacy bra and panties and turned away to face her closet. Then she noticed something on Hayley’s back, zoomed in, and focused. Guilt replaced arousal as she realized she was staring at the bruise her gun had made when she had pressed it against Hayley’s back to keep her from moving.

She had been trained to ignore remorse and guilt, and for good reason. They clouded your judgment and made you hesitate unnecessarily. The reality of who she was and what she had been assigned to do reminded her of the dangerous foolishness of such emotions.

And the current view wasn’t much less provocative. Hayley’s blouse exposed a good bit of her breasts, and her short leather skirt revealed a lot of thigh. Try as she might to act unaffected, Domino found it hard to look her politely in the eye. She could only stare at the creamy skin of her chest and imagine her mouth there.

Hayley smiled. “I guess that means I look okay?”
“I’m going to have to work on my transparency.”
“I’d miss it if you did. I love how it makes me feel.” But Domino sensed immediately that although Hayley was trying

to act normal, she was on edge, looking past her, over her shoulder and into the corridor. A pang of guilt dampened her pleasure at the sexy view. The feel of Hayley’s body beneath her on Vasquez’s bed flooded her senses. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” Hayley replied lightly. “Come on in.” She stepped aside to admit Domino.
“How about we combine dinner with a film, since you like old movies. There’s a place where we can do both.” She entered the apartment and tried to keep from staring at Hayley’s chest.
“That sounds great.” Hayley seemed relieved. “I was looking forward to a quiet evening. Far from crowds and busy restaurants.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Oh, I’ll be fine. It’s just been a rough couple of days and it’s all kind of catching up with me, that’s all.” She reached for her purse.
“Would you prefer we did this some other time?”
“No,” she was quick to respond. She looped an arm through Domino’s and leaned against her. “I’m happy for the distraction, especially when it comes in such enticing packaging.”
“And I’m more than happy to provide that for you. If you want to talk about it, I’ve been known to be a great listener.”
“Thanks, Luka. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Domino almost immediately realized they were being followed. Hayley’s eyes were frequently on her side mirror as well, and she wondered whether she had also picked up on the plain dark sedan pacing them from several cars back.
Suddenly she swung into the drive of an auto insurance place with the right kind of driveway and no other places to stop nearby. She knew the sedan would have to pass by and drive around the block to pick them up again.
“Sorry, I just remembered,” she said, retrieving her cell phone from her pocket. “I meant to call a neighbor of mine earlier. Forgive me for a moment.”
“Sure.”
“Hi, Ben, it’s me. On my way out this morning, I saw a car hit yours and break the taillight. I got the license-plate number—it’s AND 492.” She paused to listen. “No problem. Good luck.” She ended the call and pulled back out into traffic. As she expected, the sedan quickly reappeared behind them.
It was still following them when they reached the Bistro, a quaint old movie house with a refurbished art-deco interior. “Would you go in and find us a table?” Domino asked once she had paid for their tickets. “I forgot something. Be right in.”
She waited for Hayley to get inside before she returned to the lot. The sedan was just parking. She watched it surreptitiously through the dark windows of a parked SUV. The driver was nondescript, in his thirties, average height and weight, dressed in jeans and a dark polo shirt. He looked around as he got out of the car and headed toward the theater. Domino slipped inside ahead of him, unseen.
The Bistro had replaced half of its original stadium seats with low tables and comfortable cushioned couches and chairs, and Hayley had chosen a small table in the back corner with a deep padded loveseat barely large enough to accommodate both of them. Domino couldn’t have chosen a better vantage point herself.
The driver of the sedan entered and took one of the only remaining tables, twenty-five feet away, also toward the back. He sat facing the screen, but with his body slightly angled so he could glance their way on occasion without drawing too much attention to himself. It was still several minutes before showtime. The theater lights hadn’t yet dimmed.
“So they only show foreign films, and dinner is always themed to the movie?” Hayley studied the menu as a waiter delivered plates laden with egg rolls and Mongolian beef to the next table. Tonight’s offering was Chinese because the featured film was
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
“That’s right.” Domino tried to keep one eye on the mystery patron without alerting Hayley, who seemed oblivious to their unwelcome company. “It’s a limited menu, but always good, because some nearby restaurant caters it. Next week it’s Italian and
La Dolce Vita.
They both selected the Moo Goo Gai Pan, one of four main courses offered, and Domino noticed the driver of the sedan ordered as well. He had to, to sit close to them, because only dinner patrons could occupy one of the tables.
Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket as their food arrived. She retrieved it and flipped it open to find a text message. BEAGLE. EOOspeak for private detective.
She considered the ramifications of this latest development and began to understand Pierce’s paranoia. This wasn’t the same guy who had followed Hayley from the bar in Brooklyn. Someone had definitely taken an interest in her and was hiring people to keep an eye on her much of the time. Was it the person who’d sent her the tape? Whoever it was, they would certainly take an interest in who she was
with
and wonder if their relationship was personal or professional. She had to make sure it appeared purely personal, that they were clearly out on a date.
“Not very hungry?” Hayley had her chopsticks halfway to her mouth and was looking back at her from the table. The lights dimmed, and the screen brightened, airing advertisements while soft music continued in the background.
Domino was slumped against the cushions. With the light provided by the screen, her peripheral view alerted her that the sedan driver was watching them. She sat up and placed her hand on Hayley’s back, caressing it lightly through the thin silk. “It’s hard to concentrate on food with you looking like you do.”
Hayley’s face registered delighted puzzlement at the unexpected directness. Domino didn’t want the stranger to see the obvious surprise, so she cupped Hayley’s cheek and kissed her neck.
Her body, however, would not respond, as though it knew she was doing this in the line of duty—for
his
benefit, not hers. The soft skin at the base of Hayley’s neck was exquisite, and as she let her lips caress and suck, Hayley’s heartbeat pounded beneath her tongue, quickening at her touch. A twist of arousal began, low in her belly, and coiled tighter when Hayley moaned.
She realized suddenly she had unfastened two of Hayley’s buttons, opening her shirt to expose the edge of each nipple. Hayley shifted, as if getting more comfortable, and Domino snapped out of it. She had to stop before she couldn’t, but Hayley’s perfume was hazing her mind. She craved to put her mouth back where it had been, but finally forced herself to pull away.
Hayley was breathing hard and took a moment to open her eyes. She looked at Domino in a smoky, seductive way that said she was well excited. “I think I need more distraction.” She leaned slowly forward, her intention to kiss her completely clear.
Domino
could
not have,
would
not have resisted if she hadn’t noticed the stranger get to his feet and start toward the lobby. She pulled back with a rueful smile. “Please excuse me, Hayley. I need to use the ladies’ room.”
“Now?”
“Be back in a minute.”
“I’m counting.”
Only a handful of people clustered around the concession stand, and a late-arriving couple were entering the theater. She glimpsed the stranger ducking into a stairwell leading to the restrooms and followed, catching up to him outside the men’s room. “I couldn’t help but notice you’ve been enjoying the view. But of the wrong show. You got a problem?”
“I don’t know wha—”
She grabbed him firmly by the balls. “What’re you up to?”
The private detective tried to pull away, but she had a good grip and wasn’t letting go. “You’ve been watching us more than the screen. Do you usually follow women into the movies? Maybe I should call security and have them take over.”
“It’s not like that,” the man protested, then wheezed in pain. “You’re really hurting me.” He tried to pull away again, but stopped when she applied a bit more pressure.
“I can hurt you a lot more if you don’t tell me what the hell you want before I start screaming for security and let them know you jumped me here.”
“No! No security,” he said quickly. “I’m only doing my job.”
“What’s your job, asshole?” she snarled. “Staring at lesbians and jacking off in the toilet?” She stuck her free hand into her back pocket for her cell phone and flipped it open.
“Look, some guy hired me to keep an eye on his girlfriend, the redhead. Thought she was cheating on him. Asked me to watch her, see who she was meeting and let him know the nature of the relationship,” he said. “That’s it. That’s all I know.”
“Who was this guy?”
“I can’t say,” the man declared. “I can’t—”
Domino squeezed his balls harder. Tears sprang to his eyes as he tried again to get away, but she had her forearm against his throat now. “Guess the self-defense course paid off.” She held him with no effort. “She never told me she had a boyfriend, so you see, I’m kind of interested myself now. What’ll it be? His name? Or security?”
The private detective coughed against the pressure on his windpipe. “Okay. Okay. He said his name was Joe Poliza. That’s all I know. He calls me once a day, every day, for an update.”
“How long have you been watching her?”
“Couple of days,” he rasped.
“Did you take pictures of her too, perv?”
“No,” he said. But his pupils dilated. A sign of deceit.
She tightened her grip around his throat, and he made a choking sound.
“No. I swear, no pics yet,” he said. “I was going to get some tonight, of the two of you, but it’s been too damn dark so far.”
Luka removed her hand from his balls and reached into the pocket of his jacket. She found a small digital camera, and without even looking to see whether there was anything on it she dropped it and stomped it with her boot heel. “Get the hell out of this theater, and tell your Joe Poliza the lady apparently prefers to be with me.”
He glared at her but nodded when she stepped back, then headed for the exit.
When she returned to her table, Hayley was waiting for her with an expectant and very confused expression. She’d missed a good bit of the movie. “You left so fast and were gone so long I started to worry. Something I said?”
Domino smiled. “No, not at all. There was a long line. Have you noticed how most women take forever in the restroom?”
“You really had to go right
then
, at that particular moment?”
“Let’s say I couldn’t take the heat. I had to get away before we gave a show here.”
“I’m fine with leaving, you know.” Hayley put one hand on her thigh and shifted her weight as she edged closer. But as she resettled, she flinched.
“Are you okay?” Domino asked.
“I’m fine,” Hayley replied. “It’s nothing. My purse has sharp edges, and it hit a tender spot on my back.”
“You look like you’re in pain.”
“I backed up into the door handle. No big deal.” The lie came only after a slight hesitation, which told Domino volumes. Hayley wasn’t entirely comfortable deceiving her, but she was determined to keep her secrets.
“So?” Hayley repeated. “Do you want to leave? Back to my place, for a bit more private distraction?” The way Hayley was looking at her made Domino’s stomach clench. She inhaled a whiff of Hayley’s perfume, only now she could swear it bore the subtle undertones of something else—the musky scent of arousal. Glancing down, she saw that Hayley’s skirt was hiked up so high it would take nothing at all to reach between her legs. They were slightly open. Inviting. Beckoning to her, like the dark and endless pupils in Hayley’s hazel eyes.
She feared adjourning to Hayley’s apartment, not at all certain she could withstand the temptation to sleep with her. Not with the look in her eyes.
I want you
, the look said, in a fiery way. An ageless, primitive way. And that was the way she knew best.
But she had to get information out of Hayley, which meant alone time, where Hayley felt safe. And usually nowhere felt safer than home. “Let’s go.”