Lethal Bond: Jamie Bond Mysteries Book #3 (19 page)

Maya poured another round of drinks for Caleigh and me. I declined, and Caleigh took both. She collapsed into a chair. "I can't believe the bastard is a cheating…"

Maya and Sam surrounded her. One patted her arm, the other rubbed her back.

"Dog?" Maya offered.

"Asshole?" Sam asked.

Caleigh nodded. "Both." She took a deep, cleansing breath and sipped one of the margaritas.

I glanced at Danny, who was watching my friends. I think he knew the last thing Caleigh would want right now was a man's opinion.

"I don't understand how I could've been so stupid," she said between sobs. "I thought he loved me, and this whole time he's been cheating on me."

"What?" shouted a deep voice by the door. "I'll kill him."

We all looked over, and Mr. Presley stood there. His hard, cold stare zeroed in on Danny.

Oh crap. We were definitely going to be late.

Mr. Presley took five giant steps toward Danny, his arms extended like Frankenstein, as if he planned on strangling Danny to death.

Danny's eyes darted back and forth, searching for a place to hide. "Mr. Presley, I can explain."

Probably not the best thing to say. It made him sound guilty.

For an older man, Mr. Presley had a lot of power in his steps. He chased Danny around the lobby, one fist in the air, ready to slug him.

"Caleigh, tell your father the truth," Danny shouted. "I don't want to hit him, but I will defend myself."

Mr. Presley cornered Danny by Maya's desk.

Caleigh jumped up and stepped between them. "No, Daddy, it wasn't him."

"You just said he cheated on you." Mr. Presley's chest rose and fell rapidly.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Tears fell from the corners. "It wasn't Danny. It was another man."

He lowered his arm. "You mean, you've been cheating on your fiancé?" His voice was hushed, as if he hadn't wanted anyone else to hear.

"No, Daddy. I've been lying to you."

And that was our cue. I looked to Sam and nodded toward the door. It was time to make our escape. Plus, I didn't want to see Mr. Presley's head explode.

*  *  *

On the way to Agev, I got a call from Elaine. She insisted on not missing the fun. I thought about arguing, but I figured if I took her with me I killed two birds with one stone—happy Elaine, no angry calls from Derek. Besides, she had been the one to get the info on where to find Vega. Without her, I don't know what I would've done. So we swung by her place to pick her up and used her bathroom to change into our cop outfits Sam had rented. But as we all piled back into my car, I made sure she understood that she was not to leave the car, under no circumstances. Derek told me to take care of her, not risk her life.

She nodded with a big smile, eager for the adventure.

Then we met up with Candy and Apple across the street from the club and wired them with the bracelet mics and brooch spy cams we used for surveillance. We watched them walk across the street and inside.

I turned on the transmitter and cradled my laptop between the front seats, cuing up the recording program connected to the girls' mics and cameras. The camera angles came up on a split screen, so we could watch both at the same time. Danny had trained us well.

Whatever we caught on video tonight couldn't be used legally, but I wanted all of our bases covered just in case something could be used later on. And in case it got ugly once Sam and I went inside.

Candy and Apple went to the bar and chatted and flirted their way around the room. It took a while, but eventually they caught Vega's attention and were invited into the V.I.P. area.

Vega was a short, stocky man with a high-pitched, girly voice. I'd bet he had a huge Napoleon complex. But he dressed well in a sharp, black suit with a white shirt and a silver tie. He had a clean-shaven head that reminded me a bit of Pitbull, the singer. But where Pitbull had a sexy demeanor, Vega was all brute.

"Are the two of you one treat, like a candy apple?" One of his two thugs asked. The other laughed. They both towered over their boss.

I rolled my eyes, but I guessed the girls were used to those types of comments, especially working at The Spotted Pony. They obviously didn't mind because they giggled along.

For the first twenty minutes, the girls and men chatted about the club, drinks, and dancing. Then Apple performed a mini lap dance for one of the thugs. All the men cheered. Of course.

The girls flirted their pants off, almost literally, but it didn't seem to be going anywhere. I started getting impatient. I wanted to get out of the car and pace, but I didn't want to miss anything. This had to work. If not, I didn't know how else to get the goods on Hot Lips Miranda.

"So how about you and we go someplace more private?" Candy said. She sat on one of Vega's thick, squat thighs, while Apple was on the other.

"Both of you?" He looked from one to the other, and surprisingly, he kept his gaze on their faces.

"We do everything together." Candy giggled.

"And what do you have in mind?" And there were the boob gazes. At least I knew he was straight.

"Anything you can afford." Apple sounded sultry.

"Oh, I have plenty of money, girls. And I can go all night," Vega finally said.

The thugs nodded and chuckled like a couple of school girls. I'd never understand some men when it came to their sexual prowess.

"Us too," Candy and Apple said in unison.

I turned to Caleigh. This was it. I hoped. I held my breath, waiting for his response.

"Then we need to get out of here," he said.

And there it was. It may not have held up in real court, but it was perfect for Bond justice.

Caleigh and I flung open our doors and stepped out of the car. Glock on my hip, I turned to Elaine and said, "Stay put."

She nodded, pulling the laptop onto the backseat beside her.

Then I paused. "If by some chance this doesn't go down as planned… if it looks like we're in trouble…call the cops."

Elaine looked up, wide-eyed.

I smiled. "Don't worry. It'll be fine." At least I hoped so.

I turned and marched across the street with Sam. We headed inside and past the front security who paid us no attention. They were too busy breaking up a couple of girls slapping one another. There was nothing like alcohol to bring out the cage fighter in people.

We rounded the corner to the V.I.P. Section. No one tried to stop us, but several people turned and whispered. Despite our good luck so far, I began to sweat. Nerves jumbled in my stomach so bad, I winced a couple of times.

Candy and Apple were still on Vega's lap. The thugs were taller and much scarier looking in person.

"Eduardo Vega, you're under arrest for solicitation." I deepened my voice and hoped it gave me an edge. I feared spewing my lunch all over the floor, like that drunk last night.

Candy and Apple jumped up, scooting to the side. I hoped their cameras still caught the footage. I'd instructed them how to stand once we arrived, but under duress it was easy to forget. I couldn't afford to turn and look.

The bodyguards reached for their guns in their side holsters.

Sam and I withdrew first. "Guns down, boys. Unless you'd like to see the inside of a jail cell too."

They just stood there, hands on the butts of their pieces, contemplating whether or not they'd…what? Pull a gun on a couple of cops? Take the odds of who'd shoot first? This was crazy. Who did they think they were? The fake cop in me grew pissed.

"Officers, what seems to be the problem?" Vega said. "The young ladies and I were just talking."

He didn't seem at all bothered about being arrested. I was sure, at some point in his life, this was a common occurrence.

"Actually, they propositioned you and you agreed. We have it on tape." I didn't mention Candy and Apple. I didn't want to risk them getting hurt. I snuck a glanced their way this time and saw that, just like we'd planned, they both pulled shocked faces. Good girls.

The thugs didn't move, and by the look of their weapons, I was certain that if they shot, Sam and I wouldn't make it to the hospital.

"You need to put your hands on the back of your heads," Sam said to the thugs. When they didn't listen, Sam focused her gun on Vega.

"I'd listen to her if I were you. My partner has perfect aim," I said.

"A police officer won't shoot a civilian," Vega said. But I saw the moisture on his upper lip. He was as worried as I was.

I thought of Elaine. I prayed she wasn't calling 911. But considering how my shirt was pressed to my back, I knew this charade had gone on long enough.

I lowered my gun, but Sam held hers steady. "Mr. Vega, we won't be hauling you into the station right now, but you better call your lawyer, because we're returning with a warrant. And my partner and I will be more than happy to tear this place apart."

We backed out of the roped-off section. When we reached the corner, Candy and Apple ran out the front. Sam and I took our time, careful Vega and his thugs didn't follow.

Once outside, adrenaline kicked in big time, and I ran across the street to my car. Inside, I let out a deep, shaky breath and yanked off the cop hat.

"Oh my goodness, that was crazy," Elaine said.

If Vega or the thugs came outside, I didn't want them to recognize us. What cops drive a cherry red convertible? I shrugged out of the shirt, grateful I'd worn a white tank beneath.

Candy and Apple waved as they sped away in their car. While they smiled, they also looked a little less tanned than usual. Were they ready to toss their cookies too? Would they volunteer so easily to help me out next time?

"Did it record it all?" I asked Elaine. "Did the girls capture enough of it after Sam and I arrived?"

Elaine shut the laptop. "Yes, I saw the whole thing. I couldn't make out your and Sam's faces, though."

Just as well, in case I needed to show this to Aiden.

I turned on the car and kept my eye on the rearview mirror as I drove off. Then I said a silent prayer that Vega really did call his lawyer. Miranda.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

I dropped Sam off at the agency to get her car. The office was empty, which meant Caleigh, Mr. Presley, Maya, and Danny had left. Good. I didn't have time to deal with anything else. I had a bug to listen to.

"Thanks for tonight, Sam. And give Julio a hug from me."

"Will do. If you need anything else tonight, like tailing…" She was referring to Aiden. "Just give me a call."

I appreciated it. I glanced at Elaine and needed a different kind of favor. "Do you mind dropping Elaine off? I need to get on something." If I got stuck alone with Elaine in the car, there was a good chance she'd want to talk about Derek. I didn't have time or patience for that.

"That's fine."

"I had a great time, Jamie. Thanks for letting me tail along." Elaine climbed out of my car.

"You're welcome." I didn't think Derek would be happy I took his possible girlfriend, possible ex, on a dangerous stakeout, but he usually had no room to talk. He definitely wasn't the pillar of safe or moral behavior.

They both got into Sam's car. I watched them pull out of the parking lot before taking the transmitter from my purse and switching it on. Voices and laughter filled my car at a deafening roar. I lowered the volume and listened closely. Had I missed the call? Damn, I hoped not.

Then a baby cried and a voice said, "With Pampers, your baby will sleep through the night."

It was the television. Fairly certain I hadn't missed anything juicy, I drove to my apartment.

When I got upstairs, I kicked off my shoes and continued listening to Miranda's choice of TV shows. I changed out of the rest of the uniform and made a mental note to give it back to Sam so she could return it. The scene with Vega had gone better than I'd anticipated. Having Sam as my partner definitely gave me more confidence. If either of the thugs had taken a shot, I knew Sam would've put a bullet in Vega's skull. Of course, it wouldn't have mattered if I'd been dead.

I set up the transmitter on the coffee table, beside a portable tape recorder. It was old, but it still worked. Derek always said, get proof of everything. Copy copies, just to be safe.

As I heated up three day old chicken stir-fry from the Chinese place around the corner, Miranda flipped channels. A soda can popped, and I heard slurping. Too bad I couldn't publicly post her unladylike slurps somewhere.

A microwave dinged in the distance, and I heard scrambling then heels on a hardwood floor.

My microwave dinged too, and I took my dinner out, bringing it with me to the couch. I turned on my TV and muted it; then I flipped channels until I found the one that matched the sounds from her set. She was watching a rerun of
Modern Family
on cable. Interesting. I pegged her more as a crime drama kinda girl, with a penchant for villains.

Soon her slurping was accompanied by chewing. I listened closely, having fun deciphering the sounds. The crunch wasn't crisp enough to be potato chips or pretzels. And since I'd heard the microwave, it had to be popcorn.

She got up again, and a few minutes later I heard a toilet flush in the distance. Just what I wanted to hear. At least she hadn't taken her purse into the bathroom with her.

I contemplated pouring myself a glass of wine, but I was exhausted and didn't want to fall asleep on my spying.

The episode ended, and another had just begun when her phone rang.

I flinched, nearly dropping my fork. Her purse must've been right next to it.

I brought the transmitter to my ear, and held the recorder next to it, not wanting to miss a syllable. It had to be Vega.

"Aiden, hi, babe," she said.

My gut tightened. Why the heck was he calling now?

"No, I haven't eaten. I'd love dinner."

I rolled my eyes. Hadn't she just stuffed her face with a bag of popcorn?

"That's sounds great." She did that purring thing.

I wondered which restaurant they would end up at. If he took her to Franco's, I'd scream.

"No, I'd love to come over. Give me a few? Okay, see you soon."