Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos (14 page)

“I’m coming, Harper,” she muttered as she went to their daughter’s bedroom.

Jason running out of the house had taken her by surprise. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but her husband leaving wasn’t it. Well, there wasn’t anything she could do about it except wait for him to come to his senses.

She hoped it wouldn’t be long. Jason had a penchant for holding a grudge.

Chapter Fourteen

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, Cyndi heard the front door close quietly. From her favorite corner of the sofa, she stretched and opened her eyes, wondering if Jason would seek her out or go off to bed alone.

She listened as her husband set the alarm and waited as he ran his usual series of security checks. Cyndi knew the process by heart—lock and bolt the front door, check the chain and lock on the door leading to the garage, throw the bar down in the slider in the dining room. Jason was as predictable as the sunrise.

That was probably why she should have known exactly how he would react to her big announcement. In her heart, she really had known all along. If she hadn’t, there would have been no need to keep her Friday night destination a secret.

Jason appeared in the door to the living room, his broad shoulders filling the dimly lit space.

“Where have you been, J.J.?”

“Just out driving around.”

She glanced at the clock on the cable box. “It’s nearly four.”

Jason sighed and walked toward her. “We have a bit of a problem, Cyndi.” Jason dropped down onto the sofa. “You aren’t the woman I thought you were.”

“I think the problem is that I’m not the woman you thought you wanted, but I think if you get to know this side of me, you might like it. We have a lot in common, J.J. For instance, we both enjoy a good mystery.”

“What does a mystery have to do with you shaking your ass for money?” he snapped.

“Why do you always have to be such a jerk?” Cyndi shot back.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize not wanting my wife to work in a strip joint made me a jerk. Forgive me.”

“Sarcasm has never been attractive on you, J.J.”

He leaned forward, his palms resting on his knees, his expression serious. “I can’t believe you have been lying to me all this time.”

“I didn’t know how to tell you the truth,” Cyndi admitted, studying her husband’s face. “I love the job, but I knew you wouldn’t understand that.”

“I sure as hell don’t understand!”

Cyndi shrugged. What could she say?

“From the day we met, I always knew I could trust you. I don’t worry about all the hours I am gone because I know you are as honest as I am. At least, I always thought so. Now, I’m not so sure. Have I been wrong all these years? What else have you lied to me about?”

“Nothing! I didn’t want to lie about this, but I didn’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice, Cyndi, and you made the wrong one. I don’t know how to get past this.”

“Come on, J.J., don’t say that. It’s not like I cheated on you or something. I just made some money doing something I really love.”

“You are supposed to love me. You know, in sickness or in health, for richer or poorer. There’s nothing in those vows about working in a strip club and shaking your ass for every low life at the beach.”

“I do love you, more than anything in this world. I wasn’t trying to hurt you. Come on, Jason! That’s not fair!”

Jason sprang from the chair and leaned over so he was looking her straight in the eye.

“Not fair? Seriously, Cyn? What’s not fair is that I will now be the laughing stock of the damned department! This could affect my future,
our
future! Have you thought about that?” He slammed his fist down on the coffee table. “What about Harper? Have you considered our daughter in all this?”

Cyndi jumped to her own feet, fuming. “What does Harper have to do with this? She is a child. She has no idea about any of it!”

“You still put her in danger! Your behavior brought some freak to our house. He could have hurt her, taken her! Have you thought about that? This nut job obviously likes them young! How young will he go? Is Harper on his list?”

Jason paced back and forth in front of her, picking up speed with every turn. Cyndi had never seen him this angry.

“What do you want from me, J.J.?”

He stopped and stared her down. He had his cop look on. Cyndi hated that look.

“Quit, of course. That’s the first step.” He resumed pacing, running his fingers over his crew cut. “I don’t know how we will get over this.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” A slight ripple of panic washed through her.

“What do you think it means? You lied to me. Over and over again. What else do you lie about? Oh, God. Harper. Is she mine?”

“Jason Jonathan Mills! How
dare
you!”

“Well, how the hell am I supposed to know what’s true anymore? Our whole marriage could be a complete sham!”

“You don’t really believe that, Jason.”

“I don’t know what I believe.” He dropped back into the chair.

“Believe this, aside from Sugar Shakers, I have never lied about anything.”

“You could be lying right now. How in the hell would I know? I obviously suck as an investigator since I missed three months’ worth of lies.”

She threw her hands into the air. “You are absolutely impossible!”

“Baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

“I don’t understand you! It’s not like I committed a murder or had a secret rendezvous with a lover. I just danced to a few good eighties rock songs for a couple of hours a week.”

“How do I trust you now?”

Cyndi rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Jason, you are taking this a little too far, don’t you think?”

“Tell me, Cyndi, how does one
take it
when his wife lies and does God knows what else?”

“He takes it by sleeping on the couch. I’m done with this conversation. Have a good night, Jason.”

Cyndi walked out of the room without another word and went to their bedroom. Once she closed the door, she listened to see if Jason followed her.

He didn’t.

Chapter Fifteen

Jason was sitting at the kitchen table with Harper when she entered the kitchen a couple of hours later. After their fight, Cyndi had spent the rest of the night staring at the bedroom ceiling, waiting to see if her husband would finally come to bed, and thinking about her plan when he didn’t.

He barely made eye contact with her. Walking over to where Harper sat, she kissed her daughter on the head.

“Hi, Mommy.”

“Good morning, sweet pea.”

“Daddy made me waffles.”

“Mmm…Daddy makes good waffles, doesn’t he?”

“Uh huh!”

“Why don’t you go wash your sticky hands now and watch television for a few minutes while Mommy and Daddy talk?”

“Okay, Mommy!” Harper climbed down from her chair and disappeared down the hall.

“I have nothing to say to you right now,” Jason muttered when the little girl was gone.

“Well, I have something to say to you.”

“It better start with you quitting that job, because you are not going back there.”

“Quitting? No way. Not until someone figures out what happened to Jade.”

Jason stood up, his arms crossed over his chest. “What do you mean, ‘no way’? There is no reason for you to work there anymore.”

“How about the fact that I like it? How about I know everyone and I could be an extremely valuable asset to a police investigation? Everyone at Sugar Shakers has secrets. They aren’t going to share them with just anyone, especially not the cops. But I have a relationship with them. And now that Lola has died—”

“Who the hell is Lola?”

“The girl they found under the pier.”

“You know her?”

“Yes. She was one of the dancers. She’s from Hawaii, but her family disowned her when she met a soldier and moved off the islands.”

“How do you know all that?”

“She told me. She trusted me.”

“I need to call the LT and let him know we have a possible ID. I don’t suppose you know her last name?”

“No. But you can get it from the club, I’m sure. As far as I know, Lola used her real information. She loved dancing, and never felt she had to hide anything.”

“It doesn’t matter why she was there. At least now we have a place to start.”

“Was she murdered, Jason?” She couldn’t even begin to hide the sadness in her voice.

Her husband looked at her for a long time, obviously trying to reconcile his own emotions before speaking. Finally he responded, “Unfortunately, it is looking that way. I’m sorry, Cyn.”

“Let me help, Jason.”

“Help with what?”

“Finding the bastard who took Jade and killed Lola.”

“We don’t know if it was even the same person.”

“It was. I know it was. And I am one hundred percent certain that someone at the club is involved. One of the regulars, maybe? If you let me help, I could wear a wire or one of those tiny cameras. Ask a few questions, maybe get you all some leads? I could be a confidential informant.”

“This isn’t reruns of
Law and Order,
Cyndi. Being a CI isn’t as easy as it looks on television. I would have to get it approved by the chief, and I am certain he’s gonna say no way in hell on that one. Not to mention the fact there is no way I am going to let you do it.”

“You could at least try to get it approved. Please. I want to help. Jade and Lola deserve justice. You could also go undercover as a guest of the club.”

“And have to watch you on that stage?”

Cyndi smiled wickedly. “Absolutely.”

“I might try to kill any man that tries to touch you.” He mirrored her smile with a scowl.

“It won’t happen. We have the best bouncer in town.”

“What if I get horny like all those other guys? You know I will.” He almost looked disgusted at the thought.

“I’m sure we can find a broom closet somewhere.” She reached for him, but Jason stepped back from her.

“Cyndi, if I let you do this, it doesn’t change anything between us. I’m still angry, and we have a lot to work out.”

“How long are you going to hold a grudge, Jason?”

“This isn’t a grudge. This is a serious problem, Cyn. I can’t trust my own wife. That doesn’t sit well with me.”

“Dammit, Jason! Will you give it a rest already?”

“I just need some time.”

“Whatever.” She turned to drop Harper’s dishes in the sink. “I still want to help out at the club.”

“Fine. I’ll talk to the chief about making you a temporary CI. Your plan is a little unorthodox, so I’m not sure he will go for it, but I’ll give it a go. I do have one condition though.”

“Anything.”

“When this is over, you have to quit the job.”

“If you still feel that way after seeing me in action, then okay, I’ll quit.”

“Oh, I will. You can bet on it. I will never be okay with my wife being ogled by other men.”

“Then you have a deal.”

“I am still not happy about the dancing gig—or the lies. I’ll be staying in the den for a while so I can think things through.”

“Don’t you think you are being a little bit dramatic, J.J.?”

“Dramatic? What don’t you get here, Cyndi? You broke our trust, and you did it in a reprehensible way.”

“Reprehensible? For crying out loud, Jason. All I am doing is dancing.”

Jason didn’t respond. Instead, he headed out of the kitchen. From down the hall he called back to her, “I’m going to make that call to the LT now, and then I am headed out. Don’t wait up tonight.”

As soon as he was gone, Cyndi dropped onto the sofa and grabbed her computer. She was a little shocked at Jason’s quick turnaround on trying to get her in as a CI. She had to tell someone, or she might burst from the excitement. Logging in, she quickly sent an email to the girls.

Told Jason everything. He was mad as a hornet, but he will eventually get over it. Looks like I am going undercover at the club. Imagine that? Me, Cyndi Mills, undercover in six-inch stilettos! I will fill you all in on the rest later on.

Love you all! Talk to you soon. Cyndi

After shutting down her computer, Cyndi gathered up the cash she had dumped out on the couch during their middle-of-the-night argument and returned it to the oatmeal container. She hid it in the pantry and headed to find Harper. Jason would eventually forgive her. He was raised by parents who didn’t believe in divorce. It was only a matter of time before he came to his senses. In the interim, she would get to play CI and hopefully find out what had happened to her friends.