by Erin R Flynn
She shrugged. “He didn’t ask me to stay, so I took it as I should go, and you came in with the hot owners so I was distracted by that.”
I sighed. “I have to do everything.”
“What does that mean?” she asked, frowning when I didn’t answer.
“When are you off next?”
“Wednesday, why?”
I rolled my eyes and went right over to Greg. “I’m working Wednesday night, and I have a very large whirlpool tub and fireplaces. Jade is off, and you didn’t invite her to sleep over. You should make up for that, like with a carpet picnic and her for dessert. Repeatedly.”
“Acadia,” Jade gasped as she came over to me. Her face was bright red, and she looked ready to melt. “I’m sorry. She asked and—”
“I didn’t know what to say, and you melted my brain,” Greg blurted as he moved over to her. “Don’t apologize. I adore her for sticking her nose in this. I had no clue you would ever consider me.”
She sighed as she scrubbed her hand over her head. “You’re an idiot. I’ve hinted like a bazillion times.”
“We all knew,” Tomas confirmed, shrugging when they shot him nasty looks. “I told you she was into you.”
“I’m working Wednesday but, um—”
“You can get someone to cover for him after harassing him and bullying him to find me, right?” I asked Owen and Evan.
Evan pinched the bridge of his nose, nodding. “Aye, love, we’ll cover his shift. You are such a pushy dove for someone who runs so fast.”
I opened my mouth but then closed it, feeling as hot as Jade had looked. “Yes, well, they’re open to it, want it. I was clear I don’t do dating. Just hot sex.”
“How hot was the sex?” one of the dancers teased me.
“On what scale?” Owen asked seriously. “If we’re talking on a scale of ten, she was at least a fifty.”
“Aye, and I only had foreplay,” Evan admitted.
“You were with both of them?” she asked, her eyes going wide.
I snorted. “I’ve done way more salacious things than twins.”
“Like what?” Owen asked, heat filling his eyes. “Tell me you were a naughty cheerleader or something?”
“There might be a certain frat house or two that still tell stories of me,” I purred, giving him a wink. “I’ve been the buffet before and not for sushi.”
“Oh, love, tell me more,” Evan begged, but I just shook my head and went back to our station. “I’m so bloody sunk.”
“This should be interesting,” Greg chuckled, looking amused that I was twisting his bosses around my little finger.
Hey, I wasn’t going to get blamed when I’d warned them. They were the idiots who kept coming back for more.
12
I hated to admit it, but I actually had fun with Evan and Owen. They were smart, sweet, and sexy. Really sexy.
“Can we follow you home?” Owen asked after lunch when I refused to give them my number.
“Sure,” I chuckled, the other guys looking like they were dying since they knew.
Then the twins turned into sexy puppies who looked like they were about to get a treat.
Something like that.
I parked in the garage and waited for them at the elevator. I waved them quiet as I pushed the button for their floor. It was amusing to watch them about to burst with questions.
When we arrived, I got off with them but then stepped right back on and pushed the button for the floor below, blocking them from joining me. “I live in the building, boys.”
“Oh bloody fuck,” Evan groaned as the doors closed, Owen staring at me with wide eyes.
I got off at the next floor and used the stairs to go down a few more to my floor so I didn’t give away just where yet. Fine, I enjoyed poking them a bit. They did weasel their way into my workout group after all.
My phone beeped with a message, and I checked it out as I walked into my apartment. I didn’t recognize the number, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up when it was from the owner of another club.
The club Pamela Owens used to work for.
How the fuck had they gotten my unlisted number when I hadn’t been giving it out?
After a bit of debate while I showered, I decided to be smart and call Badin and Pine so I was covered. The guy had called to “ask” me to interview but had basically told me to come in.
Funny since I hadn’t applied.
And how had he known I was off to come in?
That was a bit too fishy for me.
I got the answer when I walked into the club at a bit after six and saw one of the security guys from the club I danced at waiting for me. He smirked at me like it was all a shock. I didn’t know any of them well enough to have guessed who it was, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out something was up.
“He said to be here at six,” he told me.
“He’s lucky I came at all since he didn’t even give me a day or wait to talk to me to set a time,” I replied with a shrug.
“This way.” He nodded for me to follow him.
“For what?”
“You’ll see.”
I stepped away when he reached for me. “Touch me and I break your hand.”
He snorted, looking seriously amused, which was never good in that sort of situation. “That attitude will change.”
“No, it won’t.”
He looked me over, and I realized he was looking for a purse or probably my phone in a pocket. I didn’t want them to try for any of that, which was why I’d left it locked in my trunk.
And was wired instead with vice outside.
“Let’s go.”
I bit back a sigh and went with him, not in the mood for this shit. I looked into the office when he opened it, and I snorted when I saw several guys in there. “There is not a chance in hell I go ‘interview’ in an office with that many guys when I didn’t even come in and fill in an application.”
“Leave and come back in a few minutes,” one of the guys said at a volume humans would hear from where I was standing. I recognized his voice from the recording and got he was the owner. “We’re finished. Come on in.”
I waited until four of the eight left, which still left me with four and the security guy from the club I worked at. Fine, I could easily take five and keep a human cover. I went inside and stood by the chair he nodded to.
“Nick tells me you’re doing a great job working at that shithole for Travis,” the guy started as the door closed behind the last one out.
I glanced at the security guy. “You’re Nick?”
“You didn’t know?” the owner asked, glancing between us.
I snorted. “None of them made much of an impression or would catch my eye.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “I told you she’s a princess.”
“A princess thinks she’s owed things. I work my ass off to get what I do, and I don’t put up with shit. Sorry you can’t keep up, but I don’t see you do anything to earn that paycheck, princess, while looking down on the dancers when we bring in the money.”
“The attitude will need adjusting for sure,” one of the other guys said before Nick could jump on me.
“Good luck with that,” I chuckled, smiling brightly at him. “You will not be the first nor the last.” I held up my hand to quiet him before looking at the owner. “Did your mother not teach you manners? You didn’t even leave a name on the message informing me I had an interview I didn’t request. So who are you?”
His eyes flashed shock and anger at what he probably saw as my disrespect. “Hugh, owner of this place.” He gave me a wide grin. “And your new boss.” He nodded for me to take that seat, shaking his head like I made a mistake by still standing. “So this is how it’s gonna go. You’re going to tell Travis you quit, and you’re gonna bring your whales here.”
“Is that so?” I asked, doing my best not to look amused.
He gave a firm nod. “And you’re gonna give me this hookup you got for these sus
hi buffets because I heard how much you made off that shit. Also the cigars and whatever other hookups you got. They’re all mine now, and so are you. Off stage fee is seventy-five a night, I get fifteen of every lap dance, half of private parties, and you will start showing those fabulous tits and taking whatever side dates I tell you.”
I burst out laughing. I couldn’t even help it. I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes that I wiped as I calmed down. Then I started laughing all over again when I saw how pissed they were. “Yeah, okay, sure thing, buddy. Let me just grab my ankles next too.”
“Funny you should say that,” one of the guys purred as he showed me a camera as he stepped aside. “We’ll be doing that too.”
“Not in this lifetime,” I snickered.
I heard the click of a gun’s safety being taken off as Hugh brought it into view. “Still think it’s time to laugh, bitch?”
“I still find this amusing,” I answered after a moment. “You shoot me, I can’t do what you want. You have no nothing to force me to do any of that, and I wouldn’t ever, so how do you see this working?”
“Just like it has before,” he about purred. “You’re going to get naked, and we’re going to make a video. You misbehave or step one toe out of line, and we show it everywhere. We’ll show to everyone you’re a dirty whore, and you won’t be able to work anywhere.”
“You think a sex tape will keep me from getting jobs as a stripper? It’s made at least a few of the Kardashians household names,” I muttered, wondering how that logic worked. “And you’ll be taping the crime you’re committing.”
“Or we can just shoot you if you misbehave,” he growled.
“Is that what you did to Pamela? She step out of line and you popped her one?”
“Who?” he asked, giving me a confused look.
“The dancer who got murdered,” one of his guys told him quietly. “It was on the news.”
“Right, yeah,” he muttered but then cleared his throat. “Yeah, that was me. Those bitches stepped out of line and so I handled them.”
I wanted to roll my eyes. No he hadn’t. He was taking credit to bully me, and he couldn’t even do it convincingly. I was about to tell him to shove his shit when the door flew open and I assumed it was Badin or Pine early since I hadn’t given the signal yet.
No, it was Evan and Owen. I didn’t even have to fake my shock.
“She’s ours,” Evan blurted. “She’s working for us.”
“No, I’m not,” I snapped.
“She’s dating us,” Owen threw in.
“No, I’m not,” I groaned. “We fucked once.” I held up my hand to cut them off. “What are you even doing here? How did you find out about this?”
Evan glanced from me to Hugh. “One of his guys was talking about him bringing in the hot new rainbow haired stripper for an ‘interview,’ and we’ve heard rumors what he does to them. We couldn’t take the chance it was you, love.”
“This doesn’t concern you, and get out,” Hugh about snarled. “Who the fuck are you to barge into my office?”
“You’re holding a gun on her and asking that, mate?” Owen seethed. “You’re not pulling your shit on her.”
Yelling broke out, and I didn’t even get the chance to give the signal for vice to come in next. I just backed away from the door and leaned against the wall while even more guys came in like we were working on being sardines in a can or clowns in a car.
“You’re a cop?” Owen asked, giving me wide eyes.
“No, I called them because I’m not stupid and I knew this was fishy,” I drawled. “Just be quiet and don’t make this worse.”
“You’re dead, bitch,” the owner shouted.
I bobbed my head like yeah, yeah as officers came in and got the rest of them. For a moment I almost didn’t intercede when they went for Evan and Owen, but I did, telling them they weren’t part of it. Once the others were walking out the door, I quickly plugged in the drive I’d brought with me to not only download but transfer should I not be able to retrieve it.
Hiding my hair under a winter hat, I followed the procession out since we had a ton of attention now. And even more in the parking lot. I nodded to Kyle and the others who had come for backup that I was fine. He jerked his head over to the cops, and I got a second shock when I saw Dylan standing there with another guy who was definitely not human.
I nodded for him to call in for help and spun around to the twins. “You need to leave, now. I don’t care how you do it but disappear.”
“No, no way, we’re not leaving you to—” Evan started to argue.
“ISLE is here, and they want me,” I breathed so no one else would hear me but them.
His eyes flashed shock, but he shook his head, Owen doing the same and replying, “No, we’re not leaving.”
“Idiots. I don’t need saving,” I quietly seethed before turning when Pine came over. “So that was fun.”
“You are not boring,” he chuckled, shaking his head and glancing behind me. “I take it this blew your cover with them?”
I rolled my eyes. “I had a date with one, and now they both want one. I might come fill out a stalker report soon.”
“That’s not nice, love,” one of them drawled from behind me. “We came because we thought you were gonna get hurt and didn’t know the score.”
“Fine, you’re wonderful, now go home.”
“We need to talk to them since they were witnesses,” Pine told me, and I mentally groaned. Great. He shot a glance over at Dylan and the other guys, and I followed his gaze.
“Who are they?” I inquired.
“ISLE,” he grumbled.
“ISLE? Why are they in on a human murder investigation when you’ve called it a human killer?”
“I don’t know, but they seem more interested in you than the murders,” he answered, giving me a curious look.
I blinked at him before glancing at them. “Why?”
“They wouldn’t tell us.”
No, but the look he gave me said a lot. I shrugged. “I’ve not had a case that involved them in a while. I came across something that I turned over to them, but that was a year ago.”
“Current client?” he asked.
I went to answer but then hesitated as if I had to think on that. I didn’t even get to come up with what to say though as they came over, the stranger locked on me with a predatory look I didn’t like.
“Acadia Collins?” he checked.
“I am. You are?”
“I’m with ISLE, and we need to speak with you if you would come with us please,” he said instead of answering.
I raised an eyebrow. “I can’t imagine why you would, and I don’t go anywhere with strange men who don’t tell me their names when I ask.”
“I’ll answer your questions in a bit.”
I frowned. “I’m not your jurisdiction, and neither is this case.”
“Oh, you’re not?” he asked, his tone challenging, and I couldn’t hide my shock at that. First rule of being a supe is we never outed each other. He leaned in and sniffed closer to me. “My mistake. You must have been around some non-humans recently. Still, we’re looking for a specific supe, so I must insist you come with me and answer some questions.”
“But we’ll wait until you’re done here, as we understand your work with the police is important,” Dylan cut in, giving the guy a glance that he would pound him soon. “We didn’t mean to interject, but we weren’t sure what was going on at first.”
I gave him an assessing look. “Are you going to give me a name, or do I just call you Agent One and Agent Two?”
“You don’t know him?” the agent asked, giving us a look like he wasn’t sure he believed that.
I met his gaze head on. “I’ve never met either of you, so I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I’m fresh out of patience at the moment.”
“I’ve never seen this woman,” Dylan told him quietly, his tone implying to back off.
That was tru
e too. He’d never seen me as this glamour, but I would guess he was smart enough to have figured out it was me.
“That’s not totally creepy,” Pine muttered as they walked back to the side of everything.
“They can probably hear you,” I warned.
He snorted. “I don’t care. This is my third interaction with ISLE, and it’s the third time I’ve thought their whole line about being above politics and corruption to be bullshit. Maybe it used to be like that, but there seems to be some shady shit going on, so watch your back.”
I nodded. “My guess is I crossed paths with someone and didn’t even know it.”
“You do seem to attract trouble like that,” he teased me as Badin joined us, giving the ISLE guys a look like he wasn’t happy they were there either.
“That bust last night was a haul,” he told us quietly. “And we got a call besides your contact that called me and who wanted more answers than help he gave.”
“Who called it in?”
“A customer reported the guy who owned that car trying to push a stripper into the trunk.”
“Fairly accurate,” I admitted. “He thought if I touched it all I was complicit basically.”
“I don’t know if I’m happy when criminals are so stupid that it helps my job or just terrified for the world that people are that fucking dumb,” Badin grumbled, rubbing his forehead.
Yeah, I kind of agreed with him on that one, but at the moment, I had my own problems.
And they were really big fucking ones.
I handed over the police equipment while the twins gave their statements. I would handle mine later, but I still had a cover to keep so it was time for me to get out of the spotlight. The police started pulling out with their baddies, and I gave a wave to Pine and Badin as they went to their cars and I headed to mine.
“Please go,” I begged the twins. “You have no idea how deep this goes and is about to get.”
“No, we’re not letting ISLE drag you off,” Owen told me.
“You loyal idiots,” I sighed, scrubbing the back of my neck.
“Time for those questions, Ms. Collins,” the guy told me, moving to block me from my car as if I was fleeing.
“And where would you be taking her to when there’s no ISLE office in Denver?” Evan challenged.