Covered in Darkness

by Heather Sunseri

  “Sorry.” Jude apparently sensed my impatience. “I was curious, so I called the club. I pretended to be the assistant of a wealthy thoroughbred owner. Said that my boss had come into town for the Kensington yearling sales and wanted to stay over in Louisville for a couple of nights to entertain investors. The manager told me that he was terribly sorry, but the entire club had been rented out for the week.”

  “By whom?” Ty asked.

  “He wouldn’t say, but while I was on the phone with him?” Jude was smiling now. “I heard two men speaking Russian in the background.”

  Chapter 26

  The small lobby in the FBI’s Louisville field office was sterile and plain. There was nothing on the walls, no receptionist, only a few chairs to wait in. A phone hung on the wall beside a secured door, with a keypad that required identification to gain entry.

  I’d been to the Louisville field offices numerous times, but never without my own FBI credentials.

  I chose not to use the stupid phone. Instead, I called my father on my new phone—bless that David for purchasing me another—and told him that I was in the lobby with Ryan Saltzman. I was pretty sure that would get us inside.

  Ty, Alli, and I sat, while Ryan stood on the other side of the room with his head buried in his hands.

  “How weird is it that the FBI is shutting us out?” Ty said to me.

  I shrugged. “It’s a power play. My dad is annoyed that I didn’t consult him about my career change. And I took one of his best analysts with me.” I turned my head and smiled at him. “You miss it?”

  “So far, it doesn’t feel different. I’m still working with the best partner I’ve ever had, I’m still doing analyst work and chasing bad guys, and I’m still waiting on supervisory agents like Erica Marshall to tell me how to piss.”

  I laughed.

  The door opened, and a spry, twenty-something-year-old woman appeared. She was dressed in a navy skirt, light blue blouse, and navy blazer—typical of FBI field agents who spent more time in the office than in the field. “Director Waller and Special Agent Marshall will see you now,” she said, with zero emotion or eye contact.

  Ty lifted a brow at me. “Alrighty then.”

  The four of us followed the young agent past the secure door and to an elevator that took us to the third floor. We were led into a room similar to our fusion center, but much more high-tech. A dozen men and women sat at computer stations, each of them equipped with six computer monitors in two rows of three.

  “This is what we need for our analysts in Frankfort,” Ty said.

  “You mean, you want this setup,” I corrected.

  “Isn’t that what I said?”

  I laughed.

  “Good morning.”

  I turned at the sound of my father’s voice. “Good afternoon,” I responded.

  “Oh, I guess it is later than I thought,” he said with a glance at his watch.

  I looked at the men and women at the nearby computer stations. “The last time I was in these offices, there weren’t this many agents or analysts.”

  “This is one of the FBI’s top cyber squads.”

  “Have they been here long?” I was curious if he had brought in a cyber squad after I gave him my analysis yesterday.

  He smiled, and I was sure he knew exactly why I’d asked. “They were brought in last night. They’re working on a decryption key for the malicious software you gave me yesterday.”

  “I see. Well.” I gestured toward Ryan. “Director Waller, I would like for you to meet Ryan Saltzman.”

  Dad stepped forward and shook Ryan’s hand. “Mr. Saltzman, I’m very sorry for the loss of your daughter.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Ryan has agreed to tell your agents everything he knows,” I said.

  Ryan nodded. “Miss Fairfax convinced me it was the right thing to do. I want to help your investigation in any way I can.”

  “Good,” Dad said. “I’m glad to hear it.”

  “Well, shall we get started?” I said. I looked at my watch to emphasize that I had other things I was working on.

  “By all means. Agent Marshall and two of her field agents are waiting for us in the conference room.”

  I nodded to Ty, who led Ryan and Alli ahead of Dad and me.

  As we walked, Dad asked, “You have somewhere to be that’s more important than this?”

  “Funny that you’re concerned about where I have to be when you made it perfectly clear that I wasn’t needed in this investigation. Tell me, Director, what is the FBI doing to rescue Samantha Clay?”

  “Brooke, you know the federal government doesn’t negotiate with terrorists. And the Russian who’s holding Miss Clay hostage is definitely a terrorist. But don’t worry, we’re working overtime to identify who this terrorist is.”

  “Is that your roundabout way of saying you’re not actively looking for Sam?”

  We had reached the conference room, but we paused outside the door. “That’s not what I’m saying, Brooke. We are working our contacts, trying to find any Russians who are in Kentucky. And we took your advice and sent a team to Eastern Europe. Our cyber teams are working all angles to find Sergei Charkov and any other members of Kharkiv Bratva who aren’t in jail. We will outsmart this organization and stop them from taking down the grid.”

  “Fine. Great. I’m glad the FBI is so confident in their abilities. While you and your agents are working on those things, I’ve got my own job to do.”

  Dad raised an eyebrow. “And what job is that?”

  “I’ll be looking for Sam Clay.” I turned to enter the conference room.

  Dad stopped me with a hand to my elbow. “Brooke, you’re withholding information.”

  I stared at his hand on my arm, then looked up into his eyes. “Dad, you have no idea whether I am or not. You haven’t even heard what I have to say.”

  He sighed. “Fine. Let’s get on with it.”

  As soon as everyone was seated, Dad introduced me to the agents on either side of Erica.

  I nodded to each of them. “And I’d like to introduce you to Ryan Saltzman, CEO of Louisville Power. Ryan has agreed to cooperate fully with the FBI. I also brought along Alli Krueger, who’s an expert on what happened when this same group of terrorists attacked the power grid in the Ukraine. She’s knowledgeable about this sort of attack and how it might affect the rest of our infrastructure.”

  “I’ve got a couple of questions right off the bat,” Agent Marshall said.

  I held up a hand. “That’s great, and I would love to stay and hear them, but Ty and I have someplace else we need to be. Miss Krueger knows everything we know.”

  Marshall straightened. “Are you freaking kidding me? You’re leaving an intern to conduct your briefing? Where could you possibly have to be that’s more important than this?”

  I smiled. “How many times do I need to tell you, Agent Marshall, that I don’t work for you? I work for the governor. But in the interest of helping you stop these attacks, I brought you the two people who can tell you what we know.”

  Dad just shook his head. “Have your phone on you, Director. We might have questions after we’ve talked to Ryan and Alli.” He stood. “I’ll walk you out.”

  Outside the conference room, he closed the door behind us and spoke quietly so that those inside the room couldn’t hear. “Why is your intern here?”

  “Because she’s very knowledgeable about the Ukraine power outage. I wasn’t lying about that. She’s part of my team, and she’ll be very helpful to you. Now—I’ve cooperated with you, and I’d like you to cooperate with me. Please allow Alli to pass along information to me so that I know where you are in the investigation. This, Dad, is how law enforcement is supposed to work—together.”

  “Fine. She can stay. But I want you to call me later.”

  “As your daughter, or as someone you wish to control again?”

  “Don’t do that, Brooke. Call me and let me know you’re okay. And let me know if you learn a
nything new. We have to stop these terrorists. They could cause mayhem if they do what you say they’re attempting to do.”

  I let a couple of beats pass. Finally, I nodded. “I’ll touch base later.” I looked over his shoulder. “Go easy on Ryan. He’s in a lot of pain from losing his daughter, but he also feels responsible for all this.”

  “Do I look like someone who’s rough on witnesses?” He smiled.

  I narrowed my eyes.

  “Mr. Saltzman has some rough questions to answer, but he’ll survive it.”

  Chapter 27

  “Are you sure about this?” Ty asked as we pulled away from the Louisville Metro Police Department.

  “I’m not sure about anything these days.” I pulled down the visor and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

  After Jude had explained Churchill Club & Spa to us, Ty and I went to Louisville Metro to talk with Olivia David about the club. When she explained that it was a private health club, and there was no way I would be able to enter without a warrant, I realized I would have to go in undercover. And when Detective David said that she knew someone at the employment agency who sent girls to Churchill Club & Spa, I knew I had my in.

  Which explained why I was now a redhead in a skimpy halter top.

  Marti had tracked down the wig at a local shop; it was shoulder-length, smooth and straight. The outfit, which also included a barely-there miniskirt, was apparently some sort of uniform worn by the girls who worked at the spa. This one had been left behind at the police station by some girl they picked up ages ago. Detective David gave me the outfit in exchange for a promise that I would share any information I received.

  I peered into the visor mirror as I applied thick eyeliner and dark, sparkly eye shadow, giving myself a smoky, sultry look. Next, I smoothed on a red lipstick, puckered my lips and gave Ty my best sensual look.

  He laughed.

  “That wasn’t quite the reaction I was looking for.”

  “Declan is going to kill me for not talking you out of this.”

  My phone rang just as I was about to tell Ty that “Declan doesn’t tell me how to do my job.” Plus, Declan was busy with his own job today, which was exactly where he should be.

  I frowned at my phone. “It’s Dimitri,” I said. I couldn’t decide whether to answer and lie about what I was doing, or just ignore him.

  The phone went to voicemail before I could decide. Then immediately began ringing again.

  Ty just shook his head.

  “I’m going to regret this,” I said as I swiped my finger across the screen.

  “Hello?” I answered as if I didn’t know who it was.

  “Where are you headed?” He was back to his British accent.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Because I promised your boyfriend I would make sure neither Romeo nor any Russian mobsters killed you today.”

  I touched my fingers to one of my earrings, considered taking them off, then shrugged. Did I really care if Dimitri was able to trace my whereabouts? I was about to enter a kinky men’s health club to search for Russian mobsters—maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing that someone knew where I was.

  “Come on, Brooke. This has nothing to do with me invading your privacy. I know this organization. What are you up to?”

  “I’m headed to Louisville to see how many of these Russians are on the ground. And possibly secure a lead on where they might be staying.”

  “What do you mean by that?” His voice was suddenly more rigid. “How are you planning to do that?”

  “Thanks to Louisville Metro, we got a tip on where these guys might be hanging out. I’m on my way to check it out.”

  I could tell by the background noise that Dimitri was now on the move. “Who’s with you?”

  “My partner, of course.” I glanced at Ty, who kept his eyes on the road. I didn’t tell Dimitri that Ty wouldn’t be entering the health club with me. I would have to investigate inside on my own.

  “Do the two of you know what you’re getting yourself into?”

  I stiffened. “Now you’re being insulting. I’ll call you later, Dimitri.”

  I received a text from “Unknown” as soon as I hung up: You should let the spy help you.

  Spy? I thought. And how on earth did Romeo know that Dimitri was attempting to help me? He couldn’t have bugged my brand-new phone. Did he bug the car? Or was it Dimitri he was now stalking?

  I texted back: Why? Why did Romeo care if Dimitri helped me or not?

  Because you’re in over your head, Brooke. I might not care for your boyfriend or his pet spook, but I’m not ready to watch you put yourself in this kind of danger.

  How do you even know where I’m going?

  Silence.

  “What?” Ty asked when I growled.

  “Romeo. Somehow he’s always one step ahead of me. I run that program you gave me on my phone every night to remove any sort of malware or tracking code, but I swear he always knows.”

  My phone chimed with another text: BTW, I’ve got new info on Teddy. We’ll talk after you stop chasing nasty Russians.

  “He says he has new information about Teddy. Dammit.” I rubbed the spot over my right eye, careful not to ruin my makeup. I’d had a dull headache all day, and Romeo only made it worse. “He’s worried I’m not listening to him, so he’s dangling in front of me the thing he knows I most want.” Why did he make sure I was unable to get to the meeting spot to join Teddy as backup that night? He took great measures to keep me from Teddy the night someone killed him.

  “We’re almost there. Time to focus.”

  “You’re right,” I rotated my head, attempting to loosen the muscles in my neck. “Focus,” I repeated.

  Ty pulled into a parking spot on the street and turned sideways to face me. “Look, Brooke, I know that Teddy’s death is never far from your mind, but I really don’t think Romeo is the answer. He’s dangerous. And I hope we put him behind bars.”

  “Like that will ever happen. The FBI isn’t even looking for him anymore.”

  “Only because the case has gone cold. Now that he’s back to harassing you, they’ll open it back up.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe they will. And maybe I don’t want them to. I want to interrogate him myself, and if I let the FBI get to him first, I might not get that chance.” I thought about how Dad had shut me out of this current case. If he didn’t want my help with this, he certainly would do everything in his power to keep me from Romeo.

  “Well, put all that out of your mind. I need you to concentrate.”

  Ty was right: it was time to focus on the task at hand. I stuffed my things into the cheap bag Marti had picked up for me before we left Frankfort.

  “Look at me,” Ty said.

  I stopped fidgeting and turned to him.

  “You know these men are beyond dangerous. If you sense that anyone in there recognizes you or suspects you’re not just a hot chick handing out towels, I want you to get out of there. If you find yourself in any sort of trouble, hit the fire alarm, and I come in, guns blazing.”

  “Got it. I’m only going in for information.” I wanted to know if these were our guys, but mostly I was looking for the Russian who took Sam. I wasn’t going to let them do to Sam what they did to Blake.

  “Really, Brooke. I’m giving you one hour. Just establish that they’re here—that’s it. That’ll give us enough for a warrant. Don’t investigate this on your own.”

  “Okay.” I checked myself in the mirror one more time. “Well, here goes nothing.“ I leaned over and kissed Ty’s cheek. “See you soon.”

  As luck would have it, I spotted a couple of girls walking toward Churchill Club & Spa on the opposite side of the street, and as I crossed toward them, one of them made eye contact with me. She had long, stringy blond hair. Pink gloss covered her lips.

  “Hi,” she said. “You new?” I picked up a New Jersey accent.

  “The temp agency sent me over,” I said with a sweet southern drawl. “I’m a tad
bit nervous.”

  The blonde’s friend looked at me. Her eyes traveled the length of my body to my feet and all the way back up to my eyes. “The wig’s a nice touch,” she said. Her dark brunette hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, and her eyes were accentuated with long, and very fake, eyelashes.

  I touched the red hair that framed my face. “I was hoping it would help me ease into the job. I’ve never worked a job like this. Is it too much?”

  The brunette thought about it for a couple of seconds while her friend looked at her nervously. “Nah. This week’s group will love you.” She stuck out a hand. “I’m Jewel. This is Pearl.”

  Seriously? Jewel and Pearl?

  I smiled. “I’m Beatrice.” I forced myself to relax as I shook her hand. The truth was, I wasn’t expecting this to be overly difficult. I wasn’t planning on interacting with many people inside the club. I was just going to get a look around.

  “Come on,” Pearl said. “We’ll show you around.” She slid an arm into mine and led me half a block to the front entrance of Churchill.

  When we entered the club’s reception area, Jewel walked over to the main desk and said hello to the man behind the counter. He was good-looking, with dark hair and black-rimmed hipster glasses, and judging by the way he smiled at her, I got the feeling he and Jewel were more than co-workers. He handed her three slips of paper, and she returned to us.

  “I’ve got our assignments,” she said, waving the slips in the air, then smiled at me, again with a curious look. “Jared said you can complete your paperwork when you’re done for the day… if you decide to stay. Otherwise, he’ll hand you today’s wages.”

  “Our assignments?” I asked. And why would anyone assume I might not stay?

  We started walking down a long hallway to the left of the reception area. “The assignments are different every day,” Pearl said. “The owner trains us to do all the jobs. He says it keeps us from getting bored, and the customers like the fresh faces rotating throughout the club.”

  We pushed through a door into what was apparently the employee locker room. “Pearl, you’re behind the bar today,” Jewel said, handing Pearl a slip of paper