Veil of Lies

by Nicky Charles

  Undercover assignment? Everyone turned to stare at the man who was now scrambling to his feet.

  “Er…sorry…er…sir?” Jeff looked confused. “I knew there was another undercover operative in the area, but I thought it was someone else.”

  “If you could easily ID someone as being undercover, they wouldn’t be doing their job very well, would they?” Soldoti looked at him blandly.

  “I suppose not.” Jeff brushed at his pants and then rolled his shoulders trying to get the kinks out.

  “You’ll learn. Next time you won’t make the same mistake. Good thing I was here to help you. Now grab this one,” Soldoti jerked his chin towards Kathy, “and we’ll be on our way. My car is parked at the end of the alley.”

  “Right.” Jeff walked over to Kathy.

  “You’re a traitor. A traitor to our cause!” Kathy seemed to come to life, snarling and kicking, as Jeffrey untied her from the meter.

  Armand puzzled over the unfolding scene. His bear was cocking its head, too, testing the air, trying to catch any scent of deception from Soldoti. Either the man was telling the truth, or he was exceptionally skilled at deception.

  “I’m sorry you were caught up in this, Lou.” Jeff gave her an apologetic smile as he dragged Kathy past her. “I did try to make it easy for you to escape though.”

  “Um…thanks?” Lucy looked between him and Kathy. “Why did you hide that memory stick in my box of tampons, anyway?”

  “I didn’t,” Kathy snapped the words. “I had it in my hand when your purse caught on mine. The drive fell out of my hand and I saw it land in the open box of tampons.”

  Lucy shook her head. “I barely even remember that happening.”

  “Enough talking.” Soldoti glanced at his watch. “We need to get moving.”

  “Don’t you have to take our statements or something?” Lucy frowned.

  “You’ve been through enough, already.” Soldoti smiled at her. “I’m sure Jeffrey has all the information we need. If we require your input, we’ll be in touch. Jeffrey, you have her contact information, correct?”

  Jeff turned to answer and Kathy lurched to the side, grabbed a broken drinking glass from a garbage bin and suddenly had Jeff in a strangle hold, the makeshift weapon pressed to the base of his throat.

  “Stay back! Everyone stay back!” She inched away, Jeff now her hostage.

  Holding back a growl, Armand slowly began to move his hand.

  “Detective?” Jeff appealed in a high-pitched voice.

  Kathy swung her gaze to Soldoti. “Try anything and this goes straight into his jugular.” She grazed his skin with the glass and a thin trickle of blood began to creep down his neck.

  Roxi gasped and Lucy clasped her hands tightly. Armand’s fingertips touched the handle of his knife.

  Soldoti shook his head. “Is this melodrama really necessary?”

  “Melodrama? You call what Lycan Link is doing melodrama?” Kathy’s face flushed and, she shifted her grip on Jeff.

  It was just enough. Armand threw his knife and it struck the woman’s hand. She jerked back with a cry and Jeff spun around grabbing her arms and pinning them behind her.

  “Nice trick.” Soldoti gave a nod of approval before addressing Jeff. “Please don’t let her best you again, Jeffrey. We’re behind schedule as it is.”

  “I’ve got her this time, sir.” Jeff tightened his grip, his usually friendly face hardened.

  “This isn’t the end! The fight isn’t over. It will never be over, not until we’re heard and treated with respect!” Kathy’s eyes had a wild look, her face contorted as she screamed her vitriol. “You can suppress and ignore, interrogate and torture all you want, but we’ll never give up. Never!”

  “The poor woman has obviously lost her mind.” Soldoti shook his head as Jeff frogmarched Kathy away.

  “Yes,” Armand nodded. It was troubling to see someone snap like that. What demons must live in her mind? Lucy inched closer and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

  “Thank you again for your assistance. You made my job much easier.” Soldoti inclined his head and then strolled after the others seemingly unperturbed by the noise Kathy was still making.

  “Well,” Roxi rubbed her hands together. “I’m glad that’s taken care of. Real handy that Soldoti guy appeared when he did, isn’t it? Now we can all go home and relax.”

  Armand eyed her wondering why she’d been so quiet when Soldoti was around. Roxi usually had more than enough to say for ten people. However, the sound of approaching sirens let him know they’d been there too long and someone in the bowling alley had probably called the police. It was time to retreat.

  Chapter 20

  Lou leaned against the car window, half listening to Armand and his cousin talk. For some reason the cousin kept calling Armand ‘Reggie’ which seemed an odd sort of nickname. Maybe it was his middle name?

  It struck her that, despite knowing Armand for so many years, she still knew little about his background. What had he done before coming to Stump River? He’d managed to avoid revealing much last time she’d asked. The way he’d coolly handled the situation tonight made her think there was more to him than met the eye, just like Ryne. And, just like Ryne, he wasn’t one for sharing personal information.

  “Are you falling asleep?” Roxi gave her a nudge and she sat up straighter.

  “If I was, getting jabbed by your elbow put an end to it.”

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. What did you want?”

  “I want to apologize. I shouldn’t have given you so much wine. If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have gone to the bathroom and been kidnapped.”

  “True. But I should have made you come with me as a bathroom buddy.”

  “A bathroom buddy?”

  “Yep. My mother always said wear clean underwear and take along a girlfriend as a bathroom buddy.”

  “Did she really say that?” Roxi gave her a doubtful look.

  She widened her eyes and tried to appear as innocent as possible.

  Roxi gave her a gentle smack. “Hey, wipe that innocent look off your face. That’s my routine!”

  They both laughed then Roxi spoke again.

  “It’s still hard to believe everything that happened was because you and Kathy got your purses tangled up.”

  “I know. Fate can be a funny thing.” She fell silent, contemplating how one event had led to others. It had been a scary few days and yet it had brought Armand back into her life, so it hadn’t been all bad.

  He was a good man; kind and patient, willing to help his friends. Yes, he could be annoyingly stubborn—just look how long it had taken him to finally respond to her—but he was an amazing lover. Remembering their nights together had her shifting in her seat; the feel of his hands stroking her, the rasp of his beard, his weight pressing down…

  “Lucy?”

  She looked around and realized they were at her apartment building. Armand was holding the car door open, his hand extended to help her out.

  “Sorry.” She exited the vehicle and gave a little wave to Rudi as he drove off. The man hadn’t said much to her, mostly speaking in hushed tones to Armand, but he seemed a nice enough sort.

  Roxi was already heading inside and they followed suit, Armand putting his arm around her waist holding her close to his side.

  “How’s your arm?” She peered across his chest at the stained sleeve.

  “Fine. Just a scratch, remember?”

  “I still want to examine it.”

  He chuckled. “And I definitely want to examine you.” His hand slid lower and cupped her rear, giving it a light squeeze before speaking in a more serious tone. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine.”

  He gave her a doubtful look.

  “Okay, I have a few aches and pains and looking through only one lens in my glasses is giving me a headache.”

  “I’m sorry they broke.”

  “You didn’t like them anyway.”


  “True. Tomorrow I’ll take you shopping and help you pick out a pair that suits you. No more hiding behind large glasses or too much makeup.”

  Hiding? Was that what she’d been doing? She hadn’t seen it that way but maybe there was some truth to his words. It was something she’d have to think about…when she wasn’t exhausted from being kidnapped. “Thanks. But don’t go getting too bossy. I get the final say about what I buy.”

  “Of course, I’d never make you do something you didn’t want to do.”

  As they reached the top of the stairs, Roxi came hurrying out of the apartment.

  “Excuse me, gotta run.” Roxi squeezed passed them.

  “Where are you going? Are we out of food or something?” She looked at her roommate in amazement.

  “Nope. There’s someone I need to talk to.”

  “This late? Aren’t you tired after everything that’s happened?”

  “Me? Never.” Roxi started down the stairs and then stopped. “Oh, and if you two want to celebrate, don’t worry; I’ll crash somewhere else tonight.” She gave them an exaggerated wink and then ran down the stairs.

  Armand grinned. “I’m definitely warming to your roommate.”

  “Because she’s leaving us alone to do the wild thing?”

  He gave her an odd look and then laughed. “You have no idea how wild I can be.”

  “Really?” She grinned. “I can hardly wait.”

  Roxi sat on the floor outside Dante Soldoti’s hotel room. She cracked her gum loudly as she considered the man.

  Soldoti. Ha!

  Detective Soldoti. Double ha!

  The man had more last names than the phone book. However, whatever he was calling himself, she was still pissed off and was going to make sure he knew it. In this business, information was money and he needed to pay up. She’d led him to that flash drive, the equivalent of the mother lode, and she wanted some cold hard cash in her hand.

  It had been the right thing to do, helping get Lulu back, even if it did mean she lost a lot of money. Getting the information about the scent mask from Soldoti had meant she’d had to provide something in exchange so she’d told him about the flash drive and how she thought it was connected to the subversive group. Normally she could have sold that info to him and made a pretty penny from it.

  Oh well, she’d do it all over again for Lulu. However, if there was a way to mitigate the financial damages, she was going to give it a try.

  She checked her watch and sighed. He’d be back, she was sure of it. A friend of hers cleaned rooms here and, if need be, she could probably get access to his room. She’d try this way first though. No need to tip him off that she had connections within the hotel. Staying one step ahead of guys like him was crucial.

  Time passed slowly. She picked at her nails, paced the hall, checked her messages and played a few games on her phone. Finally, the elevator chimed and the door slid open. Dante emerged, took a few steps and then noticed her.

  To his credit, there was only a minimal hesitation in his stride; yet in that fraction of a second, she was sure he processed the situation, evaluating and discarding a dozen ways to deal with her. His expression morphed from preoccupied to surprised to neutral before settling on an affable smile.

  “Roxi, I’m delighted to see you again. So soon, too.”

  She pushed to her feet, her back sliding up the wooden surface of the door. “Yeah and my granny’s a porn star.”

  “Really? Your granny, you say? She must be a remarkable woman for her age.” Amusement twinkled in his eyes.

  “Cut the crap, Dante! You—”

  He held up a hand. “Let’s take this somewhere more private, shall we.”

  She considered the request and then nodded. As he unlocked the door, she sent a quick text message then held up her phone.

  “I just told a friend if they don’t hear from me in twenty minutes, to come looking for me here. They know I’m with you, too.”

  “I commend you on your safety precautions.” He stepped back and ushered her inside. “Unnecessary in this circumstance yet still clever of you.”

  “Yeah, blah, blah, blah. Explain yourself.” She shoved her hands in her pocket and glanced around his room. It was disgustingly neat almost as if he’d never even been there. Rumour had it he was the best in the business, impossible to catch though many had tried. Well, it took a lot to impress her and she wouldn’t let his reputation keep her from getting her fair share.

  “Explain what?” He removed his jacket and folded it neatly on the end of the bed.

  “You know damned well what! I led you to that flash drive full of information!”

  He cocked his head and considered her words. “Not exactly. You asked for information about scent masks.”

  “And I gave you information in lieu of cash so we were even.”

  “Your information was that your friend probably had been kidnapped by shifters looking for a memory stick.”

  “But that gave you no right to swoop in and take it.”

  “You didn’t own it. It was up for grabs to whomever was clever enough to get their hands on it.”

  “I led you to it.” Her hands curled into fists, but she quickly loosened them, trying to maintain a façade of cool logic. Being a hothead wouldn’t get her far with him; he’d use her emotions against her.

  “Not really.” He folded his arms and sat on the edge of the dresser. “I had to do my own research, and quite quickly I might add. I found out who your roommate was, deduced where she worked, who might be involved, came up with a plan and took the risk of betting on the others being clever enough or gullible enough to fall in with it.”

  His explanation distracted her for a minute. “Jeff, was he really working undercover with you?”

  “Undercover, yes. With me, no. His assumption that I was with Lycan Link in an official capacity won’t look good on his record, I fear.” He pursed his lips and shook his head.

  “Lycan Link didn’t send you in?”

  He smiled. “My relationship with Lycan Link is…complicated.”

  “And Kathy?”

  “I assume Jeffrey has hauled her in to Lycan Link for interrogation. That was his plan when we parted ways a short while ago. He seems a nice young man. Hopefully she’ll reveal enough information about the subversive group to balance out his faux pas. If so, there might be hope of salvaging his career.”

  “This subversive group, they’re the smaller canines and feline shifters, correct? Foxes, coyotes, lynx and such? They feel Lycan Link has been ignoring them in favor of the larger species.”

  He arched a brow. “Are you asking me or telling me? Asking requires payment, cash or in kind, as you very well know.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Damn you, Dante.”

  He chuckled softly. “If you only knew how many times I’ve heard that phrase.”

  A snort escaped her. “You almost sound proud of the fact.”

  “Perhaps.” He stood up. “However, back to the matter at hand. You feel I cheated you out of that memory stick. You had hopes of selling it yourself.”

  “Exactly.” She jutted her chin and planted her hands on her hips.

  “I like you, Roxi. I feel we potentially have years of business ahead of us. Souring our relationship so early isn’t wise or profitable.”

  “What do you mean?” She watched him carefully as he reached into his pocket. His words sounded promising, but rumour had it that you could never completely trust him.

  “I’ll pay you for the memory stick, a cut rate, of course, since you didn’t hand it directly to me. However, the sum will recognize your part in my acquisition of it.”

  “How much are we talking about here?”

  He named a generous sum that made it difficult for her to control her expression. She waited a beat and then nodded. “That’s…satisfactory. I could have made more but, as you said, we’ll likely have future business dealings so I can afford to be generous with you.”

  He burst o
ut laughing and began to peel bills from the roll he held in his hand. “You’re my kind of businessperson, Roxi.”

  She took the money he handed her and examined it carefully. “This better not be fake.”

  “Roxi, Roxi...” He shook his head. “Our relationship has to be built on trust.”

  “Yeah, right.” She shoved the money in her pocket. “So, what are you going to do with the info on the flash drive? Sell it? Use it to break in to Lycan Link? Hack someone’s account and blackmail them?

  “All interesting possibilities.”

  “So? Which one?”

  “Our business relationship is built on trust, but my motives are still classified.”

  “My guess is blackmail. Someone you want something from, or someone who has a hold over you? Or,” she snapped her fingers, “You’ll hack into someone’s account, maybe someone who is filthy rich, find some dirt on him and then bleed him dry over the course of several years sort of like your own private pension plan.”

  He chuckled. “I like how your mind works.”

  “Am I close?”

  He shrugged and gave her a bland smile.

  “Oh well, it was worth a try.” She stuck out her hand and cracked her gum. “Good doing business with you, Dante.”

  He shook her hand and led her to the door. “Until next time, Roxi.”

  “Until next time, Detective Soldoti.”

  Lou curled up on the sofa, leaning against Armand’s side. His arm—which really did have only a minor scratch—was wrapped around her shoulder, her head rested on his chest. The beating of his heart sounded in her ear, strong, steady, comforting. The events of the evening seemed unreal. She’d been kidnapped, trussed up like a turkey and stuffed in the trunk of a car, yet she’d managed to escape all by herself…for the most part. Armand appearing had certainly been helpful, but now that she knew Jeff had been an undercover cop, she wondered if she’d really needed to fear him or not. How far would Jeff have gone to maintain his cover? He’d indicated to Kathy that he’d follow along, yet he’d left the door of the utility room unlocked. It just goes to prove you never know who you could trust.