Callen leaned down to kiss her on the lips. The moment they touched, he snagged her half eaten cookie. When they broke apart he took a bite.
“Callen James Whitefox! What the hell? You gave me that cookie!”
He grabbed the papers and headed for the door. “I told you, angel. Kissing and cookie saliva doesn’t deter a hungry man.”
Elizabeth stared open mouthed, and pissed that she’d now have to find a better way to protect her food.
Then it hit her. Once she told them the truth, they’d be feeding the pregnant woman.
She grinned. “This war’s mine yet, Cal. Wait and see!”
Julian and Tori pulled up to the first club on their list. It looked seedy on the outside, and Tori could only imagine what the inside was going to look like.
“How do you want to do this?” asked Julian.
Tori shrugged. “I’m technically the federal agent, so I think I should be doing the questioning. You just do your thing with finding the trail.”
He allowed her the lead; beside it would give him the opportunity to watch her in action. Feisty women were his thing and Victoria Christensen was definitely that.
Entering the darkened business, Tori noticed there were some patrons in random places around the room. Girls were strutting around with almost nothing on, giving lap dances, and swinging artfully from poles on the lit up stage. She never got the allure of places like that, but then again, she wasn’t a man. It had to be a man thing and something she’d never understand.
Standing at the bar, she finally got the attention of the woman wearing a string bikini and an incredibly tight skirt. How the woman bent over or breathed was a big mystery.
“Can I help you two?” she asked, staring at the man. “Are you two here to have a little fun together?”
Tori was appalled. “No, I’m actually here because I work for the FBI.”
The woman looked uninterested.
“Have you ever seen any of these women?” she inquired, laying the photos on the counter.
The woman looked at each one. “No, never seen them before. Are they dancers?” she asked, drying a glass.
“We believe so.”
Again she scanned the pictures. “No, none of our girls.”
Julian leaned forward. “We had another woman found dead, but we don’t have the photo yet. Are you missing anyone?”
“No sugar. All our girls are present and accounted for right now. If you leave your number, I can call you if someone goes missing.”
Tori pulled out a card, sliding it across the bar. “We’d appreciate it,” she stated, and then turned to Julian. “On to our next stop?”
Exiting the building, they both re-entered the welcoming daylight, even though the cold wind made him shiver. Maybe there’d be snow for Christmas.
“I’m ready for the next club,” he said, trying to keep the conversation going with anything at this point.
“Great to know, Julian. Let’s get this over with. Strip clubs skeeve me out.”
Julian laughed at the serious look on her face and the way she said the word. “Yes, ma’am.”
Elizabeth listened to the onboard navigation system, and followed the directions. It wasn’t hard to ascertain which building up ahead was the strip club. It was the only one with a large neon, semi-nude woman flashing on the roof.
“Looks reputable,” said Whitefox laughing.
“That wasn’t quite the ‘R’ word I was thinking about. I was going more with repulsive, rat infested, raunchy, and really really wrong.”
Callen laughed, as she turned off the engine. “I don’t think you can count ‘wrong’ as an R word, but that was a good try.”
“You win some and you lose some,” she stated, snickering. “Come on, let’s get this over with. I need to paint my toes tonight.”
Whitefox had a thing for her toes. It was sexy how the polish changed sometimes daily, and matched her clothing. It was an innately feminine action, hidden beneath her tough exterior. It turned him right on. “Can I watch or better yet help?” he requested, following her from the Denali to the club. Opening the door for her, he whipped out the famous Blackhawk grin.
“Cal, you better put that deadly weapon away. You’re in a strip club. You’ll have the half-naked women swarming at you.”
“I’m not worried. You’ll keep me completely safe,” he answered snickering. “Won’t you?”
Now she was laughing. “Knock it off, try to be serious, and keep your hands where I can see them,” she warned, smiling at him.
Callen was currently having sex with the most amazing woman in the world. The other women in a strip club had nothing on her and never would.
Once inside, Elizabeth tapped a large man on the arm. When he turned fast, both Elizabeth and Callen braced and reached for their guns. It was an automatic reaction.
“Whoa sweet thing! You shouldn’t startle big guys like me. It could get you hurt,” he said.
Elizabeth wasn’t impressed. She’d taken down bigger drug dealers, killers, and strung out murders. Besides, the man wasn’t that big. He was an inch or two shorter than Callen, and maybe three taller than her. “Yeah, okay. I need to ask you some questions. Are you working or here for the scenery?” questioned Elizabeth.
“I’m Mick, and I’m the bouncer,” he said, taking her hand and kissing the knuckles in some attempted gallant gesture. On him it looked bizarre and out of place. Elizabeth was pretty sure he was the first burly bouncer to ever kiss her hand. Strip clubs were an element she’d never comprehend.
Whitefox stepped forward and placed his body against the back of Elizabeth protectively, or maybe it was done possessively. “Now we can test that saliva he left on your hand for any DNA and see if he’s a wanted man,” retorted Whitefox, unabashedly. The man’s overt gesture pissed him off. If his lips came anywhere near Elizabeth again, he was planning on a lip-ectomy. That went for any other part of Mick that touched her too.
The bouncer dropped her hand fast and looked worried.
It took everything in Elizabeth to not snicker. “Relax Mick. I’m here to talk about dead girls. Can you look at these pictures for me and tell me if you’ve seen any of them before?”
He nodded, following her over to bar and watched as she spread them out.
“Any look familiar?” Elizabeth asked.
“No, sorry.” He stared over at the man. “While you’re here, why don’t you get a lap dance? You look a little uptight. Our girls can work that tenseness right out.” Why not bring in a little greenback while the day was slow?
Whitefox laughed. “I have two reasons not to do that, Mick. The first is the woman I sleep with would go shit wild and kill everyone in the place, including you for making that suggestion.”
“Our girls are very discrete and your old lady won’t have a clue. A little lap tickle never hurt any man,” Mick added. “You should try Ecstasy. She’s heaven and her ass is a thing of beauty. I sample the goods on a regular basis, if you know what I mean.”
Elizabeth crossed her arms and lifted a brow. If anyone tried to tickle Callen’s lap, he was right. There’d be a crime scene of epic proportions.
“And the second reason is that my old lady is standing right here,” he said laughing. “She’s the woman I sleep with.”
“I’m only the woman you sleep with, Callen?” she added, giving him a chance to dig himself out of the hole, before she threw his, Mick, and Ecstasy’s dead bodies in to keep him company.
“And I’ll add that I’m in a committed relationship with, where there is nothing but love, admiration and trust,” he added, laughing and holding up his hand with his grandfather’s ring.
It matching the one was on Elizabeth’s hand
“Oh, so you’re married.”
Elizabeth fielded this one since the man wasn’t getting an in-depth answer. “Ring.” Holding up her hand she pointed to Callen’s hand and then hers.
Mick checked the woman out and leaned over to whisper in Wh
itefox’s ear. Immediately, Callen started laughing.
Elizabeth let it go for now. Later she’d beat it out of him. “If any of your girls go missing, give me a call.” Pulling out a card, she handed it to him. “Have a Merry Christmas, Mick,” and she walked away, Callen close behind her.
Outside she hopped up into the Denali. “Want to tell me what was so funny between you and your new best friend?” she questioned him, staring with one lifted eyebrow and arms still crossed.
“Mick told me that you were finer than the women they had there, and if I was ‘hitting that’ then I should keep out of his place and only let you bounce in my lap.”
Now Elizabeth shook her head. “Good to know that Mick and you both have an ounce of preservation when it comes to ‘your old lady’.”
Whitefox snickered. “His words not mine, angel. You probably could out shake your ass up on that stage any day.”
She shook her head. “I’m glad you’re enjoying this, Cal.”
He continued on, because the look on her face was priceless. “Now if I can just get you to put on something sequin covered and give me a lap dance, then all would be right with the world.”
Elizabeth punched him in the arm, and then figured what the hell. She leaned over and pulled his lips to hers to kiss him slow and deep. When his body went lax, and he moaned into the kiss, Elizabeth pulled away and grinned. “Maybe Lyzee Claus will deliver that gift, Callen.” Already Elizabeth had a plan brewing in the back of her head.
“I certainly hope so. I’ve been a very good boy this year.”
She snorted. “No you haven’t!”
“Yeah, I know. That’s even more a reason for me to get it.”
Tori and Julian hit the second club, and pretty much found the same thing there. No one had seen any of the women in that establishment or had any of their strippers gone missing.
“This is frustrating. If these women were prostitutes, then it’s going to take weeks to track them on the street. Plus it’s going to take vice and undercover work.”
Julian wondered if she’d have the balls to troll the streets. He remembered the story he heard about Elizabeth while they were walking through the swamp in Cypress Grove, and she’d done street work. “Be patient. We’ll get something eventually. It’s just a matter of being diligent.”
She nodded. Running her hand around the chain that held her dog tags, she felt something out of place and pulled the silver necklace with the unusual symbol on it away from her body. “What’s this?” she asked, looking over at him. “How did it get around my neck?” Maybe she was losing her mind and PTSD was causing blackouts too. Now she was missing things like putting on a necklace.
“I put it around your neck.”
Tori thought back to the necklace she’d seen around Julian’s neck when they’d had sex the few times. “It’s the one you were wearing.”
“Yeah, it’s a symbol of protection. My grandfather wore it and passed it on to my dad, and when he died, I was given it.”
She went to pull it off her neck, and he grabbed her arm, stopping her.
“Leave it. I want you to have it.” Julian stared into her smoky gray eyes. “Something chases you, and in our beliefs, that will keep it away from you. It’s not a symbol of ownership Tori. I only want you to wear it to keep you safe.”
She dropped it back under her shirt against her dog tags, touched that he’d share it with her. Tori wasn’t sure if the whole ‘Native protection’ thing was valid, but the sweetness behind the attempt to keep her safe was overwhelming her heart. “Thank you, Julian.”
He nodded, and when she looked away, Julian turned her face back towards him. “No matter what, it’s yours to keep. I’m asking nothing from you, Tori. I just want you to have some peace inside here,” he said, tapping her forehead and heart with gentle fingertips.
When her eyes filled up with tears, he wanted to just offer her calm. Leaning in, he softly left a gentle kiss on her lips. “I’ll help you through this, Tori. I promise. Whatever has you this scared, I’ll help you carry it.”
Her face stayed expressionless. “Why? You don’t even know what’s chasing me.”
“Paths cross for a reason in life. Sometimes to be permanent, and sometimes to only be temporary and that doesn’t make it any less important. If our time together is only meant to intersect for a little while, then when you look back I want you to find solace and peace with me.”
If she wasn’t working she’d cry.
Julian noticed the emotion was overwhelming her, and he decided to cut Tori a break. “We better head to the last club and get done for the day. I love a party and we have one tonight.”
She nodded. “The last one is the ‘The Pussy Cat Club’. I wonder why they named it that,” she muttered, and had him laughing. Tori grinned at him and the tears stayed hidden.
“Gee, Tori. I have absolutely no idea. Must be a coincidence.”
This time Elizabeth followed Callen into the building. It was the second one on their list, and this part of the investigation was burning daylight.
Stopping at the bar, Elizabeth stood back and let him run this one. Callen was relatively new to field work when it came to solving murders. As Liaison to the Native community, most of his job involved mediating and keeping the shit from hitting the fan. She trusted him enough to let him handle this one. Besides, Elizabeth liked watching him in action. Same was true when Ethan got all ‘FBI-y’ on the criminal element.
“Hello, can I ask you some questions?” he spoke to the woman behind the bar.
“Maybe. It depends on what you’re asking.” The woman watched them suspiciously. They looked like cops, and that wasn’t going to fly in her establishment. Cops were nothing but bad news, and she’d had her fill of crooked ones trying to squeeze her for ‘protection’ money.
“Have you seen any of these women before,” he asked, laying out the photos to face her. It wasn’t lost on him that the woman looked edgy, and that made him slip his sports coat back and unsnap the holster on his sidearm. Callen wanted to warn Elizabeth, but he couldn’t look away from the twitchy lady,
“This skank,” she said, pointing her out. “She worked here for a while. Her name is Tiffany.”
Callen flicked his gaze over at Elizabeth. This was their first big hit on any of the victims. “Did Tiffany have a last name?”
“What the fuck do I look like? Her God damned mother?” she snapped her gum. “Who are you, anyway?”
“FBI,” he answered, pulling out his badge.
“Get out of my place!” she stated loudly, grabbing the bouncer’s attention. “I don’t let no damn Feds into my club, and after them, lousy Indians. There’s only one thing I hate more than Indians, and that’s cops.”
Oh, no she just didn’t. Elizabeth felt her temper rising. The man she was disparaging could very well be the father of her child. Then there was the little fact her son was Native.
“If you can just tell me where Tiffany went after she left here,” he asked, calmly. “Then we’ll be out of your way.” The Indian comment bothered him, but he was willing to let it go. Now he hoped Elizabeth did the same. She was the one most likely to go nuclear and beat the woman bloody.
The bouncer moved closer. “Is there an issue, Marla?” he asked, looking at the two of them. “Want me to get rid of them?”
“Yeah, toss these two out of here,” she stated.
This was worst case scenario, and it was about to get ugly. Elizabeth watched the man move towards her, and the minute his hand touched her arm, she moved. Twisting his wrist, and spinning him, she foot swept him and knocked him to the ground. Elizabeth slammed her hand into his neck and he went out.
Callen saw the movement from behind the bar and pulled his gun, pointing it at the woman’s face. “Let me see your hands, Marla. If I happen to find a gun, you’re going to jail for pulling a weapon on a federal agent.”
Elizabeth hopped the bar and landed beside the woman. “Lookee here, Cal. She has
a sawed off shotgun under the counter. Very illegal in this state, and I think she had intent to use it on us.” Now she slid the gun to her partner, and pushed the woman forward, yanking her hands behind her back. “You’re going into FBI West for the night, Marla. Way to go on cooperating with the authorities.”
“You can’t arrest me. I have rights too. I work hard to keep people from robbing me.”
“I’m more offended that you called my partner ‘lousy Indian’, than that you were going to try and kill me. Violence I get, bigotry just pisses me the hell off.” Elizabeth kicked the woman’s legs apart and started patting her down. When she began to struggle, she pushed her head down against the counter to continue to search her. “Cal, cuff him and call for transport. These two are going in for the night.”
“What if I tell you where Tiffany went after here?” she offered.
“Where’d she go?” Elizabeth asked, as she dumped out the woman’s pockets. Callen finished cuffing the man that tried to touch her and pulled out his phone.
“The Pussy Cat Club.”
Elizabeth grinned a feral grin. “Thanks, Marla. Because of this gun, we’re shutting you down.”
All the dancers sounded unhappy and so did Marla.
Elizabeth pointed at the scantily clad women and tipped her head. “Oh, I’m sorry this upsets you. Want me to run each and every one of you and arrest anyone that’s got priors or is on probation? There’s a gun in this establishment and I’m betting a few of you have some hooking charges. Am I right?”
Half of the girls walked away to escape them.
“The rest of you have drug charges or other things you don’t want me finding out about? Then I suggest you back away.”
Callen came back over, just as the man was coming to on the floor. He pulled him up to his feet. “You’re so lucky I was dealing with Marla, or I would have beat the hell out of you for trying to touch her.”
The man looked scared shitless. “I was just doing my job. I didn’t know you were cops. I’m just trying to earn a living.”
Fire Burns Hot ((An FBI/ Romance Thriller~ (Book 5))) Page 18