Best Man for the Job

by Meredith Fletcher

  That feeling was there now, and it was raking discordant fingernails across the inside of his skull. His jaw was clenched so tightly that his teeth hurt.

  “Someone got hold of Jenny?”

  “Yeah.” And that just gave him another reason to make them pay.

  Chapter 14

  Gazing at Callan, Eryn felt so bad for him that she almost reached out to him. She stopped herself just short of doing that. As she watched him, she ached for him. What she saw now was so much different than the man who had just taken out three men like he’d been out for a Sunday walk. She sensed the fear and confusion within him, and she was amazed at the control he had.

  “They told Jenny they were going to hurt Daniel?”

  “Yeah.”

  “It didn’t take long for the bartender to get in touch with people he claimed he had no number for.”

  “Maybe it wasn’t him. If the Invincible people meet there on a regular basis, other people—waitstaff and dancers—know them, too. Either way, those men are going to be more on their guard than before.”

  “They’re still looking for the ransom money. What you told Jenny is true.”

  “I know but that’s cold comfort. If those people become convinced that they’re not going to get the ransom, they’ll kill Daniel.”

  “They know we’re on to them now.”

  “I know. They will make mistakes. But they could be the wrong mistakes.”

  “You can’t think like that and you know it.”

  He looked at her, smiled and shook his head. “Become a believer, have you?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes, I have. We’re good at this, Callan.” Eryn pursed her lips. “I think I have another couple of angles we can play.”

  “I’m listening.”

  She held up the captured telephone. “The bartender didn’t leave a phone log on his cell. No recent calls, no address book. While we were there, I also noticed that he was at least one of the drug suppliers to the staff and the clientele.”

  “Okay.” Callan looked puzzled. “Doesn’t sound like much help there.”

  “That’s because you don’t know if your buddy Koenig can break into the phone company and pull this phone’s records.”

  A faint smile touched Callan’s lips. He lifted his phone and tapped the keys. “Hey. Maybe we got something.” He steered through the traffic and Eryn watched with growing concern as the speedometer crept higher and higher. “Eryn has a phone and wants to know if you can get the call records for it.” He folded his phone and looked at her. “He wants you to call him.”

  Eryn punched in the digits as Callan called them out.

  Koenig answered before the first ring completed. “What have you got?”

  “I picked up a phone from a guy we know is connected with the people we’re looking for. He evidently kept his call log wiped and his address book is blank.”

  “Hmm. Dumping the files now.” Koenig’s voice shifted and became more solemn. “How’s the big guy doing?”

  Eryn resisted the impulse to glance at Callan. She studied his reflection in the windshield, watching as the light angles shifted and made it slide from top to bottom to disappear then begin again. “Holding in there.”

  “Yeah. I listened in on the conversation he had with his sister. It was rough.”

  “I know.”

  “I’m gonna run interference for a while. Jenny’s still blowing up his old phone number. I’m letting the answering service pick up and monitoring it. If something important goes on, I’ll let Callan know.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Koenig cleared his throat. Despite his enthusiasm, he sounded tired. “You take care of him, girl detective, and you watch your butt.”

  “I will. I am.”

  “On another note, do you know how the kidnappers got into the bachelor party?”

  “No. I was in a cake at the time they got in.”

  “A cake?” Koenig chuckled. “I have got to hear this story from the beginning at some time. Does Callan know how the snatch crew got in?”

  Eryn asked Callan. He thought for a moment, then shook his head. “He doesn’t know, either. Why?”

  “Those doors were locked. They’re hotel doors. Automatically lock whenever they’re closed.”

  Thinking about that, Eryn realized that was true. “We missed that.” She explained to Callan.

  He didn’t look happy, either. “We did miss that.” He swore, then looked embarrassed about his reaction.

  Koenig went on. “No biggie. Missed it myself till just a few minutes ago. Either those guys got incredibly lucky, and should have been playing the tables in one of the casinos—”

  “Or they had someone on the inside let them in.” Eryn couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of that.

  “Bingo, girl detective.”

  So Callan had been right all along when he’d thought someone was working on the inside. Eryn considered the possibilities and realized she just didn’t know everyone involved well enough to hazard a guess. There had been a lot of people inside the room.

  Keyboard tapping sounded at Koenig’s end of the connection. “I’ll be in touch when I have something to report.”

  Eryn shifted in the seat and tried to get more comfortable, but it was impossible. She was too tense and her bruised neck ached. Even brushing her throat with her fingertips, as she did far too often, was painful. “Okay. In the meantime, I’m going to be chasing down another angle. I may be getting back in touch with you.”

  “Always here. Except for when I’m not.” The connection clicked dead.

  “What other lead?” Callan narrowed his gaze.

  Fanning the three photographs she’d confiscated from Bare Essentials, Eryn pointed to the woman in the arms of one of the Invincible Security guys. “See the woman in the bob?”

  Callan pulled out of traffic and swung into a convenience store. After he parked out front, he leaned over and studied the picture. “What am I looking at?”

  “See how she’s dressed?”

  Callan shrugged.

  “Those aren’t street clothes. She’s hardly dressed at all.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “My roommate dances. Clubs are generally for guys, but occasionally they have ladies’ night and feature Chippendales. Guys like that. Those events are usually scheduled in the evening. Dancers work up till the time the guys are brought out, but they don’t always leave when the regular crowd gets chased.”

  Understanding glowed in Callan’s gray eyes. “She’s a dancer there.”

  Eryn nodded. “I believe so. Or she was. She must have come off shift when this picture was taken. The guy dancers went on. Since she was an employee, management didn’t chase her out of the club.”

  “What about the other two women?”

  “Neither one of them look like a dancer. Could be, but I’m not seeing that in these pictures.”

  “Does the profile of the redhead look familiar to you?”

  “She’s gorgeous. There are a lot of gorgeous people in Vegas.”

  Callan shook his head. “Get back to the lead. How does the fact that the woman is a dancer help?”

  “It might not, but the dancers tend to know each other if they’ve been out here any time at all. They shift clubs, network, figure out where the best tip spots are, the best shifts, where management keeps their hands to themselves, and—if they’re like my friend Renee—where they can work in a relatively drug-free environment. It’s a long shot, but maybe Renee knows this woman. I’m going to send her a copy of this picture, see if she can get it out there to her friends.”

  Callan nodded in appreciation. “Smart.”

  “Girl detective, remember?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be back. Need anything?”

  “Coffee?”

  “Sure.” Callan left the keys in the car and the engine running when he got out.

  Eryn watched him go, enjoying the sleek, easy way he moved and rememberi
ng how he’d manhandled the men at Bare Essentials. You’re enjoying the way he walks way too much, girl. She turned her attention to the pictures and used her phone’s camera function to copy the image.

  “Hello?” Renee sounded awful and a bit cautious. Her throat was clogged and Eryn could almost hear her sinuses dripping.

  “God, you sound bad. It’s Eryn, I’ve borrowed a phone.”

  “Hey, there. And this happens every time I bring Devin over to Mom’s so she can help me take care of him. He immediately gets better and I nearly die.”

  Eryn smiled at that. The statement was true. Renee blamed the day care where Devin stayed when she worked the occasional day shift. The rest of the time she was home with him, and most evenings Eryn took care of the boy. It was a good arrangement and allowed both of them to mother him, especially since Devin’s father didn’t want to be in the picture.

  “How did the party go?”

  “Obviously you haven’t been watching television.”

  “If you call SpongeBob SquarePants television, then, yes, I watched some television earlier. Why?”

  “I’ll have to explain later. Right now I need a favor.”

  “Right now, girlfriend, you’ve made me curious.” Renee’s voice was strained enough for Eryn to know that she was sitting up.

  “Sorry. Deal. I don’t have time right now.”

  “Ooh. Mysterious.”

  “I just emailed you a picture of a woman. I think she’s a dancer. I need her identified if I can.”

  Renee sighed theatrically, but it worked against her because it started another coughing spasm. “Do you know how many dancers there are in this city?”

  “Yes, but I have to start somewhere. I thought maybe you could forward the picture to your friends. See if someone knew something.”

  “Is this for one of your cases?”

  Eryn didn’t want to explain. “Yes.” That was the easiest answer.

  “Cool. So I’m like a junior private eye?”

  Tired and hurting, the enthusiasm in her friend’s voice still made Eryn smile. “Sure.”

  “We’ll need an official swearing-in ceremony at some point. Over a pint of rocky road ice cream. You’re treating since I’m doing legwork for you. And trust me, I got the legs for it.”

  “I know you do. That’s why I called you. Can you get on this now?”

  “Lots of hassle this hour. The extra effort’s gonna cost you extra. I’m thinking I want a nice fudge topping for my rocky road.”

  Eryn smiled again at that. The exchange seemed like real life, not the maelstrom she was currently caught up in. Real life, ordinary life, felt almost impossible to get back to. If they couldn’t find Daniel Steadman and bring him home safe, she knew her life was going to be changed forever.

  Then she thought about the violence she’d already witnessed during the course of the night. She wasn’t kidding herself. Her life had already been changed. She looked through the convenience store window, trying to see Callan Storm. There had been other changes, too, because she knew she wasn’t going to look at men the same. She had a new yardstick to compare them to.

  Renee hacked and coughed. “I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

  “Thanks, Renee.”

  Harsh cracks woke Eryn. She had her hand on her pistol before she was truly awake, and she was surprised to discover she’d gone to sleep in the car.

  Callan was the source of the noise. He stood on the concrete sidewalk in front of the convenience store and looked down at the bag of ice he’d just dropped. Kneeling, he took a small plastic trash bag from a carton he’d obviously purchased. He shoveled a little ice into the bag, not coming close to filling it, then tied it off. Then he pulled a tourist T-shirt from the bag beside him and wrapped it around the ice pack, rolling it out till he had a vaguely sausage shape about two feet long. He used a roll of duct tape to divide the tube into quarters.

  Satisfied with his creation, he picked it up and carried it to Eryn’s side of the car. She opened the door.

  “For your neck. To keep the swelling down.” Leaning into the car, Callan draped the ice tube around her neck.

  At the touch, Eryn shivered. She’d seen how violent he could be, but his tenderness surprised her. His fingers felt hard and hot against her flesh, and that touch raised more goose bumps than the ice pack. She shivered again, but this time it wasn’t the cold.

  “Sorry.” Callan grimaced. “I know it’s cold, but I can’t take away too much of the chill or it won’t help with the swelling.” Those slate-gray eyes held concern, and she loved the way he looked at her. His breath ghosted against her cheek.

  “It’s okay. It actually feels good.” Eryn was surprised at how well the makeshift ice pack took away her pain. She settled the ice pack into a better position. When he pulled away, she wanted to reach out and stop him. She’d felt safe inside his arms and so near to him. She’d never before had that feeling with a man.

  “I’ve got a couple other tees in the bag.” Callan placed the bag into the backseat. “That one will eventually get wet as the ice melts. We’ll rewrap it as needed.”

  “Thank you.”

  He handed her a small vial of analgesics. “These should help.”

  Gratefully, Eryn took the vial.

  Callan retreated to the ice and threw the remnants away in the trash can beside the door. He picked up two large containers of coffee and handed one to Eryn. He kept the other for himself and resumed his place behind the steering wheel.

  Eryn sipped the coffee and enjoyed the heat inside her throat almost as much as she did the ice against her bruised throat. “Where to?”

  Callan backed the car out of the parking area and swung toward the street. “You said there was more than one club Invincible Security spent time. We go back to hunting their usual haunts and hope Koenig finds something we can use. The clock never stops or slows down, and we’re still playing catch-up.”

  Chapter 15

  For the next two hours, Eryn toured clubs with Callan. Thankfully all their visits were quiet and uneventful. Unfortunately, that also meant they weren’t any closer to finding Daniel Steadman.

  They didn’t talk much. Callan stayed focused on the mission, but every now and again Eryn caught him starting at her. At first she thought he was just checking on her, paranoid that she’d go off and get into trouble again. That made her feel bad, and even a little angry at him and herself, but she balanced that with the fact that she’d at least turned up a clue that might lead somewhere.

  Please let it lead somewhere.

  As the hours marched by, though, she became more convinced that they were looking for a needle in a haystack. Some of the waitstaff and dancers they talked to were forthcoming with information about Invincible Security. Not everyone liked them.

  But no one knew where they were.

  The continued absence on the security agency’s behalf was incriminating. They’d caught a break in identifying the tattoo so quickly, and now it looked like that lead was going to turn out to be correct. But there was no discernible trail.

  “You’re thinking awfully hard.”

  Startled, Eryn glanced up and the sudden movement pinched something in her neck. Callan stood next to her. The last time she’d been aware of him, he’d been several feet away. He touched her elbow and guided her to the door.

  Eryn spoke up, but she had to speak loudly to be heard over the grinding biker music. “If Invincible Security is behind Daniel Steadman’s kidnapping—”

  “I think they are.” Callan nodded to the two big bouncers working the door. They nodded back, and it was like predators sizing each other up.

  “—then why did they do it?”

  “The money. There’s a lot of money involved.”

  “But why the Steadman family?”

  “Again, you’re looking at a deep pocket.”

  “Why kidnap someone from out of town?”

  Outside, Callan opened the car door, then took a moment and
draped the makeshift ice pack around Eryn’s neck. He lingered for a moment, and Eryn thought he was going to lean in and kiss her. She felt the heat of his body melting into hers. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing pulse when Callan pulled back. “Convenience. Opportunity.”

  Eryn started to shake her head and thought better of it. “I think there are too many variables involved in taking someone from outside the city. For a first-time kidnapping attempt, I’d pick a local, someone with a routine that I could get to know. Someone with friends that I could exploit. Before I’d kidnap someone like Daniel Steadman, whose family can fill the streets with hired security, I’d pick a softer target.”

  “That’s good thinking.”

  “I guess that makes me sound like some nefarious criminal mastermind.”

  Callan smiled and she liked the way the expression appeared, just for a moment, almost worry-free. “Just proves you can think, Eryn.” He looked at her levelly from his squatting position. He looked calm, radiated it even, but she knew that under the circumstances he was anything but calm.

  She liked the way her name sounded when he said it, and the praise was nice.

  “And you’re right about the soft target. But how do you know they didn’t already give this a dry run with someone more predictable?” Callan walked around the car and dropped behind the steering wheel. “Those guys work well as a unit. If we’re right about it being Invincible Security, part of that ability to work well is due to past operations together.”

  “Working security. Knowing where the weak areas are.”

  “Exactly. It would be interesting to see how many of the people Invincible have worked security for have spent time in the hotel. If they’ve been at that hotel a lot, they had a home court advantage.” Callan pulled out into traffic and got underway.