by Debra Kayn
“Right,” he murmured. “We could make this interesting in exchange for sharing the table.”
“Oh yeah?” She inhaled swiftly, wondering if he was in on the meeting and testing her. “What do you have in mind?”
Tony’s grin turned into a genuine smile, and the effect wasn’t lost on her. She felt the warmth all over, and she meant every little out-of-the-way, hidden spot on her body went suddenly hot. “One game. Winner calls.”
“Calls anything?” She gulped.
He leaned in closer and whispered, “Anything.”
Chapter Two
Tony stood beside Rocki at the pool table, and informed her how the guys from Beaumont Body Shop—a place where they apparently restored classic cars and ran a private investigation firm—always came to Corner Pocket and played pool on Thursdays. She swallowed her questions and smiled. Multidimensional men, every single one of them.
“The woman tagging along with us is Janie.” Tony’s smile softened and he lowered his voice. “Once she lets go of Kage and notices you, I’m sure she’ll say hello.”
For some reason it bothered her that another woman was around tonight. Dealing with these men alone was easier, faster, and more beneficial to her. She had experience with the opposite sex. Men composed ninety-five percent of the police force. She’d talked, listened, and used her female persuasion to her advantage on more than a few occasions. Women were sly, secretive, and a heck of a lot smarter. Janie would see right through her lies.
She had to wonder what Darrell wanted from them all. They were PIs. Not exactly men Darrell would do business with or hire. Unless he suspected they were casing him and wanted to learn more to keep the advantage on them.
“That’s Lance McCray.” Tony pointed.
She gave him a quick wave and grin. “Hey.”
Lance’s nearly black goatee wasn’t the only impressive thing on the man. He had a sweet smile with full lips that she figured many women also noticed. She had to look away to keep from staring as he murmured a greeting. Nothing about him suggested he was anything but an upstanding citizen.
Tony leaned against the table, crossed his ankles, and said, “The guy beside Lance is Garrett Beaumont. Janie—who’s lip-locked with Kage still—is his little sister.”
Garrett, who had the same coloring and hair as his sister Janie, seemed to be the boss, yet none of the men were afraid of one-upping him or giving him a bad time about a woman named Sabrina. She peered around the group. There were no other woman on this side of bar, so Sabrina must be MIA.
“The guy next to Janie is Kage Archer,” Tony said.
Her heart raced and a flush heated her cheeks when Tony mentioned the man’s last name. She barely heard the introductions through the roar of her pulse pounding in her head. The picture of two months ago clicked into place.
The connection of why Darrell would want her to come to Corner Pocket, tonight, at table three, and meet these guys all made sense now. The uncle and nephew were estranged. She’d gathered that much from the paperwork and studying her subject before going undercover.
How could she not have recognized them when they came inside the bar? She’d delivered a cat to Darrell Archer’s nephew’s girlfriend—who she now knew as Janie—a few months ago. Back then, she’d thought they were a nameless, beautiful couple. Today, they were more. They were here, and being introduced to her. Their link with each other showed in every movement.
Kage, almost a spitting image of his uncle, with his dark hair, emotionless eyes, and disconnected personality, stared through her, but she knew he was taking every detail of her in, and not in a good way. She shivered, clasping her elbows in her hands.
Janie’s shoulders rose and her chin came up. Kage’s hand tightened around Janie’s wrist, and an even scarier vibe rolled off him. He didn’t so much as move a muscle or give away his thoughts in his expression, but she could feel the shield that came up in front of him, warning her to back off. Darrell was dangerous, but Kage freaked her way out. There was no doubt in her mind that if she moved too fast or said the wrong thing, he’d do anything to protect his girlfriend.
Unable to meet Janie’s eyes, she continued watching Kage and murmured, “It’s nice to meet you both.”
“It’s not the first time we’ve stood in front of each other.” Janie planted her hands on her hips. “Unless you’re pretending you don’t work for Darrell Archer.”
She glanced at Kage and moistened her lips, stalling. Darrell’s nephew gave nothing away. He wore a mask of indifference, unlike his girlfriend, who was ready to take her down. “I…Not anymore. That was a mistake. I had no idea who he was at the time, and thought I was only hired to pet sit. How’s your cat?”
“Bluff is none of your business.” Janie’s gaze narrowed. “Usually, I wouldn’t ask what someone is doing here. It’s really none of my business, but seeing as how I don’t trust you and it looks like you came alone, it might be best if you leave before I tell Charlene who you work for and she throws you out of here. This is a clean establishment.”
Rocki stiffened. “I—”
“It’s okay, Rocki. You don’t have to leave. Everyone is welcome at Corner Pocket.” Tony moved in closer to her and directed his attention to Janie. “I think Kage wants to talk with you. Now.”
“But she works for Darrell.” Janie’s brows came down and she widened her stance. “I won’t have someone like her around Kage or—”
“Enough, Janie.” Tony lifted his chin and looked at Kage. “Nothing’s going on. We’re here to play pool.”
“Come on, baby, you’re up first. Let’s grab table two.” Kage hooked the back of Janie’s jeans and pulled her away.
Rocki watched them both walk a few feet away, wondering what they were thinking about her. She pressed her lips together and inhaled through her nose. She hated the charade. People were supposed to like her, trust her, and the absolute disgust coming from Janie hurt her more than she’d admit.
Usually she was someone other people came to for help. She dropped her gaze to the floor. She felt dirty and skanky being linked to Darrell.
Tony returned to her side, bumped her shoulder, and smiled at her. “Janie’s a little temperamental. There’s no problem with you hanging out here and shooting a game of pool.”
She nodded, unsure if she believed him. “Just so you know…I don’t work for Darrell. I did one job for him when he asked me to take care of a cat. I-I’m studying to be a vet’s assistant, and when I was offered the job it was natural for me to babysit. I do it all the time for strays and pets going up for adoption.”
“Okay.” He studied her for a beat, and then motioned to the pool table. “Ladies first.”
Unsure if she could pull off the gig Darrell sent her on, she hid her discomfort in the only way she knew how. She put a little extra wiggle in her step and tossed her hair over her shoulder.
It was one thing to work strangers. These people were friends with each other. Hell, one of them was Darrell’s nephew. She’d have to put everything she had into her job and remain undercover, out of cover, and not blow her double covers.
Darrell must know Kage had hooked up with Janie, yet she assumed he’d sent her here to sleep with Kage. Kage was not the cheating kind. She’d stake her job on that fact, because the man couldn’t take his eyes off his girlfriend. He barely glanced at her when Tony introduced her; he was that tuned into his girlfriend, who was willing to kick her out of the bar without any excuse.
She lined the cue ball to the corner of the table, shot, and broke the triangle of balls. The pockets around the table remained empty.
Tony chalked the end of his pool stick. “What brought you here tonight?”
“Dinner and a beer.” She leaned against a nearby table. His question wasn’t thrown at her for easy conversation. He investigated people like her for a living.
“Good place to come to relax. The atmosphere’s the best in town.” He tilted his head. “Usually, people come with a friend
.”
“Maybe my boyfriend is in the john, and I’m waiting for him to come back to play pool.” She raised her brows, expectantly.
“There’s no boyfriend,” Tony said, sweeping his gaze down her body, his smile growing more confident.
She laughed. He seemed mighty pleased with his assessment. “Why didn’t you let your friend Janie go after me with all the questions? She would’ve demanded answers and you could’ve found out more about me.”
Okay, now she was being a bitch. She had to tamp down her act before she got herself caught. A fun game of friendly fire, trading insults, wasn’t the best choice when she’d gone months without a relaxing conversation with a friend. But Tony wasn’t a friend. He was her target.
She needed to keep his attention, because Darrell told her to go home with the man who paid her attention. She liked his attention. Even though she had a feeling it was scary Kage who Darrell meant for her to go home with tonight.
“Never had any use for being a gentleman, though.” He grinned, leaned into the shot, and watched two of his balls sink into the side holes. “Solids.” He glanced at her. “Working for Darrell and now eating dinner and playing pool with me. You’ve come a long way.”
Tony continued to sink one ball in after another. She waited to reply. Not because she was feeling especially kind and letting him concentrate on his shots, but because she was using the time to come up with a plausible reason why she’d be here on this particular night.
When Darrell prepared her earlier, she assumed no one would know her. Learning the connection between Darrell and his nephew and the investigators of Beaumont Body Shop put her in danger. Not for the first time in her career, she wondered if she was in over her head and should walk before she got herself into precarious trouble.
Tony missed the next shot after sinking four balls. He walked toward her, stopped, and without looking directly at her, said, “Are you in trouble?”
Damnit. She shook her head, probably too fast instead of playing it cool. His nearness frazzled her, and her stupid girly hormones smacked down all the training she’d put herself through to be the best detective she could be.
“You realize there are four people here who can protect you,” he said. “If you’re in trouble or need someone to help you get away from Darrell, we can help. We’ve done it before.”
He saw too much. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to blow her job. Therefore, she did the first thing that popped into her head.
She leaned in and put her hand on his forearm. “I’m only a girl who wanted to let loose for a change, play some pool, and have a couple of beers.”
His brows lifted. “Yeah?”
She sucked in her bottom lip and dropped her gaze to his chest. “Yeah,” she said on an exhale.
“Lucky for you, I’d like to see you get loose and play some pool, and I don’t mind paying for a couple of beers either, so it looks like we’ve got a date, sweetheart.” He turned and finally faced her. His mouth softened and the tension in his eyes eased away.
She melted, deciding she rather liked him looking at her. “Is that so?”
“Yeah.” He inhaled deeply and appreciatively.
Hypnotized by the deep seductiveness of his voice, she looked at her hand touching his forearm. Her thumb caressed a tattoo of a full-length woman, naked except for a sash around her hips, inked in green. She wondered how and why he’d want what was commonly known to the PD as a prison tattoo, instead of the colorful ink tats popular with the legit.
Before she could ask him, Charlene’s laughter broke them apart as she placed food on the table. Tony moved over and laid a big wet kiss on Charlene’s cheek, leaving her giggling. He received a pinch on his ass in return.
“I can always count on you to make sure I eat,” Tony said.
Charlene patted Tony’s cheek. “I take care of my boys. I don’t want you losing any muscle, because then I’d miss out on all these nice male bodies who strut around my bar every Thursday night. Besides, you’ve ordered the same thing every week for the last ten years or more.”
“You’re a doll.” Tony tipped Charlene’s chin. “And looking prettier every day.”
“You’re a sexy player, Tony Weston.” Charlene shook her head as she walked away.
Tony, still laughing from Charlene’s antics, removed Rocki’s pool stick from her hands and set it on the pool table. “Let’s take a break from the game and eat. Unless you want to forfeit…”
“Never,” she said, sitting down and picking up her beer.
She drank a few swallows, set the mug on the table, and lifted it in the air again to drink some more. On the job, she never drank. However, to get through tonight, she’d need enough courage for what she needed to do.
The academy taught her how to investigate, how to interview, and how to play the calm nonjudgmental observer. They even drilled into her head that while undercover she had to do whatever needed to be done to fit in and save her position. There would be times when her moral beliefs and normal, legal behavior would be compromised in the name of bringing justice and peace to the community. She pressed her thighs together, catching the quiver between her legs. Tony tempted her to break her no-sex-for-sex’s-sake law.
Casual relationships had no place at the police department, which made dating difficult. With her work schedule it wasn’t easy to find time to indulge in flirting and building a relationship.
Now Darrell expected her to go home with a man, pretend to be interested in him, and God only knew what else. She swallowed her insecurities. Tonight would test her skills as an undercover detective. She was way out of her comfort zone, letting Tony believe she’d do anything he asked.
The plan she’d formulated in her head five minutes before walking in the door only worked if she pretended to drink too much. What she lacked was how she was supposed to concentrate on her job, Darrell’s orders, and the sexual attraction she felt toward Tony.
She had faith that once she left with someone, she could act out enough to claim she’d had too much alcohol and sleep on the couch with her jeans firmly zipped. A solid plan would buy her time to outsmart whichever guy asked her to go home with him, and it looked like Tony was the winner.
Then she could slip away early in the morning, fulfilling her obligation to Darrell, and still have time to gather herself before she reported in at noon. She lifted her mug again, and Tony’s finger’s circled her wrist.
“Easy, sweetheart.” His thumb caressed the inside of her arm. “There’s nothing to be nervous about. We’re only shooting pool and getting to know each other better.”
She let go and picked up her burger, lifting her shoulder and peeking at him while catching her bottom lip between her teeth. He saw everything. She had to stay aware and be prepared for anything.
“So, you’re a private investigator and you pimp out cars.” She took a bite, chewed, and continued. “How did those two careers happen?”
Tony continued eating and held up his finger to signal her to wait until he finished chewing. He wiped his mouth. Someone had taught him manners.
“The interest in working on cars was always there. I grew up with the guys you met. When we were young, we hung out at Garrett’s pop’s garage, learning all we could from him and dreaming about the day we’d work on our own cars. Kept us out of trouble and popular with the girls,” he said.
“How so?” She popped a French fry in her mouth.
He flashed a grin. “Nothing makes a teenage boy more attractive to the girls than a muscle car.”
“Ah.” She leaned forward and tilted her head. “That’s true. I looked at a few nice cars when I was a teenager.”
He laughed. “I bet you did.”
“What kind of car do you drive?” She wiped her mouth and leaned forward. “Is it hot?”
“It’d burn you, sweetheart.” He winked. “A sixty-seven Camaro, midnight blue, twin white stripes on the hood with a three-eighty block and three on the floor.”
She blinked and found herself panting. The description…meant nothing to her. The radiant way Tony’s face came alive and his voice lowered to vibration levels left her panties damp. She wanted to see his car. She wanted to see him in his car. She wanted to see him doing her in his car.
She lifted her mug of beer and swallowed hard to get the liquid past the throbbing of her heart. “And the agency?”
“The PI stuff came during college. We all have our own reasons, but mine are purely selfish. The guys are my best friends, and it’s all about keeping us together. I liked the idea of going into business with friends I trusted and knew had my back, no matter what happened, and I enjoy living in Bay City.” He finished his burger. “What about you? Since you don’t spend time doing Darrell’s dirty work, what do you do to stay busy?”
It was a trap. Think. Think. Think.
“I do nails.” She put her hands in her lap. “Only part-time. Luckily, my mom and I share a town house. It cuts down on expenses, while I go to college, um, part-time. I-I’m studying to be a veterinarian’s assistant.”
“And, that’s why Darrell hired you? You’re good with animals?” Tony leaned forward.
She reached for another fry. “Yeah, exactly. Love animals. All kinds, but especially cats.”
He snagged her hand in midair. “I’m surprised a woman who paints other people’s fingernails doesn’t have time to do her own. Though I like them bare.”
She ducked her chin. “Today was stressful. Just trying to decide between wearing mother-of-pearl or electric-blue polish seemed too tough of a decision to make after hearing how much it would cost to replace a…a timing belt on my car.”
“Timing belt?”
She sat straighter, falling into the story. “Uh-huh. Life is good, but one expense and I feel like I should drop out of school and go to work full-time. I know it doesn’t seem like the kind of pressure you’re used to, chasing bad guys and trailing bond jumpers, but it’s a job that pays the bills.”
“Doing nails?”