Six p.m. found Liv returning to her office after a strenuous workout in the gym downstairs. Most of the other employees were either leaving or already gone for the day, going home to their families and lives and worlds outside of this place. For her, this place was home.
Her energy had finally rebounded after that stupid tranquilizer-dart incident almost two weeks prior now. About time too. She was tired of dragging her sorry ass around all day long. Time to get some pep back in her step again. She rode the elevators to the executive floor and walked the short distance to her office, only to find Blake waiting for her.
“I gave Brandon’s intel to the police, and they, in turn, gave me what they had on the crooks—some fuzzy video footage from the cameras in the alleyway, but nothing solid, except that one of the shooters was female.” He followed her into her office then shut the door. “The angle was bad, and their getaway van blocked most of the view, which means our thieves are either lucky or experienced professionals. Me? I’d go with the latter. I think they were ready for you and had all their bases covered. Oh, and the van license plate was a dead end too.”
“Perfect.” Liv sank into her chair. “And you’re telling me this why?”
“Because you and Tom need to make inquiries. Check into areas where police might not be… welcome.” He gave a half smile. “Tom and you did pretty well against each other in the ring, so you can both handle yourselves in a fight.”
“Seriously?” She shook her head. “Now that I’m finally recovered, you want me to go back into these guys’ den?”
“We have to get to the bottom of this, sis, for all our sakes.” He sat back, his pet iguana not on his shoulder for once. “But I guess if you don’t think you’re up to it, I can call Owen. He’s got military training.”
He was baiting her, obviously. As her sibling, he knew all the buttons to push. And damn if she couldn’t stop herself from responding. “Don’t bother Owen. I got this.”
“Good. There’s a biker bar not far from here. Word has it if you need a job done, they can hook you up. A lot of the old regulars from the Lucky Ace moved business there after Shelby tightened security. Take Tom and show around these stills from the footage.” He tossed several grainy photos on her desk. “Maybe you’ll catch a break.”
“Yeah, if I don’t get my ass kicked first.”
Blake left, and Liv sat there for several minutes, staring at the blurry pictures, before texting Tom to come to her office ASAP. The last thing she needed right now was to spend more time with the man who’d haunted her mind since he’d first walked in her door, but she sure as hell wouldn’t go to some dive bar by herself, no matter how badass her fighting skills.
“Hey.” Tom stuck his head around her door a few minutes later. “What’s up?”
“You’re out of breath.”
“Ran up the stairs from Brandon’s office. You said ASAP.”
“Did he find anything?” She waved him in and gestured toward one of her chairs then closed the door behind him.
“Cody Brooks isn’t who he pretends to be.”
“Really? Who is he then?”
“No idea. All I know is per the cops, Cody Brooks is most likely an alias. Brandon found some other pictures of him, other identities too, by using his social media mining app. Handy thing, that app. Told him he should sell it on iTunes and make a billion.”
“We only hire the best.” Liv tapped her fingers on her desk, not sure how to approach the whole bar subject now that Tom was sitting in front of her, all male and sinfully seductive. His breath was still heavy from his jog up the stairs, and her naughty mind jumped to other scenarios in which he might get all hot and bothered. She sat back and did her best not to fan her prickling cheeks. “So, are you, uh, headed home now?”
“Don’t know.” His demeanor switched from fatigued to flirtatious in seconds. “Depends on why you summoned me.”
“Blake gave us a job-related field trip.” The work angle was usually the safest way to approach otherwise dangerous subjects. “We’ll have to stop for a change of clothes first. The dress code where we’re going is a bit less… formal.”
“And where exactly is that?”
“A hole-in-the-wall place called the Raw Dog.” She rattled off the address her brother had left, along with the photos, earlier. “He thinks we might get a lead on the thieves.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“When Blake’s involved, things are always interesting.” She chuckled. “You game?”
“You bet.”
“Awesome.” Liv shut down her computer and grabbed her purse then scribbled down her address. “Meet me at my building in an hour. We’ll go from there.”
Once she got home, however, she couldn’t find anything appropriate to wear to a biker bar. She must’ve changed outfits at least fifteen times before finally settling on a pair of faded jeans and a low-cut black tank top. Liv stopped to feed her foster kitten and check her mail before heading back down to the lobby to wait for Tom.
It turned out he was already there, schmoozing with her doorman and looking positively lethal in a pair of skin-tight jeans and a black T-shirt that hugged his muscles like a glove. Her pulse tripped and her chest constricted. She took a deep breath and forced a smile as she walked over to him. Before she reached him, Tom straightened and gave her an appreciative once-over.
“Nice.” He added a wolf whistle, and her smile faltered. Heat flooded her cheeks.
Both embarrassed and flattered, she walked out the front doors without looking to see if he followed, doing her best to hide her smile and failing. “Let’s go.”
“Sure thing, boss lady.”
He trailed after her, and she could feel the heat of his stare through her thin cotton top. Something about knowing he was as helpless to look at her as she was at him made her feel powerful and inordinately happy. “It’s only about a block away. You okay with walking?”
“I’m beyond thrilled with walking.”
She snorted and he laughed, and some of the tension between them dissipated.
The night was warm, and the sky above was clear and full of stars, and before long they reached the bar among a throng of excited tourists. From what she could gather from the conversations around them, some online guidebook had recommended this place as a must-see local venue. That didn’t bode well for her and Tom finding any juicy leads inside, but it was too late to turn back now.
Once inside, Liv felt totally out of place. Between the chatty tourists and the hardened regulars, she stood out like tits on a bull. Tom, however, seemed to take it all in his usual relaxed stride. He slung his arm around her shoulders and steered her toward a booth in the corner. “Relax. Loosen up. If they think you’re a cop, they’ll never talk to us.”
She tried to shrug off his grip and failed. “I’m not a cop.”
“Doesn’t matter. They’ll know something’s up if you’re tense.”
They took a seat, both on the same side of the booth, to keep up appearances. The long, lean heat of him simmered through her like fine wine, raising her awareness of him while lulling her into a false sense of intimacy. His arm remained around her shoulder, and his fingertips traced lazy circles against her bare skin. She shuddered beneath the contact, and he tucked her closer. “You okay? Want something to drink?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” she said, doing her best to play the part of simpering, besotted girlfriend. Not that the besotted part was much of a stretch. Liv gave him a tentative smile, fascinated by the way his blue-gray eyes darkened slightly as his gaze dropped to her lips.
A scantily clad waitress sashayed by their table, and Tom snagged her attention, ordering them two ales. She left and he hiked his chin at a cluster of thugs across the way. “See that big guy in the opposite corner?”
“Yeah.”
“Wait until he’s alone, then head over there. He seems to be in charge of the group, and I’m guessing if anyone knows about our thieves, it’d be him.”
“And what am I supposed to do? Just walk up and ask him?”
“Nah.” Tom winked and bent closer to her. Her breath caught in her throat at the nearness of him and the chance he might actually kiss her. “Charm him a little, that’s all.”
“Charm him?”
“Yeah.” Tom squeezed her once then took his arm from around her shoulders. “Okay. The others are gone. Now’s your chance.”
Reluctantly, Liv scooted out of the booth and teetered uncertainly on her high heels for a moment. “I don’t know.”
“I do.” Tom grinned and swatted her on the butt. “Go get ’em, beautiful.”
Between the gorgeous man behind her and the sinister challenge ahead of her, Liv didn’t know which was worse.
Swallowing hard, she weaved her way through the crowd toward her intended target—all three-hundred-plus pounds of tattooed, do-ragged bulk of him. At best, she might sway him into telling her what he knew about their crooks. At worse, he’d crush her like an empty soda can beneath his heavy boots.
After a last, deep breath for courage, she closed the last few feet between them and flashed what she hoped was her brightest smile, photos clutched tight in her hand. “Is this seat taken?”
The guy gave her a slow once-over, his dark eyes unreadable and his silent presence intimidating as hell. His gaze stuck and held on her boobs for a moment before finally reaching her eyes. His grin, when it came, was cold as frostbite and just as deadly. “It is now, baby.”
She slid onto the seat and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’m looking for some friends of mine, and I thought maybe you could help me find them.”
“Friends, huh?” The guy nudged her with his shoulder and damned near toppled her to the floor. She clutched the edge of the bar tight to steady herself. “I’ll be your friend.”
Right. Liv ignored the unconcealed invitation in his waggled brows and laid out the pictures on the bar. “Have you seen any of these people around?”
“Hmm.” He tore his gaze from hers and picked each photo up one by one. “Nah. Ain’t seen any of these people before.” The last one he squinted at. “Except maybe this one. She looks like a gal that used to strip sometimes over at the Showgirl. I think her name’s Millie or Minnie… No, no. Mina. That’s her name.”
“Great.” She gathered up the pictures and stood. “The Showgirl, you said? Thanks. Thanks so much. I’ll definitely check that out.”
“Where you going, baby?” the guy called after her. He grabbed his crotch suggestively, and her stomach lurched. “Fun’s just getting started.”
Liv rushed back to the booth and grabbed Tom’s arm. “C’mon. Let’s get out of here.”
“You find out anything?” Tom asked. He slapped a couple of bills down on the table then pushed out of the booth. “Want the rest of your ale? You didn’t drink any of it.”
“No.” She grabbed her car keys and headed for the door. “All I want to do is get out of here.”
10
By early Friday evening, Liv was going absolutely stir crazy. Their little sojourn to the biker bar had produced exactly zilch as far as new information about the crooks. She’d checked out who stripped at that club, the Showgirl, and there was no one employed by the name of Mina. Jace hadn’t turned up anything about the leak at Rockford Security either, and Blake had taken over many of her office duties while she pursued this dead-end robbery angle, and the usual piles of paperwork that littered her desk were oddly absent.
All of her new free time meant she’d gotten far closer to Tom than she’d ever intended. He’d also been relegated to the robbery investigation and not much else. So together, they poured over what little information they had on the case, occasionally sparred down in the gym to keep their skills honed, and dug deeper into the mystery that was Cody Brooks. What little they’d found on the guy didn’t point directly to the crooks, but Liv had a gut feeling he was tied to the whole ambush somehow. The fact he and Jessica Matheson had refused a second interview didn’t ease her suspicions either.
Head aching and frustration mounting, Liv decided to call it a day and head home. She gathered her things and headed down to the now-deserted lobby then out back to the employee parking lot. Most everyone else, except for the night shifters, had left long ago, so there were only her SUV and a couple of other cars left. Across the way, she spotted a tall man walking toward the coffee shop on the corner. He passed beneath a streetlight, and her breath caught.
Tom.
They’d said their goodbyes and wished each other a good weekend a few hours prior, but she still hadn’t stopped thinking about him. How did he spend his days off? Did he have a girlfriend? Hobbies?
Since the ambush, he’d seemed to open up more around her, but there was still so much about him that she didn’t know. Even Jace had taken a look at him as part of his routine investigation of the employees and found nada.
Liv ducked behind the door of her SUV as Tom stopped and surveyed the area as if checking to make sure he wasn’t being followed, then entered the coffee shop.
Weird.
Fresh curiosity fizzed inside her like soda pop. She locked up her SUV and hurried across the parking lot toward the corner shop then peeked through the side windows at the crowd inside. Tom stood taller than the rest, which made spotting him in line at the register easier. He paid for his stuff then took a seat at a small table against the wall, alone.
Okay, then.
Suddenly craving some caffeine herself, she headed inside and waited at the end of the line to order. From where she stood, if she leaned just slightly to the side, she could see Tom at a table alone, the paper coffee cup in front of him.
His gaze flicked to hers, and she froze.
Shit. Busted.
Fine. If he said anything, she’d fall back on her notorious love of coffee. Everyone at the office knew she was a javaholic, so why wouldn’t she be here? On a Friday night. Alone. Like a loser.
Except Tom didn’t call her out. In fact, his gaze quickly moved past her to the person in front of her, like he didn’t even recognize her at all. She noticed now that his hand rested on the table next to his coffee cup. It looked like he was holding something, his fingers curled inward but his thumb tapping nervously on the table as he studiously avoided her gaze. All righty then. That only upped the awkward factor of the situation.
Why would he pretend he doesn’t know me?
The man ahead of her ordered and paid for his stuff at the register then headed toward the back.
At the same time, Tom pushed up from the table. Liv leaned out from the counter. The man tall, dark, Italian looking—was blocking her view.
“Can I help you?” the barista behind the counter asked.
“Um.” Liv tore her gaze from the back of the man, who seemed to be heading straight for Tom. “Grande hazelnut latte, please.”
“Sure thing. For here or to go?”
“Uh, to go, please.” Liv’s eyes were glued to the man. As he approached the back, she saw Tom push up from the table and collide with the man, smashing his coffee into his chest, the cover popping off and spilling brown liquid everywhere.
The coffee shop quieted as most everyone in the vicinity turned to watch the show.
“Sorry.” Tom grabbed some napkins and patted at the man, who seemed quite calm about the whole incident.
Wait, did Tom just slip something into the man’s pocket?
“Here you go.” The barista shoved Liv’s coffee to her. Her eyes jerked from Tom and the man to the barista then back to Tom. Now Tom was turning in one direction, the man in another.
She shoved a ten at the barista, grabbed her coffee, and took off toward them, almost colliding with an employee on their way to the spill with a large mop and bucket.
In her peripheral vision, she could see Tom at the back door, the man at the front door. She wasted precious seconds stepping around the person with the mop. By the time she rushed out the back door, there was no sign of Tom. Back i
nside, she rushed toward the front. No sign of the other guy either. But Tom’s coffee was still sitting on the table. He hadn’t taken it with him.
Well, shit.
What had she just witnessed? Had it just been an innocent collision, or had she really seen Tom put something in the man’s pocket? And why had he ignored her? Was it possible he hadn’t recognized her?
Someone leaked our routes, and I intend to find out who…
Could Tom be the leak?
No. That was silly. Why would Tom Bates leak information about Rockford Security? And why would he leak information on the security detail that he was a part of? Except he hadn’t known he was going to be put on that job; Blake had assigned him at the last minute. But still it didn’t make any sense. Tom had just started at Rockford Security. He wouldn’t have had time to figure out how to get into their secured data to leak the routes, would he?
Damn. And just when she’d started to fall for the guy.
Disappointed, she pulled out her phone and sent Jace a quick text about what she’d seen. If Tom was the leak they were looking for, then what she’d just witnessed could be the bombshell Jace needed to blow the case wide open.
Message sent, she walked back to her car, her pace slower and her shoulders slumped. Figured she’d finally find a gorgeous guy who kept her on her toes, and he’d be nothing but a worthless weasel.
She climbed in the SUV, started the engine, and was about to pull out of the lot when her phone jangled with a response from Jace.
Still at work. Come to the conference room.
So much for getting home at a decent hour.
Liv made a U-turn and pulled into Blake’s now-vacated spot near the employee entrance and went back inside, taking the stairs up to the fifth floor to burn off some of her overabundant adrenaline. Even though she and Tom weren’t anything more than coworkers, she couldn’t seem to shake her sense of betrayal. Had he passed company information to that guy? Blake had trusted him. So had she. By the time she reached the conference room, she’d worked herself into a fine snit.
Wicked Deception (The Rockford Security Series Book 5) Page 7