* * * *
“What have we got so far on our little stripper?” Frankie asked as he bit into a juicy, red apple.
Sunny growled, obviously still upset about their mate’s line of work. Frankie didn’t mind so much now that they found her. She would only be doing the striptease for him and his brothers from here on out.
“Don’t joke around. I’m still trying to swallow the whole thing,”
Sunny stated as he pulled up a picture of some woman who looked just like Melissa.
“I don’t mind one bit. It will make bedroom play more interesting, especially when we install our own pole. Any ideas where the best spot will be?”
“You’re fucking serious, aren’t you?”
“Hell yeah, Sunny! Did you see her moves?”
“Just shut the fuck up, all right. I’m trying to gather everything I can on her. Logan’s going be back any minute.”
Just then the door opened and both Logan and Jake arrived.
“Hey, what’s going on? Where’s Vince?” Frankie asked, taking another bite of apple.
“Doing recon on our girl. How did you make out, Sunny?” Logan asked, walking closer to the computer.
“Okay, this is what I have so far. Here’s a picture of her sister and her sister’s husband. They died in a drive-by shooting two years ago. Apparently he was a detective in narcotics, but I don’t remember him,” Sunny said.
“Well, the date stated May nineteenth. We were in Colombia all of May, then doing that job in Singapore in April. We missed the whole thing,” Jake stated as he leaned his butt against the desk.
“Well, Melissa ‘Mel’ Savianno is twenty-two years old, looks like she has been pursuing a law degree, and either hasn’t qualified for the bar exam yet or hasn’t passed. She is the legal guardian for Lea, age twelve, Brandon, age eight, and Tommy, age three, the children of Michael and Sarah Mercer.”
“Not her own kids. Their her dead sister’s kids?” Frankie asked.
Sunny nodded.
“What else?” Jake asked.
“We got her address, which we already know, her place of employment, and there are a few articles here about some volunteer work she’s done for the local soup kitchen in her neighborhood.”
“What are you not sharing with us?” Logan pushed.
Sunny exhaled as he pulled up an old police report.
“She has a criminal record?” Frankie inquired, moving closer to the screen.
“She was picked up last year for trespassing and possession of stolen property. Charlie bailed her out.”
Logan released a sigh then leaned back against the couch just a few feet away from the computer and desk.
“Looks like we’re going to have our hands full here. I don’t get the feeling that our little vixen is going to come to us willingly. We need to make a plan here. Something that can get us some alone time with her and set things straight. I also think she’s not so fragile. Don’t let her petite appearance fool you. She’s got secrets, and she’s got weapons of her own. Dig back to her childhood, if you can, Sunny. I want to know what kind of life this kid had.”
“I’m already all over it, brother. Check this out.”
Sunny clicked a button on the FBI website and entered his secure password. Immediately information about Melissa filled the screen. They had her parents’ names, her high school and college transcripts, and soon a little bit of an idea about how Melissa grew up. Thirty minutes later, Vince was calling from his cell phone.
* * * *
“What’s up?” Logan asked as he set the phone on speaker so his brothers could hear.
“Melissa, her kids, some lady with three other kids, and an old lady in a wheelchair are sitting in the park behind the apartment building.”
“The older lady is Melissa’s aunt. She just had massive surgery to remove stage three cancer. She’s supposedly in remission. Damn! It looks like it was a pretty expensive and intense surgery. The bill was over ninety thousand dollars,” Sunny told them.
“Whoowee. That’s a lot of money,” Frankie stated.
“I don’t think stripping and bartending pays that well, do you, Logan?” Jake asked.
Logan was not looking happy from Frankie’s perspective.
“I’m getting a bad feeling,” Vince said.
“So are we. I’m wondering just how long she was involved with Bret,” Jake offered.
“We can find out from Charlie,” Vince suggested.
“Yeah, well, we’ll see him tonight when we check on Melissa. Why don’t you give her some time with her family, then I’ll text her about getting together tonight,” Logan suggested, and Vince agreed then hung up the phone.
“You want to leave her unattended?” Frankie asked.
“She’s not a perpetrator from a case, Frankie, she’s our mate,” Logan replied as he began to pull out his phone.
“Well, then I guess all we can do is wait for tonight,” Sunny said as he looked at the screen, wondering what other secrets their little dancer had.
Chapter 8
“So, the outfit’s not really that bad, right?” Paul asked as he watched Melissa stock the private bar.
She chuckled.
“Is that a ‘yes, sir’ or a ‘whatever you say, asshole’ kind of reply?” he teased.
She looked at him straight-faced and said, “You’re not an asshole.”
He laughed as he continued to watch her.
“What’s so funny?” they heard someone ask, and a group of guys entered the private room.
“Hey, Mel, what are you doing here?” Jamie asked as he quickly made his way to her by the bar.
Paul watched as Melissa allowed Jamie to hug her then twirl her around before setting her down to look at her.
“Damn, woman, you’ve grown up. How the hell did you let Paul talk you into wearing this shirt?” Jamie asked then gave Paul a disapproving look but still remained holding Melissa around the waist.
“It’s good to see you, Jamie. It’s been a while,” Melissa said then eased her way out of his arms.
Paul thought Jamie looked like he had reunited with a lost love. He cleared his throat, and the other guys introduced themselves to Melissa. She had them chugging beers and talking football in less than two minutes.
“We’re expecting a few more guys from our narcotics division. They should be here any minute. We’re going to meet for about an hour then eat some dinner and have some drinks. It shouldn’t be that late of a night,” Paul stated as he stood next to her behind the bar.
She smiled at him. “No problem. Whatever you need, just let me know. I can wait in the other room while you meet, and you can send Jamie out to get me when you’re ready.”
She poured another beer for one of the cops as her cell phone beeped.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot to turn it off,” Melissa apologized.
“No problem, honey,” Paul stated.
“Boyfriend?” Jamie inquired with a smile.
Melissa’s cheeks turned red.
“No. Not really.”
“Good. Just maybe, my luck is changing,” Jamie replied with a smile.
* * * *
Melissa politely smiled back at Jamie. He had always been a flirt, but also a nice guy and a good friend to her brother-in-law Mike. Jamie was at least five years older than her, had been engaged at one point, and then called it off for some unknown reason. He was nice-looking, with thick, blond hair and hazel eyes. Not such a bad body either, just a little thick around the waist, but in no way would she consider him fat. He was husky and muscular. He kind of reminded her of Russell Crowe. But if she was at all honest with herself, she would admit that she wasn’t interested in him, but instead the five separate texts she received from the SWAT team brothers.
“Okay, guys, let’s get started,” Paul stated as the men all gathered around the large table.
Melissa began to walk away from the bar when some guy, a lieutenant, called her name.
“Melissa. You
stay. We’ll need you in a few minutes.” Then he began his meeting.
Why did he want her to stay? What did he mean by needing her in a few minutes?
Damn it, if Paul turned out to be a pervert and the rest of the bunch as well and they expected her to perform or something else, he was a dead man.
Paul must have noticed her panicked expression.
“Melissa, don’t look so scared. We’re not going to attack you. We’re all cops here. We knew your brother-in-law, Mike, and sister, Sarah, well. Just sit back and relax,” he stated, and then their conversation began.
Melissa felt that twinge of uneasiness at the mention of Sarah and Mike. She also had a pinch of guilt for all her criminal behavior in the past few years. She made her bed. She had to sleep in it. Just then, her phone vibrated against her hip. When she looked down, she saw it was Logan again. Swallowing hard, she realized that thoughts of beds, criminal activity, and gaining the interest of so many cops in the last twenty-four hours spelled trouble. Her hands were tied. There was no way she could sneak out of here. She would just have to wait and see.
She took a seat on the stool and began to read the texts while she also listened in on the conversation taking place just ten feet from the bar.
Where are you? You promised to meet us today! Vince.
You’re not at Charlie’s, so where are you? We need to talk. Sunny.
I thought about you all night. I need those sexy lips of yours again. Don’t be a naughty girl. I’d hate to punish you. Frankie.
She swallowed hard at all their texts and especially at Frankie’s threat of punishment. She should have been frightened, but instead, her temperature rose and her pussy wept with need for them. How could they affect her in such a way? She didn’t know any of them. They’re not even human. She doesn’t even know what it all means.
Feeling confused, she looked down at the last couple of texts. It was obvious that Logan gave his brothers her number. He liked to share. That was putting it mildly. They all wanted to share her. Her breath caught in her throat, and she had to clear it in order to pull herself together.
It would be in your best interest to contact one of us. Jake.
Yikes! It appeared Jake could be just as fierce as Logan.
When we find you, we won’t let you go. Logan.
As the men in the room discussed some sort of investigative operation, she heard the word Charlie and paid more attention to the meeting than to the texts. She would have to face those men tomorrow.
* * * *
“So the investigation is at an immediate standstill. We don’t know where the main distribution center is, where the new location of the secret meetings will be taking place, all because we lost our inside man,” Lieutenant Sparks stated.
“I can’t believe they took him out like that. How the hell was his cover blown?” Jamie asked.
“These guys are good, and with the recent surprise robberies amongst the smaller delivery guys, the higher-ups are on edge,” Detective Simon Burrow added.
“Yeah, what do we have on those robberies? Any suspects?” Jamie asked.
“No, nothing concrete, anyway. Although, there may be a possibility that my original theory is correct,” Simon added, looking smug.
“Yeah right, Burrow. Robin Hood was just a story. People are too self-centered to worry about society,” Jamie commented before taking a sip from the mug of beer.
“On the contrary, our thief seems to be the exception. Check this out,” Burrows replied, pushing a file toward Jamie and opening up to the papers inside.
“What’s this? How the hell did you figure this out?” Jamie asked.
“I’m good at my job, Jamie. You should take a few pointers from me.”
“Good at your job? This must have been some kind of lucky guess.”
“Well, the bills match. Who would have known that Chico Santez would mark every bill before doing a drug exchange?”
“Yeah, that’s pretty damn smart. So whoever stole the money during the drug deal donated twenty thousand of it to the children’s burn unit after they were robbed only ten thousand? Sounds like a modern day Robin Hood to me,” Detective Burrow replied.
“Yeah, except where is the forty thousand left over?” Jamie asked.
“Robin Hood’s payoff for a job well done,” Donny replied from the corner of the room.
“Or how about some other small contributions along the way? Like the food shelter that was robbed last year or the day care program that was going to get cut? Could be the same person or could be different people,” Burrows added with a smile.
“Does it really matter anyway? Drugs are being taken off the streets, and good people are receiving money. I personally don’t have a problem with that. Let’s talk about bringing down Bret, Carlos, Chico, and the rest of these scumbags by the book, so Robin Hood can retire,” Donny stated, and everyone laughed.
* * * *
Melissa felt her stomach begin to ache and her palms sweat. Oh shit, she never thought that Chico would mark bills. Who the hell did that?
She tried to remain relaxed, as if their conversation bored her or that she wasn’t listening, but suddenly she began to shake and asked herself why she had accepted this gig.
* * * *
“I think we need another informant. Someone who can get on the inside or at least keep us amidst of any new information that can help us put Chico, Carlos, Bret, and the Fernandez family behind bars,” Jamie suggested, and then he looked toward Melissa.
She was always so bright, and he knew she had been trying to achieve her law degree until Mike and Sarah died. At one point, she had a fling with Bret, which was over before Jamie had time to reprimand her and warn her. Thank God, or she could have wound up dead.
They continued to talk about some new information they had and about organizing a sting once the laboratory was located and confirmed.
Twenty minutes later they were preparing for dinner.
* * * *
Melissa was nervous and anxious for this night to end. Although she kept telling herself that there was no way the cops would find out it was her who committed the hits, she was still concerned. She hoped that they didn’t know that she knew Bret.
“Hey, Melissa, grab something to eat. You’ve been here all night,” Jamie stated as he brought her a plate of food.
“I’m good.”
“Eat something,” he suggested, but she sensed an almost order in his tone. The fact he had a sidearm and his badge hanging on his waist was intimidation for her, so she walked around the bar and joined him and the others at the table.
They ate in silence, and soon the guys were having their own conversations, and Jamie spoke with her.
He took a forkful of chicken marsala and asked her a question before eating it.
“How’s that law degree coming along?”
She swallowed her mouthful of salad and shrugged her shoulders. She almost felt as if he were reprimanding her.
“Don’t tell me you quit trying to get it?”
“No, I just kind of had to put it all on hold.”
“You’d make a great attorney. Especially a prosecuting attorney. We could use your help to put away scumbags like Bret.”
She swallowed hard and tried to act nonchalant.
“Who?”
He took a sip of beer and held her gaze. His interrogating expression caught her off guard.
“I know you know who Bret is, honey. I’m just glad you got uninvolved with him as quickly as you got involved with him.”
She placed her fork down on the plate and clasped her hands on her lap, and Jamie reached over and covered her knee with his hand. “Hey, I was worried about you when I found out, but the second I heard you dumped the asshole I was relieved. It’s got to be tough, struggling with money, trying to take care of an instant family, and your sick aunt while working around men like Bret. You know, all that ‘fuck you’ money and shit.”
She held his gaze. “It was a mistake, bu
t it was over quick. I fell for his good looks and exceptional charms. He sweet-talked me, and I was in a fragile state at the time. I’m only human, Jamie,” she added. He intimidated her but he also put her on edge. Who was he to reprimand her life or her actions? She didn’t want to make a scene or argue with him, but her gut instincts were pulling hard. Perhaps it was due to the conversation about Robin Hood earlier?
He squeezed her knee and moved closer to her so he could whisper.
“I know that. I’ve thought about you a lot, and I knew you were busy taking care of things. Hell, I left you messages to call me, but you never did. Why not?” he asked, sounding sad.
“I’m sorry about that, Jamie, but I’ve had very little time to myself. It’s still like that now. Look where I am. I never met Paul before tonight. I’ve never heard of this men’s club or this private party room, yet this is the kind of work I need to do to survive. I’m just trying to survive, Jamie.” Just then her cell phone buzzed again.
He leaned back into his chair and eyed her cell as she glanced at the number.
“That’s some overprotective boyfriend you got,” he teased, but she knew that look. He was jealous and almost angry. She might as well pretend and get Jamie off her case.
“Yeah, well, I’m not sure if I want him to be my boyfriend.”
His jaw tightened and his nostrils flared as he inhaled then exhaled heavily.
“Why’s that?”
She thought for a moment, and the brothers popped into her head then she replied.
Dwyer, Dixie Lynn - SWAT Team Two and Miss Robin Hood [The Men of Five-0 #2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 8