Never let her know you are undercover DEA. Especially never let her know that your higher ups wanted exactly that. Reece abandoned his seatbelt, put the car in park and faced her. “Are you convinced of how I feel for you, yet? Or do I need to prove it to you?”
Her brows narrowed. “How can you prove it?”
He grinned. “Come here and I’ll show you. It’s not like we haven’t christened the front seat of my car before.”
“We’ll be late.”
Reece laughed. “Oh, you think I care about that? You’re so cute.” He brushed his fingers along her cheek in a gentle caress. He wanted to grab her, pull her to his lap, and recreate the memory of their last sexual encounter, but settled down in favor of making up.
Jessica met him over the center console. Her mouth trembling, she kissed him like she was relieved. Reece took it as a good sign and kissed her back with as much passion as he could muster, which was a lot and might make them really late if he didn’t release her and put the pedal to the metal for the rest of the trip. He didn’t care if they were late. But he should.
As of earlier today, his DEA chain of command was ready to close up this undercover assignment. When he’d reported that he was close and explained all the details of tonight’s meeting, they’d stepped things up in light of this new get-together with Bickley.
There was a team in place to take Arthur down tonight if he produced the means by which he collected his clients and their information. Bickley would also be swept up in the melee and turned over to the FBI.
Right before he picked Jessica up, Reece had learned that Cecil Bickley was a very high value target for the FBI. There was a unit gunning for him, but Reece didn’t know who it was. Perhaps this was the special project Jessica had been working on. He wasn’t sure. He kept the information on a back burner. No one save his handler, Miles, knew his role tonight.
Regardless of what Jessica said regarding the FBI following him—because they were—tonight would be a two-for-one special. There’d also be some interdepartmental collaboration if everything went the right way. It was the kind of cooperation that happened more often than the average civilian was aware.
She broke the kiss. “We can go back to your place tonight.” Maybe. If I don’t wrap up this mission and leave. Or fuck it up with the same result.
“What about Elsa?” he asked, retreating back to his own seat reluctantly.
She shrugged. “Maybe I don’t care about hostess of the year anymore.”
He nodded and secured his seatbelt. “Well, I’m probably supposed to go back to work after this, but since I’m not bucking for employee of the year either, I’m going to hold you to that afterhours party for two.” Unless everything changes tonight.
He carefully pulled back into traffic, gunning his speed a little past the limit. He didn’t want a ticket, but needed to make up a bit of time.
“How long do you think this will take?”
“No clue. It’s my first time at this particular rodeo.”
“Really?” She sounded surprised.
“I swear. Usually I’m just a security specialist, which means very good door opener, making it a completely glamourous job where women I don’t care about fake their attraction to get inside faster.”
Jessica turned partway in her seat to face him. She didn’t speak for a long spell, as if trying to decide something.
Before he could decipher where her mind was at, Reece glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed a big, black SUV tailing him. If it was Elsa and Gordon or the FBI in general, that would be difficult to explain to Arthur, not to mention his chain of command. He should try to lose them, knowing his handler and on up wouldn’t want the FBI’s direct interference. It was likely foolish to believe the FBI wasn’t in the middle of a plan to take Bickley down.
He sped up, using a few tactical moves to lose them. If Jessica had a tracker on her person, losing the SUV wouldn’t matter. They’d follow. They’d better not interfere though. Both Bickley and Arthur had to reveal their criminal intent for this to be a success, not just one party. If the FBI jumped the gun to get Cecil before Arthur was proved complicit, the past year of Reece’s life was wasted. Well, the part of the past year that didn’t involve meeting Jessica.
Reece glanced at her. “Tell me the truth. Is the FBI following us?”
~ ~ ~
“What?” Jessica almost swallowed her tongue. “The FBI?” Of course they are. How do you know? “Of course not. Why would you ask?”
“I thought there was someone following us.” He sounded matter of fact, but he couldn’t know for sure, could he?
She turned to look out the back window, searching for the black SUV, but she didn’t see it. “I don’t see anyone.”
“That’s because I lost them.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Good for you.” Acting like she was oblivious to anyone besides Reece was very hard work. And she’d already made a fool of herself because of rampant, crazy, girly insecurities that had no place in her frame of mind tonight.
Reece was a pawn in her mission to take down Cecil Bickley. That was the way she was supposed to look at him, but she found it nearly impossible. Once Pierce had learned for certain it was Bickley at the club, he’d been filled with something very near bloodlust. He wanted the man caught as soon as possible.
“At any fucking cost,” he’d said repeatedly today.
In this case, the cost might be Reece. If Bickley produced dirty money for Arthur to clean, everyone in the room was going down. If they managed to get it on audio or, better yet, video, Pierce planned to storm in and take his long sought after target whether the business had been concluded or not. In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised to see Pierce bust the door down, rip Bickley’s still beating heart from his chest and take a bloody bite. He was downright scary where Bickley was concerned.
Perhaps her imagination was a bit fanciful, but Pierce had made his feelings crystal clear.
Failure was not an option tonight.
Reece placed her hand on his thigh, gripping her fingers as they drove to their destiny. It was possible Reece would become collateral damage. He might be arrested with Arthur, though Pierce didn’t care about any of Arthur’s offenses.
If Reece kept his cool and didn’t make a big effort to protect or aid Arthur, she might be able to help him. She’d been surprised when Reece said he’d never before been a part of Arthur’s illegal criminal activities or meetings with special guests looking for shiny new money. She planned to be a witness in his defense if he needed it.
He was a bouncer or rather a security specialist when he put on airs. He didn’t know who his boss really was or what he did for a living, did he? Perhaps they could get Bickley without Arthur revealing his specific criminal activities. A pipe dream, certainly, but one she clung to.
Jessica had spent the day memorizing scenarios so that Pierce’s greatest challenge could be addressed and his imminent arrest realized. Cecil Bickley had to go down tonight. Pierce had given her a very sophisticated ear bud. It wasn’t as good of a transmitter over distance, so the FBI van had to stay close to be of any use as surveillance to record evidence of criminal activity. She also had some old-school technology in the heels of her stylish new government issue shoes.
Reece hadn’t texted her the location, since he was picking her up, but Pierce had a contingency plan if the surveillance van lost her. He assured her he’d have more than one vehicle with an eye on her for this unusual field trip. A disguised Elsa and Gordon in a second vehicle were to stay ahead of Reece’s car and lend backup assistance as needed and as they were able.
Pierce had been practically giddy with the idea that his dream of apprehending Cecil Bickley was about to materialize. If Bickley hadn’t gotten off on a technicality during his last arrest and disappeared in the wind the moment he left the courthouse, Pierce wouldn’t have been as dedicated.
Elsa told her Pierce had worked very hard to make a case the last time, bu
t had been thwarted by a couple of foolish mistakes during a DUI arrest and sloppy processing by local authorities.
Jessica wanted the mission to be successful, and not just because Bickley was an ass.
Pierce, Seth and, if her bad luck held out, Neil, were in the SUV Reece had lost. Pierce hadn’t wanted Neil in the same state during the takedown, but some sort of pressure was being applied. Apparently, Neil’s uncle had made a firm request on his nephew’s behalf to be at the conclusion of this particular mission so Neil could share in the glory of the arrest. Whatever.
Jessica figured Neil was due for a doozy of a mistake, likely of biblical proportions.
For Pierce’s sake, she hoped Nimrod Neil held out until after the arrests before being his usual idiot self. Or perhaps Pierce had left him behind at FBI headquarters, bound, gagged and deposited in a broom closet as he’d threatened under his breath earlier. She’d love to see that.
The memory made her smile. Reece noticed and smiled back, giving her a look that said he loved her. Well, it was foolish, but she loved him too. It was especially foolish to recognize that at best, her bouncer boyfriend would have to get a new job tomorrow. At worst, he’d be in jail as an accessory to money laundering.
She shook off her fears and focused on all the many things Pierce had wanted her to remember for tonight’s meeting.
“You know what I’m looking forward to?” Reece asked suddenly.
“What?”
“Make-up sex.”
“Oh?”
“Last time we were together was pretty much the best sex I’ve ever had.”
“Really?” She’d thought it was stupendous too, but convinced herself he was only faking his interest. There were still a few doubts circling her head, but she tried to banish them in the wake of his roadside confession of love. “Why do you think it was so great?”
He cleared his throat. “Because…”
Jessica thought every time with Reece had been amazing. Was it because she’d taken charge? Climbed on top of him in the front seat of his car? Done it in a public place?
“Because I’ve never had sex without a condom before.” Oh, yeah! How could I forget?
“Oh, that?” She still had more than a week to discover if that spontaneous action would eventually result in that vision she’d had of her parents’ front porch with her brothers lined up holding shotguns. No time to worry about it now. Time to focus on the task at hand.
“Yeah. That. Anything I need to be thinking about?”
“No. You don’t have to worry about anything.” Not yet at least.
“I see. Well. Good.” He said the word “good” like he was disappointed. Did he want her to be pregnant? Surely not. But still, he loved her. Perhaps she wouldn’t have to make that possible difficult trip to her parents’ porch all alone.
Reece’s phone, resting in one of the cup holders, started buzzing. He picked it up and glanced at the screen. “Interesting.”
“What is it?”
He pushed out an annoyed sigh. “Another text from Arthur. He’s changed the meeting place.”
Jessica tried not to sound alarmed. “Why?”
Reece shook his head. “No telling. Maybe it makes him feel safer. Or perhaps he’s a control freak who likes having others dance to his ever-changing tunes.”
Shit. Shit. Shit. Jessica had lost track of Gordon and Elsa’s vehicle when Reece pulled to the side of the road to profess his love.
If only Reece hadn’t lost the follow on vehicle, too.
Chapter Fifteen
Reece pretended it was no big deal to change the venue for the meeting, just a minor annoyance. But in fact, it was a huge fucking problem.
His team was in place. Resources had been expended. The higher ups in his chain of command would run their mouths about the cost overruns, as always. Then again, Arthur spent more than two decades as a drug kingpin in the Southwest before getting out of that business so he could go semi-legit as a club owner and part-time money launderer. There was a reason he’d been able to avoid prison all these years. He was a canny bastard.
Given what Bickley had intimated at the Lexicon Club about why they were meeting, Reece expected he was about to be added to Arthur’s huge hidden criminal ledger. The one Reece was here to discover and obtain.
“Where are we going now?” Jessica asked. She was glancing out the back, perhaps looking for that tail he’d lost.
“Not sure.” I’m exactly sure. “I need to call him and check something.” I need to call my team and warn them.
He thumb dialed a number from memory. “Arthur?” he said into the phone, hoping she couldn’t hear the person on the other end of the call. He was very glad he’d disabled the Bluetooth in this car to keep this conversation off the car speakers. “I’m unclear of exactly where this new meeting site is.”
Miles answered with, “The location changed? Are you fucking kidding me? Where are you going now?”
“Well, after I take exit one fifty four off the highway, is it a left or right turn after that first stop sign that goes to the residence on Obsidian Lake?”
“You tell me. I know your FBI girlfriend is listening in,” Miles said in an amused tone.
“Okay. Left and go a quarter mile to the blue house. Thanks.”
“You got that right. Stay sharp. Once Bickley makes his pitch and Arthur records it—wherever he does—we’re moving in. Also, we weren’t able to contact the FBI and warn them off in time. They may show up, but they better not fuck us over. Just a heads up.”
Great. More pressure.
“Got it. I should be there in less than twenty minutes. See you soon.” Reece disconnected the call and slid the phone into his front shirt pocket, feeling like a big, fat liar. But he didn’t want to take a chance on Jessica seeing the text from Arthur that had very explicitly detailed directions for the new meeting location.
“A house on the lake. Too bad it’ll be dark soon. I’ll bet the view is beautiful there.”
Reece glanced at her. “Probably. But the view is definitely beautiful here.”
She grinned. “Have you been to this lake meeting place before?”
“Nope. As I said, this is all new for me.”
She put her hand on his thigh again. He covered it with his free hand. They didn’t speak the rest of the way there. They just held hands. The drive was quicker than expected. He stopped at a gate with a keypad, retrieved his phone to punch in the six-digit number even though he’d memorized it. He did take the time to forward the message to Miles in case they couldn’t otherwise get access to the lake house.
The gates slid open and he followed a paved road to the left and into the woods. Open fields of grass beyond the trees allowed quick glimpses of the lake as they drove the final way.
The sun dropped below the tree line and dusk settled over the wooded area as Reece pulled into the long driveway of the only house a quarter of a mile to the left after exiting.
The house was actually a faded blue, and looked in desperate need of some tender loving care. Or it had been made to look distressed like some high-end furniture he’d seen on television recently. People paid exorbitant sums for pieces that had been made to look like they’d gone through a war zone. To each his own.
Reece knew that Obsidian Lake only had a dozen or so houses spread out around its vast perimeter. Rich people lived here. Arthur knew lots of rich folks.
Since no one knew where Arthur lived, this was likely borrowed land from a friend or possibly another client, as was his typical policy during meetings of this nature. Or at least according to something Hector had said once in passing.
Reece opened his door at the same time Jessica opened hers. They walked silently to the front porch, climbed half a dozen steps, and he knocked on the rustic wooden frame.
“Reece,” Dixon said in a flat tone the moment he opened the door.
“Dixon,” Reece replied in kind.
Arthur’s bodyguard gave a curt nod and stepped away f
rom the door so they could enter.
“Right on time,” he heard Arthur say from beyond the hallway. “Join us, won’t you? Your friends are already here.”
Fuck. Who was already here? Bickley? He wasn’t Reece’s friend.
Dixon gestured for Reece and Jessica to precede him through the entryway on their left. Inside, the two-story log-lined room looked like an expensively faux rustic wood cabin, a far cry from the drab exterior.
Reece saw a stranger tied to a chair. Another man he didn’t know was beside the first, also tied to a chair, but the second guy didn’t look conscious. Was he even still alive?
The more pressing question, though, was who the men worked for. DEA or FBI?
~ ~ ~
Jessica followed Reece with Dixon at her back. Arthur had said their friends were already here, which she didn’t understand because Bickley was not her friend.
She paused, but something hard and cold jabbed into her spine. She looked over her shoulder at Dixon’s very sinister expression. He frowned and jabbed her once more with what felt like a big gun, nodding curtly in a silent order for her to keep moving. If it was a gun, a close-range shot would certainly put her in a world of hurt, assuming she survived it.
She moved forward another step and ran straight into Reece’s unmoving back. Dixon nudged her again, harder. Her hands rose from her sides. She looked over her shoulder again. “Stop jamming that gun into my back. I can’t go through him.”
Reece tensed up against her when she said “gun.” He also lifted his arms away from his sides, half into the air. What was going on? He moved a few steps further into the room and she followed, staying attached to Reece.
Jessica was halfway into the room before she saw the gagged men in the chairs. One struggled against his restraints, obviously panic-stricken. The other was unmoving.
Her arms came down. Tired of being poked in the spine, she leveled a dirty look at Dixon. Surprisingly, he backed off a little.
Arthur stood up across the room, and she saw he also held a gun. “That’s far enough for now.”
Bouncer (Bad Boys in Big Trouble Book 2) Page 16