Indulgence (319 page)

At least that’s what the guys in the Department had told
her. She could tell they had gotten off on it. Straight as an arrow Gina. By
the book Gina. Going under cover on her rookie mission in her red heels. Well,
she’d prove them all wrong. She had assets they didn’t possess, and she was
convinced she was made for such a caper.

It still scared the daylights out of her, though.

Gina hoped Mia was there tonight; otherwise, it would be a
quick cab ride home after a text to the team. No sense hanging around a place
like this unless there was a reason for it. She was glad she’d left her car at
home.

On any other Friday night she’d be in sweats and T-shirt, in
her LL Bean slippers or lavender moisture socks, wrapped in the lap blanket her
grandmother had crocheted for her in college, reading one of her favorite
romance novels. She’d be sipping hot tea, not downing pink umbrella drinks like
she was planning to do tonight. She hoped she had it in her to keep her wits
tight.

She smoothed her palms down the form-fitting, low-cut, red
mohair dress, then put a wad of gum in her mouth and shook her head, which
released a few of the curls piled high in a clip. Idea was to give her the
“just fucked” look her handler had said she would need.

The irony wasn’t lost on Gina. She hadn’t been with a man
for six months, not since her detective hunk she’d been down and dirty with
told her about the wife he’d left back in New York. He wanted to continue as
coworkers with benefits—and his version of benefits was pretty intense, since
he was into all kinds of experimentation.

“We’re separated,” he’d said, as if that made it better, as
if it didn’t count that they’d spent the week prior to this reveal together,
naked more than not. The memory of it sent a dull ache to her abdomen.

And before Sam? Well, there was her high school sweetheart,
the soccer player who went off to war and never came back. It took some time
before she could even think about dating. Then it became just dating for sex,
uncomplicated sex. It helped take away the pain.

Her college days were unmemorable, romance-wise, since she’d
thrown herself into her studies and made the Dean’s list every semester.

Tossing her head back and licking her lips, now tasting of
cherry bubble gum, she felt the little glass heart earrings she’d purchased
this morning tap against her neck. The feeling was somehow comforting. As if
the part she was about to play wouldn’t consume her. Those hearts reminded her
that she did have a soul, and it was good, unlike the slutty sexual siren
persona she was about to play. She was nothing more than bait on a hook. She
knew her place in the department. This was her chance to move up.

Her cab disappeared into the night air. She was left without
a lifeline as she stepped through the opened doorway of the dark little dive.

A gasp came from several corners of the bar, making her
panties bunch and sending shudders down her spine.

Showtime.

Mia was at the bar, just like she’d said she would be.
Nestor, the greasy-haired Scorpions enforcer, had his arm around Mia as she was
arching her back and raising her shoulders, trying without success to shake him
off

“Hey there, Mia,” Gina said as she plucked the black
sweatshirt-covered arm off her shoulder.

“Why don’t you fuckin’ mind your own biz, sweet cheeks?”
Nestor stood up, huge muscles making him look like a stubby version of an
already stubby Michelin Man.

“Thanks for the compliment,” Gina said in her most direct
way. She liked that she had a Smith & Wesson 642 Airweight .38 special
strapped to her inner thigh, even though it would be a mistake to use it right
now. “I’m her date for this evening, if you get my drift.”

“I smell some female-on-female sex, and I wanna watch.”

“Then go watch your mom in the bathtub. Or, better yet, go
jerk off in the men’s room and look real deep into those bloodshot eyes of
yours.” Mia snickered at this.

Gina saw the twitch in his cheek, the slow tilt of his head
and narrowing of his eyes. Nestor was going to hit her, so she kneed him in the
nuts before he could get himself properly positioned. He immediately bent
forward, protecting his groin, nearly falling into her. She pushed him
backwards with both hands, easily dropping his intoxicated ass to the floor. He
landed on the ground spread-eagled, cracking his head on the concrete floor.
Gina flinched.

Did anyone notice?
She hadn’t wanted to hurt the
creep. Gina was relieved when he shook his head and was pulled away by a couple
of his buddies.

“Gina, you gotta be careful. Those guys are part of
Caesar’s, gang,” said Mia.

“Like I care? Notice how many of them were going to rush
over to protect your virtue?” Gina said as she watched the crowd in the corner
carefully. A tall, caramel-skinned man glared at her from under the bill of a
red baseball cap as he shoved Nestor into a chair in front of the little stage
next to him. He didn’t hide that he was perusing Gina’s every curve, daring her
to show the smallest bit of fear.

Carlos.

Gina sucked in her gut and tried to calm her nerves. He was
every bit as scary as they’d told her in the briefing. She stared right back at
him and tried not to blink.

“Let’s get out of here,” Mia muttered, picking up her
enormous red purse.

“You planning on staying overnight?” Gina said as she turned
a shoulder to Carlos and pointed to the bag. “Come on, let’s have one drink and
let these guys drool a bit. It will do them some good.”

Hope to God backup gets here soon.

Mia was nearly off the stool. “No, Gina, I mean it. They’re
bad news. Meeting here was a dumb idea.”

While it was good Mia was starting to show some common
sense, it would mess up the mission.

“Which makes me wonder,” Gina studied Mia’s heavily lined,
gold-sparkled eyes. She could see her new friend wasn’t nearly as tough as she
wanted the world to believe. “Of all the dives in San Diego to hang out in, why
here, if you’re trying to avoid the Scorpions?”

Mia repositioned herself on the barstool, turning forward
and focusing on the lighted bottles over the bar as she sighed. “That’s a good
question. I guess I thought I’d be safer here. And I have you to protect me,
Gina.”

This tugged at Gina’s heart. It was true, Gina was a cop,
and so she was able to protect the innocent from the lowlifes of society. Mia
was able to somehow figure that out without knowing it consciously. But she was
also still putting her faith in men, the wrong men, even though she’d been
knocked around by several of them. Caesar’s gang had even kidnapped her,
thinking they could force Mia’s brother, the SEAL, to sell them specialized
military equipment and firepower. Only reason Mia was alive was because of her
hunky brother and the rest of his SEAL Team 3, who saved the day and helped
break up a ring that included some dirty law enforcements and regular Navy
guys. All of them were serving time now.

The present operation was considered a cleanup detail, an
attempt to eviscerate the rest of the gang, and perhaps catch the guys who were
trying to take Caesar’s place. “You come in here on Valentine’s Day, and you’re
like candy on a string. Begging for trouble,” she shot back to Mia.

The Department is using her, too.
Gina wondered if
she’d ever get used to it.

“None of them are supposed to touch me. Caesar’s orders.”

“Except you told me you never visit him. So are you still
his property?” Gina saw Mia flinch.

“I’m not his fuckin’ property.”

Gina took her seat next to the beautiful Latina. “Women are
always some guy’s property, honey. I’m sure your mother has told you so. That’s
the way of it, I’m afraid.” Gina didn’t want to look at Mia for fear she’d see
it was a lie. Part of her wanted to cheer over the streak of common sense her
friend was beginning to develop, though.

They ordered strawberry margaritas. Gina left a generous tip
for the bartender, who gave her a friendly wink. “Pleasure doin’ business with
you,” he said. He turned to serve another customer, then stopped himself and
came back. “Say, you gals aren’t here to try out, are you?”

“No.” Gina said before she Mia could answer.

The bartender leaned on the counter and gave Mia a wolfish
grin, his head barely clearing the pink and red paper hearts that hung from the
ceiling in a ridiculous display of gaiety. “And what about you, little lady?
I’d like to see you up on the stage, showing your stuff. You could make close
to a grand a night, did you know that?”

Mia sat up straight. “A grand?”

“I never lie,” the bartender said in a low, sultry voice.
Gina could tell he’d been a handsome man at one time, but years behind a bar,
and years of indulging in god-knows-what, had left his face ruddy and tired,
and his gut flabby. His aloha shirt was buttoned one button too low to
accommodate his thick neck, but it exposed a hairy chest with several gold
chains buried in the fur.

Gina glanced at Mia and could see her friend was actually
considering it.

“You’re joking. You’re not thinking of taking your clothes
off in front of this crowd?”

“What kind of protection do I have?” Mia turned and asked
the bartender.

The bartender pulled something from under the counter with
both hands. He held it just high enough that the girls could see it but not so
the other customers could. It was a Mossberg Persuader. Gina hoped the man had
some training, or he’d be as likely to kill the dancer as protect her from an
overbearing customer.

“You rated on that piece?” Gina asked before she could stop
herself.

The bartender scowled. “You got a smart mouth, missy. You
got friends in law enforcement or something?”

Gina went rigid. Blowing her cover on the first job in the
big leagues was not what she wanted to do. “Hell, no. I thought maybe you were
some kind of sick cowboy. I hate guns and what they do to people.” It was true
enough for her to follow her comment with a stare she hoped he’d feel all the
way to his toes.

The bartender’s hairy arms, covered with tats of naked
women, fumbled behind the counter out of sight, replacing the shotgun. He
scanned the gang in the corner, as well as some of the customers at the bar.

He was back on Mia. “If I were in your shoes, little one,
I’d be wiggling that cute little ass all over the stage and taking home that
grand three or four nights a week. Could do a lot for you and the kid. I doubt
Caesar will be very good with child support. None of the rest of that lot would
be, actually.” He nodded to the corner.

Gina followed his direction and saw the boys taking seats as
the music was turned up. All except the tall one with the baseball cap. His arms
were crossed as he leaned next to the stage, not bothering to pretend that he
wasn’t checking them out, making a clear threat out of his continued slow,
insulting perusal. Gina felt her pulse quicken and her hands start to sweat.
She was sure the top of her chest was red and blotchy. Her stomach lurched.

The lights dimmed and thankfully, Gina could no longer see
the guy’s face, but she still could feel his eyes on her flesh.

A spotlight shone on the bright pink stage curtain. A
prerecorded voice announced the first act.

“Put your hands together for the Sensual Shannon and her pot
of gold!” the announcer bellowed. Out walked a tall redhead wearing a short,
green plaid, pleated skirt. She bent over and exposed her red satin panties.

Movement to their left caught Gina’s eye.

Finally.

Three of the Department’s finest sauntered through the door,
followed by a fourth who wore a cap that concealed his face. Everyone was
dressed in the black leathers they’d been talking about so much. Thanks to the
heavy beat of the music, she’d missed the noise of their Harleys arriving.
Devon, the first one in, gave her a wink, and Gina turned her back to them. She
heard a low whistle and didn’t want to see who’d done it. She was fairly sure
she was blushing.

The bartender was studying her. She knew it was important
not to let on she knew them, but she had to admit she was thankful they’d
arrived.

A familiar scent crowded close to her right ear. Her body
instinctively softened for just a moment before reality set in.

Damn it. Sam.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. He was
the last one she’d expected to be on the team.

“I’m remembering all the sheets we tussled in. I’m getting
hard just thinking about it. Miss you, hot stuff,” he whispered tenderly, so no
one else could hear. A chill went down her spine while she couldn’t help but
remember those lost days and nights with him.

She forced herself to stay focused on the mission and what
she was there to accomplish. It pissed her off that his casual attitude was
throwing a monkey wrench into an already difficult situation, so it wasn’t
difficult for her to turn around and slap him. Then she picked up what was left
of her drink and threw it in his face. He didn’t move a muscle, but she could
see his was furious with her, blinking through the strawberry liquid staining
his face and dribbling down his light blue shirt. Little red paper hearts
hanging from the ceiling twirled all around him.

The bartender handed him a clean towel and Sam quietly wiped
his face, his eyes riveted on Gina.

The rest of the guys whistled, whooped and chuckled. They
grouped around the two girls. That’s when Gina figured out the guys had brought
him along on purpose to rattle her.

That’s right. I’m outside the network. I got the fuckin’
message.

“You going to introduce me to your friends, Gina?” Mia was
giving them long, thirsty looks.

At least that part of the plan was working.

“This one, he has a bad memory. Like the fact that he has a
wife,” Gina said jerking her thumb toward Sam, who still lurked behind her.
“The rest of them, if they’re his friends, I wouldn’t bother.” She ignored all
of them, hoping they’d think twice before deviating from the plan again and
fucking trying to upset her. She ordered another drink.