Suddenly Sexy (19 page)

“Where is it?” Mercedes voice was growing higher and more impatient.

“I left it in…my car.” She wanted to kick herself. The car? Bad, bad idea. Her self-defense course warned her to stay away from cars. If the bad guys tried to take her from one place to another, she was as good as dead.

Mercedes glared at her. “I don’t believe you.”

Great. She wasn’t thinking fast enough on her feet and now she had to lie convincingly. “It’s true,” she insisted. Julie flinched when the elevator bell chimed. “In fact, I’ll take you there right now.”

“Why are you being so cooperative all of a sudden?”

Yeah, that did seem suspicious. She was trying to lie and think several steps ahead while her mind was racing as fast as her pulse. “Do you want the phone or not?” she asked.

Mercedes motioned for her to exit the elevator. “Lead the way.”

She should have said it was in the hotel room, Julie decided as she walked down the ramp to her car with the two men flanking her. But she didn’t have a hotel key. She needed to figure a way to get into her car and create a barrier between her and the bad guys.

“What kind of car?” Mercedes asked.

“It’s the light blue MINI Cooper. Right there in the corner.” Eric had been right. It really was a bad idea parking there. There was no security camera coverage or emergency call button. If she got out of this unscathed, she would always find the safest parking spot from now on. Hell, she would splurge for valet parking.

Julie looked around the parking structure. It was deserted on a Saturday morning. Too early for the shops to be opened. If she screamed for help, would anyone hear? If she kicked off her shoes and ran, would she get far?

She reached inside her purse. Crew Cut grabbed her upper arm and wrenched it behind her back. Julie gasped in pain.

“No sudden moves,” Crew Cut warned her.

Her eyes watered from the sharp shooting pain. “I was just getting my keys. I swear.”

Crew Cut waited for Mercedes’s nod before he let her go.

“That’s going to leave a bruise.” Julie rubbed her arm. “My God, you guys are suspicious.” She pushed the button on her key. Her heart was beating wildly, the need to flee rushing through her bloodstream, as she placed her hand on the handle.

“Stop.” Mercedes pulled Julie away from the car. “Tyler will look.”

“Tyler?” Crew Cut’s name was Tyler? Oh, that was so disappointing. She expected a nickname like Spike or Bruiser.

She cringed as the man sat in the driver’s seat. He was too big to sit straight in her car. She watched with growing dread as he rifled through the discarded coffee cups and candy wrappers.

“Uh…sorry about the mess.” How was she going to get out of this one? She gripped her car key in her hand. She’d use it as a blade if she had to defend herself.

Tyler looked around the console and in the glove compartment. “I don’t see a phone.”

“It’s gotta be in there. Keep looking.” She glanced over her shoulder, hoping to find an emergency exit sign. “You can’t miss it. It’s bright pink.”

Tyler ignored her and looked at Mercedes. “No phone.”

“Here, let me look.” She just needed to get in the car, lock the door and drive full speed ahead. Maybe swerve a little so she could run over Mercedes’s Louboutins.

“I don’t think so,” Tyler said as he got out of her car.

“Maybe I should call it.” Her eyes widened as she considered the idea. She’d call Eric. They may have just had an argument, but he’d drop everything to help her. She knew it deep in her bones. “I always have to do that when I put down my phone.”

Mercedes glared at her. “You are getting on my nerves. Stop talking.”

“You want the phone,” she reminded her.

“I’m not falling for it. You and I both know you’d call that hottie you’re working with.”

Damn. Mercedes obviously read the same books.

“Julie!” Eric’s voice echoed in the parking garage. Julie whirled around and saw him running toward them. He was shirtless, barefoot and wearing a faded pair of jeans.

Eric’s presence was all the distraction she needed. As Tyler went to block Eric, Julie turned and swiped the metal key across Baldy’s face. He let go of her arm and howled, clutching his face. She pushed him with all her might and lurched for the open car door.

She scrambled into the seat and was about to slam the door when Mercedes blocked her. Julie clawed and kicked. Mercedes took the blows as she pressed something cold and metallic against Julie’s neck.

“Sweet dreams,” Mercedes said with a wicked laugh. Julie heard a crackle of electricity. She went rigid as the pain coursed through her body before everything went dark.

14

J
ULIE WOKE UP WITH A START.
Her heart leaped against her chest, her throat squeezed tight and her muscles locked as if under attack. She noticed three things: she was not in the parking garage, she was lying on thick beige carpeting and she felt as if she’d been run over a few times.

She groaned and gingerly touched her neck. Mercedes must have used a Taser. There was no wound or burn yet the electric charge had been enough to make her drop.

Julie slowly sat up and noticed the room she was in. It was designed to impress and intimidate, from the big expensive desk to the bookshelf that had very few books but plenty of awards. Weird art hung on the walls that only a twisted soul could appreciate. Then again, she might be a little judgmental about someone who would use a Taser and then dump her on the floor.

She slowly turned and gasped when she saw Eric sprawled on the floor. He was a few feet away but she could see the bruises on his chest and abdomen. A small cut bled on his forehead and there was a swelling on his cheek. “What happened to you?” she asked as she crawled over to him. “I swear, that Mercedes is going down.”

“By you?” He winced and held his arm at the elbow. “You suck at self-defense.”

“I am so sorry this happened to you.” Julie placed her hand on his forehead and looked into his eyes. She could tell that he was in pain. “Let me help you up.”

“Seriously, you should get your money back on that self-defense course.” He grimaced as she assisted him into a sitting position.

“I drew blood on one of them,” Julie reminded him as she took the edge of her skirt and pressed it on his bleeding knuckles. She noticed that he didn’t pull away and couldn’t tell if that was a good or a bad sign. “Give me a Taser and I could have done some permanent damage.”

“Don’t be too sure about that,” he muttered. “You probably wouldn’t know how to work it.”

“Oh, now that’s just mean.” She clucked her tongue as she silently catalogued his injuries. “And this from a guy who came out of the fight bloodied and captured.”

He gently touched the swelling on his cheek with his fingertips. “You should have seen the other guy.”

Julie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“No, really,” a female voice said at the far end of the room. Julie turned and saw Mercedes at the door. Damn, she should have known they wouldn’t have left them unattended.

Julie saw the Taser in Mercedes’s manicured hands. Her stomach curled as she remembered the jolt of intense pain. She was tempted to rush and attack the blonde, but the sight of the weapon made her hesitate.

“Tyler is all messed up,” Mercedes complained. “Your boyfriend here just about took his head off.”

Julie glanced at Eric for confirmation. He gave her an I-told-you-so look. “Damn, I miss everything!” she said with a grumble. She would have loved to see Eric in action.

“You’re bleeding all over the carpet,” Julie said to Eric and held his jaw as she studied the cut on his forehead. “Where are we?” she whispered.

He tried to shrug but had to stop halfway. He winced and wrapped an arm around her bruised ribs. “Not far from the hotel.”

“Stop talking,” Mercedes ordered and patted the Taser. “I don’t trust you two.”

“With good reason,” Julie said out of the corner of her mouth. She stood up and wobbled on her stilettos as she took a peek out the windows. She saw Mount Rainier and it was a very similar view from the one at the hotel.

Julie faced Mercedes. “Are we at Boone Studios?”

Mercedes’s eyes widened in surprise and she tilted her face as if she sensed trouble. She didn’t answer and Julie decided that was enough of a confirmation.

“How did you come up with that?” Eric asked.

“I can observe and deduce,” she told him. “I can also add and subtract.”

Eric groaned, lay back down on the floor and closed his eyes. “Are we going to do this again? Do you really think this is the time and place?”

“Long division is still a challenge,” she said as if he hadn’t spoken, “but I can do the math. I can tell that Jeremiah Boone is going to meet us shortly.”

“Huh,” Mercedes said and gave Julie a speculative look. “You’re kind of smart for a party girl.”

Party girl? Where the hell did she get that idea? Julie knew she looked messed up, but not as if she’d been doing men and drugs all night.

She saw Eric slowly open his eyes and they shared a brief look. He didn’t have to say anything or give a signal. She was on the same wavelength as Eric.

Okay, she could do that. Party Girl Julie coming up. She wore the wrong dress and didn’t have the makeup for it, but this was a special circumstance.

She tried to make her eyes look bleary as she tousled her hair. “Mercedes, I am very smart. You should see me when I’m not wasted.”

Mercedes stood to attention. “How do you know my name?” she asked sharply.

Right. Julie tried to look as if she were in a drug-induced fog. She needed to be more careful on sharing what she knew. “It doesn’t matter.” She staggered to a chair in front of the desk and half fell, half slid into the seat. “I need a Vicodin. I have this mother of a hangover.”

“That’s from the Taser.”

She stilled at the unfamiliar male voice. The tension in the room thickened as Jeremiah Boone walked into the room. Julie tossed her hair, allowing it to fall in her face, as she studied the man.

Flashy. That was her first impression of him. His gray suit was tailored to exaggerate his shoulders. His scruffy beard and slicked-back hair were a little too carefully maintained. His bright gold jewelry distracted her. It was blinding as it hung from his ear, neck and wrist. She saw the gold on his hands and the jewelry looked more like brass knuckles than rings.

Appearances definitely mattered to Jeremiah Boone. In his office, in his clothes and in his women. She flicked a look at Mercedes, who stayed at the door.

But Jeremiah was taken in with the appearance of his other guest. He barely gave her a look. His attention was on Eric. Eric might be bloodied and lying on the floor, but Jeremiah saw him as the threat.

She might be able to use it to her advantage. She needed to distract Jeremiah so Eric could take them by surprise. If he
could
attack? She speculated, noticing Eric’s slow and painful movements.

“I could use a drink,” she declared and leaned back in her chair to spread out her legs. “Have any beer?”

“It’s the morning,” Mercedes said in a withering tone.

Julie tossed her hand in the air as if the time of day didn’t matter. “A Bloody Mary, then? How about a mimosa?”

“I want the cell phone.” Jeremiah’s deep voice cut through her request. He sat down at his desk and waited for Eric to respond.

Eric sat up and Mercedes took a few steps, her weapon aimed at him. Jeremiah had remained seated, but she saw how his body reacted. They were watching Eric very closely.

It was up to her to attack.

Julie stood up and stretched. Her movements were loose as she cupped her breasts before reaching over her head. She tilted her head back and gave an earthy moan. She felt everyone’s eyes on her.

“I swear, it’s too early in the morning for this,” she announced, trying to slur her words. “Jeremiah, dude, let’s cut a deal.”

“Julie, what are you doing?” Eric’s words held a bite of warning.

She shushed him before she hooked her finger in her mouth and looked at Jeremiah. “I want to work for you. I want to do what Mercedes and Tiffany do for you.”

Jeremiah tilted his head, his earring catching the morning light. “How do you know their names?”

“I’m a regular at the nightclub. But I can’t afford Versace and Louboutin,” she said with a pout. “Not on my salary.”

“You don’t know anything about my girls,” he said, dismissing her claim as he watched Eric through hooded eyes.

“I know that they target computer programmers from Z-Ray,” she said, pleased at how her words gave him a start. “They get real friendly with the guys so they can lift their keys. Then they excuse themselves to the restroom and download the information from their USB sticks to their phones. They return the keys without any of the men knowing.”

Jeremiah silently glared at Mercedes.

The blonde held up her hands in protest. “I don’t know how she found out.”

Julie looked down and made a show of readjusting her halter. “Dude, if I know what Mercedes and Tiffany do, other people know, too.” She pushed her breasts together and jiggled them with her hands. “It’s only a matter of time before the geeks wise up.”

“I don’t need to hire another girl,” Jeremiah said as he watched Julie’s hands.

“You don’t have to,” she said as she walked to his desk, her hips rocking side to side. Julie saw Jeremiah staring at her legs. His tongue darted past his lips as he saw her shoes. “All you have to do is replace Mercedes with me.”

“What?” Mercedes’s voice shook with outrage and she motioned at Julie with her Taser. “Don’t listen to her!”

“Mercedes’s gotten sloppy. They both have,” Julie told him, trying to ignore the weapon. “The other night Tiffany forgot her cable to download information. They almost got caught.”

Mercedes stomped her foot. “That’s an exaggeration.”

“But there is some truth to it?” Jeremiah asked, his tone quelling Mercedes’s defense.

“And I was able to get several pictures of them,” she confided. “It’s time to upgrade. Let them go.”

“Upgrade?” Mercedes said in a hiss. “Why you—”

Jeremiah held up his hand to stop Mercedes. Julie didn’t like riling someone with a Taser, or having her back to the unpredictable woman. But she knew that Mercedes was being ruled by her emotions. She wasn’t thinking or watching. She was reacting.