No matter the cost.
*
I was utterly exhausted by Friday night. I hadn’t given up yet, and I didn’t plan on it any time soon. Sleep is for the weak, right? I rolled my eyes. Maybe I’ll dip out early tonight…
Ever since Monday, I’d been hitting the bars every night after work. No, not for fun. I ordered a virgin martini and wandered around, undercover…but not on the clock. This was all my own doing. I was hoping to find another drug deal and have a bust of my own, on my own. That would be enough to let me get the promotion next week. Though technically, I was on vacation. I had two weeks of vacation time by now. I hadn’t planned on using it since I had nowhere to go. Yesterday my dad pulled me into his office. For a split second, I thought he was going to validate my hard work. Instead, he told me I looked ragged and assumed I was torn up over my brother getting hurt. I had no choice but to take the two weeks off and “recharge.”
It still made me mad to think about. Oh well. It just meant I had more time to investigate on my own. I’d find a deal. I knew I would.
I ordered another virgin drink and plopped onto a barstool. I rubbed my temples and forced a smile. I was tired. I took a sip of my drink and looked around the crowded bar. I had been watching two guys the whole night. They didn’t order drinks or dance along to the loud music. They stayed in the back, glued to their cell phones. Every once in a while, one of them would go outside but return a minute later.
Something was up with them. I was sure of it. I took another drink and felt someone slide between the barstools behind me. I set my drink down and turned.
“Sorry,” a handsome, dark-haired man said. “I didn’t mean to crowd you.”
I smiled, the breath catching slightly in my chest. “It’s okay,” I shouted over the music.
He flashed perfectly white teeth and leaned forward, his arm brushing against mine. He waved to the bartender and put a twenty on the counter. He ordered two drinks.
“You here alone?” he asked, eyes flicking to the barstool next to mine, which was occupied by an older man. We clearly weren’t here together.
I felt myself flush. There was something embarrassing about being alone, something that left a lot to be implied. Was I here by myself because I had no friends? Was I cheating on someone? Was I only looking for a hook up?
I blinked and smiled again. Was I the only one who worried about pointless shit like this? Probably.
“I am.”
He leaned closer to me. “What? I didn’t hear you.”
“I am,” I said again and subconsciously ran my finger up and down the stem of my glass.
“Oh,” he said and leaned forward again, picking up the drinks. He turned around with grace, looking at my martini. My heart skipped a beat. “I was gonna ask you and your buddy to swap us seats, but never mind.” He smiled again, eyes moving to the guy behind me. Then he turned around and handed a drink to a pretty blonde.
I wanted to die.
I put my hands on the bar and let out a breath. Just when I thought I had it…nope, not a fighting chance. I finished my drink and went to the bathroom. After I peed and washed my hands, I looked at my reflection.
I hadn’t put as much effort into my appearance as I had the previous nights, but I didn’t think I looked that bad. My hair was straight, neatly hanging around my face. I had on gold eye shadow and brown liner. My lashes were naturally long and looked pretty good sans fake ones.
I moved my eyes down. I was wearing a short dress and heels. The heels pinched my toes, and I was cold in the dress. I turned to the side. I did look good. Swap-Me-Seats guy could go fuck himself.
I smoothed my hair and went back into the bar. The first thing I noticed was that Swap-Me-Seats and his girl had taken my stool. The second thing I noticed was one of the guys I had been watching slip outside.
I swallowed hard and followed him, adrenaline pulsing through me. I clutched my purse, which had my gun and my badge in it. My heels quietly clicked on the pavement, and my breath clouded around me. Goosebumps broke out over my skin, and I wished I had worn a sweater.
Or a bulletproof vest.
But that clashed with my stilettos.
A black SUV turned off the street, rolling down the alley that ran adjacent to the bar. The guy from the bar had his back turned, talking on his cell phone. He nodded to the guys in the SUV.
I stood close to the building, watching. The guys got out of the SUV. One had a gun tucked into his pants. He moved out of the driver’s side, standing with his legs wide and arms crossed, trying to look tough. Another man exited the SUV and went around to the back where he opened the door.
The guy from the bar pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to the man by the back of the SUV. He carefully counted it, then turned, pulling a brown paper bag from the vehicle.