What was a surprise was that Sniff, always small, skinny with a face riddled with acne, bloomed late. With Shirleen feeding him and getting him to a dermatologist, he was no longer skinny and his face had cleared up. But he’d hit a growth spurt and shot up five inches. Not only that, his features were also maturing and doing it well. Very well. So a kid that was always clever and funny now was giving his best bud a run for his money in the looks department.
Seriously.
They still hung with Jules often, but they got their male influence by hanging with Vance as well as the Hot Bunch. They spent a lot of time at Nightingale Investigations, worked the surveillance room, did ride alongs and worked out with the guys.
They loved it, totally got off on it in a way that it was not hard to predict their future careers, and this would be proved irrevocably with what would happen next.
“Got a minute, Ally?” Roam asked as both boy-men affected a huddle with me.
“Yep,” I answered, examining them closely.
Total badasses-in-training. Their faces gave nothing away.
“We heard you’re workin’ the Smithie gig,” Sniff stated.
Oh man.
I tensed and repeated, “Yep.”
“The guys were talkin’ at the offices,” Sniff went on. “Overheard them sayin’ you’re workin’ the bouncer angle.”
I wasn’t working anything just yet. But I didn’t tell them that. I just nodded.
“So we’re lookin’ at the girls,” Roam declared.
I fought rolling my eyes. They were both seventeen, nearly eighteen. So I was not shocked that they’d take this stripper job opportunity to “look at” a bunch of strippers.
“Boys—” I started.
“Just listen, Ally, yeah?” Sniff coaxed.
I studied him a beat and nodded.
“We still got school so we can’t do much, but Sniff took some, I took others, and after school we followed them,” Roam told me.
I didn’t know if this was good or bad. I just knew they’d been around the Hot Bunch not a little but a lot, so they probably weren’t doing stupid shit.
I also wanted to know what they saw.
So I prompted, “And?”
“And, I saw one hand over an envelope to your bouncer guy,” Roam stated. “Had binoculars, saw the guy look through the envelope. Lots of bills. Ones, fives, tens.”
“Tip money,” I said quietly.
“Can’t get in the club so don’t know her take, but my guess, yeah,” Roam replied.
Why would a dancer be giving this guy her tip money?
“He’s got somethin’ on ‘em,” Sniff answered my question and I focused on him. “Don’t know what and Roam only saw that one hand over her cash, but that’s what we reckon.”
“You see these women do anything else?” I asked. “Anything that he might be making them do? Anything that he might be holding over them?”
I got two negative shakes.
Crap.
“You want us to stay on ‘em?” Sniff asked.
“Only if Shirleen knows you’re doing it and she’s cool with that,” I answered.
They looked at each other then they looked at me.
Sniff grinned.
Roam looked focused.
But I knew from their reactions that Shirleen would say it was okay. Then again, she was raising badasses who she would prefer used their badassness for good rather than evil, so she wouldn’t say no.
I lifted my hand and waved it out in a “move along” gesture. “Go forth, get permission, keep your eyes on these girls and report in to me frequently. If you don’t already have it, get my number from Shirleen.”
This got me nods.
“And keep Darius in the loop,” I added.
More nods.
“Thanks, guys,” I finished.
Another grin from Sniff. A chin jerk from Roam.
Jeez.
Roam chin jerking.
Save me.
They took off.
I hit the bar.
I’d just downed my tequila shooter when an arm wrapped around my belly from behind, a pair of lips touched my neck and my man’s voice sounded in my ear, “Havin’ fun?”
I turned in the curve of his arm, looked up at him and nodded. “Yeah. You?”
“Mm-hmm,” he mumbled and his eyes slid down to my chest. “Best part is watchin’ you in this dress.”
It was a wedding, but still, I went clingy, baring and sexy.
It was my way.
This time though, not black. Lavender
“I aim to please,” I told him.
“You do well,” he replied.
I smiled.
He bent in and touched his lips to mine.
“Herb!” we heard snapped (loudly) from across the yard.
Good news.
Trish felt the need for round two.
Leaning into Ren, I turned my attention to the Midwestern contingent of our posse just as Tex boomed, “Jesus Jones, woman, leave him be!”
“Ugh! Why am I surprised? You men stick together!” Trish shouted back.
“My people are Italian, loud and fuckin’ crazy,” Ren whispered to me. “And still, your people beat mine by a mile.”
I looked up at him. “I know. Aren’t we lucky?”
Ren shook his head.
Then he smiled.
* * * * *
Since most people had plastic cups, three hours later when Blanca wanted everyone’s attention, she held up a filled margarita pitcher and tapped it with a long thin spoon.
As the crowd quieted and turned her way, she announced, “Lee has something to say.”
Standing in the curve of Ren’s arm, having just been shooting the shit with Stella, Mace and Shirleen, we all turned our attention to Lee, who was holding a bottle of beer in one hand, Indy close to his side in the curve of his other arm.
Incidentally, Indy had a can of Fresca.
Lee didn’t delay.
“Two years ago, I met Tex while he was assisting my now pregnant wife with a B&E.”
There were giggles and chuckles and out-and-out laughter, but Lee kept going.
“Not long after that, he saved her life.”
Everyone quit laughing.
“Since then, a load of shit has gone down. As it did, we always knew two things. One, we’d wouldn’t be able to guess what mayhem would happen next. Two, Tex would be there.” Lee pinned Tex with his eyes and stated, “We knew Tex would always be there.”
Oh shit. My eyes were getting hot again.
Lee kept going.
“I’ve learned in the last two years that when life gets rough, and even when it doesn’t, the best thing a man can have is a good woman at his side.”
I looked to Indy to see she was pressing her lips together.
Just like me.
“So if there was anything I wished for you, Tex,” Lee continued. “The kind of man you are, the kind who deserves it, I wished that for you. So we’ll just say I’m fuckin’ pleased you found her and tied her to your side today.” He lifted his bottle. “May you have many years with her right there. To Tex and Nancy!”
Everyone looked to Tex, who was holding Nancy close, and she was leaning into him doing the same, smiling the knockout smile she gave her daughter with tears wetting her cheeks. We all lifted our drinks and many (including me, but not Ren) shouted, “To Tex and Nancy!”
Once we’d thrown some back, we found Lee wasn’t done and he was still looking Tex and Nancy’s way.
“Now, Luke and Ava couldn’t be here, but they wanted to give you something to celebrate. And Ava told me the best thing they could give you was something you’d appreciate. Something loud and possibly obnoxious, but definitely spectacular. So here’s your gift from Luke and Ava, gone for now but here in spirit.” He then turned and shouted toward the back fence beyond which was an alley, “Go!”
He barely said the word before we heard a shrieking whiz.
And over Bl
anca’s festive backyard, with a loud boom, a huge firework exploded.
There were oo’s and ah’s.
Then came another.
And another.
And another.
Then more, tons more, the night sky lit up with beauty, and jeez, Luke and Ava spared no expense.
It was amazing.
As it kept going though, I tore my eyes from the display and looked Tex and Nancy’s way.
The big man still held his wife close and Nancy still leaned heavily into him, but their heads were tipped back, colors lighting their face.
And warmth so sweet it was difficult to process stole through me.
This was because Tex was smiling.
And completely happy.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Tush
“Well?”
That was me, the afternoon after Tex and Nancy’s wedding, standing on Daisy’s stripper stage at her house, wearing a robe Daisy just threw over my shoulders that I’d pushed my arms through, tying the belt tight.
Daisy had suggested, and I agreed, that before I stepped onstage that night that I do my thing in front of a live audience so that I wouldn’t be breaking that particular seal in front of, well… a live audience.
This meant that sitting around Daisy’s stage in chairs she got Marcus’s boys to drag in were Indy, Jet, Roxie, Stella, Sadie, Daisy, Shirleen, Annette, Tod, Buddy, Lottie, Nancy, Ada, Smithie and one of Smithie’s three women (yes, three; don’t ask, just know it works) LaTeesha.
“Jumpin’ Jehosphats!” Annette shouted. “I wanna be a stripper again!”
“That. Was. Awesome,” Indy breathed.
“Blooming heck, I don’t even know what to say. That was aces,” Sadie put in.
“Child, you do the sisterhood proud,” Shirleen told me.
“I might add a striptease to my stage show,” Stella announced.
“I think I turned ungay for about two minutes,” Buddy murmured.
After all these compliments, Daisy gushed, “Momma’s so proud,” on a sideways hug.
But I knew the girls (and gay guy) would give me props.
So I only had eyes for Smithie.
“Smithie?” I called as he stared up at me, face blank. “What did you think?”
“Please,” he whispered and I blinked because I’d never heard Smithie whisper. “Dance for me full-time.”
Righteous!
He liked it.
“Will it work?” I asked and he stood.
“Bitch, it not only works, I’m givin’ you the stage for your own fuckin’ song,” he declared.
Oh shit.
Dancing with a bunch of other dancers who might take attention off me was one thing.
Dancing like Lottie danced as the headliner, having the stage all to myself and all eyes on me, was a-fucking-nother.
“Uh…” I mumbled.
“Excellent idea!” LaTeesha proclaimed on a big white smile and a clap.
“You totally have to do that!” Lottie cried.
“That would be sofa-king phat, sister!” Annette exclaimed.
Tod was giving me a sideways look, reading me, I knew, when he turned to me full-on and decreed, “You do know, if you’re only dancing for a song, you can spend the rest of your time keeping your eye on things, talking to the other girls, getting the job done and…” he paused, “only dancing for a song.”
“Three songs,” Smithie announced and looked at Lottie. “She’s lead in for you on all your sets.”
“Works for me,” Lottie replied to Smithie and turned to grin at me.
Shit.
“Decided!” Smithie yelled and pointed to me. “Three songs. You pick. Get me the music. I’ll get it to the DJ. You start tonight. Lottie’s first set is at nine. You go on at eight fifty-five. Be fuckin’ ready.”
My heart started beating. Hard.
Smithie turned to LaTeesha and pulled her out of her chair, murmuring, “Come on, baby. Gotta get you to work.”
After LaTeesha sent us a finger wave, they were gone.
I jumped off the stage, taking my life into my hands because I was wearing platform stripper shoes, and the gang gathered around.
“I sure do wish I was fifty years younger and I could strip,” Ada fortunately noted, and this was fortunately because her doing it cut through my nerves and made me smile.
“I’m sorry I’m going to miss your debut, honey,” Nancy said to me then smiled her gorgeous smile, “But I gotta get home to my hubby. A hubby, incidentally, who has stated he has your back with anything you want to do, but is not about to watch you strip.”
Tex not being there worked for me.
I moved my smile to her then everyone moved as we heard Daisy order, “Make way! Make way!”
They made way and I saw Daisy coming through carrying a big red box with a huge black satin bow.
She plopped it on the stage, turned to me and declared, “We all got together to get you these.”
“Let’s hope this case doesn’t go long or she’ll need more.” I heard Tod whisper. “Then again, maybe not. They were fun to shop for.”
But I was looking at the box because I loved presents and I wasn’t particular about what was inside.
I reached out and yanked on the end of the bow. It came undone and slithered away. I flipped the top open, dug through the tissue and caught my breath as I unearthed all that was inside.
Laying the last bit out, I breathed a reverent, “Righteous.”
“They’re perfect, aren’t they?” Indy asked.
They were. Beyond perfect, whatever that was.
“I’d use some of those for my stage show, too. If I didn’t think Kai would lose his freaking mind, that is,” Stella whispered.
Sadie giggled.
I touched one of the pieces.
“You’ll do great,” Daisy said softly to me.
I looked at her, let my breath out, then turned to the group. I lifted both hands, fingers extended in devil’s horns, and shouted, “Rock on!”
Everyone gave me a devil’s horn, “Rock on!” back.
Even Ada.
* * * * *
Lottie and I sat in the dressing room at Smithie’s.
The back of my neck was prickling and bad.
This was not because I was there, in one of the three new outfits the girls gave me, ready to strip (very soon). Nor was it because I knew the gang was all outside and some of them had not yet seen my performance (though, it should be noted, none of the men were there; not one, including Ren, thank God). It also wasn’t because Smithie and Lottie had introduced me to all the girls, the bouncers, the waitresses and bartenders, because they were all cool.
No. This was because something bad was going down.
Not a little badass’ll-fix-it kind of bad.
Something big.
If I were to say the girls were subdued, what I would mean was, they were subdued. They smiled, they were nice, but they did their jobs, took care in their whispered conversations, and fear permeated the air.
And none of this had anything to do in any visible way with bad guy bouncer, Dan Steiner.
I’d met him and I got it immediately. Friendly, eye contact, lots of smiles and an impressive-seemingly-genuine, “Don’t worry. The guys got your back. You feel trouble, just give us a heads up.”
Smooth. No red flags. No warning signs. He didn’t even give me a once-over.
Totally professional, even as my gut and the look he could not hide behind his friendly smile told me: totally bogus.
“I’m not liking this,” I whispered to Lottie.
“Told you,” she whispered back. “It’s bad.”
“How long has it been going on?” I asked.
“Steiner started about three months ago and this shit started, I don’t know, maybe a month after that.”
“Slow or fast?” I asked.
“What?” she asked back.
“He go girl for girl or did he take them all at once?”
/> She thought about it and said, “Slow. Girl for girl, I guess.”
“You see any money change hands back here or anywhere?” I went on.
She shook her head.
I looked across the dressing room at Meena, one of the strippers who was on break and re-oiling. She wasn’t avoiding us, but although she smiled and waved when she walked in, she hadn’t approached for any small talk.
“He’s not targeted you because of your cop and Nightingale connection,” I deduced.
“Yeah,” she replied.
“And he’s also keeping the girls clear of you because of the same thing,” I said.
“You think?” she asked. I looked from Meena to her and nodded. “That makes sense,” she concluded.
“Which means whatever they have on their minds, whatever talk they do, they do it when you’re not around so you don’t overhear them.”
“Yeah, probably,” she agreed.
“So with my last name, I’m fucked. And with the fear these girls have and my last name, no way we’re gonna get one to wear a wire.”
“Mm-hmm,” she mumbled.
Crap.
This meant we had two choices.
Since the girls were never going to talk to me, my being undercover was a bust. We’d have to abort, find another woman to go undercover and possibly alert Steiner to our activities because of it. Worse, this would cause an unacceptable delay and make these women live in fear for even longer.
Or I had to make the girls talk to me.
Which meant I had to find a way to make the girls trust me.
And the only way I could do that was become one of their own.
As if on cue, there was a knock on the door and when Meena called out, “Decent!” Lenny, one of Smithie’s bouncers, stuck his head in.
“Five minutes, Ally,” he said to me and his head disappeared.
Shit, shit, fuck.
Lottie reached out and squeezed my knee. “You’re gonna be great.”
“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled, straightening from my chair.
Lottie grabbed my robe and we headed out.
“Knock ‘em dead,” Meena encouraged, smiling at me as we passed her.
“I’m just hoping not to puke on any of them,” I told her honestly, and her smile got bigger.