I was sitting in my ‘Vette parked on the street, nursing a chocolate malt and staring at the house out my side window when I sensed movement. My eyes went to my rearview mirror and I saw a huge, shiny, black Ford Expedition pull in behind me.
I rolled my eyes, grabbed my phone, flipped it open, went to the top of my recent calls list and hit go before putting it to my ear.
“Sylvie,” Creed answered after one ring.
“Partner, I checked in before I rolled out to get here. No reason to physically check up on me. Reminder, I’ve been doing this awhile.”
His response was, “Come back and get in my truck.”
“No. You got something to say you can’t say over the phone, come and get in my car.”
“Truck, Sylvie.”
“’Vette, Creed.”
Silence.
I dug in. Creed did too.
Patience was one of the many virtues I did not have.
“Fine,” I bit out. “Truck.”
I flipped the phone shut, threw open my door and me, my phone and my malt angled out. We jogged to his truck, I threw open the door and climbed in.
I turned to him to see him grinning a crowing because he won (again) grin.
I checked the eye roll and asked, “I’m here. What?”
“You know a woman named Amy?”
I forgot to be in a snit at Creed and his superiority. I felt my eyes get round as my mouth breathed, “Fuck me.”
His gaze moved over my face before it locked with mine and he muttered, “You know her.”
“No shit?” I asked.
“Pillow talk, baby,” he answered softly.
Blood roared in my ears as I sat back in the seat, faced forward and sucked up malt so fast, I had to close my eyes against the ice cream headache. Then I pulled the straw from my mouth and clipped, “That stupid bitch.”
“She’s in with Nair,” he told me and I turned my head to look at him. “I’m here because I got her phone wired. She just called him and she’s heading over.”
“That stupid bitch,” I repeated.
“Far as I could tell, Lively is a loyal soldier. But Nair was getting info from somewhere. It’s her.”
“Money?” I asked.
“Don’t know. When I wasn’t concentrating on you, Banks, Nick and Nair, I honed in on Lively. Had my eye on him, which means I’ve had occasion to have my eye on him when he’s with her. The little I saw of Knight’s men with their women, they don’t chose nagging, greedy bitches. Gut told me he had a weak spot, seein’ as he’d have that in his bed. I paid more attention, wasn’t wrong. His weak spot is her and his inability to get shot of her even though she’s a serious pain in his ass. Heard them have a fight in a restaurant a coupla nights ago. She doesn’t like his hours. She likes that he’s well paid but she’s not real fond of him workin’ for his money. Could be, she’s gettin’ money from Nair for info. Could be, she’s workin’ with him to close Sebring down so Lively will have more time to devote to her. Could be both.”
“She’s greedy, she’s a bitch and she’s a nag, Creed, but she’s not stupid. Yeah, it’s known she pitches a fit when Live has to work when she doesn’t want him to but she’s not so dumb to think they’ll live large if he doesn’t have a fucking job. She’s in it for the money.”
He nodded, his eyes went over my shoulder and he jerked up his chin.
I turned my head to see a red Mazda roll into Drake Nair’s driveway, a brunette I knew at the wheel.
Amy, the stupid bitch.
I heard the noises a camera made when pictures were being taken and looked back at Creed. He had an expensive digital to his eye. I turned back to Nair’s house to see Amy get out of the Mazda and approach the front door. The camera noises kept going as she did and continued up until she disappeared inside. Then they stopped.
“You good to be my eyes while I get close?” he asked.
“Fuck yeah,” I answered.
“Let’s move,” he muttered and threw open his door.
I stored my shit, threw open mine and jumped out.
“I approach from the north,” he said to me as we crossed the street. “His study is that side. I’ll start there and move on if he doesn’t meet her there. Catch up.”
“I’ll go south, perimeter check, see if anyone’s around. Been here about fifteen minutes before you and didn’t see any activity. I’ll meet you north.”
“Right,” he muttered and started jogging toward Nair’s neighbor to the north’s yard.
I did the same to the south, did a wide sweep, jumped a fence, crossed Nair’s backyard and rounded the side, seeing Creed crouched low under a window but his head was at the edge, camera to his face.
I whistled low when I got close, his head turned to me then he shook it.
I crouched low beside him, my back to the house, eyes on a continual scan.
“In the study?” I asked.
“Yep,” he answered.
“And you were shaking your head because?” I prompted.
I heard camera sounds and the hint of disgust in his voice. “You don’t wanna know.”
I always wanted to know.
I twisted, shot up and looked into the window.
He was right. I didn’t want to know.
I twisted back, shot down and muttered, “Gross.”
I just heard a hint of humor when he mumbled, “I told you you didn’t wanna know.”
“FYI, that put me off the blowjob I had planned for you tonight,” I informed him seeing as what I just saw was Amy on her knees going at Nair who was not attractive but he was hairy and he had skinny legs.
“Fuck, I hope he doesn’t eat her,” Creed murmured.
That got me a tingle. Yes, even after what I saw. Mostly because it said Creed didn’t want to be put off his plans for tonight and I liked his plans.
I scanned. Creed kept silent but his camera didn’t.
After a while, he broke his silence with, “That’ll mean dry cleaning.”
“Creed!” I hissed. “Don’t gross me out.”
“Just sayin’, there’s times when a woman should learn to swallow.”
I turned and punched him in the arm. He chuckled.
Then he muttered, “Time for business. Thank fuck, he’s not reciprocating the gesture.”
“Our day just brightened.”
“Comin’ home with donuts for you and people you give a shit about, seein’ you in those little shorts and tight cami, no matter that you were hungover, nothin’ could darken my day. Not even that shit.”
Sneak attack and I held my breath until my chest burned.
Creed’s camera sounded.
“Cash,” he muttered. “Wads of it. More than a blowjob is worth.”
“Even if that includes reimbursement for dry cleaning?”
I felt his eyes and looked up to see he’d lowered down from the window and was looking at me.
“Yeah, and then some. She’s the leak.”
I nodded. Poor Live. For whatever reason, he dug her. This would strike deep.
“Truck,” Creed grunted, I jerked up my chin and we both moved.
I’d learned that if you were somewhere you weren’t supposed to be, if you acted like you were supposed to be there, people assumed you were. So I always did that and noted, as Creed and I walked to his truck, free and easy, he followed the same school of thought.
We both angled in and I turned immediately to him. “You calling this into Knight?”
“Yeah. You wanna stay on Nair or come with me while I have a chat with him?”
“Get more done, we separate.”
He nodded. “Nick’s still a wildcard.”
“Yup,” I agreed.
“But Nair’s pullin’ the strings.”
“Yup,” I agreed again.
“Your plan?”
“Stay on Nair.”
“Right,” he muttered. “I finish with Knight, I’m on Nick.”