idea of Poppy going with him to the party, but he’d have to get over it.
Moreover, playing up a flirtation with Poppy could work in their favor. Angelo seemed to enjoy certain privileges with the strippers. He would follow Angelo’s playbook.
He knew Poppy would do whatever it took to solidify her cover, even if it meant pretending that they were attracted to each other.
Was it an act?
Yeah, that was sort of the problem.
It wasn’t an act. At least not on his part.
Poppy was still in his blood and his dreams.
Perhaps now wasn’t the time to admit that when he fantasized, Poppy was the one stroking him, getting him off, not some porn star or supermodel.
That was his own shameful secret. One that he couldn’t quite shake loose.
What could he say? Sex with Poppy had always been pretty hot. Why wouldn’t he fantasize about hot sex?
Will you friggin’ focus, already? Get your head out of the damn gutter .
Shaine wiped the bead of sweat dotting his hairline and forced a chuckle at his own ridiculous detour.
Detours like that could get a man killed.
Rookie mistake.
It’d only been a few days since becoming embedded in the scene, but he was already catching the ebb and flow of the clientele through Lit.
Upscale, trendy and flashy, the clientele were millennials with plenty of cash, no sense of how precious life was and a general belief that they would live forever.
A perfect breeding ground for a drug dealer to peddle something dangerous such as Bliss.
And tonight he’d get a chance to see firsthand how the drug was being moved around.
* * *
Marcus, Victoria, Shaine and Poppy met at Poppy’s apartment to debrief before heading out to the party.
“You’re both equipped with state-of-the-art wires disguised as a necklace for Poppy and the earring for Shaine. These are undetectable and used by the CIA for clandestine operations, so they are the best money can buy,” Victoria said, handing the necklace to Poppy so she could put it on.
“It’s pretty, too,” Poppy said as Marcus clasped it. “Added bonus.”
“Only the best for this operation,” Victoria said with a wry twist of her lips. “See what happens when a senator’s daughter gets caught in the cross fire? The stranglehold on the budget suddenly loosens.”
“True,” Shaine agreed, and then he returned to business. “All right, so we’re going to focus on the Bliss trail, find out who’s distributing it and then follow the chain. Sooner or later, someone is going to slip up and we’re going to be able to find out who El Escorpion is.”
“Don’t be overconfident,” Poppy warned. “I’ve been doing my own snooping around and whoever this person is has layers of protection, which means they are serious about hiding their identity.”
“Of course, but human nature is generally predictable. Someone is going to slip.”
“They haven’t yet.”
She knew Shaine was being Shaine—confident, cocky, self-assured—but this case was bigger than either had ever worked, and Poppy didn’t think those “Shaine” qualities were going to be helpful this time.
“All right, you two, settle down,” Victoria said, flashing Shaine an irritated look, which could’ve been referencing either of them. But she left it a mystery by continuing, “Marcus and I will be monitoring the situation via our coms. If anything goes sidewise, we’ll send in the cops to break it up.”
“That’s not going to work,” Poppy said. “If the cops show up, they’re going to know someone is planted on the inside.” She shook her head, adamant. “No, we are going to have to be on our own for this one. We can’t blow this opportunity to see how this operation works.”
Shaine agreed, saying, “Poppy is right. We’ll be fine. This is just a fact-seeking operation. There’s no need to get twitchy.”
Victoria and Marcus seemed to share a private concern. Poppy frowned. “What was that look?”
Marcus took point. “Look, we’re a little worried
Moreover, playing up a flirtation with Poppy could work in their favor. Angelo seemed to enjoy certain privileges with the strippers. He would follow Angelo’s playbook.
He knew Poppy would do whatever it took to solidify her cover, even if it meant pretending that they were attracted to each other.
Was it an act?
Yeah, that was sort of the problem.
It wasn’t an act. At least not on his part.
Poppy was still in his blood and his dreams.
Perhaps now wasn’t the time to admit that when he fantasized, Poppy was the one stroking him, getting him off, not some porn star or supermodel.
That was his own shameful secret. One that he couldn’t quite shake loose.
What could he say? Sex with Poppy had always been pretty hot. Why wouldn’t he fantasize about hot sex?
Will you friggin’ focus, already? Get your head out of the damn gutter .
Shaine wiped the bead of sweat dotting his hairline and forced a chuckle at his own ridiculous detour.
Detours like that could get a man killed.
Rookie mistake.
It’d only been a few days since becoming embedded in the scene, but he was already catching the ebb and flow of the clientele through Lit.
Upscale, trendy and flashy, the clientele were millennials with plenty of cash, no sense of how precious life was and a general belief that they would live forever.
A perfect breeding ground for a drug dealer to peddle something dangerous such as Bliss.
And tonight he’d get a chance to see firsthand how the drug was being moved around.
* * *
Marcus, Victoria, Shaine and Poppy met at Poppy’s apartment to debrief before heading out to the party.
“You’re both equipped with state-of-the-art wires disguised as a necklace for Poppy and the earring for Shaine. These are undetectable and used by the CIA for clandestine operations, so they are the best money can buy,” Victoria said, handing the necklace to Poppy so she could put it on.
“It’s pretty, too,” Poppy said as Marcus clasped it. “Added bonus.”
“Only the best for this operation,” Victoria said with a wry twist of her lips. “See what happens when a senator’s daughter gets caught in the cross fire? The stranglehold on the budget suddenly loosens.”
“True,” Shaine agreed, and then he returned to business. “All right, so we’re going to focus on the Bliss trail, find out who’s distributing it and then follow the chain. Sooner or later, someone is going to slip up and we’re going to be able to find out who El Escorpion is.”
“Don’t be overconfident,” Poppy warned. “I’ve been doing my own snooping around and whoever this person is has layers of protection, which means they are serious about hiding their identity.”
“Of course, but human nature is generally predictable. Someone is going to slip.”
“They haven’t yet.”
She knew Shaine was being Shaine—confident, cocky, self-assured—but this case was bigger than either had ever worked, and Poppy didn’t think those “Shaine” qualities were going to be helpful this time.
“All right, you two, settle down,” Victoria said, flashing Shaine an irritated look, which could’ve been referencing either of them. But she left it a mystery by continuing, “Marcus and I will be monitoring the situation via our coms. If anything goes sidewise, we’ll send in the cops to break it up.”
“That’s not going to work,” Poppy said. “If the cops show up, they’re going to know someone is planted on the inside.” She shook her head, adamant. “No, we are going to have to be on our own for this one. We can’t blow this opportunity to see how this operation works.”
Shaine agreed, saying, “Poppy is right. We’ll be fine. This is just a fact-seeking operation. There’s no need to get twitchy.”
Victoria and Marcus seemed to share a private concern. Poppy frowned. “What was that look?”
Marcus took point. “Look, we’re a little worried
Similar Books
