Catch Your Breath (31 page)

Everything was much too complicated.

She called Gabby. “Sorry to bother you again, but I have a slight problem.”

“What?”

“First, is someone following me?”

“Jimmy wanted us to keep an eye on you to make sure everything’s okay. Did our guy
screw up so bad that you saw him?”

Moira mulled that for a minute. If she said yes, some poor guy she didn’t know would
get into trouble. If she told the truth, Jimmy would get into trouble.

“You talked to Jimmy.”

“He texted to ask where I was going. I figured someone had to be following me for
him to know. The real problem is that the escort service has a date for me tonight.
I wasn’t planning on going on more dates, but . . .”

“Shit.” Gabby blew a breath across the line. “If you don’t go, they might suspect
something is up. We’re still piecing together all the players. I can’t make you do
anything, Moira. It’s your call.”

“But you think I should go.”

“I didn’t say that.”

Moira turned her cup in slow circles. “If you were me, you’d go.” “I’m a cop. I’d
get paid to go.”

“Will your friend be watching me tonight if I went?”

“Absolutely. But I don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

“What can one date hurt? Tell your guy my date will pick me up in front of the escort
office at eight.” There, decision made.

“Be careful.”

“Of course.” She texted Lisa to let her know she’d take the date. If her luck held,
maybe it would be a nice old man like Mr. Lee.

Moira finished her coffee and walked back home, acutely aware that someone was following
her and watching her every move. Maybe two people if Gail was watching too.

This life was way too complicated. She longed for the days of attending parties, chatting
with people, and being herself. Her job did matter even if she didn’t win prizes or
garner awards. She made a difference in the lives of those affected by the charities
and organizations she helped publicize.

She trudged up the steps to her apartment and prayed there would be no more surprises.

J
immy had a late lunch with the mayor, with Kittner in attendance. Everyone agreed
Jimmy should continue to play his part and sit on his ass. Everyone except Jimmy,
of course. Gabby had already filled them in on Moira’s involvement, and Jimmy felt
Kittner’s irritation throughout the meal.

When the mayor excused himself to go to the washroom, Kittner leaned over and spoke
quietly. “I told you being involved with a reporter would be a problem.”

“Her work happened to cross into our investigation. She didn’t stick her nose into
it intentionally.” Jimmy’s hands fisted under the table.

“And you know this how? Because she said so? Reporters will do whatever’s necessary
to get a story. She’ll sell you out in a heartbeat.”

While Jimmy might question whether Moira intentionally stuck her nosy body where it
didn’t belong, his belief in her loyalty held fast. “Moira has said nothing to anyone
about this case and my involvement. She wouldn’t risk it.”

“You’re fucking her.”

Jimmy put his napkin on the table and leaned close enough to Kittner to be taken seriously.
“Who I fuck is none of your damn business. I’ve done nothing to compromise this case,
and you won’t insinuate that my personal relationship has interfered.”

The entire situation ate away at Jimmy. His personal relationship
had
interfered, but Kittner didn’t know that. Moira and Gabby made sure of that. He hated
the way Kittner viewed Moira, and he was disgusted with himself for letting things
go this far.

When the mayor returned, he thanked Jimmy and Kittner for all the hard work they’d
done on the task force. “When do you think things will wrap up?”

Kittner jumped in before Jimmy could say anything. “We plan to get Mr. Buchanan out
of the condo within a couple of days. We think the hired escort is the key, but we’re
not sure how. Once we have things in place, we’ll have her make the call and see how
the thieves approach it.”

“Any chance you’re barking up the wrong tree?”

“Given the intel we have right now, no.”

Jimmy widened his eyes, waiting for an explanation. No one informed him of any intel,
other than Gail being the contact person, and that had come from Moira. When Kittner
didn’t expand, Jimmy pushed. “What intel?”

“The information we have on Gail Thuringer. We have an idea of who her partners are
and how they’ll proceed based on previous crimes.” Kittner pushed his plate away and
slid his chair back.

Jimmy held out a hand to halt him. “Why haven’t I been told any of this?”

Kittner didn’t answer. He just shot him a look. Jimmy was being left out of the loop
because of Moira.

They both rose and said good-bye to Mayor Park. When they were outside the restaurant,
Jimmy continued, “How am I supposed to do my job if I don’t have all the information?”

“I make sure you have what you need to know when you need to know it. The information
you need is that you’re to call Moira and make a date for tomorrow night, your last
night of freedom before your wife comes home. We’ll take it from there.” Kittner walked
down the block to his car as the car service pulled up for Jimmy.

He’d rather have driven his own car, but Buchanan would use a service. Jimmy settled
into the backseat and then realized Detective Joe Barkley was his driver. “What the
hell are you doing here? You’re supposed to be watching Moira.”

Barkley eyed him in the rearview mirror. “Gabby and I switched places. She wanted
to get you information.” Barkley handed him a file.

Most of the pages were copies of official reports, but Gabby included her personal
notes. As far as they could surmise, Gail Thuringer worked with a ring of thieves.
They’d hit a handful of people and then went underground for a while before resurfacing.

As Barkley pulled up in front of the condo, he said, “Gabby also wanted you to know
that I’ll be following Moira all night tonight, so you don’t have to worry. She’ll
be safe.”

Yanked from his concentration, Jimmy looked up. “Why wouldn’t she be safe in her apartment?
I told her to stay put.”

He needed to call her and tell her to ditch her family dinner tomorrow.

Barkley was unusually quiet.

“What?”

Barkley cringed as Jimmy watched in the mirror.

“I thought Gabby told you. Moira has a date.”

“What?”

“The escort service called—”

“No.” Jimmy leaned forward and pressed on Barkley’s shoulder. “Call it off. She shouldn’t
be going on some fucking date.”

A date? What the hell were they thinking?

Barkley twisted to look at Jimmy. “It was her choice, but it makes the most sense.
If she’s being watched, it would be suspicious for her to turn down work. I’ll be
there. She’ll be fine.”

Jimmy clutched the file in his hand and got out of the car. He slammed the door behind
him, but it offered no relief. He wanted to beat the shit out of something, but he
was stuck in some overpriced condo filled with things he couldn’t afford.

Once he got upstairs, he changed into sweats and went to the building’s fitness center
to work off some of the tension and frustration. If he called Gabby or Moira right
now, neither of them would listen. He needed to be rational.

Moira slipped into her favorite cocktail dress and put on some makeup. The only information
Lisa had given her was that she’d be going out to dinner. She assumed that since the
client had money, it would be a fancy dinner as opposed to Olive Garden, so she hoped
her choice in clothing was appropriate. When she left her apartment, the sun was setting
and it created a pink-orange glow in the sky.

Before climbing into her car, she looked around and tried to figure out if Gabby’s
guy was watching. What if he didn’t pay attention? She should’ve gotten a phone number
or at least a description so she’d know what to expect. Then she shook her head. She’d
never needed a babysitter before, and this was just a date.

She drove to the office and went to the break room to have a quick cup of coffee,
as if that would quell her nerves. Two other girls she hadn’t met before sat at the
table in front of textbooks. Moira looked, but didn’t say anything. In the reception
area, she asked Lisa, “What’s with study hall?”

Lisa looked to where Moira pointed. “Oh, a bunch of the girls are working their way
through college. They’ll get a degree with no loan debt. Sometimes they bring their
books here and squeeze in some studying.” She went back to working on the computer.

Moira wandered up and down the hall, sipping on her coffee. She wanted to be as cool
and nonchalant as Piper and Jenny were about this job, but it ate her up.

Tomorrow at dinner, she’d thank her family for putting her in a position where she
would never have to do this kind of job to get ahead in life. Lisa’s phone beeped.

“Moira, your date’s downstairs.”

Moira dumped the rest of her coffee and headed down. Quick dinner, pleasant conversation,
and then back home to crawl into jammies and watch a movie.

A car sat at the curb, and when she exited the building, the driver swung the back
door open. She slid onto the seat and assessed the man beside her. He was younger
than she’d expected and relatively good looking. He had short, dark hair and dark
brown eyes, and his smile was just this side of leery. Of course, it didn’t help that
he stared at her chest.

“Hi, I’m Moira.” She extended her hand.

He took it and stroked and petted her hand instead of shaking. “I’m Terry.”

“Nice to meet you. I wasn’t sure where you had dinner planned. Am I dressed appropriately?”

“You look fine.”

He continued to ogle her but said nothing. The silence irked her more than the gawking.
At least other men feigned an interest in her as a person. They started conversations
and asked questions. Even old Mr. Lee did more than stare.

Terry shifted his body and angled closer to her, feeding her discomfort. His index
finger traced a pattern on her shoulder at the border of her dress, skimming across
from fabric to bare skin. She suppressed the need to recoil.

“Where are we headed for dinner?”

“Mmm . . . I was thinking we’d go straight for dessert.” His hand landed heavily on
her thigh.

She slid a couple of inches until she hit the door. “I’m sorry, Terry, but I think
you have the wrong idea about what’s happening here.”

“I know what’s happening. I pay a hefty fee and I get an evening with you.” His hand
slid to the hem of her dress.

She slapped her hand on top of his to prevent movement. “You hired me to be your date
for the evening. A nice dinner out with a woman on your arm. That’s all.”

His head jerked back and incredulity filled his face. Then he let out a hearty laugh.
“I like a girl with a sense of humor, but I’m not in the mood to play games.”

Her heart pounded and her stomach twisted. “I’m not playing games. I’m an escort,
not a hooker.”

He stared at her like he was waiting for a punch line. All she heard was Jimmy’s words
of warning.

Terry reached out and roughly palmed her breast. “You’re a hooker with a fancy title.
That means if I pay, you fuck me.”

Air trapped in her lungs and panic gripped her. She shoved at him, but he wouldn’t
budge. “I am not fucking you. Get off me.”

His body pressed closer, and tears pricked the backs of her eyes. No way was this
happening. She sucked in a gulp of air and slammed both hands against his chest, dislodging
his position. “Stop the car!”

The driver looked in the mirror, but didn’t answer. Terry leaned closer, just as Moira
jumped forward to make the driver understand that he needed to pull over.

Moira’s elbow connected with Terry’s face, and he yelled, grabbing his nose. “Bitch.”

“That was an accident. Stop the car.”

He shot a look at the driver and snapped, “Pull over.”

The car came to an abrupt stop, and Moira didn’t wait for the invitation to leave.
She stood on the curb as the car drove off. Her breath hitched as she tried to inhale.
Her entire body felt wobbly. Another car pulled to the curb and she took an automatic
step back. The window rolled down.

“Hey, I work with Gabby and Jimmy. Are you okay?”

She nodded, not trusting her voice.

“You don’t look good. Can I give you a ride?”

She shook her head.

He waited a moment and then threw the car into park and got out. He stood in front
of her, assessing her. What was one more guy staring at her? A lump the size of Texas
lodged in her throat. She couldn’t even tell this guy to leave her.

He opened the passenger door. “If I leave you on the street looking like this, Jimmy’ll
have my ass. Get in.”

She jerked at the command, but didn’t move her feet.

“I’m going to take you home.”

She took a step back. After she swallowed hard, she thought maybe she could speak,
so she forced out, “I’ll take a cab.”

He had his phone in his hand and spoke to someone. She couldn’t hear what he said,
but then he thrust the phone at her. “Gabby wants to talk to you.”

She held the phone to her ear.

“Moira, what happened?”

“I can’t talk.”

“What. Happened.”

“My
date
decided all he paid for was to fuck and that’s what he planned to do.” Tears clogged
her throat.

“Shit. Are you okay?”

Moira nodded and then realized Gabby couldn’t see her. “Yeah.”

“Listen. The guy standing awkwardly next to you is my friend. His name is Joe and
he’s going to give you a ride home.”

Moira didn’t say anything else. She handed Joe his phone and sat in the car. Neither
of them spoke on the way to her apartment.

When she got home and locked the door, the full force of what had happened screamed
through her. Her hands still shook and tears streamed down her face. She sank onto
her couch and waited for the worst of it to pass.

Her phone buzzed in her purse as it had multiple times since leaving her date. She
was afraid to see who was calling.

Billie would probably be pissed because the date had been ruined, but Billie had told
her she never had to do anything she wasn’t comfortable with.

Gabby would want to check on her again, but Moira was barely functional. She didn’t
want to fall apart even worse under Gabby’s questioning.

If it was Jimmy . . . she couldn’t talk to him. She wouldn’t be able to handle his
I told you so attitude. So he was right. Big freaking surprise.

And if it was anyone from her family, she couldn’t let them know.

So she ignored the phone and went to take a shower. She wanted to wash away every
remnant and memory of this whole stupid thing. This would go down as by far one of
the worst nights of her life.