Forsaken: A Fallen Siren Novella (7 page)

I shake my head. “Considering the timeline and the fact that we know Devlin has law enforcement in her pocket, I was thinking we’d handle it ourselves. If we could get a judge to sign off on a covert—”

“But which judge can we trust?” O’Neill asks.

Torres pulls a card out of her purse and slides it across the table in his direction. “This one.”

Zack picks it up. “Anita Lopez?”

Torres smiles. “My aunt. Now, you the rest of you can put your heads together and figure out how we’re going to get in and out.”

“That’s not going to be easy.” Maitlan is hovering in the doorway. Fresh from the shower, his hair still wet. You can’t just walk into Eve’s club. It’s private. Very private. You have to be sponsored by a member. And there’s a vetting process. Eve doesn’t take chances—she’s not about to risk everything because an undercover cop sneaks in and discovers she’s serving more than alcohol.”

“But her reputation for being able to satisfy customers is important to her.” I pause, collecting my thoughts. “What about her employees? Any way we could convince one of them to help?”

Maitlan pulls his wallet from his back pocket. In it, there’s a slip of paper. “Maybe. One of the girls slipped me this as I was leaving the last time. It’s her number. I haven’t called it. I chose a place like that for a reason. Attachments are not what I want.”

“Give it here.” I hold out my hand. “What’s her name?”

“She wrote Jennifer under the number,” he says nonchalantly. Then, “But I usually call her Mistress Darkness.” He pulls his hand back. The slip of paper is out of reach. “What are you going to ask her?”

“If she’s working, I’m going to offer her an obscene amount of money to get sick at the last minute and send me to Elysium in her stead—her BFF who just moved here from Los Angeles.”

“She always works Fridays. Starts at eight.” Maitlan pauses, looks me up and down. “You understand what Mistress, um, Jennifer does?”

I rise from my chair and stride toward him with purpose, gaze unwavering. He doesn’t flinch as I swiftly close the space between us and snatch the slip of paper from his hand. “In general, yes. For you, specifically, I can guess.”

Torres is looking at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “No offense, but you are one of the most buttoned up agents I’ve ever met. Even dressed in leather and holding a whip, I don’t see you passing yourself off as a professional dominatrix.”

“No offense,” I counter, feeling more than a bit offended. “But you don’t really know me.”

None of the men in the room weighs in with an opinion.

I turn to Zack. “You’re in charge and you
know
I can pull this off.”

There’s no hesitation. “She can do it,” he says, putting the question to rest. Then he looks at Maitlan. “So, how do we get Emma past Eve? Based on what you’ve said, I doubt she’s going to let someone who she doesn’t know just waltz in and substitute.”

I answer before Maitlan can. “The timing is going to have to be just right and we prey on Eve’s need to satisfy her customers. Maitlan says Jennifer starts at eight. We have her call in sick five minutes before her shift is supposed to start. I show up a few minutes after that. I can be…” I pause, holding Zack’s gaze with my own. “Very persuasive.”

“Say you do get in, how are you going to sneak away from your client and get into Eve’s office?”

“That’s where you come in,” I tell Torres. “Robby’s story is all over the news. After what happened in the park today, you can say you’re expanding the investigation, interviewing everyone who knows Maitlan. His financial records show he’s a member of her private club, the legitimate club, so you’re stopping by to ask her a few questions about anyone he may have been in contact with in the days before Robby’s kidnapping.”

“So, I draw her out of the office long enough for you to get inside and plant a bug?”

“Actually, I imagine she’ll have me brought to her office as soon as I show up. I can plant the bug then. When you arrive, if you can get her to take you into her office and keep her there for ten to fifteen minutes, that would give me enough time to get into her private apartment.”

“It could work,” Bradley says.

O’Neill adds, “And right now, it’s the best plan we’ve got.”

“What time do you want me there?” asks Torres

I mull it over for a moment. “Eight fifteen.”

Maitlan takes the slip of paper from my hand and then heads across the hall, back toward his office. “I’ll call Mistress Darkness from my office. If we’re going to be offering her an obscene amount of
my
money, I want to be negotiating.” When he reaches the door he turns around just long enough to ask, “Whom should she tell them to expect?”

“Domina Sirena,” I reply before turning to Torres. “Any idea where I can get a latex catsuit and a whip.”

“Honey, I’m a single mother with two kids under six. Closest thing I could get you would be my orange tabby and a can of Redi-whip,” she says with a smile. “Text me the address, I’ll be there at eight fifteen sharp.”

I feel Zack’s hand on my elbow. “Let’s ask Mistress Darkness.”

Chapter Six

I survey the pile of shopping bags that adorn the king-sized bed in the guest room Maitlan has assigned to me. There’s an adjoining bathroom that links to a second guest room on the other side. The one assigned to Zack.

“Looks like quite a haul.”

I turn at the sound of Zack’s voice.

He’s leaning against the doorjamb. His pose appears casual, relaxed. But I’ve worked with him long enough to know there’s something about the mission that’s bothering him. I scoop up the bag of make-up and a flat-iron.

“I need to begin the transformation. It may take a while.”

He steps back into the bathroom so that I can enter. But he doesn’t leave. Instead he perches on the end of the large marble tub. “I’ve been thinking about something Torres said.”

I plug in the flat iron. My hair is naturally thick and wavy. Tonight it will be straight, worn in a ponytail high on my head. I need my overall look to be striking, severe. I dump out the bag of make-up. Pick up a tube of lipstick, Moulin Rouge. It’s a vibrant red. “What’s that?”

“About you being the buttoned up, librarian type.”

Of course Zack has seen another side of me. Our eyes connect in the mirror.

He clears his throat. “I have an observation. And a question.”

I pick up the flat iron and begin the process of straightening my hair. “Fire away.”

He scratches the back of his head. “I don’t know much about your kind.” There’s an uncharacteristic hesitation. “But I’d like to think I’ve grown to know a bit about you. Torres is right, in a way. You go to great lengths day to day to…” There’s a longer pause this time. Finally he finds the word he’s searching for. “Hide.”

I say nothing. He’s yet to ask the question. I wait and continue working on my waves, straightening the long cascade of locks into a smooth, shiny dark sheet.

“You’re so reserved most of the time. But I’ve seen you let go and when that happens…” Color rises to his cheeks. He stands, comes to lean against the vanity. “You’re going to be heading into a sexually charged situation. You’re going to be alone. I need to know if this is going to be a problem for you.”

I finish with the last bit of hair, quickly pulling it into a topknot, letting the length spill down my back before facing him. “I’ve been playing this game for a very long time. I know the dangers of letting go. That’s why I so rarely let it happen. This performance is all about control. I can handle it. In fact, you might say I’m uniquely qualified for it.”

He nods, seemingly satisfied. Yet he still doesn’t leave.

I start in on the make-up. Concealer for under the eyes, base, powder to set it. There’s blush, three different eye shadows of varying shades of gray, along with liquid eyeliner and mascara. Zack watches quietly as I use a variety of sponges and brushes to create a flawless canvas before beginning to paint. It feels intimate, and his presence is strangely comforting. Maybe it’s the fact that the tension between us has defused. That with Robby’s life at stake and a job to focus on we’re back on even keel. Maybe it’s the fact that the conversation is an honest one and that since the moment I bespelled him, took away his memories of our affair, there hasn’t really been a true and real conversation between us.

I blot my lipstick and then add a touch of gloss. “Now for wardrobe.”

I walk back into the bedroom, flip the cover off a large shoebox containing an impressive pair of leather boots. There’s a second box. I strip away the tissue paper to reveal a cat suit of exceptional quality. The collar is high. The racerback cut is sure to reveal my wings, or should I say the markings where my wings used to be. That’s something I hadn’t counted on. I slide the catch down on the zipper. It runs from collar to crotch.

I step out of my shoes. Begin to unbutton my blouse.

“I’m still here you know.”

My back is to him. The sound comes from the direction of the bathroom. This time it’s me who shrugs. “I know,” I say, removing my shirt. Unfastening the catch on my trousers. We’ve spent hours exploring one another’s bodies. It’s seems silly to act the modest coquette now. “Question is why?”

I’m down to my bra and panties.

When he replies I can tell that he hasn’t moved. He’s keeping a measure of distance between us. “Thought you might need help with the getup. That zipper’s going to be a bitch.”

I look over my shoulder. He holds up both hands. “Strictly professional.”

I don’t invite him in.

The bra and panties fall to the floor, then I turn around and sit on the edge of the bed, in all my naked glory. I don’t look up.

“I could ask one of the other guys,” he says, his voice quiet.

I shake my head. Feel my hair bob back and forth as it brushes against the skin of my back. I step into the legs, then stand, pulling the suit up, over my torso and pushing my hands through the armholes.

“Don’t bother. You’ll do,” I tell him, turning back around and sweeping my hair over one shoulder so it doesn’t catch in the zip. “You may enter, dog.”

It takes him only a few quick strides to reach me, to have my hair in his fist. His eyes, flashing blue, connect with mine. “Being submissive isn’t something I play at. I don’t need a mommy to spank me. You want someone to practice on before you go inside? Practice on Roger.” With that he reaches around behind me, slides his hand down between my legs to grab hold of the zipper. His thumb brushes across my clit, and an involuntary hiss escapes my lips. I remember a time that, thanks to Liz’s spell, Zack never will. A time when I’d wanted him, needed him, so much I’d practically begged. His eyes hold mine steadily as the fabric comes together over my ass, my back, my neck.

I pick up a boot. “Do you suppose I could get Roger to lick these?”

He swipes it from my hand, then plants his other in the middle of my chest and gives me a little push so that I fall back onto the bed. “I suppose you could get any man to do anything,” he replies, plucking the boot’s stuffing out and dropping it onto the floor.

“Even you?” I ask. Holding out one foot, inviting him to slip it on.

He obliges with a sad smile. “
I’m
pissed at you. Remember?”

My second foot pops out, ready to be sheathed. “What I remember, is you agreeing to put that aside for now.” I reach back on the bed, my fingers curl around the piece that completes the outfit, a Hermes riding crop. Nothing but the best for Maitlan’s Domina. A flick of my wrist and it snaps against my leather clad leg. “Are we all set with the equipment?”

Zack nods. “The bag’s ready. A few select items no Domina would leave home without inside the main compartment. Surveillance equipment stowed away underneath the false bottom. And, I called in an unofficial favor. Thermal imaging reveals no children in the building. Maitlan was right. If Eve does have Robby, she’s not holding him at Elysium. Jennifer’s ready to make the call.”

“Looks like I’m off,” I say, heading for the door.

Just as I open it he surprises me with, “I’m going with you.”

I stop dead in my tracks. “I’ve got this, Zack. Besides, there’s no way they would let you in. You heard Roger—”

“Not me, my wolf. We have a body count. You’re going in completely unarmed.” He waves in my direction. “You can’t even wear any protective gear. I can shift and recover from a bullet. You can’t. Think of me as a prop.”

“A prop.”

He smiles a bit sheepishly. “You know, you’re so bad you’ve tamed a big bad wolf.”

My hands move to my hips. “You’re confusing as hell, you know that?”

“I prefer to think of myself as complicated.”

“You’re telling me you can shift at will?” It’s a rare skill, and one Zack’s never mentioned. It’s something only the strongest Were’s can do.

“Handy, right?” he replies.

“You can control the beast?”

“One hundred percent, with the exception of that pesky leg humping problem.”

I roll my eyes. “Let’s go.” I turn to leave. Once again, he stops me.

“Emma!”

“What?”

“One more thing. I’d prefer it if you didn’t watch me change.”

I approach him. “You’ve watched me change.”

“True. But this is different. It’s painful and grisly. Once you see it, you’ll never be able to forget there’s a monster inside of the man.”

Suddenly he looks vulnerable.

My hand reaches up to cup the side of his face. He doesn’t pull away. “There’s a monster inside of all of us. You have the privilege of being better acquainted with yours than most.”

He takes my hand. Lowers it. “Say you understand. That you won’t fight me on this.”

“I understand,” I assure him. “I won’t fight you on this.”

There’s a knock on the door. I turn to find Maitlan. He’s giving me the once-over. His eyes hold more than curiosity. Before he says anything, Zack steps forward. “Were you able to get any sleep?”

Maitlan shakes his head. “Tried for the past hour. Not a wink. Where are we?”

“I have the results of the thermal scan. You’re right. Robby is not being held in the club. We got the warrant. The plan is the same, Emma will offer to take over Jennifer’s clients for the night. Torres will come in to distract Eve. Emma will then use the opportunity to get into Eve’s office and apartment and place the bugs. We’re ready to go.”