Sandstorm (15 page)

“Daaaa-uummm.”

Alex was forced to turn away by what came out of Duncan’s mouth. “What is it?” he asked, searching. It was not the excited, pissed off usage of the word. It was more like admiration.

Alex focused on where Duncan’s gaze was fixated and then he, too, saw what demanded attention.

CHAPTER
26

To be fair, there were a number of beautiful women in the club. But as Duncan had pointed out, most of them still had much to learn about life and probably finals to study for. There were a few more women further along the age scale scattered about, but none were truly breathtakingly beautiful until Nora Mossa walked in.

Space seemed to open for her as men turned around to take a long look. The blond wig looked very natural, falling just below her shoulders. Part of it draped her high cheekbones. The black, low-cut crisscross dress she wore accented just about every aspect of her athletic body. Her feminine but defined arms hung freely. Her firm breasts were snugly wrapped and accented. From martial arts training and jogging, her legs were strong, a fact well displayed by the mid-knee-length hem. Black, strappy high-heeled sandals completed the look. Nora made her way to the packed bar where a young man tapped his friend in the back of the head. When he spun around in dumbfounded disgust, his friend shifted his eyes toward Nora, and his look quickly turned into a sheepish grin. He backed out of the way, allowing her access to the bar. In return, she threw him a huge smile. It didn’t take long for a bartender to fulfill her apple martini order. Nora again smiled at the two hypnotized young men as she moved on. “You still got it, woman,” Nora warmly thought to herself.

Despite the collection of eyes upon her, no one noticed how skillfully Nora surveyed the room. She located Alex and Duncan, and though she couldn’t read lips, she could tell Duncan was playfully giving Alex a hard time about something. Nora declined a couple of dance offers, raising her drink as an excuse as she went about heading for the second level.

“What?” Alex finally exhaled, lifting his head from his forward lean as he did so.

“Nothing,” Duncan responded, shaking his head. “Nothing at all.” Alex returned to canvassing the dance floor.

“I’m just saying,” Duncan chimed with a faraway look. “I mean, most people, uh, most would have never … Damn, man! You used to hit that!” Duncan’s eyes were wide in disbelief.

Alex took a sip from his drink. “Are you done now? Got it out of your system?”

Duncan raised his hands in defense. “I’m cool.”

“Good, because it’s time to get to work. The main attraction just arrived.”

“You ask me, the main attraction is already here.”

“Yeah, well, fortunately, nobody’s asking.”

One of the bouncers that had escorted Baum was on the move, providing the same lead blocking for Davis Lipton. Duncan had already left Alex’s side to seek another vantage point. No matter what spot he chose, his height would be an advantage. Alex made his way toward the spot where the bouncer would emerge. As he came into view, Alex briefly cast his attention upon Lipton, who was inspecting the room, sizing up the female population. Lipton’s wandering eyes narrowed noticeably when they got a glimpse of Nora standing nearby, her body swaying to the beat of the music. He was thoroughly distracted when he nearly lost his footing after bumping into something solid and seemingly unmovable. Lipton appeared annoyed when he realized it wasn’t a structure he’d collided with but instead, a person.

Alex, who had purposefully aided in the collision by stepping just enough into Lipton’s path, was also quick and strong enough to catch him before he totally fell on his butt. The gesture was not done out of kindness. It afforded Alex the opportunity to discover that Lipton was carrying a small-caliber weapon clipped to his waist at the small of his back.

Upon pulling him up and noticing Lipton’s perturbed look, Alex couldn’t resist.

“You okay, little fella?”

Lipton brushed himself off, knowing he had to have come across like a clumsy idiot. He mumbled something under his breath and shook totally free of Alex’s grasp. The bouncer was about to step in, but Lipton motioned for him to continue, wanting to get the scene over with as quickly as possible.

Alex was amused as Lipton went on his way. He also shot a look toward Nora, careful not to fixate on her for long, because even though she wasn’t looking directly back at him, he guessed her peripheral vision might catch him watching. He had to admit, she was wearing the hell out of that black dress. He then spotted a table filled with youthful, enthusiastic women. They’d been discussing him for some time. He surmised their location was a perfect place to keep a watchful eye on Baum’s business meeting.

“Ladies, good evening,” Alex said, giving all four eye contact as he sidled up next to them. “Everybody enjoying the night so far? My name is Alex. Can I buy you lovely ladies a drink?” The women welcomed the intrusion with inviting eyes and an expansive show of teeth. Alex heard the names, but they really didn’t register long-term. He only needed their camaraderie for a short time.

Baum didn’t stand to greet Lipton, preferring to remain seated as he shook his hand, offering him the space next to him. Alex noticed Craftson ever so slightly position himself just behind Lipton’s right shoulder, all the while keeping his head and eyes moving back and forth on all the bodies that strolled by.

Alex could also see that Duncan had ensnared the interest of a few females. Everyone was blending in nicely, just faces in a packed house. Alex did his best to feign interest in what the young women at the table were talking about. Each of them seemed fascinated by his presence, asking him how he stayed in shape. He was far removed from the boys they were used to being around. “Former pro athlete,” he informed them. “Football. Not the European kind. American.” Two of the women were familiar with the game, having attended college in the states. The other two were heading into their senior years of higher learning. Alex sensed several other questions were forthcoming, so he reduced the probability by grabbing the hand of the nearest girl, asking her to dance. She jumped at the invitation, overjoyed to be the chosen one. With the music blasting so loudly and bodies bumping into each other, there would be little, if any, verbal communication, just a few flirtatious grins and some innocent physical contact. Of course, Alex forgot about youthful enthusiasm. His dance partner soon laid her back against his chest, one arm waving in the air, the other draped around the back of his leg, pressing firmly. He had no choice but to place his right arm around her midsection so that he could stay in rhythm and not topple over. A few beats later, she gently broke free of his embrace and, bending at the waist, rubbed her butt up and down his crotch. Fortunately, there was a change of songs, and he escorted her back to the table in time to see Lipton carefully and deliberately typing on the laptop. Leaning back with his legs crossed, Baum kept a watchful eye on his methodical dexterity. Alex assumed a transfer of money was taking place as Lipton slid the laptop over to Baum, and after a few more keystrokes, it was over. One of the other women asked Alex if he wanted to dance. He had to almost shout in her ear that he was thirsty. He told her he’d be right back and headed for a bar station that still afforded him a glimpse of Baum’s area. Lipton and Baum were both drinking a glass of champagne now.

Without knowing any details, Alex had a feeling the world had just gotten a little more complicated and dangerous.

CHAPTER
27

Roughly twenty minutes after their champagne toast, Tobias Baum was on his feet, shaking Davis Lipton’s hand, their business concluded. Baum’s bodyguards assumed their positions, effectively forming a sandwich of protection. Craftson brought up the rear this time, and Alex needed to get in his line of sight. He made his way through the crowd as politely as possible, but it still was necessary to use his size to help persuade bodies to give way. Baum was approaching from about fifteen feet and slightly to his left. Throughout the evening, Craftson had managed to keep up with Alex’s general whereabouts. Locating him now was simple, especially since he wanted to be seen. Neither at this point knew the intention of the other, but Alex was hoping Craftson would give him some kind of sign, and Craftson was gambling Alex would maneuver close enough so that he could communicate without breaking stride or having to talk. It was no accident that Craftson brought up the rear. Doing so allowed him to deftly reach into his pants pocket to pull out a ten-dollar bill. Alex was now about to pass the group, heading in the opposite direction. Craftson brushed Alex’s hand, who in turn swiped the currency away, swiftly putting it in his pants pocket.

With Baum out of the club, Alex made his way back up to where Duncan was waiting. He gave him a thumbs-up sign and then followed Duncan’s head nod toward Lipton.

It was a wonderful feeling to see a fish swallow the bait so completely. Lipton was already feeling extremely impressed with himself after completing his dealings with Baum. Now, this incredible woman was occupying his airspace. For her part, Nora wondered how long she’d have to keep up this charade. She wanted to jump right into foreplay, let him know that she was horny and ready to get the hell out of here. But that might spook him into thinking something was amiss. A woman like her just didn’t fall from the sky and into your lap.

Nora had put herself in compromising positions before to take down a target or ensure an operation’s success. In none of those situations, though, could she recall wanting to inflict as much pain as she wanted Lipton to feel. It made her nauseated to think they were supposedly on the same team.

You poor little bitch. Soon you’ll be mine,
Nora thought as she smiled at the smug son of a bitch’s feeble attempts to be charming. In order to avoid hearing his voice, she took him to the dance floor, despite his mild protests about not being a good dancer. She kept him on the floor for a long time, working up quite a sweat. The heat radiating from her body made him want her even more, and every so often, she would coyly rub her breasts or pelvis against him while gyrating to the beat. He wanted to protest the awkwardness of being on the dance floor so long, but he didn’t dare do anything to blow the possibility of sleeping with her. Nora started counting in her head when she saw Alex and Duncan exit the club. She wanted to give them ample time to get in place, and besides, the dancing was actually liberating. It allowed her to relieve a sliver of stress and forget momentarily the predicament her life was currently in. She still had to deal with this bastard who actually thought he had a chance to get her in bed. She pulled Lipton close so she could talk in his ear, purposely letting him feel the sweat drip from her body.

“Do you have a car?”

He enthusiastically told her he was parked a couple of blocks down.

“Great. So am I. Let’s get out of here. You can follow me to my place where we can sweat some more,” Nora offered with a nibble of his ear, pressing her body hard against his for further effect. She then led him toward the exit.

Once outside, the night air hit their heated bodies and the cooling effect was refreshing. They began walking down the street, Nora positioning her body close to his as they did so. She engaged him in small talk, trying to take his mind off the surroundings, forcing him to concentrate only on her and the location of his car.

“This is me,” Lipton pronounced, coming to a halt in front of an Opel Vectra rental.

“I’m just in the next block.” Nora then drew him close and kissed him hard on the lips. That caught him by surprise, and he and Nora stumbled backward against the car, her back bracing them. He realized she was stronger than she appeared as her hands held him up until he could find firm footing again. He placed one hand firmly on the roof of the rental while the other found Nora’s left breast. She could tell he was totally aroused as they kissed again. Thankfully, it was all about to end.

Nora shifted her glance toward Alex’s hovering figure. Duncan was to his side, his frame effectively blocking the view of anyone back along the street toward the club. Nora withdrew her lips and quickly angled her head away from Lipton. He thought she was being coy and made an attempt to kiss her neck, but his intention was derailed by the fierce blow that came crashing down on the back of his neck. Lipton’s body immediately went totally limp. Once again, Nora held him up, but this time Alex also grabbed hold, allowing her to escape from underneath. She searched his pockets and found the car keys, unlocking the doors. Alex threw Lipton’s body in the back seat, unconcerned how it landed. Duncan came around and slid in alongside the unconscious man. Alex shut the door, and seconds later, with Nora behind the wheel, the Opel was out of its parking space and moving down the road.

Alex continued up the street to their rental car and took off in the same direction as Nora. As he drove, he knew there was no turning back now.

CHAPTER
28

“You!”

Davis Lipton was barely coherent, his mind slowly surfacing from the fog. His eyes were watery and narrowed, but he recognized the man who’d bumped into him at the nightclub. Sensing a sizeable amount of discomfort that ran from the back of his neck and down his spine, Lipton made an attempt to raise a hand. It was then he discovered that duct tape secured him to an uncomfortable chair.

Alex straddled a chair across from him, his arms resting comfortably atop the back.

The pain made it difficult for Lipton to keep his head raised for any measurable length of time. It felt much better to let it hang at an angle. He had no idea where they were. The room seemed large, but it could have been just a matter of perspective, since there was very little furniture, save for a few chairs and cabinet. There were no windows, so the only light source was a pair of low-wattage bulbs. The space felt stale, like a little-used basement. He took note that there was only one legitimate way out, and that was through a door toward the back. From the small space under the door seal he could tell it was lighter on the other side.