The Shifter's Conspiracy (Paranormal BBW Werewolf Romance Novella) (12 page)

“Elias, just answer me honestly. Are you using me as bait?” I asked.

He hesitated once more, then turned and looked directly into my eyes.

“Yes,” he said quietly.

“OK. That’s all I wanted to know. I’ll do it. I just wanted to hear you say it.”

Elias went on to cover the plan in more detail. The operation would be taking place just after midnight, and we’d stay in the hotel until about an hour or so before then. Elias had arranged for a black car to pick us up at 10:30 PM. First we’d go to my apartment so I could change into more appropriate nightwear. Elias would wait for me in the car, keeping guard over the front of the apartment.

After I had changed, we’d head to the club. Once we arrived, we would part ways. Elias would stay in the car as I headed into the club, or, given its enormous popularity, wait in line as the bouncers admitted people. Elias would have the driver circle the block a few times, keeping an eye on my progress in the line. Then he’d be dropped off a block away and walk over and join the line himself.

These precautions seemed excessive, but Elias demanded them, citing their absolute necessity to the sound execution of his plan. It was crucial that I appear to be alone. If whoever was engaging in these abductions saw me with Elias, they would most likely back off and refrain from making any moves.

Once inside the club, the plan was simple: I’d head to the bar, order a drink, and wait. We didn’t know what exactly we were looking for, but Elias said that was the nature of an operation like this. It would require me to improvise, modifying my behavior and interactions based on whatever new information was forthcoming. If I did this well, there was at least a small chance that someone involved in the abductions would reveal themselves.

I emerged from my apartment in the sexiest dress I could find, a tight suede jacket draped over my shoulders to fight off the cold air of autumn. The black car was waiting outside, its polished body shining in the light of the streetlamp hovering directly above. Shocked by the icy feel of the metal door handle, I opened the car door and slid inside.

When Elias saw me his eyes grew wide.

“What?” I asked playfully.

“Nothing. Nothing.”

“No, it’s not
nothing
. What was that look for?”

“You… you look very nice tonight.”

“Thank you,” I said. “But that was part of the plan, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Elias laughed. “Of course, of course.”

He reached over and touched my hand and it felt like pure electricity was flowing through my body. There was something in that touch, more than the reassurance of a friend or coworker. I looked up into Elias’s eyes, but couldn’t see much in the dim light of the car interior. Shadows streaked his face, the only source of light coming from outside the car, just barely making its way through the tinted glass of the windows.

But that touch told me everything. I didn’t have to see his face to know that his expression was one of desire, of an unspoken passion that he’d been forced to hide below his surface of professionalism and solemnity.

Knowing that he wanted me made him even more irresistible. It was all I could do to stifle my own desire, to push thoughts of Elias out of my mind and concentrate on the goal at hand: apprehending one of these criminals in the sting at 41X.

We were on our way to the club when Elias turned to me once more.

“Tess, there’s one last thing we need to take care of.”

“What’s that?”

“The wire. We need to hook up your wire.”

“Oh, right. I hope this dress isn’t too tight.”

“It’s a bit on the tight side, but they’ve made huge advances in this type of technology. It’s not like the old spy movies. These are nearly impossible to detect.”

“Alright.”

“Turn around, please.”

I turned around and felt Elias unzip the back of my dress. It felt good having his hands on me, and once again my thoughts drifted in a direction they probably shouldn’t have, given the urgency of the situation at hand.

Easing the dress of my shoulders, Elias gently pulled on my arm to turn me back to face him.

“Can you pull the front of the dress down a bit more? You’re wearing a bra, right? We need something to hook this mic to so that it won’t be visible from outside.”

“Yes, I am,” I said, lowering the neckline, exposing my bra to him.

I felt a slight graze of his fingers on my right breast as he moved to attach the microphone. Then he stopped sharply.

“I’m sorry. Do you want to do this part?” asked Elias, his voice sounding slightly apologetic.

“No, it’s fine. You know what you’re doing.”

“OK.”

I shivered involuntarily as his skin touched mine, lustful thoughts welling up inside of me. What type of man was Elias, that a simple touch could evoke such a complete response from my body?

“Alright, it’s all set. I see it’s registering a signal and I’m getting sound on my phone.”

“It goes to your phone?”

“Yes, which means I can listen in on everything. I’ll be keeping an eye on you physically, and I’ll also be listening in. So you can rest assured that you’ll be safe,” said Elias, pressing my hand once more.

It was almost as if he could sense exactly how I felt. Even though I tried to appear confident, in reality I was incredibly nervous about what lay ahead. Truth be told, I was absolutely dreading the moment I’d be forced to exit the car and queue up in the long line outside the club. Knowing that Elias would be able to listen in while I waited alone gave me some solace. Still, I knew we were playing a game with exceedingly high stakes.

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and said a silent prayer.

Elias slumped back in his seat as he watched Tess get out of the car and into the long line outside the club. He told the driver to wait, and spent a long moment watching her before finally telling the driver to circle the block once. He kept his eyes trained on her until the car took a corner and put her completely out of sight.

He sighed, thinking of the trials of the night ahead. There was no question that what they were doing was extremely risky; after all, he’d kept it off the books because he knew Dr. Geiss and Agent Henderson would never approve. In the end, Tess
was
being used as bait. But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t the most important thing in the world to Elias right now.

He’d seen it in her face when she’d entered the black car. That look in her eyes. He couldn’t push that image out of his head. She’d always been beautiful to him, but seeing her dressed up like that only kindled the fire of desire within Elias’s heart. He wondered if Tess knew how he felt.

What impressed him most about Tess wasn’t her beauty. That aspect of her was undeniable and certainly played a role in his intense lust. But what really drew him toward her was her spirit, her complete and utter courage in taking on this role. He knew that she wanted to solve this case as much as he did, and she was willing to do anything to get the job done. He respected that sort of bravery and determination. It was what he prized most in his own character and he was always shocked to find those rare humans who could match him in this area; Tess was one of those humans.

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard chatter coming across the wire, chatter that differentiated itself from the white noise of the many people waiting in line to get into the club. Someone had approached Tess directly.

Miss, you can go to the head of the line
.

Really? Why?

We need more girls inside
.

More girls? There are about fifty girls waiting in line ahead of me
.

More girls like you
.

Like me?

Yes. Come on inside. Enjoy a few free drinks on Mr. Cipriano
.

Elias’s head perked up at that name. Their ruse was working, and apparently a little
too
well. They hadn’t planned for this and Elias could sense Tess’s thoughts, he could feel her wondering what she should do. He channeled an answer in her direction, telling her to do as the man asked. He couldn’t tell if she’d heard him, until he heard her answer come across the wire.

OK, thank you. Tell Mr. Cipriano I said ‘thank you.’

Suddenly, I found myself following a burly bouncer who led me to the front of the line and lifted the velvet rope, offering me entrance into 41X. I knew this wasn’t part of the plan, but it seemed like the best course of action. This was our best chance to get up close to Mr. Cipriano, the owner of 41X and Arturo’s, and also the prime suspect in the case.

I didn’t know if I was making the right choice, but I heard a voice in my head that told me to just say yes and take the easy in. Maybe it was just a hunch, or pure instinct, but I decided to trust it.

The inside of the club was very dark. The bouncer remained at the entrance of the club, so I made my way to the bar. I figured that if they’d taken the trouble to expedite my entrance to the club, it wouldn’t be long until someone came to talk to me. At the bar, I ordered a vodka soda with a twist of lemon.

“Thirteen-fifty,” said the bartender as he slid it in my direction. “Do you want to pay now or start a tab?”

“It’s on Mr. Cipriano,” I said confidently, taking a sip of the cold drink.

The bartender gave me a funny look then walked over to another bartender. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he said something quietly to the second bartender. This bartender left quickly, slipping through a backdoor at the end of the bar.

A few moments later, a man appeared at my side. He was middle-aged and very dapper-looking, dressed in a sleek designer suit and holding a glass of scotch in his hand. I noticed a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist, a watch that easily cost more than my rent for the entire year. He didn’t have to introduce himself for me to know who he was.

“I hope you’re enjoying yourself,” he said, reaching out his other hand. “Paul Cipriano. This is my club. And your name is…?”

“Tess. Tess Andrews,” I said, making up my last name, but not sure why I’d chosen to do so; Elias and I hadn’t discussed anything of that nature.