Turn on a Dime - Blane's Turn (26 page)

“You don’t know her,” Blane said.

“Neither do you,” Kade shot back.

“No one could be that good an actress.”

Kade heaved a sigh. “Fine. Have it your way. But I’ll bet she’s going to be at that party tonight.”

“She won’t be.”

“Fifty bucks.”

“Done.”

“. . .
and
you have to admit I’m a better shot than you,” Kade continued.

“That’s bullshit,” Blane said. “I taught you, remember?”

“And the student has surpassed the teacher . . .”

“In your dreams,” Blane scoffed.

“We could put an end to this if you’d let me go get her,” Kade reminded him.

“Forget it. It’d take too long and at this point, she’d just be collateral damage we don’t need.”

“Well, since we don’t have the code from the drive, and you’re unwilling to let me rattle the girl, I’m going to have to do it the hard way and break in to TecSol’s network,” Kade said.

“Should be a piece of cake, right?” Blane taunted him. “Or are you all talk?”

“Don’t try that reverse psychology shit on me, brother,” Kade said. “I’ll hack their network. Just give me time.”

“We have precious little of that,” Blane reminded him.

“Don’t I know it.”

“Be here tonight by nine.”

“It’s a date.”

Blane ended the call and pushed the phone into his pocket. There was no possibility that Kat would be at that party tonight. She didn’t work as an escort. If she had, it would have shown. No one could fake that kind of naive innocence.

Not unless that someone was very, very good.

Blane cursed, fighting back the urge to fling something at the wall. It didn’t matter. The seed of doubt had been planted. Kade had a point. Why had she been spying on them last night? How had CJ known to come for her? Kathleen would’ve had to call her, told her to come. It took at least a half an hour to drive from her place to his.

Questions with answers Blane didn’t want to think about drifted through his mind all day. His sheets still smelled of Kathleen’s perfume and he found long strands of her hair on his pillow. Scrutinizing his reflection as he tied the bowtie for his tux, he tried not to remember the feel of her, the taste of her. After automatically adding his silver and onyx cufflinks, he headed downstairs.

Kade had arrived and was having his usual drink in the den, studying one of the masks that had been lying on Blane’s desk.

“At least there aren’t feathers,” he joked as Blane walked in.

Blane had sent Mona out today to find an additional mask for Kade that was like the one he’d been given. Elaborately made, they were both black with tiny designs woven in silver thread, the ties made of silk ribbon. When worn they would cover more than half their faces.

Pouring himself a drink, Blane asked, “So did you have any luck?”

“TecSol’s network is behind three firewalls,” Kade said. “The last one is proving to be a slightly tougher nut to crack.”

“But you can do it, right?”

“Have I ever let you down?”

Blane swallowed the liquor. “No.”

“Then let’s go and don’t worry about TecSol,” Kade said.

“Oh, don’t you boys look nice!” Mona stepped into the den, a wide smile on her face. “My, my! So what’s the occasion? A post-Halloween party?”

“A rather . . . eccentric client,” Blane replied.

“Well, you both look quite dashing. I daresay you’ll catch quite a few ladies’ eyes,” she teased. “Speaking of which,” she addressed Blane, “what happened to that sweet girl you brought home the other night? Kathleen?” Mona looked expectantly at him.

“I . . . think she got a new job somewhere else,” Blane said, glancing away from her. He never could lie to Mona and he disliked doing it now.

After a moment, she said, “Well. That’s too bad. I liked her.” There was a world of meaning in that sentence and it wasn’t lost on Blane.

“Me, too,” he said quietly.

“You need to return Tigger at some point,” Mona continued. “Though I have grown attached to him. He’s been staying with us, so just let me know.”

Blane’s gaze met Mona’s. An excuse to see her again. As if she could read his mind, she smiled a little, her eyes twinkling, before she turned to Kade.

“Now be good,” she admonished him, straightening his tie.

“You never tell Blane to be good,” he groused.

“There’s a reason for that,” she said archly, giving him a knowing look.

Kade’s lips twisted in something close to a real smile. He lightly kissed Mona’s cheek and her face softened. To say Mona had a soft spot for Kade and he for her was a massive understatement. Not that Blane minded. On the contrary, Kade had been the best thing to ever happen to this family . . . or to Blane.

“Don’t wait up,” Blane said, grabbing his keys and wallet. His Glock was already in the holster under his jacket.

“Good night, boys,” Mona called after them as they left. “Have fun!”

“I’m driving,” Kade said, heading towards his Mercedes. “You drove last time.”

“Or I could drive your car,” Blane suggested, just to irritate Kade. Kade never let anyone drive his precious Mercedes, not even Blane.

“Like that’ll happen.”

Blane hid a smile as he slid into the front passenger seat.

The address Blane had been given led them to a house that resembled a Victorian mansion. Kade parked, and after they’d donned their masks, they walked to the wrought iron gate. Blane spoke the password he’d been given to the man guarding the entry and they were allowed through.

“Yeah, this isn’t creepy or anything,” Kade muttered as they headed down the long sidewalk to the front door. “What’s your name again?”

“Enigma,” Blane said in an undertone. No one was around, but the stillness of the scene made him want to speak as quietly as possible so his voice wouldn’t carry to anyone who might be listening.

“And what’s mine?”

“I don’t know,” Blane said, thinking. “How about . . . Omen.”

Kade seemed to think this over. “Hmm. Omen. Yeah, I like that. Omen it is.”

“Well, I’m glad
that’s
settled,” Blane said.

A woman wearing a long silver gown and matching mask met them at the door.

“Good evening,” she said to Blane. “You must be Enigma.” She held out her hand, palm down.

“I am,” Blane replied. He grasped her hand, bending to lightly brush the back of it with his lips.

Her attention shifted to Kade. “And your friend?”

“Omen.”

“Lovely to meet you both,” she said. “Please. This way.”

They followed her down a long hallway, lit only by a few candelabras. Shadows danced along the walls as they passed. Kade walked a couple of steps behind and to the left of Blane. At the end of the hallway, there was a set of imposing double doors nearly twelve feet tall. Two men guarded these doors as well, one of them moving quickly to open the entry.

Stepping inside the room, Blane realized they were in a converted ballroom. Tapestries and curtains covered the walls while the room itself most closely resembled a luxury outdoor lounge, complete with expensive furniture, potted trees, private alcoves, and candles scattered everywhere.

The woman led them to a bar set up in one corner before turning to them. “Let me inform you of the rules,” she said.

“The rules?” Blane echoed.

“It’s very simple,” she continued. “Do not press anyone for their identity, neither should you give them yours. If you find a lady who captures your interest and she is agreeable, you are welcome to enjoy her here. Further interactions can be arranged for the usual fee.”

“Which is?”

She smiled. “Five hundred an hour.”

Well.

“Enjoy yourself, gentlemen.” With that, she left them, heading back the way they’d come.

Kade approached Blane. Speaking low so only he could hear, he said, “Five hundred an hour? That’s a lot of money just to get screwed.”

“And they don’t even have a law degree,” Blane muttered back.

Kade snorted at the joke, moving away to get a couple of drinks from the bartender and handing one to Blane.

“At those prices and with the number of people here,” he said, “that’s a lot of money funneled through their fingers.”

“Agreed,” Blane said. “A little laundering and it could be what’s funding TecSol.”

“Why would Frank invite you here?” Kade asked.

“To have dirt on me, I’d imagine,” Blane said. “Blackmail.”

“Then don’t give him any opportunities.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.” Not to mention that paying for sex wasn’t really Blane’s thing.

“Let’s split up,” Kade suggested. “See what we can find out.”

“Don’t go far and we’ll meet back here,” Blane said. “I want to be able to leave in a hurry if necessary.”

“Roger that.”

Blane meandered through the paths laid out in the room. He ran across a few men who were willing to look him in the eye and give him a nod, but most continued past without acknowledgment. The women he saw were dressed impeccably and all beautiful, though they too wore masks.

Appearing like colorful birds of paradise, the women were artfully arranged on chaises and couches. It seemed a few had already been engaged for their services, judging by the couples in passionate clinches, hidden in the cozy alcoves.

Pausing behind a group of trees, Blane listened to a couple seated on the couch on the other side. He knew the man’s voice and was just trying to place it.

“I do believe you’re new,” the man said.

“Is it that obvious?” the woman replied, her voice nearly too soft for Blane to decipher.

“A bit,” he answered. “But don’t worry. We’re really all quite harmless. Well, most of us are harmless,” he paused. “I’m called Mercury.”

And Blane realized who it was. James Gage. Now why wasn’t he surprised that James would be here?

Moving slightly so he could peer through the leaves, Blane couldn’t see James. But what he did see made his blood go ice cold.

Only one woman he’d ever known had hair that color.

“I would like very much to get to know you better,” James was saying to her. “Would you like that?”

“I just need to get something to drink,” Kathleen said, getting to her feet. “I’ll be right back.”

Blane stepped back into the shadows as she hurriedly brushed past him.

He couldn’t believe it. Kade had been right. Had Santini hired her? Blane wouldn’t have thought he was that smart. Guess he was wrong.

Furious, Blane followed her, though he had no idea what he was going to say. Though
will I get a bill for last night or had it been a free sample
might be a good place to start.

She headed unerringly for the bar, glancing to the side now and then. When she spotted a couple screwing in a chair, she sped up.

Kade was loitering by the bar and Blane made eye contact, moving to stand a few yards away by a fireplace. He tipped his head toward Kathleen as she stepped up to the bar. Kade glanced over, and to his credit, no shit-eating grin crossed his face that he’d been right. He just gave a curt nod to Blane and closed in behind her.

Blane couldn’t hear what Kade said, but she jerked around when he spoke and Blane got his first good look at her, which promptly robbed him of breath.

She was gorgeous. The dress she wore tightly fitted the curve of her waist and hips while accentuating her cleavage with a dipping neckline. It was strapless, leaving her ivory shoulders and the tempting swell of her breasts bare. The color was an iridescent aqua that shimmered in the light. Her hair was pulled back on the sides with jeweled combs that sparkled when she turned her head. The heavy mass of her hair lay in perfectly crafted waves down her back, smooth and begging for a man’s hands to sift through it.

After a moment, Kade sidled closer to her. He whispered something in her ear and Kat’s gaze lifted, meeting Blane’s. Her hand visibly shook when she saw him, her lips parting slightly in shock. It looked like the mask was no more a deterrent to her knowing his identity than it was to him knowing hers.

Setting the glass of champagne down on the bar, Kat turned and hurried away from him. Blane started after her, but was intercepted by Kade.

“I found out Gage is here,” Kade said.

“Yeah, I saw James, too,” Blane said, watching as Kathleen turned a corner out of sight.

“Not Junior,” Kade corrected. “Daddy.”

Blane jerked his attention back to Kade. “William Gage?”

“The one and same. Codename is The Patron.”

Blane stared for a moment. “No shit,” he muttered. “Looks like we may have found our launderer.”

“What do you mean?”

“Gage’s specialty is Finance,” Blane explained. “He’s the best. Laundering money would be child’s play for him.”

“And if he knew of a company who could deliver a specific election result—”

“—you could get your son elected as District Attorney and even if there were suspicions, there’d be no one to prosecute—”

“—and you could sell any election to the highest bidder,” Kade finished.

“You know that software TecSol wrote isn’t just running the Indy election,” Blane said. “I dug through their books this morning. They’ve sold that software to hundreds of municipalities all over the country. All set to go live on Election Day.”

“We need that code,” Kade said.

Blane glanced down the path where Kathleen had disappeared. He needed to know the truth. Had she played him? He made to push past Kade.

“What are you doing?” Kade said, grabbing his arm. “Forget the girl.”

“I want to know why she’s here,” Blane insisted.

Kade sighed. “Fine, but she knows your name. She knows you’re Enigma. Said she was Lorelei and that she was looking for you.”

“Then why’d she run off?”

“How the fuck should I know?” Kade hissed, glancing around them. “Maybe she didn’t recognize you.”

A thought struck Blane. “Or maybe someone told her that Enigma killed her friend and when she saw it was me, she panicked.”

Kade’s look was one of disbelief. “Yeah, that’s not a reach or anything,” he scoffed. “C’mon, Blane. Think with your head and not your dick.”

Blane pulled his arm loose. “Give me a few minutes, then we’ll leave.” He heard Kade snort in disgust but ignored him, intent on following Kathleen.