Unfinished Hero 02 Creed (6 page)

Shit!

I buried that and asked, “Me first, what?”

“You first. I’m ride-along, maybe it would be good to know what I’m ridin’ into.”

“Hit The Retreat. Check in at the office. If there’s time, check in on Serena. After that, Knight,” I told him.

“You still on The Retreat job?” he asked, exposing just how much he’d looked into me which meant just how often he’d followed me.

I’d never tagged a tail.

Damn.

“Man, I’m
always
on The Retreat job,” I informed him. “Every third asshole who cheats on his wife takes his bitch to The Retreat. My ass is in the parking lot there so often, management suggested they paint my name in a parking spot so it’ll be reserved.”

“Not good for business, a PI’s name in a parking spot,” Creed muttered.

“That’s why I declined. That’s me, looking out for the local adult resort.”

I heard his chuckle and it was different than I remembered too. Not just deep and smooth, the rough was in it. It made it sexier. A lot fucking sexier.

Shit.

“You ever been there?” he asked.

“Where?” I asked back.

“The Retreat,” he answered.

“Partner, were you talking in your sleep thirty seconds ago?”

“I meant as a client, not an investigator.”

Oh yeah, I had. Rubber mattresses. Fake silk sheets. Velvet comforters. Mirrors on the ceiling. Hot tubs in every room. “Environment chambers” where you could fuck in a gentle rain, breeze or both. Swings. Love machines. Steam rooms. Twelve channels of porn. Rooms available at matinee rates.

I’d
so totally
been there.

“So we
are
talking about our pasts?” I asked and he was silent. “Advice,” I went on. “You feel like an adventure, call the top in the environment chamber. Seems like it’d be awesome but that water hitting your face all the time is distracting.”

That got more silence, which worked for me because it meant he shut up.

It stopped working for me when it went on a long time. He had a month of a possible hostile takeover of Knight’s business to catch me up on and he couldn’t do it in sign language when my eyes were on the road. This was because I couldn’t see his hands and I didn’t know sign language.

I glanced his way again, mouth open to say something then I glanced straight ahead and shut my mouth.

I did this because his stubbled jaw was tight and his head was turned slightly to look out the side window.

Unhappy thoughts. Unhappy thoughts I did not give one shit about.

“Rule,” I said quietly into the car. “You don’t wanna know, don’t ask.”

“Deal,” he muttered immediately and that killed too.

I knew why. For some reason, it fucked him up that I’d had experience of The Retreat. Why this would be, I did not know.
He
disappeared on
me
and he’d done it nearly sixteen freaking years ago. He couldn’t think I’d been holding out, pining for him all that time. He’d looked into me, he knew I didn’t. At first, I didn’t have a choice. Then, I did and I sure as fuck took advantage of it.

I wasn’t going to think about that either.

“You wanna fill me in on what you’ve learned for the last month?” I asked as I kept moving us toward The Retreat.

“Yeah,” Creed answered. “You know Drake Nair?”

“Yup,” I replied.

“You know who he is to Knight?”

“Been in Denver awhile, Creed, and almost all that time, I’ve known Knight.”

“So you know Knight stole his stable
and
his club right out from under him.”

“Yup,” I repeated.

“And you know he’s back in town.”

“Didn’t until last night but yeah, Knight filled Rhash and me in. Rhash already knew. He flew under my radar. Nair’s half asshole, half moron and since most people can’t think very well with their ass, even though they try, he’s not much of a threat so can’t say I pay a lot of attention to him.”

“Asshole with money gets other people to think for him,” Creed replied as I took a turn onto Colfax.

“This is true,” I muttered before switching gears and shoving the last bite of toast in my mouth.

“Been watchin’, Nick hasn’t got near him. Nick doesn’t keep good company, though. He’s not doin’ blow all the time now but he doesn’t have great friends. Been too busy and, without a partner, only had so much time, couldn’t make a connection. That doesn’t mean the connection between Nick and Nair isn’t there.”

“Right,” I said through a full mouth then finished chewing and swallowing before I asked, “Now tell me what else has kept you busy.”

“Makin’ sure you and Rhashan Banks are clean.”

My head whipped to the side and I stared two full seconds before I looked back at the road feeling like I’d been punched in the gut.

I thought he’d looked into me because that was what I’d do. I had a prospective partner pinned to me, I’d know him inside and out before I got anywhere near the job.

I didn’t think for one second Knight set him on me.

Or Rhash.

“Knight set you on Rhash and me?”

“Knight said it was a waste of time.
I
investigated you and Rhashan. Shit like this, no stone unturned. He’s blinded by history and loyalty. He hired me because I’m not.”

“Well, just to confirm,” my voice was barbed, “neither of us would fuck Knight. Ever.”

“Any way that could be?” he asked and I glanced at him again before looking at the road.

“Don’t wanna know, partner, don’t ask,” I said quietly and felt his eyes on me.

“This shit, I
need
to know. He’s deep with his woman. You two got history I haven’t learned, affects everything, including us working together. You two hook up?”

“No,” I replied.

“Ever?” he asked.

“No,” I repeated.

“Wanted it?” he pushed. “Either one of you.”

“Yeah, absolutely. We discussed it, found we weren’t compatible but that was years ago, one night we both had too much to drink. The other part of that incompatibility is that, you fuck up what we got with sex, it’ll never be the same and what we got is worth
never
fucking up. You with me?”

“Yeah,” he muttered.

“Then I’ll make sure you’re totally with me. I’m tight with Anya too. We’re solid. She has no reason to know Knight and I even discussed that shit, even one night when we were getting hammered and letting it all hang out. She doesn’t need that thought in her head. He’s not deep with her, Creed, she’s his life. Their daughter is his life. His family is the most precious thing to him, a man who’s got everything so he’s also got a lot to choose from and his two girls are his choice. Do not fuck that and do not put me in the position where I’m even a
little
responsible for fucking that.”

“She the jealous type?” he asked.

“Don’t know and seriously do not want to find out. There’s even the barest possibility of losing that, Knight will lose me. I got two people who mean something to me, Creed, and he’s one of them. You take half of my world away from me, for sixteen years, you were a memory for me and that’s what I’ll make you for your kids too, except you’ll never stroll back into their bedrooms while they’re sleeping. You still with me?”

He was silent a beat before, “Two people in your life who mean something to you?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah.”

“Banks?”

“He’s not the other one. We’re tight but not that tight.” He was silent again and this lasted more than a beat so I prompted, “Did you get me?”

“I got you, Sylvie,” he answered quietly.

I flipped the left turn signal on, slowed, stopped, waiting for my opening and pulled into the parking lot of The Retreat. I found my spot and reversed expertly in it. I switched off the ignition then I reached behind Creed’s seat to grab my camera. I rested it on my thigh, grabbed my coffee, threw back a slug, returned it then yanked out my cell, found the number and hit go.

It rang twice in my ear before I heard, “You’re killin’ me.”

I grinned into the phone as I stared at the building. “C’mon, buddy, what would you do without my incentives?”

“They find out I’m giving you info, they’ll find other places for their rendezvous.”

“There are no other places in Denver who rent for an afternoon and have rubber mattresses, Clyde,” I reminded him then continued. “Looking for a guy, five ten, salt and pepper, glasses, paunch, suit, drives a Chevy mini-van.”

“No mini-van,” Clyde stated.

“He been in before?”

“Fuck,” Clyde muttered.

He had.

“Wednesday’s his day, yeah?” I asked.

“Fuck,” Clyde muttered.

“Crisp bill, Clyde.”

“They usually get here around one.”

I looked at my watch. Five minutes.

“Right,” I said into the phone. “I’ll be in the office with your money after they check in and get to their room.”

“Fuck. You’re killin’ me.” Clyde was still muttering.

“They ever quit coming?” I asked.

He didn’t answer my question because they didn’t. They always kept coming in more ways than one.

Instead, he said, “See you in ten minutes.”

I grinned again and flipped my phone shut.

“Clyde the day clerk?” Creed asked as I shoved my phone back in my back pocket, grabbed my coffee and the camera. I took a sip of it as I switched the camera on.

“Yup,” I answered as I shoved the coffee back between my thighs then I looked to him. “So, the last month, Drake Nair on radar but nothing, Nick Sebring on radar but nothing and you ascertained that Rhash and I would never fuck Knight. You get anything else?”

“Lively did the full check on your girl’s client last night,” he replied. “I followed him through it even though he didn’t know it. When you hit that house last night, I was as surprised to see the for sale sign in the yard as you were.”

This was good to know.

“So Live isn’t falling down on the job,” I surmised.

“That’s still up for debate. I just know none of the team has deposited anything unusual in their accounts. They’ve also not purchased anything unusual, high ticket items or even medium range toys. Half-assed tails, they aren’t off the beaten path or normal routines. Phone records show nothin’ either. So if there’s a mole, he’s playin’ it smart and that means we dig deep.”

“There’s no mole,” I told him firmly.

“We still gotta look, Sylvie,” he returned, his eyes holding mine.

“Yeah, and that sucks for me because these are my boys. If they ever find out I did this shit, I’m a rat. They’ll get over it, the loyalty they have to Knight but it’ll take a while and I may never have their trust like I’ve got it now.”

“But you’ll do that for Knight.”

I nodded. “I’ll do it for Knight.”

He kept his eyes locked with mine as he said softly, “And the girls.”

I nodded again and didn’t speak softly when I agreed, “And the girls.”

He didn’t look away and he didn’t speak for long moments. I knew what he was thinking as he looked at me.

He knew why I’d risk a rap sheet for those girls.

Then he spoke.

“New deal.”

I rolled my eyes and when I stopped rolling them, I stated, “Jesus, partner, I can’t keep up.”

He didn’t reply to my comment.

Instead, he said, “I work the team. You work Nick and Nair.”

I didn’t suck in breath but I held it because that was cool. Way cool.

Creed kept talking. “We stay tight, meet often, talk often, debrief and you need me, I’m there. I need you, you come when I call. But I look into the boys. That way, you’re not a rat. If they find out you worked this, they’ll find out you didn’t work them. Even if I turn up nothin’, I’ll undoubtedly turn up somethin’. Everyone has secrets. I uncover them and they don’t pertain to this investigation, you’re none the wiser. They haven’t shared with you, when this is over, they’ll know you
don’t
know. They can trust you got nothin’ on them. They can trust you didn’t turn traitor. Keeps you solid with the team.”

Yeah, that was cool and that was huge because it stated firmly
he
was cool. He got it. He got the team. He got the importance of the team. And he got me.

“Deal,” I whispered.

His eyes moved over my face then over my shoulder and he muttered, “Mini-van.”

I looked over my shoulder and watched the mini-van drive into the lot and past my car. It parked two spots down. My target got out the driver’s side door as a Nissan sedan drove in and passed my ‘Vette to park just beyond the mini-van. My target waited for his piece and, thinking quickly, I moved my travel mug to the floor.

When they began walking toward reception, they’d have to walk in front of my car.

This meant they might see us and wonder why we were sitting in the car and not going at it on a rubber mattress covered in fake silk sheets, all this accessible only feet away.

Therefore, my hand shot out tagging Creed around the neck. I angled across the emergency brake, pulling him sharply to me and crushed my mouth to his.

One second elapsed before two strong arms curled around me, tightened and hauled me across the brake, twisting me so my back was to his hard thighs and Creed hunched over me, his mouth pressing hard against mine. One of my arms angled across his back, the fingers of my other hand drove into his hair and curled, fisting the thick softness in my hand.

Ten more seconds elapsed and my heart was thundering in my chest so hard I could feel it in my throat when his head came up.

I forced myself to recover quickly and quip, “Way to sell it, partner.”

He grinned down at me, my heart squeezed at seeing it so damned close and he replied on a murmur, “Gonna do it, go big.”

“We share that motto,” I informed him.

“Good to know,” he returned.

“I gotta position. Got photos to take,” I reminded him seeing as he wasn’t letting me go.

“New plan. You go in and pay off Clyde. I’ll take the camera, get in the room and get your client enough evidence to nail his balls to the wall. When I’m done, I’ll meet you at reception.”

“I’m all for nailing a lying, cheating asshole’s balls to the wall but usually shots of them entering the room work.”

“Shots of him entering something else would work better.”