The streets of Louisville were alive with more activity than usual. You could always count on the regulars being out and about, but tonight the atmosphere seemed to hum with a strange, restless energy.

As they drove along, Amber reveled in the thrum of excitement coursing through her body. She welcomed the new brand of adventure Blue had brought into her life. They were on a mission to save a life tonight and she felt powerful because no one knew what they were up to.

“You better be careful or you might start enjoying a little chaos here and there,” Blue said, finding it all too easy to know what her partner in crime was thinking.

Amber looked over at Blue’s darkened profile in the driver’s seat. The dim streetlights cast ominous shadows on her face. “When did you start reading minds?”

“Goes with the territory, I guess. Just make sure you get your adrenaline fix from me and not anywhere else. I’d hate to have put a bullet in your brain. I’ve gotten somewhat attached to you.”

“Stop playing like that. It isn’t funny.”

Blue’s head slowly turned in her direction to meet her eyes with an even gaze that showed no emotion. “Who’s playing? It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve ever had to kill someone I had feelings for.”

Amber swallowed hard and forced a smile. “Well, I plan on growing on you so much, you’ll never be able to put a bullet in my brain. So there.”

Blue turned her attention back to the road. “Not possible. Compartmentalizing is a requirement in the cartel. Never underestimate my ability to separate my emotions from my job, darling. I’d hate to have to do it, but I would.” She glanced at Amber. “But I’d hate it. It would kill me.”

“Are those emotions I see there?” Amber said, trying to inject some levity into a moment that suddenly felt far too heavy. “So you do have a heart. Who knew?” Amber had no doubt Blue would put a bullet in her brain if she had no other choice. But she decided she wasn’t worried about it because she would never give Blue a reason to. If Blue wanted loyalty, then that’s what she’d get. Every girl could use a faithful friend, even if that friend just so happened to have bloodstained hands.

“Yeah, I do, and it’s made of stone.”

Though no smile was visible on Blue’s face, the amusement in her eyes couldn’t be hidden. Amber knew a smile that reached the eyes had to be real. “Better watch it or I’ll turn that heart of stone to flesh,” she said, batting her eyelashes dramatically for effect.

“You’re the one who better watch it, or I’ll have you between the sheets promising me the moon just to let you come.” Blue said it casually, as if discussing the weather.

“Oh.” Amber’s cheeks heated and she swallowed again. “Well, that would be a first for me.” Amber frowned as if bemused by the idea.

Blue grinned smugly, knowing exactly what images were flitting across Amber’s mind. She knew because she’d been there to hear her moaning about them. “Well, I’d love nothing better than to lick and suck and kiss your sweet pussy over to the dark side.”

“Your depravity knows no bounds,” Amber laughed awkwardly, her cheeks practically on fire as she imagined Blue doing just that.

“You have no clue, little girl. Oh, the things I could do to you.” She glanced over at Amber and licked her lips. “You haven’t really had your pussy eaten until you’ve been worked over by someone who understands what you need. Just sayin’.” Her eyes narrowed. She straightened in her seat as she scanned the sidewalk they were passing. Time to get down to business. Pleasure could wait. “Now, let’s go find a little wayward lamb. I hope that’s the case and that she’s just wandered away from the fold and will have the good sense to come back where she can be taken care of. But it’s impossible to predict what we’ll find. It’s going to be a hell of a lot harder if something bad has happened to her. It can be hard to get anyone to talk out here. You start asking questions, and suddenly nobody saw or heard anything -- like I’m supposed to believe they were all at church.”

As soon as Blue parked, Amber hopped out of the Cadillac Escalade. It was a beauty. Blue had access to a fleet of cars and seldom drove the same one. It kept people from identifying the cartel to the police. She liked keeping a low profile. It was easier to stay alive that way. Blue stepped onto the sidewalk and assessed her surroundings. Somebody knew something. Someone always did. She just needed a solid lead, just needed to find someone willing to talk.

“So what are we doing?” Amber said lightly as she hooked her arm through Blue’s.

A wave of irritation prickled over Blue’s skin. She needed to impress upon Amber the seriousness of the task they were about to embark upon. Her orders on this job had come directly from the Ramirez brothers. Failure was unthinkable. “Stop playing around. Just keep your head down and your eyes open,” she bit out.

“Geez, bite my head off, why don’t you?” Amber choked out the words as she stepped away from Blue, reeling from her stern words.

Blue whipped around, grabbing Amber’s shoulders in a fierce grip. She stared down at Amber’s wobbly bottom lip for a long moment. Then her lips were on Amber’s before she had time to think it through. The thing that shocked her even more, though, was that Amber was kissing her back.

“Is that what you want, baby?” Blue hissed moments later, breathing hard against the girl’s lips.

Amber flicked her tongue against Blue’s upper lip and giggled, “I kissed a girl and I liked it. Imagine that.”

Blue’s breath hitched. She shook her head, then straightened and took a step away. She couldn’t help but smile. This woman/child she’d taken under her wing was bringing something into her life she couldn’t remember ever having: joy. Sheer, absolute joy. Her heart raced at the thought of what was surely going to happen between them, sooner rather than later. But that would have to wait.

“Always remember, the streets have eyes and ears,” she warned grimly as they began walking together.

“So it’s just a matter of finding the right ones.”

“You got it, baby girl.”

Amber felt a surge of reassuring warmth at the intimacy and acceptance in Blue’s words. For years she’d been told she was nothing. Even though she didn’t believe it, the words still hurt even though they were coming from a dirt bag pimp and parents who had long ago shunned her. If she did get involved with Blue, it would be the final nail in her sinful coffin as far as her pious parents would be concerned.

The streets were humming with activity. An eclectic mix of hookers, pimps, drug dealers, and drag queens mingled on the sidewalks and in the alleys. Blue and Amber didn’t exactly blend in. In fact, Blue wondered if they might be attracting a little too much attention; hopefully she could use it to their advantage to connect with someone who could lead them to the elusive Kat.

“Damn, baby, you are one fine specimen of woman. You looking for a daddy? I’ll be your daddy tonight, I’ll treat you right…”

Blue ignored the catcalls of the pimps who stood on the corners watching their investments strutting around in miniskirts, stripper heels, and tops that were tight enough to show ample cleavage. She was a woman on a mission. She was more concerned with the familiar group of working girls she had spotted on the next corner.

She smiled confidently as she was greeted with a friendly chorus of “Hey, Blue!” and “Girl, look at you, working that leather tonight…”

She understood these women. She could so easily have been one of them. “Ladies, I need your help with something. Have any of you seen this girl?” She held her phone out with the recent picture of Kat on the screen.

Amber felt an unexpected stab of jealousy and found herself glaring at the prettiest one. She was the youngest in the group and was chewing gum playfully as she looked Blue up and down, all while giving Blue a smile that was a little too friendly. The girl gazed up at Blue and slid the tip of her tongue between her lips to blow a bubble. She let her tongue wiggle suggestively before popping the bubble and resuming her chewing. “Why do you care, Blue?” she asked coyly.

Blue smiled at her indulgently, which only encouraged more bubbles. “Clover, you’re looking lovely tonight. You ladies need to be careful,” Blue said. She still held her phone up and the girls huddled around looking at it. “This woman has gone missing. We’re trying to figure out what happened to her. She might need help. She might even be dead. We don’t know. But somebody knows something. You know how this sort of thing works.”

“What, you gonna protect us, Blue?” the girl asked flirtatiously.

Blue slipped her arm around Amber, pulling her in close, “I’m too busy protecting this little beauty.”

Amber glared at the young woman, who was still staring at Blue like she was a snack she couldn’t wait to nibble on. Amber felt a prickle of unease along her spine as she realized the girl’s confident flirtation could only mean one thing: she knew exactly how to touch a woman like Blue to make her feel good. Amber would be flying blind if she ever ended up in bed with Blue. What a disaster.

“That don’t mean you can’t protect more than one stray.”

The word ‘stray’ dripped off the young woman’s lips with such disdain that it sent Amber over the edge. She bristled at Blue’s side and took a step toward the girl. “Just who the hell are you calling a stray, bitch?!”

She wasn’t expecting the woman to laugh at her, but that’s what she did. Blue pulled Amber hard against her side. She slid her hand over Amber’s hip, then dipped her hand lower and gave her ass a slow, proprietary squeeze. “I’m a one-woman woman, you know what I mean? When I do something, I’m all in.”

Amber’s eyes widened in shock. She looked up at Blue with a bemused expression, her lips forming a perfect ‘O’. Blue was looking down at her with a possessive gaze that had Amber pressing her thighs together restlessly.

“Hmmph,” Clover huffed haughtily. She knew when she was out of contention. “I hear there’s a new pimp, but he’s not working down here. One of my regulars wasn’t here last night, said he was across town sampling some new fetish pussy. Wouldn’t say anything else about it. Sounded creepy, though.” She shrugged. “That’s all I got.”

“Um, can I talk to you alone, Blue?” The soft voice came from a girl with mousy brown hair who had been hovering in the back of the group. She stepped forward almost gingerly and shyly met Blue’s eyes, her voice barely above a whisper. Her demeanor was so timid that Amber had a hard time imagining her servicing the johns that frequented this part of town. She was very young and even dressed the part, wearing her hair in a low ponytail and rocking a school uniform and knee socks. The mile-high, platform stilettoes on her feet gave the outfit a trashy edge, as did the push-up bra visible through her mostly unbuttoned, sheer button-down shirt.

“Bye-bye, Blue,” Clover said smoothly, as Amber and Blue ushered the frightened girl into the alley for a private chat. Amber couldn’t resist turning around and giving Clover the finger, which sent the rest of the group into a fit of appreciative laughter.

“You better leave that girl alone, Clover. She’s gonna beat your ass and then laugh about it later while she’s feasting between Blue’s legs!” The comment prompted a fresh round of squeals and hoots of laughter.

Amber’s face blanched at the suggestive verbal jab, even though it was directed at her nemesis. She knew she couldn’t possibly live up to the oral expertise they were attributing to her. And surely Blue knew it too. And yet, Amber wasn’t sure where this new feeling of possessiveness was coming from. All she knew was that it was gaining strength and there was no reasoning it away. Her head knew to keep calm, but her emotions weren’t having it – and neither was her hot and bothered body.

When the girl was certain they were alone she spoke quickly. “I know that girl in the picture. She’s a loner, shunned by the other girls because of her meth problem, but she’s always super nice to me, always speaks to me.”

Blue gave her a kind smile. “What’s your name, baby?”

“Daisy.”

“You know something, Daisy, and you need to tell me what you know. It’s okay. You can trust me.”

Daisy nodded abruptly, seeming to make up her mind about something. “I saw her a couple nights ago. She got into a beat up, little red car with some white guy.”

“Can you describe him?”

“He didn’t stand out. Just average. Kinda dirty looking, though.”

“That doesn’t really narrow it down,” Blue said gently.

“Well, here,” she said eagerly as she held out a slip of paper. “I wrote down his license plate number. I don’t know why I did it, I never notice that stuff. But there was just something about him that didn’t seem right.”

“Good job,” Blue said, taking the scrap of paper from her hand. “I won’t forget this, Daisy. If you ever want to get off the streets and work for me as an escort, give me a call. Wouldn’t you rather have clients that bathe regularly and who might actually pay to make you feel good?”

She held out a business card. A black background with gold lettering. Classy. It was the first time Amber had seen one of Blue’s business cards and it only reinforced her opinion that her new friend was anything but average.

“I’ll think about it. I mean, I’m not worried about me, but I think your missing friend is in real danger,” Daisy continued. “Like I said, I never pay attention to the johns except for mine. But I couldn’t look away when he drove away with her. I expected them to just pull into an alley, but he kept going and took her out of town. We don’t do that. We all know better than that.”

“That’s really helpful, thanks. So why do they call you Daisy?” Blue asked playfully.

“Because I’m such a wallflower. I don’t like all the drama around here. I just mind my own business and do the work, you know?” She just shrugged as if that would tell them all they needed to know, and in a sense it did.

“You’re doing just fine and you’ve been a real help. And I meant what I said, Daisy; I’ll be looking forward to your call. From what I can tell, you’d fit right in.”

For the first time, the girl smiled. They said their goodbyes, then Blue and Amber quickly walked back to the SUV. They had what they needed: a solid lead. It had been a productive evening.

Amber held the question that was on her mind until they were back on the road. “That was easy. What do we do now?”

“Now the real fun begins. We contact Tony Ramirez and see what he can find out about this guy. Tony’s Ricardo Ramirez’s son. He has a twin brother, Victor. Tony can find anyone with the right information. With his military training, he’s the best at what he does. If anybody can find this guy, he can.”