Tuesday night, Jules was determined not to even look at Keegan MacDonald, who sat brooding on the stool by the front door. When he walked in fifteen minutes late, that was the first time she’d seen him since Sunday. That fact made his position clear on how he felt about the kiss that had almost melted her into the door before he left the apartment. Totally unaffected and embarrassed maybe, that she’d initiated it.
He couldn’t be any more mortified than she was that she had taken that first step. He wouldn’t have to worry about her doing that again, though. From here on out, his lips were off limits—no matter what her body wanted or her mind conjured as to his wanting the same thing. She had totally misread his signals and paid the stinging price of rejection.
There would be no more softening toward him, or thinking he had loosened up with her. He could tease, flirt, and kid with her all he wanted, but she wasn’t falling for his games again. She’d thought about it all weekend, and figured out that’s what he was doing—coming on to her to get information. Why else would he have run off like a scalded ape when she turned up the heat and accepted what he was offering?
As for a partnership between them? There wouldn’t be any. He could do his own thing, and she would do hers. If she was lucky, he’d continue to shack up with his buddy, so she wouldn’t have to see him outside of the bar.
I’ll tell you what I can, Jules. I promise. Yeah, right. Is that why you rushed right back to tell me what you found out from your buddies at brunch?
If she wanted a permanent spot on the counter-terrorism team, Jules needed to get on the ball or MacDonald would beat her to the arrest. It was on like Donkey Kong now, so he’d better put on his track shoes and his thinking cap.
Another conclusion she’d come to, since she’d been able to think while he was gone, was that whoever sent him here had done so because she’d given nothing to Brand so far. They were tired of waiting. His comments at breakfast about her being on the case three months and finding nothing told her that.
With a case like this, which could endanger more military men overseas, the brass would want the traitor found quickly. She wanted that too, and if she hadn’t been alone there and slinging drinks while she was trying to investigate, she’d probably have found the leaker by now.
But the military didn’t care about excuses, or that she wanted to verify her facts before she presented them. The military wanted answers, so they sent in MacDonald whether Brand or she liked it or not.
MacDonald wasn’t her friend—he was her enemy—one who could totally destroy what she’d worked for during the last seven years. If he made an arrest before she did, Jules would be headed right back to the white-collar crime task force. She was not going to let that happen. White collar criminals had not killed her parents and by osmosis, her brother.
With a huffed breath, she loaded the drinks Frank handed her onto her tray and turned to go deliver them. Her face planted in the center of a man’s chest and she barely saved her tray when she bounced back.
“I need you to do me a favor,” MacDonald said, his hands holding her shoulders.
“Why in the hell would you think I’d help you with anything?” she asked with a snort. “Help yourself, buddy—I have work to do.” She tried to step back, but he held her tighter and leaned closer to her ear.
“I need you to find out what Candi’s boyfriend and that guy with him are talking about, because I can’t do that.” His hot breath scorched the shell of her ear and she tried to suppress her shiver but failed.
Okay, so Blane must be on his suspect list, she thought.
Why in the hell wasn’t he on hers, too? What did MacDonald know that she didn’t? Blane seemed harmless when he came in here to drop Candi off—and so did the guy who always came in to talk to him. She never even thought about adding him to her list.
“I’m not doing it unless you tell me everything you know about him. If you want that information, we’ll trade for it when we get off.”
“Fine—” he hissed, standing to run a hand through his hair. “Just find out what they’re talking about before his partner leaves. It’s important.”
His partner? Yeah, Blane was definitely on SEAL Boy’s radar. That made her feel like the FNG that she was. Give her a white-collar criminal and she could run him to ground in a heartbeat. This was a whole new arena for her, but she was determined to be successful.
Jules went back to the bar to grab a towel, then stopped and dropped off the drinks on her way to the stage. Blane and his friend were sitting at the far end, so she had to discreetly work her way over there, wiping tables. If she didn’t hurry, the stage seats would be filled so she wouldn’t be able to casually wipe down the bar there. She worked her way table by table to within hearing range, then set about scrubbing a spot on the closest one.
Blane slid his hand across the space between them and lifted his hand. Her heart stopped when she saw a yellow USB drive, which the other man quickly palmed and put into his pants pocket.
“Drop off the same?’ Blane asked.
“Yes, it’s in the locker. Khal says this better be more than last time.”
“Oh, it’s more. Last time was a fluke. I almost got busted, so I didn’t get everything,” Blane replied, then cleared his throat and leaned closer to the man. “Remember Leap Frog.”
“Got it—Leap Frog. Later.” The man pushed back his stool and stood. Jules quickly swiped her rag over the table, put it on the tray then scurried away.
God, she wished she had her phone with her, because she’d have gotten a photo of the guy with Blane. He had on a knit beanie cap, so she didn’t get a great look at him. Only the three-inch scar on his left cheek above his scraggly beard stood out in his olive complexion.
Jules didn’t head toward Keegan, because she was worried she’d be seen. She stopped and wiped several more tables and took a few drink orders on her way back to the bar. When she stopped at the serving window, he stepped up beside her and waited while she rattled the orders off to Frank.
“Flash drive, locker somewhere and Leap Frog,” she said, under her breath.
“Thanks. I’m not feeling well, so I’m going to the apartment,” he said, and then leaned over the serving window. “Frank, I need to leave. Montezuma’s Revenge. Ate some bad Mexican food last night.” Keegan added a moan, and puffed out his cheeks.
Jules bit back a laugh as she loaded the first drink Frank handed her on her tray. The man had better hope he was a good secret agent, because his acting skills left a lot to be desired.
“Well, shit—what am I supposed to do for a bouncer now?” Frank asked, his face flushed. “I should’ve never fired Trace.” He jerked the towel from his shoulder and dried off a glass, before filling it with the soda hose. “If you’re not back here tomorrow, you’re fired. And don’t be late—don’t think I didn’t notice.”
“Yes, sir,” Keegan said, and nudged her with his elbow as he hurried toward the side door. Jules knew why. He was going to follow Blane when he left, and she wished she could go with him. All she knew was he better be at home tonight so he could fulfill his promise to her or there would be hell to pay.
Jules watched him leave and turned to make the rounds at the new tables, but stopped when she saw Ari walk in the front door with a man she’d never seen before. The music cued the first dancer, the lights dimmed and she lost him. She would just about bet he was going to find Ruby in the changing room.
She turned and walked back to the bar. “I’m going to deliver this drink, then I need to go to the restroom, Frankie. Have Delores cover my tables for a few minutes.”
He grumbled something, but Jules didn’t wait around to figure out what he said. She set her tray down and headed backstage. Maybe Boris didn’t know everything, she thought, with excitement buzzing through her as she worked her way through the crowd. Her suspect Ari was here with someone new, on a Tuesday, which was out of the norm for him.
Jules had a feeling something was about to break loose and she was going to find out what that was. Maybe by the time MacDonald got home from his wild goose chase, he would be the one who was beat to the punch on this investigation.