Page 34 of An Eye For Illusion

Moore heads east for a few blocks before he turns into a fancy restaurant that’s known around town. He pulls up to the valet and swings his door open. I pull in but instead of turning left towards the restaurant, I turn to the right and pull into a parking spot towards the back of the parking lot.

Moore stands and button’s his blazer jacket as he walks around the back of the car. The chesty brunette stands from the car when Moore places his hand out to assist her out. She cuddles into Moore has they both walk towards the entrance.

I raise my phone and swipe to my camera and start snapping pictures of Moore and the mystery woman walking into the restaurant together.

My hackles raise when Moore places his hand on the woman’s lower back as he escorts her inside. His hand a little too low to be professional but not low enough to be inappropriate.

“Who the hell is that?” I ask in the otherwise silent car.

I wait a few minutes, just enough time for them to be seated before I exit my rental. I go to the trunk of the car and pull out a blazer that I keep with me so I’m prepared to follow him wherever he may go. I put it on, quickly smoothing out some of the wrinkles that have set in from sitting in the car trunk. I make my way across the parking lot and inside the restaurant.

I quickly scan the restaurant and spot the pair sitting at a table with several empty tables around them. Bingo. How I get so lucky sometimes is a mystery to me, but I’ll take it.

“Hello, sir. How many are in your party?” the hostess asks as I make my way toward the lectern. It’s a nicer restaurant, but it isn’t as fancy as the one Moore and Jade were at a few nights ago.

“Just one, and if you don’t mind, I’d like to sit over there.” I discreetly point to a table close to Moore and the mystery woman.

“Oh, yes. Sure, that’s no problem.” The young girl smiles before clicking a few buttons on the tablet in front of her.

“Thank you,” I reply as she leads me toward the table I indicated just moments ago.

I keep my head low as I make my way closer to them. I can’t hear anything, but their body language says they know each other. While still sitting, she leans in over the center of the table, her chin propped on her hand with a playful smirk on her lips as he talks.

They don’t pay me any attention as the hostess guides me past, and I’m careful to keep my body angled away. She seats me at a table slightly behind Moore. I have a better view of the woman, which will allow me to get better pictures of her and stay out of Moore’s line of sight.

I sit and take the menu the young hostess offers me.

“Jessica will be with you shortly,” she says before she heads back up to the front of the restaurant.

Maybe this is the “out” Jade can use. I don’t think it’s what she expected. Though she seems so desperate for any reason to flee the alter that I don’t think she’d care.

I’m not surprised by this turn of events. I’ve followed him for weeks, and there haven’t been signs of cheating, which frankly, did surprise the shit out of me.

When I first took this case, I figured it would be a slam dunk. Find evidence the sleazy fiancé is cheating and turn it all over to the overbearingly annoying woman who hired me.

In and out.

Case closed.

If I’ve learned one thing over all the years I’ve done this kind of work, it’s to always expect the unexpected. This case is turning out to be more complicated and intricate than I could have ever imagined.

And just as I think that, Vinny—the boss of the organization I’m trying to infiltrate—walks into the restaurant and heads straight for Moore.

Chapter 12

Jade

“Ms. Foster, your father wants to confirm that you aren’t RSVP’ing for two for the charity banquet coming up in a few weeks.” My assistant stands in front of me, nervously toying with the pen in her hand while waiting for me to confirm the answer I gave her months ago.

It isn’t her fault my father won’t leave it be, so I’m patient when I answer. “Just me, Heather.” She nods as she writes on her notepad but says nothing further.

“Anything else?” I ask, wondering why she’s still standing in my office if we’ve covered everything we need to for the day. Heather seems more off kilter than normal. I like to go over my schedule in the mornings and iron out any hiccups that may have come up, but this isn’t usual.

“Well,” she says as she spins the pen in her hand. I raise my right eyebrow waiting for her to continue. She straightens, finding the confidence she lost just moments ago when the subject of the banquet came up. “Your father insisted you take Mr. Moore with you and wanted me to change the number on your behalf. So, I explained to him that you were very clear about your answer when you originally responded to the invitation.”

She says all that in one big breath, her words rushing together. When she finally finishes, her shoulders relax a bit in relief.

I honestly don’t know why she’s like this around me. I’ve never been unfairly harsh or downright mean so I can’t fathom what elicits this kind of reaction from her about me.

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