Page 46 of Love Me Carefully
“We talked to him on Sunday night. He said the drop was scheduled for Tuesday and things were expected to go smoothly.” Rubbing the stubble of beard that had begun to grow at his chin, Jeff sat back against the seat, thinking intently. “That was the last time we heard from him. I knew we should’ve put a tail on him.”
He’d been heading up this investigation for the Bureau for the last four years; it was time to bring it to an end. The pyramid of players was complete, pinned up on the wall in his office in D.C. They knew every one of them from the kingpin to the delivery guys. All they needed now was the big bust and he’d be on his way to Supervisory Special Agent.
But Douglas was becoming a glitch in the plan. A couple of months ago Jeff had begun to notice something different about the man. His comings and goings remained the same but his actions had changed.
“You think she’s with him?” Marty pulled another donut from the bag.
“I don’t know.” Staring into the window of the building, he conceded that he’d been thinking the same thing himself, but he didn’t dare verbally agree with Marty. His younger partner was cocky enough as it was. He wasn’t about to add to his already-inflated ego. “Let’s go talk to them.”
“You sure? It might tip ‘em off.”
“Something’s going on, I can feel it. Douglas is gone. His senior stylist/receptionist is gone. A twenty million dollar deal was supposed to go down three days ago, but we haven’t heard a word. Yeah, something’s going on.” Stuffing the file between the seats, Jeff checked the weapon holstered just beneath his left shoulder blade and, with a glance, advised Marty to do the same.
Cramming the uneaten portion of his donut back into the bag, Marty quickly wiped his hands on a nearby napkin and checked his own weapon. Getting out of the car, they both pulled their jackets closer around them and crossed the street.
The door swung open, setting off a jangling melody. Glancing above, Jeff spotted a wind chime made of miniature blow dryers and other hair salon equipment. Frowning slightly, he made a quick scan of the room. The waiting area was currently empty, the radio blared some R&B song, and the two women sat at their stations chatting about this and that. The other four stations were empty.
“Good morning, ladies.” Marty’s voice cracked just a bit at the sight of the women up close.
Keesha was up and out of her chair first, walking with her confident stride, sashaying ample hips, thumbs hooked between the belt loops of tight hip-hugger jeans that showed the rim of a sexy black thong. She’d gotten her hair done yesterday, so long black and burgundy braids hung seductively down her back except for one lengthy, wayward plait that dangled between the two lush mounds of her breast.
Jeff thought Marty’s tongue would fall out of his mouth as the young woman approached.Young boys, he thought cynically.
“Good morning, ma’am. I’m Special Agent Jeffrey Tobias and this is Special Agent Marty Blum. We’re with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.” Removing his badge from his back pocket, he flipped it for the woman who stood staring at him with expressive eyes.
“Well, well, well. What’ve we done to be honored with the presence of two such gorgeous men?” Sparing a cursory glance for the badge the taller guy flashed, Keesha was more intent on choosing which one she preferred. The one with the badge was tall, dark-skinned and fairly handsome, while the one with the cute smile had a creamy coffee complexion, curly hair, smiling brown eyes and a killer dimple in his left cheek. She wanted that one. Nikki could have the tough cop, she’d take the cute one.
“Did you say you’re with the FBI?” Nikki approached the group, eyeing each man suspiciously.
“Yes, ma’am. We’d like to ask you a few questions.” Jeff looked at the woman now standing in front of him. She was a lot prettier close up than in her pictures. Her face had been carefully made-up, with peach toned lips, and she frowned at him. Her skin was a shiny bronze accented by glittering golden-hued eyes. She was a very attractive woman.
Shaking his head, Jeff cleared that thought from his mind. He was here on business. “You’re Nicole Ayers, am I right?” The quiet shock in her eyes told him she now believed he was with the FBI.
“Yes. Is that what you wanted to ask me?” Nikki’s cool stare and poised stance gave the impression that she wasn’t the least bit bothered by being questioned by the FBI. But in truth her stomach was clenched, and, at any moment, she feared she’d relieve herself of her breakfast, right on this agent’s feet.
“No, ma’am. I have a few more questions.” Jeff cracked a small grin at her brashness. This wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d initially thought. She wasn’t as silly as her profile made her out to be. If she knew anything, she would be very careful about what she told him. A part of him prayed she didn’t know anything.
“I want to ask you about the owner of the shop, Donald Douglas.” Recognition flickered in her eyes.
“What about Mr. Donald? Is he in trouble?” Keesha’s loud voice shattered the private conversation between Nikki and Jeff, bringing Jeff quickly back to the matter at hand.
“I don’t know. We were just trying to get in touch with him. Do you know where he can be reached?” Marty asked.
“We have his home number.” Keesha smiled into Marty’s excited eyes.
“If you’re the FBI, you have his home number too, don’t you?” Nikki asked Jeff. She ignored the other guy, who was clearly lost in the cleavage Keesha so bodaciously displayed.
Jeff was beginning to like her sassy nature. He stared into those mystical eyes and answered, “We have his address and his phone number, but we haven’t been able to reach him. I was wondering if maybe you knew where he was. Did he say anything about a business trip, a vacation or something?”
“No, he doesn’t discuss his personal life with his staff.” Her answer was cold and brittle. But beyond that, Jeff thought, it was probably true. The odds of Donald Douglas discussing his personal affairs in the beauty shop were slim to none. The man wasn’t that stupid.
“Okay, what about Rosetta Pierce? Has she been around lately?” A small flicker of something Jeff couldn’t quite put his finger on flashed in her eyes for a brief second.
“No, I haven’t seen or heard from Ms. Rosie,” Nikki responded quickly.
She would protect the woman, Jeff noted. But did she really know where the woman was? Probably not, he figured. “Is Mrs. Pierce involved with Mr. Douglas?” This question had been on his mind for the past few weeks, so he was eager to finally have an answer.
Marty stood beside his partner, a little taken aback, because this wasn’t in the file. They hadn’t even discussed this as a possibility. He’d have to pay attention to the conversation and not the hot little number in front of him so he wouldn’t miss anything important.
