Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: An Addison Holmes Mystery (Addison Holmes Mysteries Book 5) Read online

  “Right,” I said, wincing. I was going to have a lot of explaining to do to Kate.

  Chapter Six

  Sunday (Barely)

  I woke with a startled gasp as someone pounded on the van door.

  By the time I’d dropped Scarlet off and headed back to the agency, I was plain tuckered out. I also wasn’t ready to show anyone my haircut yet, so I avoided going inside the agency and skipped out on dinner with my mother and Vince.

  I did call Kate and let her know what had happened between Scarlet and Ugly Mo so I could get a discount on my van. Kate said I could have the case with her blessing if I’d keep Scarlet out of the agency while she was in town. I figured that was probably a pretty good trade off.

  Mo had sent me a file on Jasmine, including an actual photograph instead of the graffiti likeness, as well as her daily habits and friends. According to Mo, Saturday night was girl’s night, because the weekends were big business for Mo and he wanted her out of the way while he was doing business. Jasmine and a group of her friends had VIP access at the Tiger Lounge from eight in the evening to two in the morning. The Tiger Lounge was a strip club on the outskirts of Savannah, and never in a million years would I fit in if I tried to go inside and get the scoop. The best I could hope was to catch her coming out when they were finished.

  I wasn’t about to call Scarlet for a midnight stakeout that might result in a whole lot of nothing, so I’d gone to bed early and set my alarm for twelve-thirty so I could get a feel for Jasmine Jackson. I’d chalk it up to basic recon and fill Scarlet in later.

  I’d found a primo parking spot on the street in front of the agency, and technically, I was pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to be sleeping in my van. But I figured no one would really know I was inside unless I kept the lights turned on or the generator running. Which pretty much made my camping experience miserable as I was cocooned under a mountain of blankets and I’d eaten my takeout Chinese in the dark.

  The knocks sounded again. Bang, bang, bang in rapid succession. Someone knew I was inside, despite my attempts to go unnoticed. Or maybe they didn’t know I was inside, but wanted to steal my very swanky new pad and they were checking first before they broke the window and hotwired the car. Maybe it was Ugly Mo’s competitor.

  I stayed stock still and picked up my phone to check the time, hiding it under the covers so no one saw the light. It was just past midnight. It wouldn’t be long before my alarm went off. Whoever was at the door had cheated me out of twenty-two minutes of sleep.

  “Addison, open the door,” I heard Nick say. “It’s an emergency.”

  I scrambled out of bed, stubbing my toe against the little table that I couldn’t figure out how to fold back up into the wall. And then I hit my head on the cabinet above the sink.

  “Ouch, dammit,” I said, rubbing my head and hopping on one foot.

  A thousand thoughts were going through my mind. I’d grown up the daughter of a cop and there was still that entrenched fear of another cop knocking on the door in the middle of the night to deliver bad news.

  I fumbled for the door handle, still not familiar with the locks and mechanisms that worked the van, and I shoved the door open, whacking Nick right in the shoulder. A cold blast of wet ice blew in and smacked me right in the face.

  “Ouch,” Nick hissed, rubbing his shoulder and pushing me back as he came inside. He shut the door behind him and we stood in the dark in the tiny space.

  “What happened?” I asked. “Who’s dead? What’s the emergency?”

  “The emergency is it’s fucking cold outside and it’s sleeting. How are you staying warm in here? I thought I’d find you frozen like a popsicle.”

  “I’ve been buried under blankets trying to sleep. And now I’m cold because you woke me up.” And then I thought about it. “Wait, how’d you know I was even in here? I just bought this thing today.”

  “Don’t remind me. Ugly Mo isn’t exactly known for his legitimate business practices.”

  “Are you having me followed?” I asked suspiciously, thinking he might be getting back at me for putting the tracker on his car. And then I realized my phone hadn’t vibrated to alert me Nick was in the area.

  As if he were reading my mind he smiled and said, “I took the Audi. You forgot to put a tracker on that one. And of course I’m not having you followed. I’m a cop. You’re not exactly known for your subtle behavior. I get phone calls at all hours reciting your misfortunes. By the time I got to the scene this morning I knew what kind of donuts were in the box. I don’t have men watching you, but there are plenty of cops whose job it is to watch Ugly Mo.”

  “I feel like my rights are being violated.”

  “Try being a cop,” he said wryly. “You’ll get used to it.” He turned on the flashlight on his phone and the area lit up.

  “I thought you looked different,” he said, staring at my hair. “What happened to your hair?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean, what happened to my hair? I got a haircut. And I like it.”

  “Hey, I like it too. It just took me off guard. You look like Anne Hathaway. But not when she was a toothless prostitute. After she started gaining weight back after the movie.”

  “That’s better,” I said, nodding.

  “It smells like Chinese in here. It’s making me hungry. I just got off work.”

  “Any news on the Chandler murder/suicide?”

  “Nope. We’ve been told in no uncertain terms to wrap up the investigation. That we’re trying to find something that’s not there because he was a cop.”

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  I could tell Nick was pissed. Nick didn’t often get pissed. He was pretty even-tempered, especially in tense situations, which was probably a good personality trait for someone who carried a gun and had to deal with people who were more than likely lying on a pretty regular basis.

  “I think I don’t really have a choice but to close it up and write the report. The mayor was very specific.”

  “I ate all the Chinese,” I said apologetically.

  “It’s okay. I didn’t come here to eat dinner. I really like your hair,” he said again, touching the nape of my neck.

  He took a step closer. Things were getting very warm, very quickly. I wasn’t built to be in enclosed spaces with Nick for long periods of time. He had a pheromone problem. Or maybe it was me with the problem.

  “Umm…you said something about an emergency,” I said, swallowing heavily.

  “Yep, it’s a dire emergency. Life or death.”

  And then he kissed me and pulled me against him, and I realized it was a dire situation indeed. I wasn’t sure how he’d gotten his pants zipped, but they practically popped right open when my hand brushed against the button.

  Nick was one of those men who exuded sex. His body was a work of art and his face looked as if it had been sculpted by the gods. Thank goodness he’d broken his nose somewhere along the way, or he would’ve been too perfect to look at. This was the first relationship I’d ever been in where I hadn’t had to come up with excuses to avoid sex. I’d always had the impression that maybe I just wasn’t a sexual person. It turns out having sex with the right person made a big difference. Looking at him always turned me on, and I wondered how long it would last. I was hoping forever.

  He jerked my sweatshirt over my head and I hitched my legs up so they wrapped around his waist. We wobbled unsteadily for a moment as he caught his balance and moved toward the back of the van.

  “I thought I had another week,” I said, panting. His mouth slid down my neck and I felt his fingers working at the ties of my pajama pants. My eyes crossed and I think I whimpered.

  “You do, but if I wait another week I’m going to spontaneously combust.”

  “I’ve been spontaneously combusting for the last three weeks. Maybe you should’ve tried it to keep the edge off.”

  “Are you complaining?” he asked, nipping my bottom lip. His hand slipped beneath my elastic waistban
d and felt firsthand that I wasn’t complaining at all.

  “Nope, not me,” I said.

  There was a lot of cursing and bumping into things on the way to the little bed I’d been sleeping in. I was pretty sure we weren’t going to fit, but Nick was very creative when it came to sex. And truth be told, spontaneously combusting on my own wasn’t doing it for me anymore.

  There were times for romance and finesse. This wasn’t one of those times. A few minutes later we were both sweaty and naked, trying to catch our breaths.

  “I’ve made my decision,” I said, sprawled halfway on top of Nick. “I’ll marry you.”

  “Nope, you’ve still got a week to decide. I’d don’t want you to say later on that you were coerced.”

  I blew out a breath and knew he was right. I wasn’t capable of making rational decisions at the moment. A man who knew his elbow from a G-spot was a hot commodity. Then I heard my mother’s voice in my head saying, “Act in haste, repent at leisure,” and I shuddered, wondering why I was thinking of my mother.

  “What’s wrong?” Nick asked.

  “I might have pulled a muscle,” I said, just to change the subject.

  “That explains the weird sounds. I didn’t remember you being such a screamer.”

  His heart pounded against my ear. “You think people could hear us?”

  “On the off-chance that a group of people were gathered around the van in the sleet and cold, then yes, they could probably hear us. Besides, you know we rocked this thing. Anyone driving down the street probably knew what was going on.”

  “Ohmigosh,” I said, embarrassment flushing my body. “My mother is going to find out.”

  “Your fear of your mother finding out things is a little weird. You’re a grown woman. What’s she going to do to you?”

  “It’s just the principle of the thing. She’ll give me that mom look. It’s terrifying.”

  “I’m guessing the mom look yours gave you growing up was much different than my mother’s. I think the look isn’t as effective when hazed with gin.”

  I looked up so I could see his face. Nick hadn’t had the best childhood. Growing up with money hadn’t meant a lot when affection from his parents had been tied to what he’d achieved. Nick becoming a cop had been his way of rebelling against them. He’d never expected to fall in love with the job. And they’d never forgiven him for it.

  Light from the streetlamps seeped through the cracks of the blinds on the windows, and the stark angles of his face were cast in shadow. I shivered at the sight of him and he rubbed his hand up and down my arm soothingly. I sighed and snuggled closer.

  “If it makes you feel better, your mom and Vince got caught by a patrolman last week over in Thunderbolt.”

  “Got caught?” I asked.

  “I think they’ve both lost their minds. Imagine getting caught bare-ass naked in the back of a car that’s recognizable all over the state.”

  “Ohmigosh, why did you tell me that? They got caught having sex?”

  “What did you think I meant? It wouldn’t have been near as exciting if they’d got caught playing checkers. Vince flashed his badge, so it was no big deal, but you know how the gossip spreads.”

  “They’re like teenagers ever since they got married. Can’t even sleep in the house with them they’re so loud. They’re old enough to know better.”

  “Your mom is only in her fifties. I think Vince is too. Fifty is the new thirty. You and me, babe, we’re going to still be rocking the van a couple of decades from now.”

  The alarm on my phone went off, and we both jumped at the intrusion. I’d completely forgotten that I’d set it.

  “Oh, crap,” I muttered, fumbling across the tiny bed for the phone I’d left on the table. “I’ve got to work. And I need to shower. I smell like sex.”

  “You’re working tonight?” Nick asked incredulously. “You can’t go out in this weather. No one knows how to drive in this stuff. This is the south. People lose their damn minds when anything frozen falls from the sky.”

  “Ugly Mo hired me to find out if his old lady is selling her body and his secrets to his competitor.”

  I felt Nick go stiff, and not in the way I’d just enjoyed. “I’m assuming you turned him down, since it’s against Kate’s policy to take outside jobs.”

  “Nope, I didn’t really have a choice. Aunt Scarlet accepted on my behalf.”

  “That’s a mess you don’t want to get in the middle of.” Nick sat up and started pulling on his clothes. “Ugly Mo is a criminal, but he’s mostly a criminal with a conscience. Fat Louie is a cold-blooded killer. If Mo’s old lady is two-timing him with Louie, then she’s as good as dead. Mo would kick her out. But Louie will keep her until she’s outlasted her usefulness, and then we’ll find her body in the river with her throat slit.”

  “I’ve just got to follow her around a couple of days and give a report to Mo. We made a trade for the van. I can’t go back on my word. Besides, Kate gave me permission.”

  He stood and was practically vibrating with anger. “How is it that you keep finding yourself in situations like this? Everyone in this city knows to stay out of Ugly Mo and Fat Louie’s business. The cops have been watching them for years with nothing to show for it except two dead undercover agents who got too close to Fat Louie. How are you going to keep yourself alive if you don’t bother to learn what the dangers are? Naivety isn’t an excuse anymore. If this is your job, then you need to know the score and learn the best ways to stay alive. I’m not marrying you so I can become a widower.”

  I haphazardly pulled on my clothes, my own temper in full steam now. “You won’t have to worry about that because I’m not marrying you.”

  “Yes, you are. You just said so.”

  “I take it back,” I yelled. “And stop telling me how to do my job. Kate didn’t seem overly concerned about it. I’m not an idiot. I’m armed and I can take care of myself. Last time I checked I’m a better shot than you are.”

  That was hitting below the belt and still a sore subject for Nick. He hadn’t expected me to be an expert marksman. I’d grown up with a gun in my hand. That had been me and my dad’s bonding time.

  “Be that as it may,” Nick said coldly, the frigidness of his words making me shiver. “You’re still a woman about to go out in the middle of the night in what I’m assuming is going to be a bad part of town. You’d better hope Ugly Mo put in bulletproof glass. Sitting on the side of the road in a vehicle like this is asking for trouble. And if Fat Louie finds out what you’re up to, moving out of state is your best bet. But still not enough. He’ll find you.”

  “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get to work,” I said, just as coldly. I did it better than he did. He might have been born from an ice queen, but I was a Southern woman with an attitude. We invented frigidity.

  Nick muttered something under his breath and I was pretty sure I could pick out the words stubborn and foolish. He zipped up his jacket and pulled a watch cap out of his pocket, slipping it on his head.

  “I’ll check in later,” he said, opening the door and letting in a rush of cold air and icy rain. “I’m off this weekend.”

  “Fine,” I said, feeling slightly let down that there were no slammed doors.

  I turned on all the lights and cranked the generator. I had just over an hour to get to the other side of town and see what Jasmine Jackson was up to. My clothes were on inside out and I was only wearing one sock. I needed a strong pot of coffee and a hot shower.

  Chapter Seven

  I ended up getting the shower and the coffee from inside the agency. I wasn’t ready to rough it in the van yet, especially considering I hadn’t stocked it with fluffy towels or body wash. Or toilet paper. Though that was easily remedied after I “borrowed” some from the employee bathroom.

  I wasn’t completely sure why I was mad at Nick. Probably because he was mad at me, and that was my typical reaction when someone got upset with me. I wasn’t very good at taking criticism. At least
not at first. Once I had time to let things soak in, I usually found that the person giving the criticism was at least partially right, but I came from a long line of stubborn women. Besides, Nick knew me well enough to know that’s how I’d react. It seemed to me he’d try a different approach if he didn’t want me to fly off the handle.

  I knew he was worried, but this was my job, and it wasn’t going to change. We’d had the same argument before, and it usually ended in the same way. The last time he hadn’t been happy about my job he’d broken up with me after I’d been shot, though I could totally see his point. Bullets added a whole new level of realism to a relationship.

  I don’t think he’d actually broken up with me this time, but it seemed like boggy ground. And to his credit, I could see why he might be worried. I was a magnet for disaster. But I usually learned from my experiences, and other than the sunburn I got at the nudist colony, it had been a while since I’d been injured on the job.

  Nick was right about one thing though. No one knew how the hell to drive when ice started falling from the sky. It took me half an hour to get to the highway, and I passed several fender benders along the way. Everyone else was going at a snail’s pace, and an enterprising young man on the corner was selling cat litter. I still wasn’t sure what that was for. Were we supposed to scatter it in the streets? Keep it in the trunk? Hit someone over the head with it and take their coat? It was a toss-up, but the guy on the corner was making a killing.

  By the time I made it to the Tiger Lounge it was about ten minutes until two. I circled the block a couple of times, amazed that many people had decided a strip club selling lots of alcohol was a good idea on a night the roads were going to freeze over, but what did I know?

  The Tiger Lounge was housed in an old, two-story wooden building that looked to be violating several city codes, at least from outside appearances. The roof had once been red, but had faded over time, and a balcony went around the entire second floor. I could see the ice building up on the railing, and bit my lip in indecision. It was dumb to be out in weather like this. And when this place shut down and everyone started getting in their cars it was going to be really dumb to be out. Georgia did not deal well with weather that included anything but dry.