“Morning, sunshine,” Penny Larson, technology wizard, answered on the first ring. “Please tell me you’ve got something good for me. I’m bored out of my mind.”
“I think I might have something that’s going to make your day.”
“Oh, tell me.”
Elise explained her conversation with Archer last night. Penny already knew about the sex club. She was the one who’d hacked her way past Archer’s cybersecurity to get Zoey into Phoenix.
“Well, I’m not surprised Archer outsourced this,” Penny eventually said after Elise finished. “You are the best.”
“We are the best,” Elise corrected. “I couldn’t do this without you.”
“Well, that is true,” Penny laughed.
Meeting Penny had been a fluke. Three years ago, after Elise finished her mentorship with the greatest PI in New York City, Luke Hicks, she’d been working on a case for a wife who suspected her husband of cheating. Penny was working for that husband, trying to bury his secrets. Elise found Penny at the end of her investigation, and they’d been working together ever since. Splitting commissions. Kicking ass. “I’m going to courier the mask over to you. Can you take a look at it? And dig a little into the club. See if anything stands out to you.”
“You got it.”
“Perfect,” Elise said, grabbing an envelope. “You’ll be in touch when you’ve got something?”
“You know it.”
The phone line went dead. Elise tossed the burner phone back in her cabinet and locked it. After a quick review of her case this morning, she packed up her bag, sent the mask off with the courier, and took the subway to Midtown Manhattan.
Busy streets greeted her as she trotted up the subway’s staircase. It took ten minutes for her to arrive at the apartment where her latest client lived. Margaret Wadsworth was an outrageously rich sixty-year-old woman on a full-blown power trip. She hadn’t hired Elise because of a broken heart. She wanted evidence against her cheating husband so she could take him to court to get more money. Sad. But the truth was, these cases paid well. Elise could never charge someone who was really suffering of a broken heart her usual rate. So, when a gold-digging woman or rich scumbag came along, she’d up her rates to cover the difference. Most wealthy people didn’t blink an eye at her prices. Certainly not Mrs. Wadsworth.
She took a seat on a bench across the street from 15 Central Park West. A place you only lived if you were a multi-millionaire. Trying to remain discreet, she slid on her sunglasses, even though the day was cloudy, and grabbed out the camera phone Penny had given her. The quality of the camera could rival any full-sized one on the market.
It didn’t take long for Mr. Calvin Wadsworth to make her job easy. The doorman opened the door, and Mr. Wadsworth came outside with a young brunette who had a slim body and a model’s face. Having no shame, he hailed a cab, and before his lover got in, he kissed her like he was going off to war and not planning on coming back.
Elise began snapping pictures. She hated these cases, always had. They only reminded her how hard marriage was and why she didn’t do love. Her parents’ marriage had been abusive for as long as Elise could remember. She remembered the fighting between her parents that went on for hours, the horrible things her father said to her mother. Love only hurt people, and Elise wanted nothing to do with it. Over the years, she’d had a few long-term friends-with-benefits who worked for a while. Lately, she spent time with one guy who was studying to become a doctor and was too busy to date. Another was an asshole who broke hearts often. But they all had one thing in common. They didn’t want love from her. No attachment. Just fun. Eventually, they either moved away or found a woman who wanted more. No skin off Elise’s back. Love was meant for other people, not for her.
When her cell phone rang, indicating a FaceTime call, she quickly finished taking photos of the evidence she needed, then hit answer, spotting Zoey’s picture on the screen. “Hi, you.”
“Hey.” Zoey smiled. A natural beauty, Zoey had light hazel eyes that never needed much makeup and gorgeous long strawberry-blonde hair that always looked good no matter what she did with it.
Warmth immediately touched Elise’s chest. She missed living with Zoey, who’d moved into Rhys’ condo a few days ago. “How’s it going?” she asked, angling her phone to keep the sun’s glare away.
“Good. Busy, as always,” Zoey said. “Listen, I’ve got to be quick, but I was just talking with Archer.”
“Oh, and what did Big Bad Wolf say today?”
Zoey laughed. “Please call him that in front of me. Just once. Okay?” At Elise’s responding smile and nod, she went on, “He told me you’d be going to the club tonight to investigate.”
News to her. “When did he decide this? He hasn’t said a word to me.”
“He just left here, so maybe he’s planning to call you now. Anyway, I wanted to assure you that neither Rhys nor I will be at the club tonight.”
“Thank you for that small miracle. As much as I love you, Zoey, I really don’t want to watch you and Rhys getting it on.”
Zoey laughed, but she also didn’t comment, which had Elise thinking she wouldn’t care as much as Elise did. Maybe that made sense. Zoey did like going to Phoenix, living that erotic lifestyle. Elise couldn’t imagine having sex in front of others. Ever. “Thanks for thinking of me, though. Appreciate it.”
Zoey blew her a kiss. “Always. Love you.” Her gaze flicked up to something, then she nodded before addressing Elise again. “Sorry, babe. Got to run. Enjoy tonight.”
The last thing Elise needed was anyone getting the wrong idea. “There will be no enjoying. I’m there for a job. Remember?”
“Right,” Zoey said with a sly smile. “Then, I hope the job goes well.”
“Me too. Talk soon. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Zoey’s endearing, knowing smile was the last image on the screen before it went black. With a sigh, Elise tossed her phone into her bag right as a truck rolled to a stop in front of her. Both a spike of desire and annoyance raced through her as she spotted a smirking Archer looking down at her. It only irked her more that the first thing she noticed was the sexy flex of his forearm and bulging veins. She thought they had a truce between them, but obviously, he was keeping tabs on her, trying to stay one step ahead of her. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of thinking she cared that he’d likely tracked her cell phone to discover her location. Or that he’d used Zoey to do it. The smart jerk. “Yes, do you need something?” she asked him.
That sexy smile widened. “Just thought I’d confirm you’re good to come to Phoenix tonight.”
She gave a polite smile, ignoring the heat pooling low in her body that always came when he looked at her like he planned to have her for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. “Yup, all good.”
“Great,” Archer said. A beep on her cell phone had him adding, “That is the address for a doctor you can go see this afternoon. He’ll rush your test results so you’ll have them this evening. It’s protocol at the club to have a clear STD and HIV test before you can enter.”
She frowned. “But I—”