So Tempting (4 page)

"He's looking for his way. You can't do that for him. Especially when you refuse to acknowledge your own abilities." Myra had it in her head that Jace had some kind of bullshit woo-woo skills she wasn't using.

"Don't start on me." When Jace was young, her mother had sometimes prattled on about a grandmother with mystical gifts Jace might have, too. Back then she'd thought it romantic and exciting, but that was before her world had collapsed and she'd wised up to reality. That was not and never would be any part of who Jace had made herself.

Badly, she wanted to pace but forced herself to stand still. "He says he's required to leave his past behind, go through some ritual. It sounds like some kind of Satanic thing. You heard about this one?"

"A whisper here and there, but nothing substantial. We could look, though, if you'd work with me to help focus my sight."

Jace narrowed her eyes. "I'm serious, Myra."

"So am I, hon." But it was said gently because Myra was not one for confrontation.

Jace knew how miserable hard feelings made her friend. She was too soft for this world. So Jace forced herself to be gentle, too, in the only way she knew, by keeping it light. "Well, sooner or later, every nutcase in Santa Fe comes through this shop. Will you let me know if you hear anything?"

Myra rewarded her with a smile. "I'll take that as a compliment to the popularity of my wares."

Jace grinned. "Always the optimist." She turned to leave. "Gotta go."

"Be well, Jace."

"Yeah. You, too." She didn't look back, but she was sure Myra was already reading cards over her fate.

* * *

A few minutes later, Jace walked into the station. "Where's Earl?"

"Captain's office," the duty officer said. "Stiff in an industrial park."

Jace's heart skipped.
Jimmy
. "Male or female?"

"Female."

Jace breathed again.

But another death? So soon? Santa Fe, for all its tourist traffic, was essentially a quiet town.

Just then Earl emerged and gestured for Jace to join him in the captain's office. Stomach jumping, she followed. The captain was old-school and had a rep for being a stickler for procedure and sparkling clean records. Though no one ever said it out loud, he was also not a fan of women on the force, though he had never, to her knowledge, been guilty of overt sexism. Every female on the force, however, knew the bar was set higher for them.

Earl closed the door behind her. Capt. Gonzales smoothed one palm across his thinning dark hair, frowning. "Have a seat, Detective."

"Yes, sir." She cast a glance over at an impassive Earl, seeking clues.

Gonzales spoke. "You've worked undercover before."

"Yes, sir."

"Prostitution sting."

"Yes, sir."

"This will be different, Detective."

Yes!
An undercover assignment. She had no choice but to wait, but her heartbeat skipped.

His pause was a long one.

"Ramsey investigated a homicide this morning. A young woman. Looks like rape was involved."

Jace stared at him. "You think it's related to Cardozo's cases? The Club?"

Gonzales frowned again.

Shut up, Jace.
The man was all about slow, methodical steps.

Earl spoke up. "We'll know more when we get the autopsy reports. I've asked the M.E. to pay special attention to the tox screens to see if there's anything there that would interfere with memory."

"Narcotics has been hearing about this club for a while now, but they're stretched thin with the new pipeline pouring in from across the border. Up to now, it's seemed like a bunch of bored rich guys playing around." Gonzales leaned forward. "The Club is invitation only, moving from place to place, held on an irregular basis. There's some kind of elaborate system to notify the interested parties that we haven't cracked yet. They can set up and tear down in a few hours, and they don't leave anything behind."

Interesting. Jace's foot jiggled as she forced herself to wait.

"There's something else. We don't know its significance yet, but you need to keep your eyes peeled. The victim was found with an object in her hand."

"What kind of object?"

Earl spoke up. "Here." He drew photographs out of the breast pocket of his suit.

Jace studied them. The victim was young, and she couldn't help thinking of Valerie Turner. The Club was taking on nastier overtones all the time. "What kind of symbol is this? It doesn't seem Native American."

Earl shook his head. "Not like anything I've ever run across."

Jace studied it closer. Tiny, worked in cheap metal, the markings were indistinct, but they swirled around a cheap green stone in the center.

The captain spoke again. "We've had higher priority cases up to now, but if there's something more than some bored social types getting high and dancing, we need to know. I want you there the next time The Club happens," Gonzales said. "But we don't have a way for you to get the location yet."

"I bet I can get an invitation."

His lips pursed. "All right, Detective. I'll also have Narcotics lean on their informants and see what we can turn up." Gonzales paused. "Any questions?"

"No, sir."

Satisfaction surged through her. This could be a big case. If she pulled this off...

"You won't be going in there alone, Detective. I'll assign someone to be your date."

That slapped her back on terra firma. "Who?" The squad was small. Earl would stick out like a sore thumb. Cardozo was a dick.

Gonzales's eyes chilled. "Does it matter?"

"No, sir. I, uh, I was just thinking that since no one's been in there yet and we don't know what to expect, maybe it's better if I go alone."

She could feel Earl stiffening beside her. "Jace..."

"I don't need glory hounds on this detail." The captain waited several beats while Jace inwardly squirmed. "Am I going to regret assigning you?"

She wanted this too bad to press. "No, sir. Sorry, sir."

"There may be no connection here. This is strictly preliminary observation. You won't be wired, there won't be a team outside. At this point, I simply want to know if there's something going on that deserves our attention. That'll be it for now, Detective."

"Yes, sir." Jace rose from her chair. "I'll do a good job for you, Captain."

His expression said she'd better.

Earl followed her out. "What the hell are you doing? You know he's an old school cop."

"And considers female officers a necessary evil, yeah, I know."

"So what was that, giving him advice? I busted my ass to give you a shot."

"I was afraid he was going to send in Cardozo. They're thick as thieves."

"Even if he does, what are you going to do about it? This is bush league behavior, kid."

"But Cardozo's blowing his case."

"Maybe." Earl glanced at her. "He obviously doesn't know that his victim would rather talk to you."

"How—"

"I had ears in this department before you were walking."

How had he found out? Had Gabriel talked to Earl about yesterday?

"Cardozo won't hear it from me, but you'd better be careful when you go back to her to find out about The Club."

Jace's head swiveled toward him. "We just met in the hallway, that's all."

"I don't want to know. Just be careful. I'll tag you when the lab reports turn up." He shambled off.

Jace glanced over where Cardozo held a phone to his ear, grimacing.

Can't play with the big boys, huh, Cardozo?

I'll show you.

* * *

The sky was a scattering of stars against black velvet. The cool night wind puckered her nipples beneath the tight black lace blouse she'd borrowed from Myra. Her own wardrobe was far too basic and no-nonsense to work. With the blouse, Myra had paired a red leather vest cut close to the body that cupped and displayed Jace's breasts, a matching mini-skirt, and black stilettos in which Jace just hoped she wouldn't fall flat on her ass. Scarlet lipstick finished off an outfit that was already driving Jace crazy, it was so uncomfortable.

Earl never had to wear heels undercover. If he could see her, he'd laugh his butt off, she just knew it.

So here she stood, required daisy in hand in accordance with Valerie's instructions, waiting for her babysitter to meet her outside the building that was the first stop in tonight's circuitous path to The Club.

A long, slow whistle pierced the air. "Jeez, Jace, how come you never wear skirts like that to the station?"

Jace grimaced. "Don't you dare laugh." She was relieved, though that it was David Halliday, a tall, lanky patrol officer who'd come on the force right before she'd moved out of patrol. Dressed in dark brown pleated slacks and a matching brown silk shirt with banded collar, his transformation from uniform was impressive. "I mean it, Halliday."

"I promise I'm not laughing. I never saw you look like this."

She punched his arm. "Damn it, I knew it. I look like I should be working the streets."

"If you were, you'd make a fortune. Seriously hot, girl."

"Shut up, Halliday." Not that she didn't enjoy his gobsmacked expression a little before she got back to business. "Now remember, I've got to circulate so I can see what kind of offers I get. Don't hang too close."

"You're gonna get hit on by every man in that place, I guarantee it."

"That's the plan."

His jaw flexed. "I don't know, Jace. I better stick close. You're a danger to yourself in that outfit."

"I'll be a danger to you if you screw this up by scaring anyone off." She'd get her bluff in early. "I have to talk to people, see what I can turn up. Your job is to circulate and do the same."

"Yes, ma'am."

Minutes later, having passed the first test with the daisy as their ticket, they were directed to the back exit of the building. There another man looked at the piece of paper they'd been given and sent them down an alley and through a dive even hardcore drunks wouldn't frequent.

In a darkened hallway they were checked for a last time then admitted, crossing through one abandoned store and into an old warehouse.

Before she walked through the last door, they were handed black masks and told to don them, something Valerie hadn't mentioned. Jace shrugged at Halliday and did as instructed.

Then she walked inside to a different universe.

Techno music soared to the pitch-black ceiling. Deep, pounding bass vibrated through the floor. A jungle rhythm sizzled under her skin, while unearthly high notes spiraled around her. Bursts of laser light in red, gold and blue punctured the inky shadows. Wisps of smoke rose in the air, weaving through glittering tendrils suspended above the dancers' heads.

Everyone was either masked or heavily made up, something the department hadn't counted on. She and Halliday would have to be extremely observant.

Some patrons wore costumes ranging from S&M leather and metal to gossamer fairy wings to nearly naked, though some were in street clothes, as well. One woman writhing a few feet away appeared to be wearing only gold body paint with sinuous vines wrapping one thigh, climbing up her belly and circling the opposite breast.

Jace had never seen anything like it in her life.

Halliday touched her shoulder. She jumped. "What?" No way could she hear him.

He leaned down, shouting over the din. "Want something to drink?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine."

"You won't drink anything unless I get it for you, will you?"

She rolled her eyes, but his caution was understandable. Places like this were perfect for drugs to be slipped into a drink when a girl wasn't looking. Such was probably the explanation for Valerie's amnesia.

The dead girl hadn't been so lucky. Whatever she'd been given, it hadn't just rendered her easy—it had killed her. Whoever had administered it might be here tonight.

She stood on her toes and spoke into Halliday's ear. "Come dance with me for a second while we get our bearings. Then we both need to start circulating."

He nodded and grabbed her hand. They moved onto the crowded dance floor. Some people bore blasé expressions. A fair number were seriously wasted. In every direction, bodies rubbed, fingers stroked...much more flesh was revealed than concealed.

Jace was anything but a prude, but she felt extremely self-conscious trying to dirty dance with the fresh-faced Halliday, so she soon nodded and released him. She loved to dance and hadn't done so in a very long time. It was easy to fall into character and let her body move into the rhythm; more difficult was remaining alert to her surroundings when the sensory input was so overwhelming.

A tall black man, bare-chested and wearing a dog collar and knee-high boots grabbed her hips, grinding his codpiece slowly against her, his dark eyes never leaving her breasts.

Jace schooled her features even as she longed to knee his groin. Executing a sinuous turn instead, she slid past the couple to her left and let the crowd swallow her up.

The place definitely created a mood. All rules of normal behavior seemed to have been suspended. The music, the lights...the rhythms of the night sang through her body. In one darkened corner a man sat with a woman straddling him, her skirt up over her hips, her garter belt a slash of midnight against pale skin. His mouth suckled her breast, his hands squeezed her buttocks. Jace stared, riveted by the shutter-click glimpses allowed her between writhing bodies.

She'd never watched someone else have sex before in real life.

It was erotic as hell.

Jace gathered her wits and danced to the opposite side of the floor, resisting the temptation to look again at the couple. She couldn't help noticing the glances of approval she drew, the greedy stares. The naked invitations.

Nobody had intimated that this was a sex club, but she understood now how someone as young as Valerie got into trouble here.

Hands clamped on her waist and turned her. Jace tensed. A blond man near her height stood before her, friendly smile disarming.
Want to dance?
he mouthed, already moving with her, hands resting lightly on her hips.