Page 27 of The Alpha's Grave Secrets

I see the security guard out of my peripherals, trying not to look too obvious while he listens in on our conversation. I can’t blame him. This is one of the craziest things to happen at this bar, and he wasn’t able to do his job beyond the doors of this establishment, and women have died.

I run a hand through my hair, frustration bubbling up again. Before I speak again, I lead Gun out of earshot from the security guard.

“He doesn’t have to be staff. He could be a regular. Someone who knows the scene here, who blends in. The women are letting their guard down, and he’s taking advantage of it.”

Gun nods, the pieces falling into place. “We’re dealing with someone who knows this place’s vibe inside and out. Someone who is comfortable here and knows that they’ll fly under the radar. Which means he’s no Brad Pitt.”

“Why do you say that?” We’ve already established that our unsub is likely a grey man, but I’m curious.

“Did you see the good-looking men in that bar? There were women all over them, and if they weren’t physically all over them, they were sure as hell eye-fucking them.”

“How come there weren’t women all over you? You calling yourself ugly?” I ask cocking an eyebrow.

“Hardly,” Gun scoffs. “I was practically beating the women off with my badge. Although that didn’t stop three hotties from slipping me their phone numbers,” he says pulling out a crumbled cocktail napkin, part of a receipt, and a business card.

Well, I’ll be damned.

“They were trying to get your attention too but you’re too damn obtuse,” Gun chuckles amused by his own memories of the scene.

“We need to get closer,” I say, “Blend in. See what happens when people aren’t looking over their shoulders.”

“We need Callie,” Gun says, giving me a stern look. “I know you want to protect her, but she’s an agent and a damn good one. Don’t let this whole thing cloud your judgment. No one has seen her yet, and she’s a beautiful woman. She’s the perfect choice. You know I’m right.”

My heart sinks.

I nod. “Tomorrow night, we send her in undercover. We need to catch this bastard before he takes another woman.”

Tomorrow, we hunt.

Chapter 14

Kato

Callie looks like a supermodel in her undercover outfit, albeit a short one. Gun has hardly been able to take his eyes off her from the moment she stepped out of the bunk room all dolled up. That ship sailed long ago and was the only way to release pressure between the sheets.

She flicks her loose curls behind her shoulder, and I watch Gun’s eyes follow the glinting blonde hair with amusement. He must not be hooking up with anyone because the man is drooling.

“What do you think? How is the dress?” she asks, spinning in a circle. Hati, in his own disguise, lets out a low, playful whistle. Her dress is form-fitting but not skin-tight; the fabric slinks across her curves and moves with her as she moves.

“I can promise you that you are going to command attention in there tonight looking like that,” I reassure her, and she offers up an awkward smile, cheeks pink with embarrassment.

“Wowza is all I can say,” Gun says, finally picking his jaw up off the floor.

“Are you feeling ready?” I ask, jingling the keys to the van. Nervous energy is building up in me, and I have no real way to let it out.

“As ready as I can be,” Callie shifts from foot to foot, her heels clacking on the cement floors.

“We will drop you off at a restaurant about a mile away so you can take your Uber and not draw unwanted attention to yourself by hopping out of an unmarked van at the bar. We’ll be close, is that okay?”

“Believe it or not, I’ve taken an Uber or two before in my life,” Callie says, rolling her eyes. She’s starting to get a little sick of the kid gloves with which we’ve been treating her.

“Let’s go,” I nod to the team, and we all hustle off without saying another word. Hati fidgets with his brown, short wig in the elevator all the way down to the underground parking garage. He looks much less like the Thor figure we’ve come to know and love, but he’ll certainly draw less attention this way.

The monitors hum in the back of the van, and the heat being kicked out from the computer fans warms the back of the van. A thin layer of sweat forms on my brow. Hati is in the building before Callie arrives, keeping a low profile at the bar.

Gun’s eyes are glued to the screen as we take stock of the bar scene on hidden cameras installed hours ago. It turns out the bar’s owner had a few legal issues that we could easily resolve if he let us get eyes on the bar until we catch this guy.

It turns out that customer privacy doesn’t matter all that much to him as soon as that offer was on the table.GoFigure.

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