Page 17 of Undercover Desires

I glare back at Jett. I know I messed up, and I don’t need him rubbing it in.

“I knew something was off last night when I took her home,” I admit. “That’s when I had Caleb run some checks.”

“Damn it, Kobe, don’t tell me you slept with her, found her handcuffs, and only figured it out then. When will you ever learn?” Jett chastises me with a deathly glare.

“Leo’s going to flip his lid,” the kid agrees with Jett.

“Not funny, Jett. This girl was about to screw us over. She’s been sent by Reader. You were right; he can’t be trusted for a second. He’s sent in a little spy. They’re looking for drug-related activity and anything else they can nail on us.”

“Fucking Reader,” Jett growls out. “What are you going to do about her?”

I stare him down, hoping my plan comes out making some sort of sense when I say it out loud. “I know this sounds like a bad idea, but I have had some time to think about this on the car ride over, and I think we should keep her around. Reader wants to fuck us over. We want to know what he’s up to a step before he does it. She’s new to his team, doesn’t know him all that well. She might end up being useful.”

“Yep, a terrible idea,” Jett says skeptically, but he hasn’t heard me out properly yet.

“I get where Kobe’s coming from,” the kid chimes in. “Detective Reader clearly has it in for us. This girl might be the key to figuring out why. If we can twist herarm, get her to see our vision.” He raises a brow in my direction.

I smirk at him. I like the way he thinks. “She’s been dropped in our lap for a reason. Let’s use her to our advantage,” I add, trying to get Jett to agree. I’m right about this. There are enough cops on my payroll to know the closer we keep ‘em the better. She’s a little different, because I seduced the rest with the perks of our club, but I have a feeling she will bend for me. Her original intention might have been to fuck us over, but she has a soft spot for me already. I could see it in her eyes. She was excited by the prospect of exploring what our club was all about, and she wanted that with me.

“Find out what you can about her today, Jett,” I suggest. “I’ll send you all the info Caleb got for me. I want to know everything about this girl, right down to what she eats for breakfast. And kid, you’re on her at the club tonight. She’s your only responsibility; don’t let her out of your sight. At the end of the night, drive her home. She lives behind your sister’s apartment, but she’ll tell you she lives in the same complex. Don’t let on that you know anything. We play her game for now.”

“And what about Leo?” the kid asks.

“I’ll deal with Leo,” Jett replies, seeing the sense in my madness. “I’ll dig up the goods. But if you fuck this up, Kobe, she could well and truly screw us over.”

“Trust me, dear brother, this little minx is about to be eating out of the palm of my hand. She won’t fuck us over. She might just be the key to getting Reader off our back for good. Caleb hasn’t said as much, but there is something going on. Something big. He wants intel on him. If we hear anything, he’s the first to know.”

“Interesting.”

“Very,” I agree. “He stopped trusting him after what happened to you and Hazel. Apparently, half the station is against him; they just can’t get rid of him. He’s got too much power up above. But I have a feeling all that is about to change.”

CHAPTER 8

ARABELLA

There was no signof Kobe when I arrived for my shift at Queen of Hearts tonight. I was surprised because I assumed he would hang around like a bad smell, just like he did last night. It’s been a much more enjoyable experience getting to know the other girls and some guys who also work here. One of the security team members, Ben, has been at the bar all night. I think he has a crush on Shelby, and she seems to reciprocate. It’s kind of adorable to watch it play out.

“Can you take this over to table five, please, Bella?” Xavier asks.

“Sure,” I say, taking the glass of whiskey off the bar.

“Here you are,” I say, placing it down in front of the gentleman in a suit. He’s been sitting at this table alone since he came in about an hour ago.

“Thank you.” He smiles with warmth in his eyes, and something else. He scans my uniform, searching for a name, I think.

“Bella. I thought it was odd we don’t have name tags as well,” I say with a smile, helping him out.

“Bella,” he tests out my name. “You’re new here, aren’t you?”

“Sure am, started yesterday.”

“Good,” he says with a nod. “I have a business proposition for you, Bella.”

“Oh, yeah?” I raise a brow, curious.

“Room four is booked out to me for the next two hours, and I need someone to join me. I was hoping ten thousand might persuade you.”

I gape back at him, not sure what to say. Ten thousand dollars for two hours? I’m surprised by the fact he thinks I‘m the kind of girl who would take him up on that offer. Glancing over my shoulder, I search for the other girls. Shelby is busy with Ben, and Xavier is pouring a beer. Returning my attention to the handsome, clearly wealthy stranger, I say, “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not one of those girls. I only work the bar.”

---