Page 44 of Lust
It was time for him to get answers.
The public level of Lazarus House was a restaurant and a nightclub, but in between Heaven and Hell was a corridor that took him to the lobby leading up to the apartments. During the short period working together at the CCPD before he’d joined the Feds, Joe had picked Liza up once or twice but had never gone in.
The most memorable time was the day she’d moved into the building. Both of them were rookie cops and the building had just been purchased by Liza’s brother Parker. Renovations at ground level were well underway, but the apartments above were safe to move in. It was all Liza had spoken about for weeks, so Joe had offered to help shift her belongings from her old apartment to this one. When they’d arrived with his truck full of boxes, the Lazarus brothers had met them on the street. They made him double park, relieved his truck of Liza’s items, and then in no uncertain words, told him to piss off.
This time he wasn’t waiting for an invitation. He strode into the lobby to find the elderly doorman reading a book behind the front desk. His aviator hat tipped to the side as though he’d been scratching his head. His name badge said,Gus. The book was titledThe Investigator.
Joe cleared his throat. “Good book?”
Gus looked up, blinked as if just realizing he’d completely missed Joe’s entrance, and then dog-eared the book and put it down. “Sorry, sir. I was in another world. Yes, good book. This new Norcross series has me hooked.”
Joe reached into his pocket and pulled out his ID. He flipped the leather case open. “I need to see Liza Lazarus.”
“FBI?” Gus rubbed his chin. “Ain’t you the fella who used to hang about with Miss L a while back?”
“You have a good memory.”
“I’m sorry to say that whether you’re an old friend or FBI, you’ll need a warrant to enter this building without permission, and…” He pulled out a clipboard with a list of names, or lack thereof. “You ain’t on the list.”
Joe pressed the bridge between his nose. “Can you call her?”
Before Gus placed his hand on the desk phone, it rang. He picked it up with a confused frown. “Yes? Oh, hello AIMI. His name is Joe. Luciano, yes. Alrighty then. I’ll let him know.” He hung up the receiver. “Miss Lazarus is indisposed. She won’t be able to see you.”
“Who’s Amy?” Joe asked.
“Security.” Gus picked up his book and then nodded toward the bench seat on the other side of the lobby. “You can wait there. But it might be a long wait. I suggest you come back another time.”
This was ridiculous.
Joe paced a few feet, then realized he’d parked his car in the Lazarus House garage. With a tip of his chin to Gus, Joe quickly made his way back out into the street, dodged a few more of the emergency cleanup crew, and took the side alley street to where he and Liza had emerged earlier that day. The garage door was down and locked.Damn.
While he scanned for another mode of entry, a camera above the door watched his every move. If they wanted him to stop, they would come out. It was either pry the garage door open, or shoot the lock on the reinforced steel door beside the garage, and there was no guarantee that the bullet wouldn’t ricochet and hurt him.
He pounded on the door with his fist.
“Liza!” he shouted. “You have two minutes to open this door.”
He continued pounding. Nothing. But someone was watching. The camera moved as he did. He could almost feel eyes on him. His frustration surged. He ran his hands through his hair, disheveling the style that managed to stay neat until now. When he lowered his hand, he felt the bulge in his pocket. The baseball.
This had to work.
He held it before the camera.
“Last chance, Liza,” he warned. “Do this the right way or the hard way.”
A beat.
Another.
The door clicked opened.
Liza came out freshly showered, in sweats, and a white crop top that showed off her God-given gifts. High and firm breasts. Abs made of steel. Defined arms that were powerful, yet didn’t detract from her femininity. She must have washed her hair because she smelled like citrus and berry. Joe’s mouth watered.
He tossed the ball to her.
She winced as she caught it.
“Let me in,” he said.
