Page 44 of Dirty Roxie
Ronan
The girls squeal for a moment over all being together again. But I watch Roxie more than anyone else. Her smile takes up most of her face, transforming her from beautiful to breathtaking. I enjoy seeing her happy, but I don’t like admitting that to myself.
I pour myself a vodka.
Finish it.
Pour myself another.
Then break up the party.
“I’m sorry to be the one to spoil the fun, but we have a lot to discuss.” I gesture to the seats in the living room, relieved to see that there are enough for everyone. If I can avoid it, I don’t want to sit next to Roxie. Her effect on me is getting stronger the more time we spend together. And seeing her naked in the bathroom did not help matters.
She has a beautiful body with curves in all the right places. And she knows it. I appreciate the confidence. Admire it even. And, it looks as though I’ll be taking a seat right next to it since Reed and Mack each took the solo armchairs and Quinn and Daria share the sofa, leaving the loveseat for Roxie and me. That’s what I get for ruminating instead of acting.
Roxie shares with them our interactions until now, surprising me with her candor and information relay. I had (wrongly) assumed she would relish in the act of storytelling, leaving me to interject objectivity and specificity. Instead, she is thorough yet brief and direct.
“So, what’s happened with you since we last saw you guys?” Roxie asks Mack and Reed once she catches them up.
“My old partner at the bureau, Andrews, got intel about a deal going down here in Medellín,” Mack starts. “He called me up because Andrei’s name was attached to it, and he knew we’d just had a case where he was involved.”
“David Tremblay’s murder and the human trafficking ring he was a part of,” Reed interjects.
Mack nods. “Even though I’m not with the bureau any longer, he still figured I could give him some intel and help fill in a few blanks.”
“Turns out, he had more information for us than we did for him.” Reed finishes his whiskey and pours himself another from the bottle on the table. Quinn watches his every move, making me wonder if he has an issue with alcohol. Or if Quinn thinks he does.
“We headed down here right away. But ran into a few dead ends trying to handle things on our own. I may have exaggerated a bit about still being with the bureau, and the resort put us on security so we could help track any connection to Juan Carlos Ochoa.”
“Apparently, he likes to use the resort as a meeting place, and they don’t like it. Nor getting the reputation of catering to the cartel,” Reed adds.
I admire the way Mack and Reed feed off one another, the partnership strong with an obvious history and ability to work well together. It’s how I once imagined Andrei and me to be. Only to laugh at myself now at such a thought. His betrayal is the only proof I need that such a relationship never was and never will be.
“Fortunate for us, since it could have easily gone the other way, and usually does. Where the cartel has more influence and control over a local business than the US government.” Mack pours himself another glass of whiskey, and I take the opportunity to refill my glass with vodka and fetch a beer for Roxie.
She smiles brightly when I hand it to her.
“Don’t get too excited,” I say. “I didn’t open it, and I don’t know where the bottle opener is.” She laughs in response and produces it from the side table next to her, opening her beer and taking a long drink. I watch her neck work as she swallows, wanting to run my nose along it again like I did earlier. With her soft skin and intoxicating smell, I could spend hours just exploring her neck. Finding where she’s most sensitive to touch or how her scent changes over time.
“—and we’ve been here about a week watching Andrei and Viktor, waiting for Ochoa to show,” Mack finishes. I realize I missed anything he may have said just prior, mentally smacking myself for it. I can’t allow Roxie to continue distracting me. Must remain clear-headed, especially since so much is on the line with finding Andrei. I must make an example of him, or I may as well kiss my entire organization away. Letting him live is just inviting revolt and retaliation in constant measures.
Focus.
“Our cover story is tracking Ochoa,” Reed adds. “If we can grab him and hand him off to Andrews, all the better. But make no mistake, we’re here for Andrei and Viktor.”
“Never hurts to do a solid for the bureau, keeps our hands in the federal cookie jar, you know?” Mack says.
“As long as we’re clear that if anyone is togetViktor, it’s me,” Daria says.
“And Andrei is mine,” I add.
“Consider us your backup,” Mack says. “Just tell us what you need and when.”
“Andrei will know that we’re on to him now,” Roxie says. “Especially after how the masquerade party went down. The only thing in our favor is that we don’t think he had time to finish his business with Ochoa.”
“After what I saw on the tapes, I can guarantee he didn’t get that chance,” Reed says. “They’d barely disappeared into the hedge mazes before the shooting started.”
“So, how do we get him next?” Roxie asks the room.
