Page 22 of Sirens
The door slammed behind her.
Trent collapsed on the couch, his legs splayed and his veins still throbbing as he scrubbed his hands over his face.
He’d dodged a few bullets in his day, but if he wasn’t careful, Maggie Michaels just might be the end of him.
FOUR
Nightcap
A DRINK CHOSEN FOR THE END OF THE NIGHT
Maggie’s cheeksburned like the embers of a summer bonfire as she climbed the steps of Vee’s Lady Garden, her heart still fluttering like a nervous bird from the lingering taste of Trent McGarvey’s lips. The kiss had left her in a state of delicious disarray, and she struggled to compose herself as she pushed through the door for her rendezvous.
“Lord Almighty, honey,” Myrtle said, her eyes widening behind her oversized, red-framed glasses as she took in Maggie’s flustered appearance. “You’re redder than a lobster’s ass.”
Myrtle, on the other hand, looked like a burglar from a vintage heist movie, complete with black leggings, black turtleneck, black beret, and, of course, black fingerless gloves.
“You look very fetching,” Maggie said, setting down her bag and shrugging out of her coat.
“Darling, I’m just embracing my inner femme fatale.” Myrtle winked, striking a dramatic pose.
“We were starting to worry about you,” Gabe said, rocking back in the velvet vulva-shaped lounge chair in the corner.“Thought maybe you’d changed your mind about our little adventure tonight.”
“Me?” Maggie laughed a little too forcefully. “What would make you think that?”
Gabe’s massive shoulders bunched in a shrug. “You just sounded a little weird on the phone. Kinda out of breath.” He pinned her with a knowing smirk. Like his brother, Mark, he’d proven annoyingly adept at reading people.
“Aw, honey,” Myrtle cooed, patting Maggie’s hand reassuringly. “There’s no need to be nervous. I’ve been sneaking in and out of places since Obama was in diapers. And besides, I’m stealthy as a panther.”
In her enthusiasm, Myrtle demonstrated her feline agility by throwing an impromptu ninja chop at the air with a theatrical “Hi-yah!”
Unfortunately, the blade of her hand caught a display on the counter, sending a wave of red, purple, and neon-green silicone butt plugs skittering across the floor like rubbery bowling pins. A few even bounced into the corner, where a life-sized cutout of Fabio adorned in fairy wings and a glittery fig leaf stood.
“Huh,” Myrtle said, papery skin creased in confusion. “That almost never happens.”
Maggie and Gabe shared a tense look.
“You got the blueprints?” Maggie asked.
Gabe reached into the messenger bag beside his engine-oil-spattered work boots. “Gemma wanted me to tell you that you owe her a drink. She had to do some seriously fast talking to borrow these without the Townsend Harbor Historical Society or the city council knowing.”
“If this works, she can have free drinks on me for life.”
Maggie stared at the blueprint of the Palace Hotel spread out across the table in the dim after-hours lighting.
“All right,” Gabe said, tapping the building schematic. “Myrtle says the best time to hit it is at exactly eleven p.m.”
“Oh really? Why’s that?” Maggie asked, hoping the question wouldn’t insult the mission’s self-appointed matriarch.
Myrtle reached into the pocket of her turtleneck and pulled out a small packet of chewy caramel candies. Unwrapping one, she popped it into her mouth, chomping down with a satisfied sigh.
“You know Caryn Townsend’s nephew, that Jenkins boy? The one who can’t stop tripping over his own feet? He’s the only security guard they’ve got for the night shift.” She paused to suck on the candy thoughtfully before adding, “Poor guy has narcolepsy, and the second he sits down in his Corolla for a lunch break,pow. Out like a light for at least a good hour.”
“What about security cameras and the alarm system?” Maggie asked. “Were you able to learn anything about the setup?”
“Oh, there are cameras, all right, but they’re not actuallyon,” Myrtle said, crumpling her candy wrapper and sticking it in her pocket. “Seems Mayor Tightwad thought just having them there would be enough to scare people off.”
Gabe shook his head disgustedly. “This fuckin’ town.”
