Page 50 of Slow Burn (The Boston Beauties)

Her trip to France proved to be the breakthrough that Breton had been looking for, as it led us to the brother that had been impossible to track until now. Due to her cellphone that Breton was able to track via her Facebook and email applications, it led us right to his house.

We couldn't do too much right away. For one, I had been in Australia. Second, Breton was finishing his degree, then started a new job. And third, we wanted to wait for Matt to be put away for good.

In the meantime, Breton used the spying to further build a case against both the sister and the brother, Christopher, Breton kept tabs on what activities they were doing and following their latest con. It was a building deal in Morocco, which went along with the same con they used with subpar materials.

But now that Matt was sentenced, we had almost all the proof we needed before making our final push to bring down the Taggarts and keep my family safe. In the process, it would ultimately keep others safe by stopping their con and uncovering subpar materials in buildings and roads that could be dangerous.

Breton and his co-workers spent weeks planning our final mission to get the last piece of our puzzle. The nail in the Taggart coffin, if you will.

I was sitting at a bar in a hotel in Morocco, wearing a red wig that went halfway down my back and the same outfit that I wore out with Drew a few months ago—as it was the sexiest thing I owned. I had brown contacts in, my nails done, fake eyelashes, new brows and a really expensive spray tan that hadn’t actually turned me orange. I had some makeup on giving the illusion of cheekbones and a narrow face. While I’d lost a lot of weight in my face, it was still round, but the contouring trick makes it look oval. I’d spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos and trying to get it just right. I even went to the MAC counter at Selfridges for a tutorial a few weeks ago when I couldn't get it how I wanted it. It wasn’t perfect, but it did the trick. Nyall, who suggested it, was impressed, so I took that as a good sign.

Knowing we likely only had one shot at getting this guy, Breton’s entire team had done a lot of research on him. We knew what he liked, so I was made up accordingly. Whenever he cheated on his wife, he went for petite redheads with large tits and a round ass. This was the only reason I hadn’t had my surgery to remove my implants yet. I worked at keeping my ass round purely for Drew’s enjoyment, but was happy it was useful in this situation also.

I was nursing a glass of red wine, with my tablet in front of me, a file of a fake report for a new real estate development project open, and kept checking my phone, making it appear that I was busy. In my ear, I had an earpiece that was discreet but also covered by my long wig.

Nyall was personally helping Breton with this mission, and for that, I would be eternally grateful. He was a badass and one of the best at what he did. They worked at the same company, while Nyall did a lot of front-line security and scary-ass missions for the government that apparently were classified, he was also a computer geek and advised the company from time to time. During his free time, he hacked for sport, which was how he found Breton. After telling his uncle and the owner of the company, they offered Breton a job without even seeing a resume or his qualifications.

‘He’s just walking in now,’ Nyall’s voice ran through my ear, and I ran my hand down the right side of my head, indicating that I heard him.

Just as we hoped, I worked as bait.

Christopher took a seat at the bar a few stools over from me as I continued to act as if I was busy on my tablet, pretending that I didn’t notice him. When I finished my glass of wine, the bartender came over, ‘Would you like another one?’

‘I’ve already had enough,’ I smiled at him, knowing full well I’d only had one glass of wine and that would do nothing for me whatsoever. ‘How about soda water with some limes?’

‘Sure thing,’ he took my glass.

‘Can I also get a food menu?’

He nodded and gave me a small menu when he delivered my drink.

‘Their Paninis are good,’ Christopher told me, turning in his seat to look at me.

I looked up at him and plastered a fake flirty smile on my face. ‘Is that right?’

He nodded and looked to the chair next to me as if to ask permission. I moved my things in front of me, even though they weren’t exactly in the way, as he slid into the stool to sit right next to me.

‘Hook, line and sinker,’ I heard Nyall laugh in my ear. ‘You got this, girl.’

I looked down to my menu. ‘Unless you want to try more of a traditional meal, then their tagines are tasty.’ He looked to the bartender and held up his nearly empty wine glass.

When the bartender came over, I ordered a grilled chicken and pesto Panini with a side of salad instead of the fries.

Anything for you, sir?’ the bartender asked Christopher.

‘I’ll take a cheeseburger with fries please.’ The bartender left us alone to place our order. ‘Too bad they don’t have bacon here, I’ve been craving bacon.’

I laughed, it was such a North American thing to say. ‘How long have you been here?’ I asked, taking a sip of my drink and trying to be friendly when all I wanted to do was reach over and claw his eyes out for looking at me the way he was. If it wasn't for the fact that we needed his confession, I’d do more than just that. Perhaps when we were done I’d get a crack at causing him some physical pain.

‘Not that long, just a few days,’ he told me. ‘But I haven't been back home in a while and I miss American bacon.’

‘Whereabouts is home?’ I prompted, trying my best to sound genuinely interested in what he had to say.

‘Montreal, actually, but close enough, right?’ He winked at me. I was surprised he mentioned Montreal. While I knew they had lived there in the past, he had been living in France for the past few years.

‘Yeah, I suppose, I’m from the west coast. I’ve never been to Montreal yet, Vancouver once.’

‘Whereabouts out west?’ He was making small talk with me.

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