Dangerous Bond (Jamie Bond Mysteries Book 4) (13 page)

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry."

He pushed a lock of black hair behind his ear. "Eh, I get it all the time in crowds. Nice tatas." He pointed to my chest and walked off.

I raised a hand to my cleavage, suddenly feeling more exposed.

"Thank y'all for coming tonight," Heavy's voice echoed over the speakers. I spotted him at the mic. His manager stood nearby. "How's everyone doing?" Heavy asked.

The crowd cheered. I caught Charley and Maya on the other side of the pools. Charley clapped enthusiastically. She even softly jumped on the balls of her feet a couple of times.

"Are you ready to hear a special sneak peek of my new song?"

Screams and cheers surrounded me. So this was why he was here tonight? It was a singing gig.

The music returned, but the beat changed from electronica to heavy bass. He began rapping, and the crowd went nuts. Everyone cheered and clapped for a few seconds, and then some began dancing while others rocked to the beat.

I wasn't going to get a chance to speak to him anytime soon, so I moved my gaze back to the guy in the shiny suit beside him. His manager was free.

I managed to catch up with Johnson, doing only minimal damage to partiers' toes. "Hey," I screamed. "This is great."

He turned and gave me a long stare, probably trying to figure out where he'd seen me before, and then he nodded and turned his attention back to his client.

I was a bit offended. Despite living a life undercover half the time, no one usually forgot my face.

"What? You don't remember me?" I asked.

He glanced at me again. This time he checked out my cleavage before turning his eyes back to me again. "Now's not a good time."

Ah-ha. So he did recognize me. Good.

"I can wait if you want. Wait until Heavy's done and all of his adoring fans circle him. And then I can bring up his relationship with a dead man and ask him about the fifty-thousand-dollar loan."

Johnson glared at me from the corner of his eye.

I raised a challenging eyebrow his way. A glare wasn't going to deter me. He'd have to do better than that.

"Okay, fine. It wasn't that big a deal," Johnson said, finally turning to face me. His voice was raised above the music, but he leaned in, his eyes shifting to both sides as if trying to keep the conversation as private as possible. "The loan was between two friends. And Roger knew Heavy was good for the money. Look at him."

I did, watching Heavy bob and weave to his lyrics. His moves were small and limited, possibly due to his size, and his stamina didn't seem to be too great either.

"Sure, he hasn't had a number one hit in a while, but with what great shape he was getting into thanks to Roger's diet, he's poised for a comeback."

Heavy did a spin, and the crowd went nuts. Johnson cheered. But I could see sweat cover Heavy's forehead, and he looked tired. It didn't seem like there were many number one singles left in him. It looked like he needed a nap.

"What about Julio Gonzalez?" I asked.

Johnson shrugged and genuinely looked unaffected. "Never heard of him."

"Someone in Vegas called his cell."

"Goody for him."

"And he's missing now."

Johnson didn't move. No shrug. No comeback. Not even a blink. Either he really had no idea who I was talking about, or he was playing his poker face hard core.

"Does Heavy know Julio?"

"No," Johnson answered quickly. Almost too quickly.

"Maybe I'll just wait around and ask him," I threatened.

Johnson moved his shiny shoulders up and down again. "Suit yourself. But Heavy's got three more songs to do. And he might be kinda outta breath by then."

I looked up. Heavy looked like he was out of breath now. I hoped whoever had hired him for this party had paid by the minute.

I stepped away, none the wiser for our conversation but grateful that Johnson at least hadn't called on the door goons to make me leave. Spotting Caleigh chatting up some guy who was all teeth, I pointed toward the exit, hoping she'd get my drift that I wanted to get the heck out of here. While Johnson hadn't given me much to go on, I had a feeling that Heavy would follow his manager's lead. There was little point in sticking around to question him, especially with Johnson in tow.

Caleigh nodded and walked away from the guy while he was still talking. She obviously wasn't having the time of her life either. As she wrangled Maya and Charley, who then headed over to Sam and Elaine, I stepped farther back toward the exit. The quicker I was out of here, the better.

Someone stepped up behind me, and my super Spidey senses kicked in. Ten years ago I would've been dirty dancing with the rest of the crowd, but this was no longer my scene, and if some jerkwad thought he'd get a cheap thrill by putting his hands on me, I'd…

I spun around, ready to punch the dude in his throat. One quick jab usually did the trick. But when I got millimeters from his larynx, I froze.

I recognized the jerkwad copping the feel.

ADA Aiden Prince.

"Wow," he shouted. "Weapons down."

I blinked several times. My heart rate raced up and down from the shock of seeing him and almost injuring him. I lowered my arm, thinking of the last time I'd decked him. It was back when we'd first met and he and the state of California had believed I murdered a judge. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"What are
you
doing here?" he countered, his tone flat, eyes assessing. He was in full-on prosecutor mode tonight.

"I asked you first." Yeah, it was a childish thing to say, but I didn't care. My head was starting to pound, I hadn't eaten anything since that delicious Hoagie earlier, and my feet hurt from these shoes. Plus, I think the tape was drying out, and soon enough I'd have to hold the front of my dress together with both hands.

"I'm here on official business." His voice held an edge to it.

I hated to point out that I was too. Technically, the district attorney's office had more pull than a private investigator, but my work here was just as important. At least to me. And Bristol Claremont.

"And you?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I'm here with Elvis's cousin."

Aiden's eyes narrowed. "Jamie…"

"What?" I blinked innocently at him.

His jaw clenched, his eyes going from me to Heavy up on the makeshift stage.

"You talk to Heavy?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Nope. Not a word." Which was the total truth. "Scout's honor." I held up three fingers.

He took in a deep breath and looked as though he was mentally counting to ten to find some semblance of Zen. I could have told him that didn't work.

"This isn't a game, Jamie," he finally ground out.

"Nope. It's a party." I flashed him a big cheesy grin.

One he did not return. "You need to leave."

Clearly he was pissed that I was butting my head into his "official" investigation. I wanted to understand, and I might have even felt the same way if our roles had been reversed. But that didn't mean I was going to roll over and let him push me out of my own investigation.

I took as wide of a stance as I could in my tight dress. "Or what?" I challenged.

Aiden made a sound that was half sigh and half growl. Then he grabbed me by the wrist and yanked me toward him. "Come on," he ground out.

I started to resist, but before I knew it, he'd pulled me toward the alcove, placing a hand at my hip and pressing my body against his.

"W-what are you doing?" I asked, but while the words were audibly clear in my mind, they came out all breathy. I really needed to have a stern talk with my libido. It was taking on a mind of its own lately.

Aiden wore navy trousers and a white button-down shirt, all very ADA-like. But he'd removed his jacket and tie, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a small section of his tanned chest. The scent of his musky cologne circled around my head, intoxicating me.

He swayed his hips, and my body followed. We moved to the beat of the music in perfect rhythm. Anyone looking on might've thought we danced like this all the time, with how in sync we moved. It all happened on some gut level. I tried to not pay attention to it, in fear that I'd accidentally step out of beat and ruin the whole magical moment.

As if we weren't already close enough to hear one another's heartbeats, he pulled me tighter.

A breath hitched in my throat, and my pulse rose. Las Vegas suddenly felt like a hundred degrees.

He laid his cheek against mine and said, "Nice dress. It definitely beats the red one."

And here I thought he hadn't noticed. I gulped, feeling myself sway out of rhythm. I tried to pull away, but he didn't let me go fully.

As Caleigh's face appeared in my peripheral vision, I turned my head and noticed Maya, Sam, Elaine, and Charley right behind her. Damn. I tried to take a step back, but Aiden's hold remained strong. "I need to go," I said.

A wicked grin replaced the stern look from moments ago. "Or what?" he said, his vice low and husky enough to make my knees weak.

I licked my lips, praying my libido kept her big mouth shut. "I, uh, the girls…" I trailed off, cocking my head toward the women hovering near the exit now.

He glanced toward the women and nodded his understanding. But instead of letting me go, he said, "I need to talk to you. Alone."

I swallowed hard. My head already spun from our close contact, and I wasn't sure how much more I could tolerate before I was a puddle at his feet.

"Okay, give me a moment." I stepped out of his embrace and caught up to Caleigh. "Why don't you guys go up, and I'll be there in a bit."

Caleigh's eyes flashed behind me to Aiden. His answering grin was as wide as it was mischievous. "Anything you say, Boss."

Elaine leaned in to Charley but stared at Aiden. "He's hot," she told her new BFF.

Charley hummed her approval.

As they turned to walk off, Caleigh tossed a wink over her shoulder.

I felt Aiden grab my elbow, and he pulled me farther into the noisy alcove. If he truly wanted to talk, I had no idea how he expected to do it among the music and crowd. When we reached the far wall, he kept going and pulled me into the men's room. My pulse hijacked my body. Yuck. Couldn't we have at least gone into the women's, where there may have been an air freshener?

There was no way I'd dance or snuggle beside a urinal. On the upside, my libido was suddenly nowhere to be found.

"What are you doing in Vegas?" he asked, his voice back to professional interrogation mode.

I stared at him in disbelief for a second. His Goldilocks routine was starting to get to me. One minute he was angry, the next sexy, and now professional. I wondered when he'd find the personality that was just right.

Definitely tired of playing games, I sighed and said, "Fine. I'm here because we think Roger loaned Heavy some money. Heavy hasn't paid it back, and we wanted to talk to him." I left out the part about Julio and the possible link with Heavy's video. I didn't know how much Aiden already knew, and the last thing I wanted to do was drag Sam into the mess any further than her baby's daddy might already be.

"So you think Heavy killed Roger?" His eyes were assessing me like he would a witness, watching for any little nonverbal clue.

I shrugged. "I think it's just as likely as the wife. Maybe more so."

"Why is that?" he probed.

"Well, at first I just assumed Bristol was a trophy wife. But now, I'm not so sure."

He tapped his chin. "Why?"

I shrugged and stared at the white porcelain triple sinks. "It's mostly a feeling. She seemed sincerely distraught over Roger's death. I think she really loved him."

He sat on the very edge of the sinks. "It's possible. But she has no alibi, and that troubles me."

"You know what troubles me?" I asked, feeling like this info-fishing expedition was just a little one sided.

He shook his head.

"Why you're still talking about Bristol when I know you're here because of Heavy's gun."

He raised one eyebrow. "You know about the ballistics?"

I nodded. "Bristol told me."

"Ah." He stared down at the tile floor thoughtfully. "Is that also where you heard about the loan?"

"More or less."

"Okay." He took a step forward. "So, would this loan be for
more
or less?"

"More," I settled on. "A friendly fifty-thousand-dollar loan."

He paused and ran his hand over his chin. I'd bet my own money this was news to him. Clearly his pals in forensics had been so intent on proving Bristol's guilt that they'd overlooked the emails on Roger's computer.

"You're sure?" he asked.

I nodded. "His manager confirmed it."

"The same manager who is providing his alibi?"

He had a point. There was a chance Johnson might not be the most honest source in town. But on this score, what reason would he have to lie?

Aiden took a step toward me. "Well, I have to admit it, Bond. You've been busy."

I couldn't help but smile, taking it as a compliment.

Then he reached up and brushed a strand of my hair off my cheek, his fingers lingering on my skin. Oh boy. There was my traitorous libido again.

He grinned and leaned his head toward mine. I felt his hand snake around my neck and his lips brush against mine. He was going to kiss me…right here in a public bathroom? Part of me didn't even care, and part of me was a little squicked out, but when his lips made contact, both parts melted into a pool of goo. I was just about to lose all conscious thought, when my cell buzzed in my hand.

I flinched. I didn't want to answer it, but in case it was one of the girls, I needed to. Darn.

I raised it to my ear, and without looking or thinking, I said, "Hello?" There I went sounding all breathy again—this time with very good reason though.

"James?" Danny's voice came on the other end.

I froze.

"Danny?"

"Are you okay?" His voice sounded urgent. Worried even.

"Uh, yeah." I quickly took two steps away from Aiden, ducking my head down as if Danny could magically see through the phone to what he'd just interrupted. "Why? What's going on?"

"Well, when you didn't show at Spinelli's, I thought maybe something had happened."

I shut my eyes and thought a really bad word. My date with Danny. In everything that had happened that day, I'd totally forgotten about it.

"No, I just…uh, something came up."

"Where are you?" he asked. I was certain he could hear the music thumping in the background, even though it wasn't nearly as loud in here.

"Vegas," I said before I could think better of it.

There was silence on the other end for a moment, and then Danny repeated, "Vegas."

Wow. When he said it, it sounded like a dirty word.

"Uh, yeah. Look, it just sort of happened—"

"Is Aiden with you?" he cut in.

I bit my lip and looked up at gorgeous Aiden. His lips were still slightly red where my lipstick had stained them. "Um…well, kinda…"

Danny was quiet for another second. I expected him to yell or curse or something. But instead all I heard was a click.

Oh crap, crap, crap.

I felt my cheeks flushing and guilty tears well behind my eyes. I really screwed this one up. I quickly dialed him back, but it rang once then went to voice mail. I hung up and dialed again, but this time it went straight to voice mail. He'd turned off his phone.

"Is everything okay?" Aiden asked.

I looked into his beautiful blue-green eyes. "Um, yeah. It will be." I hoped. As much as I'd had mixed feelings about going out with Danny, the last thing I'd wanted to do was hurt him. I was such a jerk. I was scum. He'd hung up on me. He'd never done that before, not in all of the times I'd been a crappy friend. Though, I guess now I was sort of more than a friend. Or, maybe less after this. The math was making my head hurt.

Aiden looked toward the door. "I need to go. It sounds like Heavy Cash is almost done with his set."

I listened. Sure enough, the song was winding down.

"I have a few questions I need to ask him," Aiden said.

"So do I. Mind if I tag along?"

"Yes, I most certainly do mind."

Well darn, and here I thought we were getting along so swimmingly.

"Look," he continued, "in no way are you to go near Heavy. Got it?"

I sucked in my cheek. If he thought he had me on a leash just because he kissed me, he had another think coming.

"You are to go back to L.A. immediately. Is that clear?"

He spoke as if I were five and didn't know how to follow directions.

"And if I don't?" I asked, pulling out my defiant tone again.

"Heavy Cash has a record, and if things get dangerous, I don't want you near the situation."

I paused. Okay, that was actually kinda touching. But I couldn't help feel like he was giving me the brush-off. "Okay. No problem. I need to get back to the girls anyway."

I slipped out of the restroom and pool area and hurried up to my suite. Aiden may have been interrogating Heavy, but I had another angle to work.

I needed to find Julio.

When I stepped inside our room, Sam and Maya nearly pounced on me.

"We've reconstructed Julio's texts, Boss," Maya said with sheer glee in her voice. "We've cross referenced most of the numbers with phone company records to put names to them."

I glanced at her computer screen to see a neatly outlined spreadsheet. One of the texts on the day he disappeared was from Edwin Johnson. "Heavy's manager?" So he had lied to me.

Maya pointed to my laptop on the coffee table. "He and Heavy are staying in the penthouse."

"Julio may be up there too," Sam said. The tight edge to her voice gave away her worry.