High-Heeler Wonder (Killer Style 1)

His sister answered on the third ring. “Ryder.”

“I’m putting you on three-way conference call with Cam. Hold on.”

Cam answered on the first ring, but a woman’s soft laugh echoed in the background. Tony’s first instinct was to remind his number two that he was on duty, but considering the direction of his own thoughts lately he was the last person who should tell someone to keep it in their pants.

“Someone broke into Sylvie’s apartment, stole her laptop, and left everything else. We’ve moved base to my house until further notice. Tell me you’ve got good news.”

Cam let out a soft whistle. “Why your place?”

“You kidding? I’m related to half the neighborhood. A stranger on this block is going to stick out like sushi at Nonni’s Sunday dinner. Plus, I’ve got access to more firepower here.”

“Smart plan. Carlos hacked into Sylvie’s blog and has traced several of the noninitial threats to the same IP address,” Ryder said.

“Name?”

“He’s working on it.”

“Tell him we needed that info yesterday.”

Cam asked, “How did the chat with that other blogger go?”

“Rhodes admitted she spilled Sylvie’s identity to a bunch of people, but the two at the top of the suspect list are Anders Bloom and Pippa Worthington. Based on the photos Sylvie shared, Bloom is a designer who makes some of the ugliest shit I have ever seen on a woman. Sylvie mocked him pretty hard on her blog. His sales have tanked. Worthington is a big-shot fashion editor who is in a world of shit at work, a fact that Sylvie shared with the entire Internet.”

Cam whistled. “You really think either one would go postal to this extent because of what a blogger said about them?”

Tony’s toes itched at hearing

spoken out loud the question he’d been asking himself for the past twenty-four hours. “I don’t know, but they’re the best leads we have right now.” Tony rammed his fingers through his hair. “Ryder, light a fire under Carlos. I want those computer records now. Cam, start snooping around Bloom. Sylvie said his last three collections were a bust and one more failure could mean the loss of his financial backers. Check out Worthington, too. Find out if she had opportunity or the ability to pull this off.”

“Gotcha.”

“One more thing.” Tony paused, trying to will the muscles in his shoulders to relax. “Rhodes ratted out Sylvie’s identity as the High-Heeled Wonder while doing drugs with Bloom. According to her, he’s one of the biggest sources of nose candy for models in Harbor City.”

Silence filled the line and Tony paced to the door. He glanced down the hall. No sign of Sylvie. For once he was glad.

Ryder murmured, “Do you think it’s connected to—”

The hairs on Tony’s forearms stood at attention and he interrupted his sister. “Can’t say, but it makes sense. Anders worked for Henry and Anton back when Keith was killed. It would explain why the trail always leads back to them.”

Steel filled Cam’s voice. “On it,” he said.

“Great. Let me know as soon as you hear anything. I’ll be in touch soon.”

“Hey boss?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” Cam chuckled.

Did he never get tired of that stupid line?

“Fuck off.” Tony hung up, shoved the phone into his pocket, and marched into the office to find the woman he was failing miserably at thinking of as only a client.

Sylvie sat in a chair pulled up close to his rolltop desk, her shoulders hunched as she peered at the computer screen. Tension rolled off her as strong as the wind whipping the trees outside the window.

“Everything okay?”

She turned and directed a hard glare his way. If looks could kill, it’d be pretty much over for him.