“Rumor mill, if I’m honest. One of the girls we took in last night offered up some places we should check out as part of a deal.”
“What fucking deal?”
“No fucking deal, but she doesn’t know that.” He chuckled. “Goldies was one of ‘em.”
“It’s not the first time we’ve barked up this tree. They run a squeaky-clean ship, Sam, you know that.”
“Nah. There’s no way they’ve been as successful as they are without breaking some laws along the way.”
“We can agree to disagree.”
“Whatever. We’re gonna head over to the Milton Casino and see if we can get lucky. Will we be seeing you and your lovely lady friend?”
“Fuck yourself. I’ll let you know.” I hung up and stuffed my phone back into my pocket before I had a chance to hear his laughter. I had no idea how I put up with his shit—and he was also the reason Zac never caught me swearing. I got it all out of my system at work while dealing with my best friend.
“So. Goldies, huh?” Perrie didn’t even try to hide her amusement.
“You heard that?”
“I’ve heard elephants quieter than him on the phone.” She smirked.
“Yep. Goldies. I’m guessing then you heard the whole thing?”
“About him being told by someone trying to break a deal? Yep. Getting turned away? Yep. Good luck to him. He isn’t getting past security at any of those clubs.”
“Why not?”
She laughed. “Back inside first. Nobody wants to know the Fox family secrets, except absolutely everyone.” She winked over her shoulder and headed back inside.
“One—that makes no sense. Two—we’re gonna discuss it in an overcrowded bar instead?” I caught up with her and touched my hand to her back.
“Of course. Less chance of anyone who actually cares being able to overhear you.” She shot me a half-smile, and the look in her eye reminded me that she was way smarter and savvier in this side of the city than I would ever be.
A flash of ruthlessness with a side of arrogance.
She’d seen both sides—she knew how they both worked, what made both the glitz and glamor tick and the seedy, sexy underbelly roll.
She was not the woman you underestimated, but I’d been doing just that.
Back at the bar, I motioned for another pair of drinks to be brought over. Perrie situated herself in a stool in the corner, closest to the casino, and crossed one leg over the other.
“Talk,” I demanded, taking the seat right in front of her.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and with her elbow on the bar, rested her chin on her hand. “For as long as I can remember, Benedict has had the most complex screening process you can imagine for his security. He’s never trusted the police, and that distrust got worse after my sister died and—”
“Your sister died?”
“Uh, yeah.” She bit her lower lip and dragged it between her teeth. “About eight years ago now. Can I carry on?”
“Sure.”
“He’s always had people of interest be known to all the security. They have to literally memorize the faces of most of the police force on a semi-regular basis. Sam is never gonna get in there—neither are you.”
I rubbed my hand down my face. “You’re sure about this?”
“Sure as I can be.” She smirked. “I’m the one who used to print the info for the security team.”
“Fair enough.”
“If you really want to get into Goldies, you need to send a new officer in. A total rookie who’s been on the force less than three months.”
I blinked at her. That was a terrible idea. “Can you get in there?”
“With a good enough disguise,” she admitted slowly. Very. Slowly. “But that doesn’t mean I want to. In fact, I can’t think of a worse idea than that one right there.”
Our drinks were put in front of us, and I handed the tender a bill with a, “Keep the change,” then turned back to Perrie. “If it really makes you that uncomfortable…But I don’t want to exactly send a rookie in there, either. We don’t have them on our team for this. They’re not skilled enough.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Isn’t that why I’m here? Because you’re all useless?”
Goddamn it. Her being right was becoming an annoying regularity.
“All right, all right. I’ll consider it.”
She smiled serenely, her eyes twinkling. “I need the bathroom again.”
I rolled my eyes.
She slid off her chair gracefully and placed a hand on my shoulder. Leaning into me so that her hair brushed my cheek, she whispered, “The blond in black, ten o’clock by the slot machines. Send someone over there. She looks lonely.”
I spun on the stool to face her, but all I got was the faint whiff of her perfume and a view of her ass as she sauntered away to the bathroom.
It could have been worse.
Chapter Thirteen
Perrie
There were some things I didn’t do.