“We can’t secure more than three people on the inside. The Emerald City Casino is like Fort Knox. You’ll be on your own, except for the aid of the camera in the elevator in the left wing, the hallway outside of McCue’s private suite, and the back entrance through the kitchen exit in the corner lot. If you’re in any trouble in those locations, we have men inside who will see you and move in,” her commander, Reynolds, stated.
“Anywhere else, and you’re on your own,” the FBI agent added.
She nodded her head in agreement. Everyone was talking about the murders. Congressman Dooley had even spoken about it during one of his campaigns. Not that she like that guy. He kind of gave her the creeps, but he seemed to be trying to inform the public and also give support to the police department. The man had ties everywhere, and would surely get reelected.
“If at any point, you feel that your cover has been blown, J.J., I want you out of there.” She nodded her head at the Commander. Justice would be served.
J.J. took a deep breath and released it. She worked for the Nevada State Police, enrolled in the academy at twenty years old, and by twenty-two she’d made their special investigations unit. That was four years ago. Anthony had taught her a lot. He gave her the extra training to keep her safe, and make her have the tools necessary to keep alive. It’s how they’d fallen in love. She was good at what she did and she was tough. But knowing that the people responsible for these murders were somewhere out there in the crowd tonight made her belly tighten.
She felt the hand on her shoulder and abruptly turned around, ready to pounce.
“Whoa! Holy shit, are you okay, Jade?” Tara asked, taking a step back. She was a fellow dancer, involved in the belly dancing act going on after J.J.’s solo. She also was tight with the McCues, and J.J. didn’t trust her.
J.J. shook her head, feigning embarrassment, but really it just showed how on edge she was. It seemed to her that every natural response was an opportunity to get information. She was getting used to her fake name, too. Jade was kind of cool for a fake name. But considering how green her eyes were, everyone told her it was the perfect name for her.
“I’m sorry. I guess I’m just a little nervous,” she whispered, and then took advantage of Tara’s approach. Tara had mentioned making some extra money just a few days ago. She was hinting around J.J. to see if she was hard for cash. Knowing how the FBI believed that the cases had something to do with prostitution, she thought she would take the bait and play up to Tara to see if this was an in.
“I totally need to focus. I can’t fuck this up. I need this job,” J.J. stated and then swallowed hard before looking back toward the stage curtain.
“Money’s tight, huh?” Tara asked.
“Tight? Shit, I’m behind on my rent. I’m avoiding the landlord until Friday, payday, then half will go to the rent and some of the other bills. I’ll be lucky if I’ll have enough for one regular meal after that.”
Tara smiled and then she rubbed her arm.
“Listen, after your act, come talk to me. I’ve got an in on some special side work. It’s a bit wild, kind of kinky, but the pay is fantastic. Plus, with your great looks and body, you could be very busy in the extra activities,” Tara said with a wink. J.J. lowered her voice and inched closer.
“Are you talking about prostitution?”
Tara looked around them.
“Listen, it’s not that bad, and the guys are really wealthy, powerful men. They pay big bucks.”
She pretended to think about that a moment.
“What kind of kinky stuff would I have to do?”
“We’ll talk more after the show. If you’re interested, I’ll give you the lowdown, but you better not say a word to any of the other girls. I could get into a lot of trouble even speaking about it to you.”
“Trouble with who, like a pimp?”
Tara chuckled.
“I don’t think Dexter, Martin, or Prentice would like being called pimps.” Tara chuckled as J.J. nearly gasped aloud. Martin, Dexter, and Prentice were the owners of the casino. Dexter and Martin were brothers, and they were dangerous, and Prentice was a nasty, steroid head. The man got angry at the drop of a hat, and she had seen his rage. This was definitely useful information.
“Jade, you’re on in five,” one of the stagehands said, as the music to her number began softly in the background, as the MC got the crowd warmed up before he introduced her. She adjusted her breasts in the two-sizes-too-small sequin dress she wore and gave a little exhale of nerves. J.J. was five foot six without the outrageous heels and was well-endowed, a bit too well-endowed for the dress she wore tonight, but this was Vegas and she was a Vegas showgirl.
She wore her brown hair up high on her head in some fancy hairstyle she would have never dreamed of trying to recreate herself. The beauticians and makeup artists took care of everything backstage, and when J.J. looked at herself in the mirror even she was amazed.
There were numerous beaded clips and accent pieces scattered around the hairdo. The makeup artist had attached false eyelashes, which made J.J.’s deep jade green eyes stand out even more.
This afternoon when she had met Dexter McCue he had complimented her on them and she hoped his flirtatious advances would land her the opportunity to get some inside information.
“You’re on. Break a leg, doll,” the stagehand said with a wink, as the curtain parted and the crowd began to cheer. She was in her role as a Vegas showgirl, and it was time to snag the attention of the bad guys.
* * * *
Martin and Dexter McCue sat down in the booth to the right of the stage. They had a perfect view of the audience as well as the stage. Martin’s brother, Dexter, had had his eye on Jade for the past two weeks, but so had Martin. She was a knockout, with a body of a porn star, and the voice of a fucking angel. They had both received numerous requests from clients to have her. But one glance at Dexter, and both Martin and Prentice knew he wanted her for himself. However, Prentice found out that Jade had been asking some questions around the club. The last bitch that had asked a bunch of questions turned out to be a federal agent. That was a huge fucking mess for Prentice and him to handle.