She shook her head when she saw the devilish smile on his face. “Nitro’s stalker Clubie is missing,” she said in an effort to escape Roman’s piercing gaze.

  “She’s not my stalker. Stop saying that shit or you’re going to pay.”

  That was all Chandler needed to hear. Chandler had no problem dropping the subject because she knew Nitro’s punishment consisted of bringing her to the brink of orgasm and making her wait hours on end for release. It was enough to make any sane woman crazy.

  Nitro studied his woman before continuing, “I see you’ve moved on,” he smirked. He directed his attention back to Roman and the case. “We have a woman who is missing and we’re concerned about another club or gang having her. Dauntless MC is another world. This could be a number of things like another club getting revenge or a gang kidnapping for money. We just don’t know, yet.”

  “This case will definitely mean you two heading it up,” Roman said. Now it was Roman who was studying Nitro, “This case isn’t going to cause you to want to move back into the club, is it? If so, I’ll be moving Chandler in with me.”

  “Not so quick,” Nitro’s eyes pierced through Roman, “I have no intention of moving from the farm.”

  “Okay, boys, enough already. Roman, we know you don’t want to know how Nitro and I handle the situation. We’ll be living together and working together. Nothing has changed.”

  “There has to be some semblance of legalism in this establishment we’re operating.” Roman eyed both of them, “I’m that semblance because I work with the authorities. I don’t need the dirty details of what you two do to solve cases. I’ll bail you out if you get in trouble. I’ve got your backs and you’ve got my front; that’s how this works.”

  “Leave it to you to say it with such eloquence, Roman. It is part of why I love you—very good description of how we have to operate.”

  He winked at her, continuing on with the discussion of business. “Nitro, I can count on you to keep my woman safe, right? This case could be dangerous.”

  Nitro cut his eyes at Roman, answering the question without using words.

  “Okay, it’s just me being the overprotective lover. I know you’ll rip someone’s head off. By the way, Aunt Thelma said dinner is at six and no excuses or she’s going back to the craft store.” The last time Aunt Thelma had been there she’d almost gone to jail for beating a woman up over yarn for a baby blanket.

  “We’ll be there,” Nitro and Chandler said in unison. Aunt Thelma was a shit storm waiting to happen. Both men were convinced Chandler had inherited the gene. There was always a case that would need to be solved, but stopping the train wreck that was Aunt Thelma was more important than any case that would ever come across their desk.

  Chapter Two

  Clubie rocked against the wooden chair she was duct taped to in an effort to free herself. The sound of a key going into a lock outside caused her to stop and look up. She was shocked to see a woman dressed in all black open the storage room door. She studied the woman in preparation for the description she planned to give once she got loose; she planned to come back and kill the bitch. Her anger was voiced in a ‘hrumph’, through the duct tape gag she was wearing. Her eyes sent the message someone would die if she were ever freed.

  The bitch in black reached down, ripping the duct tape from Clubie’s mouth.

  “My old man’s going to kill you. You have no idea who you’re fucking with. I’m a biker’s old lady and they don’t take kindly to their women being kidnapped.”

  “My name is…well, you can just call me Sleuth, because I’m the best in the biz, little girl.” Sleuth spoke like she hadn’t heard her life had just been threatened.

  “Lady, I have no idea who you are or why I’m here.”

  “You’re a means to an end. I need to convince my boss that I deserve a promotion and you’re going to help me do just that.”

  “Who do you work for?”

  “I work for Roman Andrews’ competition.”

  “Great. I finally get away from Chandler Chase and Nitro and I’m right back where I started.”

  “Who the hell are they?”

  “Roman Andrews’s top agents and his favorites. The three of them have some ménage thing going on. I don’t want any part of this, lady.”

  “It really doesn’t matter what you want because you’re nothing more than a cog in the scheme of things. You’re my means to an end. Whether you live or die remains to be seen.”

  Fabulous, I finally get free of my obsession with Nitro and I get kidnapped. She found herself wishing she hadn’t been such a pain in the ass to Chandler. If she ever needed a good private investigator, it was now. As much as Clubie hated Chandler, she’d always known the woman was a good investigator. She hoped they were looking for her. She knew the club would come through for her, but the real question was if they’d be able to talk Andrews and Chase investigations into helping.

  Chapter Three

  The bell over the office door had been replaced with a high-dollar security system that beeped when a client entered Andrews and Chase Investigations. Judy looked up at the woman standing in front of her desk. She was dressed in black leather with spiked blonde hair and lips that had been inflated to the point of making her look like a blow-up sex doll. There was something about the woman Judy immediately didn’t like. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it but she would.

  “Name’s Sleuth.”

  Judy looked at the woman who had come through the front door like she owned the place and decided it was time to set this bitch straight. “Normally I’m not this candid, but I don’t give a fuck who you are. I don’t like your attitude. I usually take a little time to decide I don’t like somebody”—Judy moved her hand in a circular motion— “but this whole aggressive energy thing you’ve got going on isn’t sitting right with me. It’s messing up my mojo. In case you’ve forgotten, this is my turf.”

  The woman began to look confused, as if she couldn’t understand why she didn’t immediately like her. Not that she was warm and fuzzy or anything, but it usually took people longer than thirty seconds to make up their mind about her.

  Sleuth stepped up to Judy’s desk and stuck her hand out to shake. Judy looked down at her other hand that was getting handprints on her new desk. “You’re getting handprints on my new desk.”

  “Oh, sorry,” the woman moved her hand and wiped her hand on her pants as if it would clean the desk. “I work for Roman’s competition and I’m here to let you know Ace Investigations is going to put you out of business.”

  “Mm, hmm,” a skeptical Judy said.

  Chandler bumped Roman’s arm, “Looks like it’s someone from Ace Investigations and you know how she always gets shitty jealous of anybody crossing you boys.” Roman’s cocky smile revealed he was flattered Judy was jealous of outsiders, even if they did work for the competition. This was nothing new. Roman had been in a pissing contest with the pompous bastard who ran Ace for years.

  Chandler went out front to get a closer look at Sleuth’s blown up lips. The woman was like a train wreck; you just couldn’t look away. “So…let me get this straight, you came here to tell us you have intentions of putting us out of business? That’s funny—in a non-humorous kind of way.”

  “The infamous Chandler Chase. So, what’s the deal? One man isn’t enough for you? We have a name for that where I come from.”

  “Oh, hell no!” Judy whipped out Billy’s massive .44 magnum and began waving it around. “Are you slut-shaming my best friend? Let me shoot this bitch.”

  Nitro and Roman had rushed out from the back. Nitro grabbed the gun and handed it to Billy. “You’ve got your hands full, Billy.”

  “Don’t I know it?” He said with a sense of pride.

  “Well I can definitely see why you want both men,” Sleuth said, licking her lips in appreciation. It hadn’t taken but one look at the two hotties to deduce why any woman would be tempted. Sleuth figured Chandler had balls of steel to actually go through with it, though. Respect—even if it came in an unconventional manner—bloomed in Sleuth.

  “In your dreams lady,” Nitro scoffed, reading the live blow-up doll’s mind as she licked her oversized lips at him.

  Roman eyed the intruder with contempt, “I don’t think it was smart of you to come here. I’m certain there are enough cases in a city this large to compensate both of our agencies.” Leave it to Roman to always be the diplomatic one, no matter how ruffled his feathers.

  “I’m very competitive. I’m taking your cases,” Sleuth said. The audacity of Sleuth was almost more than the investigators could process but it was right there in their faces; not being able to believe it simply wasn’t an option. The woman was shameless.

  By now, Roman had leaned over the desk with a feral look on his face, “Lady, my clients sign a waiver saying they won’t employ another agency as long as we’re on a case. You fuck with me, and you’ll be hearing from the most cutthroat lawyer you’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. Now get the fuck out of my office and the next time you call my woman a slut, I’m going to let this crazy gun-toting secretary of mine loose on you. Then, I’m going to let my dog finish off whatever’s left of those overblown lips of yours.” Suit growled at the woman who wasted no time getting out the door. Roman scared her even more than the biker-looking guy who went by the name of Nitro. Damn, Chandler, you’ve got your hands full. There were very few times Sleuth felt afraid; this was one of them—she’d never been threatened by a dog.

  “Babe, we already knew people were going to say shit,” Nitro said, studying Chandler in an effort to make sure she wasn’t hurt or embarrassed by what Sleuth had said.

  “It isn’t that. I’m wondering how a complete stranger would know I have two boyfriends.”

  Judy looked at Billy, “She really is starting to think like a private investigator.”

  “She most certainly is,” Billy said; once again, looking like a proud father.

  Nitro didn’t say anything. He was too busy thinking of ways to fuck up Sleuth’s life for messing with his woman.

  Chapter Four

  “I’m hungry. Almost shooting people makes me hungry,” Judy said.

  “Let’s go get something. I’ll drive you,” Chandler answered. “I need to get out of here for a minute, anyway.”

  “You’re not mad at us, are you?” Roman looked like he might go after the woman if Chandler said ‘yes’. She decided she better try and defuse the situation.

  “No. I was shocked more than anything. I can’t say it didn’t catch me off guard. I’m more concerned with how she found out.”

  “Maybe Clubie told her,” Judy said off the top of her head.

  “Why would Sleuth have Clubie?”

  “You heard her, she’s our competition. What better way to get her name out there than to kidnap Clubie and act like she rescued her before us.”

  “We need to put a tail on that bitch,” Nitro growled.

  “Mm, hmm, ‘cause I know Nitro and he’s ready to blow that bitch up over you, Chandler.”

  “Please don’t encourage him, Judy.”

  “I don’t have to encourage him. He was born bat shit crazy. Come on, Suit. You can bite the bitch if we run into her again. Surely you don’t think I’m letting this go,” Judy stood with her hand on her hip.

  “Me either,” Nitro agreed.

  “Count me in, too,” Roman said.

  All three of them were looking at Chandler and she knew she was outnumbered on this one. No way were they letting an outsider get away with what Sleuth had said. The only question that remained was if Sleuth would be shot, run over, or blown up.

  “Well, let’s get you all fed and see if that helps with your anger issues. Judging by the looks on your faces, I don’t think anything short of a miracle will help you rageaholics.”

  “Big Booty Judy,” yelled a random admirer as the crew got into the Hummer. She waved, getting into the Hummer like a woman used to her local celebrity status.

  “You’re famous,” Chandler said, only half joking.

  “Yeah, but I don’t let it go to my head like some celebrities do; it turns the fans off and I love my fans.”

  “So how does Billy the Kid feel about all that love you’re spreading around?”

  “Long as I don’t spread any of it in another man’s bedroom, he’s fine. The man can shoot a fly off a horse’s ass so I have to be careful about him getting jealous. Did what that woman said about you having two men hurt your feelings? I mean, now that we aren’t around the guys, you can be honest.”

  “You have to care about somebody before they can hurt you in any kind of way. That bitch is nothing to me, and by the way she was undressing both of them with her eyes, she looks like she’d love to be sandwiched between them.”

  “Good to know. It will make shooting her easier. As far as her undressing your men, you’re talking about one man who looks like he walked off GQ and the other one who could be the poster boy for hottest hitman living. What’s not to like?”

  “I have to agree. I’m the luckiest girl in the world when I’m not stressing about them killing somebody.”

  “I don’t know. Roman strikes me as the type to dismantle somebody’s life piece by piece, you know? Like a painstaking, well-thought plan of wrecking them financially and then breaking up their home life. That would be just as bad as getting offed suddenly. Now Nitro, he’s your killer. Lots of women would like to have one man who would kill for ‘em. You’ve got two. They’d just go about it in two very different ways.”

  “Jeez, you’re scaring me. I don’t want to get on their bad side. As long as I’m on their good side, I’m the luckiest girl alive. I think I’ll keep it that way. Now, where are we eating?”

  “I want some fried chicken, extra crispy. I been seein’ fried chicken commercials and they sent subliminal messages to my brain. You know they can do that, just like them songs that have a message if you play ‘em backwards.”

  “Well, don’t eat too much; Aunt Thelma’s going back to the craft store if we’re not at her house for dinner.”

  “I can eat more than once on account of I got to keep up my girlish figure for my Big Booty Judy fans. Get all the side dishes, too. Chicken is no good all by itself, plus Suit is hungry. Aren't you, Suit?”

  Suit sat up and barked in agreement.

  “Suit’s always hungry,” Chandler said, reaching back and patting his head.

  “Well, this is his reward for growling at that Sleuth woman. He didn’t like her, either. I knew I didn’t as soon as she walked in. I got a sixth sense when it comes to people. That’s why y’all need to keep me around.”

  “We wouldn’t dream of getting rid of you. Life’s much more interesting with Big Booty Judy in it.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. Especially since I got a raise this morning.”

  “For what?”

  “Roman said he didn’t want me upset ‘cause you’d kill him. Thanks for the raise, buddy. You’re the best friend ever.”

  Chapter Five

  When the girls got back to the office, Nitro and Roman were discussing how to kill Sleuth and get away with it. Chandler set everybody up in the decked-out lounge where they had all the comforts of formal dining, complete with snack machines, soda machines, and a refrigerator stocked with Yoo-hoo and whatever vices each agent had that came in the form of food or drink.

  After everyone was full of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and coleslaw with biscuits, they all cleaned up and headed out front. Judy had just gotten seated at her desk when a woman dressed like she came off an episode of ‘lives of the rich and famous’ walked into the office.

  “Now, this here is what looks like a real client,” Judy said under her breath. The woman appeared to be in her early forties. She was dressed in a cream-colored satin shirt with a Chanel pearl necklace and matching earrings. She had on black slacks and carried a designer bag. Everything about her screamed class and money. She sat down at Judy’s desk, pulled out a monogrammed hankie, and dabbed at her eyes.

  “I’m here to see Roman Andrews. I’ve seen his commercial on television and I need to hire him.”

  Chandler couldn’t help but think about what Aunt Thelma had said about women coming out of the woodwork because of that damned commercial. She made a mental note to have a new one done; one with her in it, too.

  If you’ll come with me, I’ll take you back to our office,” Chandler forced a smile.

  “Are you his wife?”

  “His fiancé,” Chandler lied.

  Roman stood and extended his hand as the woman entered. She took a moment to look at him. After taking in his attire and his overall professional demeanor, she seemed pleased and shook his hand. No surprise there; Roman always measured up when it came to the scrutiny of the upper echelon of society.

  “Mr. Andrews, my name is Ronda Rothschild. My husband has built up a business, a chain of concierges for various hotels and events such as the Kentucky Derby. He went missing a week ago and I’m convinced there’s been foul play. We have no marriage problems and there have been no ransom demands; he just disappeared. It’s as if he never existed.”

  Roman took her information, went over the rates, and told her they’d take the job. No doubt the woman could pay which was always encouraging. Chandler liked the idea of working and being independent; even if she did have two rich men more than willing to spoil her.

  Judy waited until the woman left and rushed back to the office. “I know where we should start. I bet you a hundred dollars that woman has a Spanish maid. I’m excellent at getting chismo.”

  Nitro looked up from where he was leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, “The Spanish word for gossip.” Roman nodded, signifying he got the message.

 

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