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She took her beer and went to the so-called second bedroom, which served as her office/darkroom. There should be a law against false advertising, she thought, as she flipped on the light. When she’d read the ad for the “spacious two-bedroom apartment” some five years ago, she was expecting spacious. Well, the “second bedroom” was about eight feet long and five feet wide. The only person who could sleep in there was a midget. If you put a full-size bed in the room you’d have to walk over it to get in and out! So she’d converted it to a tiny office space with a flat-screen computer, a small desk and her photography equipment, which was stored in the closet. With a few shelves mounted on the wall, it actually became a functional space.
Danielle had a photo shoot scheduled for the following morning and wanted to go over the shot schedule. There were five models involved in the shoot for a new designer who was launching a line for the fall. They were going to set up in the Central Park Zoo so that the caged animals could serve as a backdrop.
The weather for the next day was set to be in the high seventies, which would make for a very uncomfortable day for the models and the crew.
She went down her list of supplies for the day, making sure to include two cases of water and an ice cooler.
The front door opened and shut, and the sound of male voices filled the front room.
Danielle pushed her papers aside and went to the front room.
“Hey, hon,” Danielle greeted Nick, as she strolled up to him in the living room and kissed him lightly on the lips. She turned to their guest. “Bernard…”
“Good to see you again, Danielle.”
She’d met Bernard Hassell several weeks earlier at a get-together at Mia’s house. Bernard was a dead ringer for Billy Dee Williams and the current love interest of Claudia, Savannah’s mother.
“You, too, Bernard.” Her brow wrinkled ever so slightly. “Where did you two hook up?”
“At the gym,” Nick said. “Well, as I was going to the gym. Bernard was walking by on his way to this new spot, Pause for Men. He invited me to join him.” Nick grinned. “The place is fabulous. Full spa, exercise rooms, saunas—the works—and a health-food cafe.”
Bernard hooked his thumb over his shoulder toward Nick. “I think Pause just got a new member.” He chuckled lightly.
Dani eyed Bernard. “Wow, no wonder you stay in such great shape,” she teased.
Bernard grinned and made a slight bow. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Can I offer you something to drink?” she asked, moving toward the kitchen.
“We were gonna grab a couple of beers and catch the end of the game,” Nick said, pecking her cheek. “How was the afternoon with the girls?”
“Fine,” she answered absentmindedly, trying to wrap her mind around the odd matchup of her man with one old enough to be his dad. “Well, I’ll leave you boys to your games. Good to see you again, Bernard,” she said before returning to her office.
Once inside, she closed the door behind her and dialed Mia on her cell.
“Hey, Dani, whatsup?”
Danielle cut a quick glance toward the closed door, then spoke in a harsh whisper. “Guess who’s here?”
“What? Why are you whispering?”
“Put your damned glasses on so you can hear me!”
“Not funny. Abuse I don’t need,” Mia said haughtily. “Now, speak up.”
Danielle blew out an exasperated breath. “Bernard is here.”
“Who?”
“Bernard! Claudia’s Bernard.”
“Savannah’s mom, Claudia?”
“Yes!” she hissed.
“Why? Did something happen to Claudia?”
“No. He’s hanging out with Nick, of all things. They met at some spa.” She shook her head in bewilderment.
“Soooo…the problem is…?”
“Don’t you think it’s odd? I mean, Bernard is…older.”
Mia laughed. “Guys aren’t like women, D. They bond over all sorts of stuff, sports, video games. Age isn’t an issue with them.”
“Hmm, I guess…”
“Besides, didn’t you say Nick lost his dad when he was a teen?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe Bernie’s like a substitute or something.”
“You’re probably right. I’m making something out of nothing.”
“Bet they’re watching a game and drinking beer.”
Danielle giggled. “Exactly.”
“See what I mean? Anyway, relax. I need to pack. And don’t forget if you and Savannah need my help…”
“I know, sis. Thanks.”
“Good luck. I mean that.”
“Thanks. Safe travels.”
“Safe spying.”
That was what she should be focused on, Danielle reasoned as she disconnected the call—working her first undercover assignment.
She couldn’t wait to meet Jean.
The sounds of male laughter drifted into the bedroom. Even with Mia’s wise words about male bonding, she still couldn’t shake her misgivings about Bernard. It was nothing that she could actually put her finger on. He was nice enough and obviously Claudia cared about him. But he simply seemed too good to be true: handsome, smooth talking, well put-together for a man of his age, and he seemed to have plenty of time on his hands. What did he do for a living? How could he afford a fancy spa like the one they were talking about, and where did he come from, anyway? She was probably overanalyzing, seeing ghosts in the closet when there weren’t any. She pushed her wayward thoughts about Bernard Hassell to the back of her mind, at least for the time being. She had more pressing matters to concentrate on. Her first assignment. She grinned with anticipation.
Chapter 3
It was three nerve-racking days before Savannah heard from Jean with a date for the meeting.
“Do I look okay?” Danielle asked for the tenth time in as many minutes as they drove to the Cartel brownstone.
“Dani, I swear, if you ask me just one more time…”
“I want to make a good impression.”
“You’ll be fine. And when have you not made a good impression?” She paused, frowned slightly. “Well, there was that time in the restaurant in Chelsea when your name wasn’t on the reservation list, and the time you got into a shouting match with that model’s agent during a photo shoot, and the time…”
Danielle held up her hand. “All right, all right! I’ll behave. I get it.” She huffed and folded her arms.
“What I’m trying to say, sweetie, is you always look fabulous, but you simply have to keep your temper in check and be, uh, more diplomatic.”
Of the trio, Danielle was notorious for flying off the handle at the drop of a hat, and it didn’t take much for her to feel slighted. But most of her flare-ups occurred when she felt one of her friends was being mistreated or the people she expected to fall in line, such as staff, support people and…well, the general public, didn’t live up to what she expected of them. But if you ever wanted anyone in the trenches with you, it was definitely Danielle. She would go down swinging and still look incredible.
“I want to make a good impression,” Danielle finally said, looking uncharacteristically uncertain. She tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth.
“You’ll be fine.” Savannah reached across the gears and squeezed Danielle’s hand. “I promise.”
Danielle looked into Savannah’s eyes and saw the confidence there. She drew in a long breath. “Thanks.”
“Here we are.”
Danielle peeked out the window at the very stately four-story brownstone, which looked like all the other well-taken-care-of homes on the restored block. “This is it?”
Savannah chuckled. “What did you expect? The Batcave?” She unfastened her seat belt and got out. “Come on.”
Danielle followed Savannah to the ground-floor entrance of the house.
“See that house across the street?” Savannah said, lifting her chin toward the house.
“You mean, where that F-I-N-E man is going in followed by another one?”
“Yes, it’s a day spa for men.”
“Get out.”
“Yep, run by four women, best friends.”
“What? Wait a minute. Is it called Pause for Men?”
“Yeah, why?” She pressed the bell. A chime echoed gently in the background.
“Uh, nothing. I think I heard about it somewhere.” That sounded like the same spa that Bernard had taken Nick to, she thought. She’d have to make sure, and if it was, hopefully she wouldn’t have to come to headquarters too often. That could get pretty sticky. And she certainly wasn’t about to mention anything to Savannah to give her or Jean a reason not to give her this assignment.
The door opened. Savannah recognized Margaret, the woman the Cartel had honored the previous month for having been responsible for shutting down a senior retirement home in Brooklyn that had been abusing the seniors.
“Hi. We’re here to see Jean.”
“Come in. Come in. Good to see you again, Savannah,” the middle-aged Cartel member said with a warm smile. Tiny laugh lines fanned out from the corners of her blue eyes.
“Margaret, this is Danielle Holloway.”
Margaret stared at her for a long moment then turned to Savannah. “Looks like she has what it takes.” She winked. “It’s all in the eyes. Make yourselves comfortable a moment. I’ll let Jean know you’re here.”
“Thanks, Margaret,” Savannah said with a light laugh.
“That was weird,” Danielle said under her breath. “Did you see how she looked at me?”
Savannah waved her hand in dismissal. “That’s one of the top agents. She’s been with the Cartel since the beginning, and she’s Jean’s right hand. Definitely someone you want on your side, and if she says you’ve got what it takes, then you’ve got it.”
“If you say so,” Danielle murmured, glancing up at the twelve-foot ceiling and the incredible crystal chandelier that looked like something out of a holiday movie. She slowly strolled around the massive room and took in the decor.
Antique furnishings dotted the enormous room. Sunshine spilled across the sparkling parquet floors from eight-foot-long windows treated with sheer white curtains billowing ever so gently from the light breeze. An oak mantle with a massive fireplace was the centerpiece of the room, reminiscent of the great party days of old Harlem.
Margaret appeared in the doorway as silently as she’d left. “Jean is ready for you,” she said.
She led them upstairs, turned right at the top of the landing and walked down a long hallway that was lined on either side with photographs of Cartel members. Danielle caught a glimpse of Savannah’s mother, Claudia, and just before Margaret tapped on the partially opened door, Danielle saw a picture of a smiling Savannah.
Wow, it’s like going to the White House or somewhere prestigious and seeing the rows of presidents hanging on the walls, she thought, then she wondered if her picture would wind up there one day.
Margaret opened the door, stepped aside and let Savannah and Danielle pass. “Good luck,” she whispered to Danielle before closing the door behind her.
The room was dimly lit by an antique lamp on a desk behind which Jean sat. Outdoor sunshine was blocked by the heavy brocade drapes, in sharp contrast to the floor below.
“Ladies.” Jean took off her pink-framed glasses and stood. “Thank you for coming. Please have a seat.” Her radiant red hair fell in soft waves around her delicate face to brush her shoulders.
Danielle noticed that her skin was almost translucent as a trickle of perspiration shimmied down the center of her own spine even though the air-conditioning was running at optimum level. She took a seat opposite Jean and next to Savannah. She crossed her ankles and drew in a long, calming breath, then put on her best smile.
“How are you feeling these days, Savannah?”
Savannah gently patted her barely noticeable baby bump. “If I can get past these first three months, I just might survive.”
Jean offered a lukewarm smile. “Children.” Her right brow flicked reflexively. “They never factored into my life—always busy traveling, getting from one assignment to the next.” She sighed. “Now it’s too late.”
“I’m sorry,” Savannah offered.
“Oh, don’t be,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I’d make a terrible mother. I don’t have a nurturing bone in my body.” She turned her attention to Danielle. “Ms. Holloway.” She said it in such a way that it hung in the air, more like an accusation than a greeting.
Danielle swallowed and offered a tight-lipped smile, feeling as if she’d been caught with her top off in the boys’ locker room with the captain of the basketball team. “It’s good to meet you.”
“I’m sure that Savannah told you this is completely against protocol. This is not how we recruit members.” She tossed Savannah a sharp look, and Savannah adjusted her behind in her seat. “However, because Savannah did such an excellent job on her first assignment and was recruited by her mother, whom I hold in the highest regard…” She drew in a breath, then on the exhale said, “I’ve decided after much deliberation and consultation, to consider your admittance.”
Danielle felt her lungs fill with air and realized that she’d been holding her breath. She almost broke out in laughter, she was so relieved.
“However, you have no skills. You haven’t been trained. Ideally I should be using one of our more seasoned members, but I wanted Savannah for this job. Obviously she can’t handle it now, and because you and Mia Turner were so integral to resolving the land fraud deal, I think that you would be a perfect substitute.”
“Thank you.” I think.
“You’re going to have to take a crash course. We don’t have much time to get you up to speed. You will need to master in two weeks what would normally take two to three months. If I’m satisfied with your progress at the end of the training, you’ll get your kit and be briefed on the details of the assignment.”
