Honey Kisses (Romance on the Ranch Series #2) Read online

  "I guess if you're into that sort of thing. I've seen enough to make me cross-eyed."

  Meg snickered, "I guess I'll just have to try harder next time to impress you. I'll be thinking the whole time, Charlie's watching, and then get all goose bumpy."

  "Don't knock yourself out, Hatcher."

  Meg made a face at Charlie and then turned her attention back to Ann. "Let's run through it one more time."

  After a flawless execution, Meg drained the last of her coffee and stood. "I guess I better head out. Tomorrow I'll return for a final run through and then I'm off to bust some balls. Hey, do you mind if I store my outfit in your closet?"

  "Your outfit?"

  Meg grinned, "My exotic dancer outfit."

  "Oh, no. Of course not."

  "It's on the back of a chair in the dining room. I'll get it now."

  Ann followed Meg to the dining room and then led the way to her bedroom. They met Jackson in the hallway and Meg said, "Howdy, cowboy. Your wife is one smart cookie."

  "Yes, she is," Jackson agreed.

  Ann walked past him and opened her door. Meg followed and walked to the closet. Ann was curious about the costume, but didn't have the guts to ask her to take it out of the bag.

  Meg closed the closet door and turned around with a big grin. "That's one hot husband you have. If I wasn't married to a hottie myself, I'd have my eyes on yours." She winked.

  Ann's mouth gaped. "Does your husband know the danger you put yourself in?"

  "Oh, sure. He puts himself in the same danger. We got assigned as partners a few years back to take down a known hijacker. The plane almost crashed but my honey saved the day and won my heart in the process."

  Ann didn't know what to say.

  Meg grinned, "Well, my new friend, I'll see you tomorrow. Another day…another adventure." She gave a little wave and stepped from the room.

  The next morning Meg was supposed to arrive at nine, but when she didn't show by ten, Charlie said, "I'm calling Agent Kosky; something's wrong. Hatcher is never late." Ann could see worry etching the faces of all the agents.

  Shortly after eleven, Alligator entered the apartment. The strained look on his face didn't bode well. He walked into the surveillance room and Ann and Jackson followed.

  "Meg and Harry were in a car accident early this morning. They were hit by a teenage drunk driver. They're both in intensive care, but expected to survive. You know, they put themselves in volatile situations almost daily, and an idiot teenager takes them out."

  "Shit!" said Charlie.

  The other officers expressed their concern with more colorful language.

  Officer Acuff said, "Does that mean the sting is off?"

  The officers and agents looked at Alligator. "Yeah, it's off. Although we have agents who could pull off the hack after Annie trained them, none have the capability of infiltrating as an exotic dancer. It was the only chance we had of robbing the mainframe data from a terminal. We'll have to rethink this entire operation."

  Charlie exclaimed, "That sucks! Now that scumbag is gonna expand his operation."

  The other agents murmured their frustration.

  "What do you want to do about Kitty Puff? Should we pull her out of the club?" asked Officer Acuff.

  Al responded, "Not yet. Not until we know how soon Meg will recover. Depending on that, we may be able to salvage a sting from a different angle down the line." He turned to Jackson. "I'll check with my superior and let you know when you and Annie can go home. It probably won't be more than a day or two."

  Jackson looked at Ann and then back at Alligator. He nodded.

  Ann left the group and returned to her room to lay across her bed. She felt so bad for Meg and her husband. By late afternoon she hadn't heard an update on their condition and she paced her room, trying to shut out an idea that wouldn't stop nagging at her. After several minutes she opened the closet door. With shaking hands she reached for the bag with the costume. She unzipped it and removed the black and red sequined confection from its hiding place.

  Meg was a small woman and Ann knew the skimpy outfit would fit her. She sat on the side of her bed and placed her head in her hands. Did she have the guts to pull off such a ruse? Could she escape the government agents and Jackson? She puffed air and thought about all the innocent people who would be hurt, or even killed, if the crime organization wasn't stopped. She thought about what they'd done to her and that made her angry. All she needed was two minutes at the computer terminal. Maybe this was her atonement for stealing from Jackson.

  Taking the outfit off its hanger, she slipped it on and then stepped back into her Levis and button down shirt. She stuffed the red stiletto heels that were in the bottom of the bag into her purse, along with her makeup bag, a scarf, and a skirt.

  With her plan of escape fully formed, she stepped from her room. In the living room, Alligator, Jackson, and Officer Acuff were talking. Ann said, "I'd like to go to the bookstore. I'm going stir crazy waiting to hear an update on Meg and her husband. You've let me go there a couple of times already." She gave Jackson a chilly look, hoping that would deter him from wanting to go with her. He looked away from her.

  Alligator said, "Alright. Acuff would you escort Annie, please?"

  "Yes, sir."

  Ann followed the female officer to the elevator. On the ride down, she asked her what kind of books she liked to read.

  "Oh, anything with suspense and intrigue." She laughed, "I wonder why? Someday I hope to work undercover, like Agent Hatcher. I sure hope she's okay."

  When they reached the bookstore, Ann perused the books, selected several popular suspense novels, and then, in the reading section, sat in a cozy armchair that faced the front of the store. She patted the chair across from her that faced the back of the store for Acuff to sit in. Ann began shuffling through the action suspense novels she'd set on the table between them. After a few minutes she said, "I'll bet this one would be right up your alley." She handed the officer the latest book by Maxwell Henry. "Did you see the movie?"

  Officer Acuff gushed, "I sure did. Loved it! I heard there's a sequel coming out and it's going to be made into a movie, too." She began paging through the book.

  Ann said, "Hey, remember the scene about the female agent getting past the enemy's border while disguised as a hooker."

  "Do I ever. It was my favorite part of the movie and book."

  "Can you find it so we can read it again?"

  "Yeah, let me look." She thumbed to the back pages.

  "Do you mind if I run to the bathroom while you're looking?"

  Officer Acuff started to set the book on the table.

  "Oh, pleeaassee. The bathroom's right there. You find the spot and I'll be right back." Hastening down the hallway, Ann prayed Acuff wouldn't accompany her. When she pushed the bathroom door open and glanced over her shoulder to see she was alone, her pulse steadied. Ducking into a stall, she yanked her purse open and pulled out the skirt and scarf. Stepping out of her Levis, she slipped the skirt on and then wrapped the large scarf over her head and shoulders, before riffled through her handbag to find her sunglasses. Finally, she stuffed her feet into the stilettos and tossed her Levis and shoes in the trash. Reaching for the note she'd prepared earlier, she ripped off a line of tape from the roll she'd shoved in her purse, and then fastened the note to the inside of the stall.

  Inhaling a calming breath, she opened the bathroom door and hastened toward the bookstore exit.

  Chapter 20: Flirting with the Enemy

  Jackson paced the living room. He felt like a caged lion. Maybe he'd join Annie in the bookstore whether she wanted him to or not. The look she'd given him earlier had clearly indicated she'd rather he didn't. Too bad.

  Alligator's cell phone rang and he looked at the caller ID. "What's up, Officer Acuff?"

  Jackson watched the color drain from Al's face as he shouted, "What! I'm on my way down."

  What's going on? Is Annie okay?"

  Alligator said tersely, "S
he's slipped away from Acuff."

  "Huh."

  "Come on. She left a note."

  Jackson's heart was pounding so hard he could barely hear Alligator above the blood rushing to his head. What the hell was Annie up to?

  Officer Acuff met them as soon as they stepped out of the elevator. She looked very distraught.

  "Let me see the note," said Alligator.

  She handed it to him and he read aloud.

  I'm sorry to sneak out on you, but I need some air. A week in this place is driving me crazy. I just want to explore the city a little. I'll be back soon. Don't worry.

  —Ann

  Jackson exclaimed, "Shit! When I get my hands on her…" He started forward. "I'm going looking for her. Hopefully, she's wandering a nearby shop."

  Alligator's phone jingled. "Officer Kosky, here." He listened and his eyes got big.

  "What! What!" Jackson shouted.

  "I'm on my way back up."

  "What!" Jackson shouted again.

  "Just come with me and you'll see."

  Jackson wanted to shove Alligator against the elevator door on the ride up and demand to know what was happening, but he knew that would be pushing the envelope. If he didn’t' get satisfactory answers in the next few minutes, he was out the door looking for his wife.

  Back inside the apartment, the three of them rushed to the surveillance room. Charlie said, "Here's why we didn't catch her leaving the building." They crowded around a screen and the officer entered a couple of keystrokes that started the still picture moving. They watched a woman wearing a scarf, dark glasses, and high heels exit the bookstore. She rushed down the street until she was out of sight of the camera. And even though Charlie punched some keystrokes that rewound the video and panned a close up of Annie's face for verification, Jackson would have recognized her tiny shape anywhere. He exclaimed, "I'm going to find her!"

  Acuff said, "Why didn't she just ask to go for a walk? Why go through this charade? And those are some fancy heels she's wearing."

  Alligator and Jackson looked back at the screen. Al put a staying hand on Jackson's shoulder. "You don't think–" He didn't finish his thought before Jackson interrupted.

  "Oh, my God, Annie. No. No."

  Acuff said, "She's not going to the club to hack the computer, is she?"

  For a couple of seconds all the agents just stared at each other stunned. Then Charlie said, "There's one way to know for sure. I heard Hatcher ask if she could store her costume in Mrs. Martinez' closet. It was in a black bag."

  Jackson rushed from the room, followed closely by Alligator and Acuff. He almost ripped Annie's closet door off its hinge jerking it open. He spotted a black bag and jammed the zipper down. It was empty.

  Alligator had his cell phone to his ear issuing instructions. "This is Agent Kosky. Is our surveillance van in place yet?" He listened for a second. "I know it's not scheduled for another half hour, but we've got an emergency. Get it over there now!" He walked from Annie's room back into the hallway issuing more instructions.

  Jackson ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Acuff said, "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." Jackson barely heard her. He followed Alligator into the hallway. He needed to find out where the club was located.

  Al flipped his phone shut.

  "Where is this place? I'm going in after her," Jackson said.

  "The hell you are. I've got the best field agents covering this and I'm on my way to the surveillance van. Besides, we don't know for sure that she's actually attempting the hack. Maybe she's shopping at Hallmark."

  "I'm not taking that chance. I'm going with you."

  Alligator started to shake his head no, but Jackson gritted, "If I don't go, I'll escape myself. My wife may be in danger and I don't intend to stand by with my thumb up my ass."

  Alligator acquiesced. "Okay, but if you do anything other than sit and play dumb, I'll have you arrested. Understood?"

  Jackson figured he didn't have much choice except to agree…for the time being. "Understood."

  After giving final instructions to the agents in the apartment, Al led the way out a back door where a nondescript sedan waited. The agent driving the vehicle placed a red flasher on top, turned on the siren, and sped off almost before their doors were closed. On the ride there, Alligator brought Jackson up to speed. "I've dispatched some undercover agents posing as transients and patrons to the club." He glanced at his watch. "Our inside gal should arrive at the club shortly to begin her shift. As far as I know, she's never met Agent Hatcher, so if Annie shows up, she'll think she's our plant. Annie heard enough of the sting operation to know what's going down and what to do." He paused for breath. "However, if our agents get there before her, they can head her off before she even steps inside the club."

  Jackson said softly, "Please God, let that happen."

  * * *

  During the taxi ride to Sneak-a-Peek Club, Ann had unbuttoned her shirt and then tied the tails together at her waist. It left her blouse gaping open with a view of the black and red sequined push up bra and a little bit of exposed stomach. The G-string was driving her crazy. Thank goodness it was covered with a wisp of black fabric and her butt wasn't totally exposed just in case, God forbid, she had to dance. She applied some heavy makeup and then wrapped the scarf back around her shoulders to remove later. Her cab driver seemed oblivious to her actions. She figured he'd probably seen just about everything being a New York cabbie. He stopped a block away from the club like she'd instructed. Forcing her hands not to shake, she reached inside her purse and handed him his fare with the extra twenty she'd promised if he got her there really fast. She exited the cab and asked him to point her in the right direction.

  Standing on the curb, she watched the taxi pull away and took several calming breaths. When he disappeared into thick traffic, she turned her attention to finding the club. Holding the scarf closely around her, she walked swiftly in the direction the cabbie had pointed. Within a few minutes she spotted her destination. The sun had just set when she paused and leaned against a glass storefront across the street. She knew Kitty Puff started her shift at five and Meg was supposed to meet her at that time. You can do this.

  Annie gave herself a little pep talk, envisioned all the people she was saving, shoved some bubble gum into her mouth, and then removed the scarf, tying it around her waist. Sucking a deep breath, she stepped away from the building and sashayed in her shiny red stilettos to the entrance of Sneak-a-Peek, a mafia run club.

  The bouncer at the door looked her up and down and she said, "Hey, big boy, I've got an appointment with Kitty Puff." His eyes lingered on her push up bra and then traveled down her body to her stiletto heels. Without a word, he jerked his head toward the inside of the club and just as she stepped in front of him, he bent and said low, "Tiny and sexy. Just the way I like."

  She stopped, looked him up and down, popped her gum, and replied, "Big and tough. Just the way I like."

  He laughed, "Later, sweet cakes."

  Inside the club, a few heads turned to watch her. Since it was still early, the club wasn't jam packed like she'd seen it could get from the nightly surveillance. She stepped to the bar. "Ah yeah, I'm supposed to meet Kitty Puff. Can you point me in her direction?" She jawed her gum.

  The bartender gave her a bored look and shouted across the room, "Hey, Kitty Puff, you got someone askin' for ya."

  "Thanks, Joe. Gimme a sec."

  Joe looked at Ann and said, "Give her a sec."

  Ann blew a bubble. "I got lots'a secs." She winked and he howled with laughter.

  "You want a beer?" he asked.

  "Naw, never touch the stuff while I'm workin'. I like to keep my wits about me."

  Another customer captured the bartender's attention and he walked to the far end of the bar. Ann refused to allow herself to think out of character, so she plopped her butt on a stool and seductively crossed her legs.

  A few minutes later, Kitty Puff sat on the stool beside her. "So…you're l
ooking for a gig as an exotic dancer?"

  Ann stared knowingly into the woman's eyes. "Yep."

  "You're gonna have to prove yourself."

  In response, Ann said the code words she knew Agent Hatcher was supposed to say. "Oh, I'll prove myself, alright."

  "Okay. Follow me. I'll show you around."

  Chapter 21: Double Vision

  Alligator answered his cell phone and said very unprofessionally, "Shit!"

  Jackson bit his back teeth so hard he thought they might crack.

  Al slapped his phone shut. "She's inside the club. Surveillance just picked her up sitting at the bar."

  Jackson dropped his head to his chest. "What are you doing, Annie?" he mumbled.

  "One good thing is she made contact with our agent."

  "So, what's the next step?"

  "Get inside our surveillance van and watch. Send some more undercover agents inside the club."

  Jackson gave him an incredulous look. "That's it? We need to drag her out of there if need be."

  "My friend, you're thinking with your heart, not your head. If we go in there like an Old West shoot out, there's going to be trouble. Believe me, I want her out of there as much as you do, but it's got to be handled with finesse or someone's gonna get killed!"

  Jackson clinched his fists to keep from blowing his top. "Where's the surveillance van?"

  "About six blocks away." Al reached into a duffle bag jammed on the floor of the backseat. "Here, put these on." He handed Jackson some coveralls. "We need to look like city maintenance workers. When the car lets us out, we'll walk a block to a bogus public works van."

  Both men struggled to put the coveralls on and Jackson cursed when he had to pull his boots off and then tug them back on. The car pulled to the curb and they jumped out. While they walked, Alligator alerted the agents by cell phone. When they reached the van, he rapped a special knock on the door and it slid open only far enough for them to slip inside. Two agents sat behind monitors. Al motioned Jackson to a seat and then turned his attention to the monitors. He didn't even bother with introductions. "What's happening?"