Page 22 of Playing With Love

“What is this, Goldilocks?” Frank interrupted with what I’m sure he thought was a well-timed joke.

Liza’s head tipped to the side, a look of pure disgust infusing her beautiful face. I knew that look. I’d witnessed her dole out tongue lashings—both figuratively and literally. The literal private tongue lashings were otherworldly. A sight I’ve never been able to get out of my head. The memory of her bathing my cock before she flicked her tongue around the crown was never far from my mind. A vision I’d used more times than I was proud to admit while jerking off. But watching her rightfully put someone in their place came in a close second. And not because I was an asshole who got off on seeing someone humiliated—it was her wit and intelligence that was a turn-on.

“Sure, if Maslow’s Hierarchy needs to be dumbed down to a children’s fairy tale to make it digestible, then yes, Liza will need to present herself as just right. Not too hot, not too cold. Mackenzie will be watching.” Nick beat her to it.

Ouch.

I heard Frank grunt his annoyance at Nick’s dig but kept my attention on Liza. There was a lesson to be learned—Nick Clark did not fuck around while he was delivering a profile. Frank would do well to learn it quick if he didn’t want any further embarrassment.

“That was⁠—”

“There’s a time and place, Frank. And now’s not the time.” Liza’s eyes once again found mine, and she asked, “I need to talk to Allyson again, preferably somewhere she’s comfortable. Can we arrange a meeting here?”

“I’m sure Jessica would be amicable to meeting at her house. She wants her sister clear of this mess sooner rather than later,” I told her.

“Where are we with the brother and missing friend?” Dylan entered the conversation.

I nodded at Liza to go first.

“Allyson was correct, Beatrice Collins hasn’t had a cellphone in her name in the last seven years. Her LKA was the compound. Internet and electricity in her name was disconnected two months ago. I have people looking into if those disconnection notices were done electronically or if someone called in. She has a Toyota Corolla registered in her name. No tickets. Clean record. I’m gonna need more than a friend’s word she’s missing to get a warrant for her email. I have a phone number for a sister, Mabel. She lives in Northern California. With the time change, I haven’t reached out yet.”

“What about the record deal story?” I asked.

“I didn’t find anything to suggest she’s ever sold a song. No agent, no viral videos on social media, no hashtags for her name, nothing. What’d you get on Tate?”

“Nothing.”

Liza’s head tilted to the side a fraction. “Nothing?”

“Tate Archer doesn’t exist. At least not one who is related to Mackenzie. And that’s not by blood or marriage. I looked through every piece of information I could find online about Nu Dawn. There’s not footage of any men, period. All the promos feature women.”

“What about the social media accounts of the compound residents?” Frank finally joined with something useful.

“That’s on today’s agenda.”

“I can do that,” he offered.

As much as I didn’t like the guy, I had to give him mad respect for stepping up after he’d gotten his dick slapped for being a tool.

“Thanks, that’d be a big help.”

What it would also do was keep him occupied while Liza and I went to see Allyson.

“Dylan,” Carter called out.

“On it.”

Dylan’s answer had one of Liza’s perfectly arched brows lifting in question. An inquiry that was going to go unanswered especially with Frank in the room. Liza wasn’t adverse to coloring outside the lines when necessary as long as it didn’t give a defense attorney ammunition to get her case thrown out. Dylan didn’t see colors or lines, he was more of a ‘by any means necessary’ guy. He didn’t bother with scissors when he cut the red tape—he went straight for the hatchet and would have Beatrice’s emails in a few hours as well as anything else we needed to help find out what happened to the woman.

Tate Archer would be harder. We needed a picture of him to run through facial recognition or DNA.

With Liza’s gaze parked on me, her indecision was easy to read. The time had come. She needed to commit to this operation.

In an effort to get her there, I asked Carter, “Where are we with my cover?”

“Dylan already has a new identity for you. Shannon assured me she’d have Liza’s done by tomorrow.” Carter’s gaze slid to Liza. “When we receive it, Dylan as well Liberty’s mother, Blake McCoy, who’s former CIA, will do a deep dive into the new legend and make sure it checks out. In the meantime we’ll go over the intel that was sent over from your office again as well as the new information Allyson gave. We have a few contacts we can reach out to about the colored bags she mentioned, see if there are any reports of drugs being sold according to color.”

Carter paused. His attention pulled to the doorway and Lauren took advantage of the lull to announce, “Sorry to interrupt. Tucker, Jessica Diamond called. She’s been trying to reach you, she says it’s urgent, someone from Nu Dawn has been in contact with Allyson. She needs you to call her right away.”