Page 45 of Deadly Alliance

The music was loud, so they had to shout over it to be heard. The bouncer opened the rope and as she smiled, she recognised Drew under the fake beard, who was one of the youngest members of Fortis. He winked as if she was just another pretty girl and closed them back inside the private area.

A small bar in the corner had one female bartender cleaning glasses who briefly glanced at them then carried on with what she was doing.

They sat in a large semi-circle on the sofa that had a low table in the middle for their drinks. Thankfully it was a little quieter in there, so they could talk without yelling. The women around her looked absolutely stunning and indeed should be gracing the covers of magazines. Nobody would ever believe how deadly they were.

“Do you see anything?” Emme asked as she leaned in close to Beatrice and took a sip of her drink.

“No, nothing that screams at me.”

“Let’s stay here for a drink and see if anything happens. If not, we may need to widen the net and go hit the dance floor,” Bea said.

She couldn’t hear him, but she knew Shane would be having a shit fit about that idea. Both she and Bea were now wearing one of Will’s watches, but they were different to the others as they were more decorative, having tiny diamante straps. He could hear and track them through the watches as well as monitor their physical health.

At around eleven-thirty and with no sign of anyone taking the bait, Emme was starting to think the whole thing was a lost cause.

“Let’s go dance!” Lucy and Bebe exclaimed jumping from their seats with fake enthusiasm. The women were so good at what they did that for a while it would have been easy to forget the mission and enjoy the girls’ night they were having. Maybe when it was over, they could do it again.

They made their way to the dance floor and Drew once again lifted the rope to let them out, securing it as they left.

They shimmied their way through the throng of hot bodies to get closer to the middle, again with her and Beatrice surrounded by the rest of the women. A song she loved came on and Emme watched as Beatrice started to move, her slim, petite frame flowing with the music. The others were doing the same even as she felt the tension start to build as several men started trying to dance with them.

One started trying to grind against Roz and she almost laughed at the face she pulled. She had no doubt that if this wasn’t an op she didn’t want to blow, the man would currently be on his way to the hospital. As it was, she just glared at the drunk man as she threw his hands away and shoved her wedding ring in his face.

One drunk idiot who thought he was some sort of sex god started to try and dance in-between Bebe and Pax who surreptitiously used the time to feel him up for weapons. He had no clue what was happening and seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. Silly drunk fool.

* * *

Watching them, it was easy to see that some of the women had training. The way they looked around, the way some of them had only appeared to drink their drinks. Knowing it was a trap hadn’t lessened the lure of getting close to the target. Several times in the last week they had been within touching distance and nobody had had a clue.

Seeing her though, the object of so many years’ obsession was more than could be resisted. Never in their wildest dreams had they thought they would be able to get close to the elusive Beatrice Dante.

So many nights, visions of cutting her, of torturing her until she saw the mistake she had made when rejecting them. Many a night had ended by falling asleep to the image of Beatrice Dante tied up and at their mercy. Only to wake and the vision torn away.

Patience had finally paid off and now it was time. The ultimate prize was within their grasp and as they watched her move not three feet away on the dance floor, a satisfied smile spread. So close, you could smell the perfume she always wore. The scent evoked so many feelings—anger, pain, love, betrayal, and finally hate. The only sense that could be relied on not to cause pain. Reaching out, the urge to touch her soft skin was almost more than could be denied, but they snatched their hand back. A plan was forming and this way they would get to spend some time with Beatrice Dante one-on-one before she was dispatched to hell where all liars lived.

* * *

Having dancedto two songs they decided enough was enough and started to make their way back to the VIP area. Emme realised she needed the loo and tapped Beatrice and Lucy to let them know.

“Roz, Pax, and I will come with you,” Lucy said.

“Shouldn’t we stay with Bea?”

“Bebe, Dee, and Bea are all trained,” Lucy said reassuringly.

“Okay.” They moved towards the ladies’ room, but Emme turned, sure she felt eyes on her. Glancing around she saw nothing untoward except a lone woman at the bar who looked like she may have just been dumped.

Pushing through the door, she smiled at the other two women who were reapplying their lipstick in the mirror. Roz and Lucy walked to the sinks and spoke to the two women.

“Out!” Roz said without an ounce of humour.

“What?” The woman who was closer looked at her in the mirror and probably due to the alcohol in her system did not recognise the danger in the room. “Fuck you,” she spat and carried on applying her lipstick. Her friend seemed to sense the danger and wisely grabbed her friends arm and pulled her towards the door.

They watched the women go and Pax stood by the door, so nobody could come in. Roz checked the stalls.

“Clear. Let’s move it,” she said.

Emme went into the stall and quickly relieved herself. Flushing, she opened the door and washed her hands, wondering how she was the only one needing the loo. They were about to open the door when an explosion rocked the floor followed by the blare of the fire alarms. Lucy and Roz looked at each other.