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Laughing, I glance around the crowded Chinese restaurant below Mia’s apartment, wishing she were here with us. It’s her favorite place to eat in the city, which is kind of sad, considering this place is a dump. Shifting in my seat, I finally make eye contact with Will, who is now shoving more food down his throat.
I glance at the fortune cookie paper on the table in front of me. Flattery will go far tonight.
I wonder if it will work on Mia. Because I need to do a lot of apologizing—more like groveling—if I want her back.
Chapter Eighteen
Mia
Sifting through my closet, I hold my cell phone to my ear as it rings on the other end. I need something sexy to wear if I want to get into the club. It wasn’t hard to recruit Will for a night of debauchery at a strip club, but I have to look the part if I’m going to get any answers.
I push the hangers along the metal rack and yell, “Clarke,” when she answers the phone. “My best friend in the whole wide world. Please come with me tonight. I need a plus one for my next mission.”
She chuckles. “Okay, I’ll bite. Where are we going?”
“Scores.”
More laughter. “A strip club. Oh, this is rich. Have you ever been to one?”
“No, of course not, but I got a lead. I want to chase it.”
“Now you think they’re selling drugs at Scores?”
I lift a short, leather skirt from the rack and study it. “Yeah. From what I can tell, the Mafia is the supplier of the drugs. Scores is another one of their fronts.”
She blows air into the receiver. “And you honestly think you can take them down? This is dangerous, Mia. Why don’t you call that cop from the eighteenth precinct you trade information with? It’s not your job to bust criminals.”
“I could use some backup or at least someone who knows where I am in case shit gets crazy. Are you coming or not?” I cradle the phone between my ear and shoulder and step into the skirt, sliding it up my thighs.
For a second, I think of Ethan, who loved taking this thing off me. Asshole.
“I guess,” she huffs. “How can I pass up the chance of seeing you in a strip club?”
“I’m glad you find this so amusing. Will seemed to think so, too.”
She gasps. “Will knows about the case? I can’t believe you told him.”
“No, of course not.” I reach behind me to zip the skirt and glance down at my pale legs that could use some bronzer. “I need you to keep Will company while I dig around and see if there’s any suspicious activity going on there. He’ll be up my ass if you don’t come and be my wing woman. Pretty please. I’ll owe you one.”
“As your friend, I’ll come. You’re getting too invested in this story. I’m afraid you’ll get yourself killed if you don’t watch out.”
I shut my closet and look at myself in the full-length mirror glued to the front of the door. Not bad for last-minute stakeout attire. After wearing this outfit to The Sixth Floor, I know I can pass the dress code test. I laugh at the thought of a dress code at a place where they take their clothes off for money.
Hilarious.
“Can you be here in an hour? Will’s coming to my apartment. I scheduled an Uber for nine o’clock.”
“Yep, I’ll be there. Whether you’re right about this lead or not, I have to see your reaction when you walk into Scores. This is priceless.”
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes. “See ya in a bit.”
“Later, chica.”
Not long after I hang up with Clarke, I hear Will in the living room talking loudly to someone. I can’t make out the words, only the tone of their deep voices. I check my appearance in the mirror one last time before I grab my purse from the bed and walk out of my bedroom and down the hall.
The last person I’d expected to find lounging on my couch, with his foot propped up on the coffee table, is Ethan. Where the fuck has he been for the past two weeks? I want to say something, even though I know I have no right to the information. Ethan’s not my boyfriend. He owes me nothing. Still, it doesn’t hurt any less seeing him after all this time.
I stop in front of the coffee table, my arms crossed over my chest. “Why are you idiots being so loud?”
