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“Sounds pretty straightforward, boss. I’ll keep you posted. Be careful.”
“Aren’t I always?” he quipped, then ended the call.
Carrying his phone and walking back inside, he extracted the micro cards from the cameras, then trotted up the stairs and strode to the guest bedroom at the end of the hall. Quickly switching out his damp trunks for a dry pair, he pulled his aluminum security suitcase from underneath the bed, rolled the combination locks, opened the lid, and lifted out his computer. As he settled on the bed and powered it up, he felt a twinge of anxiety. Everyone had secrets. Bianca would be no different. He hoped whatever details Cindy uncovered wouldn’t be too terrible.
Returning his focus to the task at hand, he viewed the footage from the living room camera first, and he wasn’t surprised to see Matteus enter, stop, and look around. Watching the ruddy-faced, portly man hurry to the couch, sit down, and place something beneath the coffee table, Nick shook his head. A listening device under a piece of furniture was an antiquated method of spying. Watching Matt stand up and glance across the room to the hall then start toward it, he appeared to change his mind and make a hasty retreat.
While there was nothing on the nanny cam from the den, the one in the kitchen showed the detective had broken into the house through a side door near the garbage cans. Making a mental note to secure it, Nick closed his computer, then sat back and thought about what he’d just witnessed.
Matteus appeared to be a bully and a buffoon, but he’d successfully snatched Bianca from the street and transported her from Vegas all the way to the opulent home at the remote Malibu beach. The methods Matteus used were old school, but that didn’t mean he was an idiot.
Still not sure what to make of him, Nick slipped off the bed, moved into the walk-in closet and opened a cabinet. Inside was his state-of-the-art listening equipment. It didn’t come cheap, but the device could not only pick up conversations through walls, it could hear inside a house while the operator was parked on the street. He’d set it to record while he was gone, but as he began to listen, his phone buzzed. It was a text from Gary, his operative transporting Bianca. They were five minutes away.
Returning his attention to the recording, he fast-forwarded through minutes of silence, then finally heard a conversation that made him break into a grin. Matt was complaining about the lack of food in the refrigerator, but the road into Malibu city center was closed. An argument ensued, neither man wanting to drive over the canyon to pick up supplies. It was still ongoing when Nick ran out of time. Pausing the playback and closing the cupboard, he hurried down the stairs, entered the garage, and pushed the button on the wall to raise the door. As it rolled up, and he saw Gary helping Bianca from the car, Nick caught his breath.
Though Nick knew her long dark hair would now be short and blonde, she was barely recognizable. Moving toward her, he noticed the expensive clothes flattered her shapely figure, and as she slipped on a pair of dark sunglasses, she could have been mistaken for a Hollywood actress or an elite fashion model.
“You look amazing,” he declared, hugging her as the driver retrieved her suitcase from the trunk. “We forgot to discuss a name for you,” Nick whispered. “I’ll call you Kitty.”
“I love it,” she breathed, pressing her lips against his ear. “Will you stroke me and make me purr?”
“Absolutely, but you have to behave for a little while,” he warned as he pulled back. “Matteus broke in and put a listening device in the living room.”
“How did he manage that?”
“I’ll tell you later, but he might recognize your voice. If you need to tell me something while we’re in there, whisper it in my ear.”
“Will do.”
“Shall I take the suitcase inside for you?” Gary asked, walking up to them.
Releasing her, Nick shook his head.
“I can manage. Thanks for getting her here safely. By the way, do you know about the road closure? You’ll have to go back over the canyon.”
“Yeah, Cindy told me, and I was also waved down by a cop when I came down the canyon.”
“I was too,” Nick remarked, then lowering his voice, he added, “Keep your phone with you twenty-four/seven. Brad and John are at my house, but I still might need you in a hurry.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
As Gary returned to the car and drove away, Nick carried the suitcase into the garage, closed the door, then took Bianca by the hand and led her into the kitchen.
“What about my bag?” she asked as they entered.
“I’ll get it in a minute,” he replied, removing her sunglasses and placing them on the kitchen island. “Right now I just want to look at you.”
The royal blue slinky shirt draped seductively over her shapely figure, and the expensive white slacks fit as though they’d been tailor made. But he found her hair and cosmetics startling. The short, trendy style highlighted her cheekbones, and artful use of makeup accentuated her eyes’ slight almond shape.
“Cindy’s a whiz,” Bianca declared as if reading his mind. “When she’d finished and I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t believe my reflection. But do you approve?”
“You were a knockout before the transformation, and you’re a knockout now,” he answered with a smile, “but make sure you wear those sunglasses whenever you go outside.”
“What do we do about the bug Matteus left here?”
“I’m going to use it to our benefit.”
“How?”
