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I guessed that was the best answer I was going to get.
He joined the officers in the bakery and I strolled as nonchalantly as I could at three in the morning back toward the laundromat. I needed to meet up with my team and see if Susie was going to have to put a call in to the Chief to get Nadia, Ella, and Charity out of custody.
Most times the cops were cool, understanding we were typically on the same side, but there were a select few who liked to throw their weight around. I hoped my team hadn’t encountered one of them this night.
As I walked I thought through what I knew.
These guys were called the Beast Boys. They employed people on the ground, giving them almost no information and paying enough to avoid questions. They had two sets of two buildings connected by underground tunnels. Did they have a third? Maybe more? But how would I find them? I couldn’t very well search every locally owned business.
I shook my head, frustrated by the dead end I kept meeting. I wasn’t the smartest woman on the planet, but this kind of stuff usually made complete sense to me, like a picture coming together in my mind. Even when I didn’t have all of the other puzzle pieces I at least typically knew how to find them. But this time . . .
I drew closer to the six police cars, all with their lights still flashing. They’d parked haphazardly along the curb by the laundromat and as I lifted my gaze toward the building I saw that every interior light must have been turned on.
This was what I’d worried about. As soon as the cops got involved, at least the cavalry, we lost the stealth factor.
People had begun gathering near the cop cars, curious to see what had drawn so many of our city’s finest.
There were a few still in pajamas, whom I guessed had come from the apartment complex across the road. Even more were in night-out clothing. There were several women in tight dresses and many men in button-up shirts and slacks. Their appearances also made sense, considering there was a restaurant that turned into a club after hours just across the parking lot.
I stayed close to the gawkers as I glanced into the laundromat. Sure enough, Nadia and Ella were talking to one officer while Charity chatted with another. All looked amicable and the slight shake of Ella’s head when I caught her eye meant to stay out.
They didn’t need my help. Not like Aria. I had to keep looking for something more since so far we’d failed. I tried not to imagine Aria’s circumstances. I should have already found her.
“Did you see what happened?” one of the guys in clubbing clothes asked as he moved closer to me.
I shook my head, hoping he would get the message that I wasn’t interested in chatting.
“Weird that they’re in a laundromat, right? Do you think it’s money laundering?” the guy asked, not getting my hint.
I shrugged.
“It’s always money laundering in the movies. Laundromats get you clean cash. Which is kind of a funny play on words, right?”
He looked at me expectantly. At my blank stare he continued, undiscouraged, “Because the money isn’t actually clean as in washed. It’s clean as in it hasn’t been used for crimes.”
Great. Not only could the guy not catch a hint, but now he thought I was an idiot.
“Do you know those women?” he asked.
I turned to look at him. Hadn’t I just told him I knew nothing? But as I took him in, really focusing on him, I realized he didn’t look like the other guys standing around, gawking at the situation. There was something off about him, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I kept my blank stare while I studied him.
“The women in there?” I asked, pointing to the laundromat where my friends were still visible.
He nodded.
I couldn’t figure out why he thought we were connected until a quick glance at Ella reminded me that we weren’t dressed like the other onlookers. The dress code was jammies or skintight dresses. The girls and I were all in jeans, casual shirts, and jackets. We were prepared for action, not sleeping or partying.
The guy was a bit too perceptive to just be some schmo off the street. He’d approached me, out of all of these people. It wasn’t just a coincidence.
And it had taken me a minute, but I finally figured out what was wrong with him. It was his appearance as well. The guys out of the club looked a little rumpled—it was easy to see they’d been drinking and dancing all night.
This guy, while also in a shirt and slacks, seemed too put together. He definitely hadn’t just come from a club. So why was he here?
“Nope. My boyfriend lives in 2D.” I pointed across the street, hoping the complex had a 2D, but then again I doubted this guy was going to check out my story if I sold it well. “He keeps trying to get me to stay later and later each night but I told him I won’t spend the night until he puts a ring on it.” I worked hard to give just enough information, while sounding like I couldn’t care less what I was sharing.
It seemed to work because the guy gave me a once over and nodded. “Good luck with your boyfriend,” he said before heading to a guy who stood a few feet away.
The two exchanged a look before the other guy joined a man on the other side of the laundromat, closer to the parking lot.
