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    Fire and Ice
    Fire and Ice
    Fire and Ice
    Ebook577 pages9 hours

    Fire and Ice

    By Latonya D Young

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Ocean had it all. Or so she thought. She has her dream job and a man who loves and adores her more than life itself. Just when she thinks that she has it all figured out she comes face to face with a handsome man like no other that she’s ever crossed paths with and although her task is to bring him and his dynasty to its knees, her heart pulls her in a direction that just may cost her everything that she’s worked so hard to obtain.

    Xavier has it all. Or so he thought. When he meets Ocean he swears its love at first sight. Xavier is drawn to Ocean in the worst way. Little does he know that his dream girl is nothing but trouble wrapped in a pretty package that could cost him everything in the end.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLulu.com
    Release dateMay 23, 2018
    ISBN9781387832842
    Fire and Ice
    Author

    Latonya D Young

    Tonya D. Young is a United States Army veteran. She is a native of Louisville, Kentucky. Latonya has degrees in Management, Conflict Management and HR. She is also the President of Nenwon, a consulting/editing/fundraising organization.

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      Book preview

      Fire and Ice - Latonya D Young

      Fire and Ice

      Fire and Ice

      By

      Latonya D Young

      Copyright

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them. +

      ISBN     978-1-387-83284-2

      Printed in the United States of America

      Copyright © Latonya D Young 2018

      Publisher:  Latonya D Young

      ..

      CONTENTS

      Dedication

      Acknowledgements

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Chapter Sixteen

      Chapter Seventeen

      Chapter Eighteen

      Chapter Nineteen

      Chapter Twenty

      Chapter Twenty-One

      Chapter Twenty-Two

      Chapter Twenty-Three

      Chapter Twenty-Four

      Chapter Twenty-Five

      Chapter Twenty-Six

      Chapter Twenty-Seven

      Chapter Twenty-Eight

      Chapter Twenty-Nine

      Chapter Thirty

      Chapter Thirty-One

      Chapter Thirty-Two

      Chapter Thirty-Three

      Chapter Thirty-Four

      Dedication

      To my family with love.

      Never forget where you come from and work hard so that you’ll never have to go back there

      Please leave a review

      Acknowledgements

      Thank you to my Heavenly Father. Without God nothing is possible, but with God, All Things Are Possible.   My children have always been my driving force, and that will never change.  I do the things that I do, in hopes of helping them to reach their goals.  I want to be their inspiration, their motivation, and their muse.  I want them to see their mother striving to be the best, and I want them to see that everything is possible if they pray and believe in themselves.  My babies are my muse, my reasons for writing and my reason for the striving to become the best author, photographer and designer possible.  Most of all, they are my inspiration to becoming a better person.   

      Latonya D Young

      Never forget where you come from and work hard so that you’ll never have to go back there

      Please leave a review on the site you made your purchase after reading

      Chapter One

      In the dark I walked in the shadows towards the back of the house.  I'd been in the neighborhood on several occasions staking out the property and its owner but had never been inside of the residence.

      I paused just short of the basement window second guessing the decision to enter into the suspect’s home without a warrant and without authorization from the department.  They never would have stood behind such a stupid idea as this and I of all detectives knew better than breaking and entering into a suspect’s home.

      After we had been told that we would be going undercover we began to canvas his house just to get the feel of his routine and to see who came and went during the day and night time hours.  It was Thursday and for some reason we noticed during surveillance that on Thursday’s he always had a different lady caller over, but they would be seen leaving the residence just after midnight.  The lights would remain on for another forty-five, minutes or so after their exit then it was lights out, which was why Noemi had thought that Thursday would be the best time for us to slip into Hawthorne's home to take a quick look around.    

      This could turn out so bad and I knew it.  The problem with going wandering around this criminal’s home in the middle of the night was that I had no one for back up but Noemi, who unfortunately had decided to sit in the getaway vehicle two blocks away on lookout rather than climbing into the basement window with her partner.  The funny part about it was that this had all been Noemi's idea, yet she had been too chicken to follow through.  I shook my head thinking that taking on an undercover mission with Noemi could easily land me in the morgue. 

      I flipped the off switch on the flashlight and stuck it in between my lips and opened the window and climbed inside.  Once my feet hit the floor I stood still in the darkness and listened.  The last thing I wanted was for the suspect to be up and moving around.  I then removed the flashlight from my mouth, turned it on and began my search of the basement.

      It smelled of vanilla and fresh flowers.  I took in a deep whiff and began carefully walking through the spacious basement.  To my right was a huge television that was mounted on the wall and of course below it on the stand were several game consoles and joy sticks.  Even a man as serious as Hawthorne had to have his toys I thought.  In front of that huge television was a crème colored leather sectional and two leather chairs set on each side of the sectional.  I scurried over to the couch and searched in between the cushions then went to my knees and searched underneath, finding nothing.

      I stood and looked to the left where I saw a fully stocked bar.  I made my way to the bar and picked up the book that had caught my eye.  The tale of Mice and Men.  I wondered if he actually read it or if it was there just to impress the ladies.  Next to the book was a glass.  I picked it up and took a whiff. 

      Scotch.

      I hadn't pegged him for a scotch man but that didn't surprise me.  Everything that we had thought that we knew of Hawthorne had been a lie.  After two years of the department investigating him he was still just as much a mystery as when the investigation first began. 

      I placed the glass and the book back onto the bar and moved further into the basement.  I took a right and ended up in front of what looked to be his home office that was dimly lit by a small desk lamp.  There was one desk, but two computers were hooked up sitting side by side.  I sat in front of the computers and tried everything I could from his mother's name, the names of the businesses that he owned to his middle name but failed to gain access. 

      I should have known that a guy like Hawthorne would be too smart to leave his computers unprotected.  I sighed heavily imagining the amount of dirt that I could have found on him.  Then again, he'd been evading the law for years so there was no way he'd keep anything incriminating on his home computers.  He was way too smart for that.  I walked around the basement trying to make sure that anything that I moved was replaced just as it had been so that it wouldn’t look as if anything had been disturbed.

      I sat behind his desk after going through the basement with a fine-tooth comb and looked around the room.  Everything in the home office was expensive. 

      It was a shame that all of it had been purchased with dirty money.  This guy had the intelligence to do great things.  Legal things to earn a living yet he insisted on earning a living by doing all of the wrong things.  From drug trafficking to human trafficking he was into everything that would earn him a dollar.  I glanced around the office again.  Damn I couldn't afford half of what he had in his office on a detective's salary.  Crime definitely pays, I thought to myself.  

      I kicked my legs up resting them on top of his desk and smiled to myself.  I knew better to underestimate him.  I 'd told my partner Noemi that a man like him would never leave incriminating evidence where he lay his head.  He wasn't the average criminal.  He was something of a mastermind.  He'd grown up on the streets and had been adopted by the underworld and they had taught him everything that he knew.  The rest, he had been smart enough to figure out on his own.

      Xavier was a manipulative man who played on the wants and desires of the sickest people in the world.  He had no sense of compassion.  He was a hard man.  He kept everyone around him on our toes.  As a result, I was on his tail and I was determined to bring him to his knees.  Which was how I convinced myself that breaking into his home was a smart move.

      Realizing how difficult this case would be I got up and searched the basement, one last time with hopes of finding something, anything.  I worked feverishly and quietly in the shadows searching every inch of the basement and still came up empty handed.  I was certain that this case would be the death of me and for a split second wondered why the hell the department heads had chosen me and Noemi as the UC's for this case.  I tried to shake off the feeling that the department was using us because I couldn't come up with a good reason why they would do such a thing.   I'd been agonizing over the why's for weeks since the day we were told we were being put on the case.  

      We weren't the first to go undercover and work our way into Hawthorne’s organization, but we would be the first women to do so.  The first two male UC's that the department sent in over the past few years had both disappeared without a trace.  The third had turned in his badge and was now working a nice cushy nine to five desk job.

      They had lured me in with promises of another promotion after the case was over.  But what I really wanted was a seat in the bureaus office.  Anywhere would do as long as I was handed an FBI badge.  This case was huge, just huge enough that if I were successful the FBI would be knocking down my door to get me on their team.  With that in mind I had willingly taken on the case.

      My mom and sisters hated that I was a cop.  When I told them that I'd be going undercover for a while and would be out of touch my mother immediately became fearful and my sisters had called me crazy.  And maybe they were right.  I 'd been searching for a thrill for years and each time one presented itself to me I took it on, tackled it and went in search of another.  

      I tugged on my pony tail when the thought of heading up the stairs to check out the upper levels crossed my mind.  "Don't be stupid," I told myself.  I looked towards the stairwell leading to the upper levels of the home and nervously pulled on my ponytail again.  Everything in me tells me to finish my search of the basement and climb back out of the home the way I had climbed in.  What the hell was I thinking when I climbed inside?  I stood stark still for several seconds.  When I determined that it was safe to move about I climbed the stairs and began searching the first floor of the home. 

      Shaking my head as I walked through I couldn't believe how much expensive art donned the walls and even more expensive furniture sat in every room of the house.  He was definitely going to have a long fall from the top.  Going from something so luxurious to a six by nine cell was going to kill him.  

      It's been twenty minutes Ocean. Where the hell are you?  Noemi’s voice boomed into the earpiece. 

      I remained silent and rolled my eyes.  This was exactly what I meant.  Noemi sounded concerned yet when I looked around I didn't see my partner climbing in to my rescue. 

      She was most likely still seated safely behind the steering wheel of the Mercedes that her latest boyfriend bought her.  For the life of me I couldn't understand why Noemi had joined the force.  It had always been my dream to be a cop like my dad.  My childhood friend Noemi seemed to have just gone along for the ride.    

      I stepped back into the hallway and looked up the flight of steps to the upper level of the house.  It was completely dark and quiet, so he had to be sleeping.  I took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly as I climbed the stairs one step at a time going up to the upper level of the home where I knew he'd be.  When I reached the top, I pulled my gun from my side holster and released the safety.  I glanced down the stairwell then began walking slowly up the hallway.  Reaching the first bedroom I peeked around the corner noticing that the bedroom was empty.  I stepped inside and glanced around at the expensive furnishings, once again storing everything I saw into my identic memory.  I pulled open the drawers to the dressers, nothing but clothing.  On top of the dresser were several bottles of expensive cologne.  

      I exited that bedroom and checked two of the other bedrooms which were just as the first one had been, filled with expensive clothing, shoes and colognes.  It was the fourth bedroom that I came to where I found him.  Things quickly got off track when I stuck my head inside of his bedroom and saw him lying in bed partially covered by a sheet.  I wasn't the type to get off track but I found myself doing just that…..where I had been completely in my element when breaking and entering into his home I now found my heart racing out of control.  A shiver shot through my muscles making me shake uncontrollably for a second.  I wanted to remove my gloves to touch him just to make sure that he was real.  He just looked too perfect lying there with a five o'clock shadow and smooth chest. 

      I lowered my gun and took him in from head to mid drift.  I could see why women were falling at his feet.  The photos that I had seen back at the precinct did him no justice at all.  Of course, I had noticed that he was good looking, but I had not imagined that he was jaw dropping handsome in person.  I could definitely see why so many young women fell prey to him so easily.  I found myself wanting to run my fingers through his dark hair.  I tensed standing there watching him.  If he awoke yes, he would probably kill me after questioning me, yet I couldn't remove my eyes from him. 

      Okay Ocean, you've been in there for half an hour.  You get murdered tonight and we both lose our pensions.  Get your ass out of there now or I'm calling it in, Noemi whispered into the earpiece. 

      Sounds like Noemi, I thought.  She'd rather call it in and risk getting fired than to come in to rescue her friend and partner.  I kept my eyes on the half-covered man lying in bed.  I knew that I had overstayed my welcome, but I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes away from him. As much as I hated to admit it Noemi was right.  If she had to call it in we would both get fired.  And if I stayed much longer and he awoke and found me there I could find myself on the morgues slab in the morning.  

      With everything that I had been taught in the academy I continued to ignore Noemi's threats and took a step into the room to get a closer look of the gorgeous specimen lying in the bed.  After several seconds, reluctantly I agreed with Noemi.  I had been there far too long.  I turned, took one last glance at him over my shoulder then made my way through the hallway and downstairs.  

      As captivating as he looked he was one of the most dangerous men I could ever come across.  The things that he'd done to people or was known to have done to them were gruesome.  Getting caught there would only mean that I would have to kill him or be killed if he were to wake up and find me snooping around his home.     

      I stopped just short of descending the basement stairs to exit the way that I had found my way in.  Nosy by nature, I decided to check one more room before I took off.  What if the one place I didn't check was the one place I should have checked?  I took in a deep breath and turned to head towards the kitchen.

      I rushed down the hallway and slid quietly into the kitchen.  Rich people really irritated the hell out of me.  There wasn’t anything in the kitchen out of place.  Not even a dish in the sink.  I opened the dishwasher and just as I had suspected, there wasn’t a dish in there either.  It must be nice to be able to afford to hire help, I thought as I closed the dishwasher door.  I turned in circles taking in everything.  The expensive kitchen countertop was spotless.  The entire place looked like no one lived in it.  Even though I watched him come in and out of this place for weeks, I was convinced that he didn’t do anything but sleep there.  I opened each kitchen drawer.  Nothing but the usual filled the drawers, knives, spoons, forks, and a can opener.  Just like everything else, all of his silverware sat in its place nice and neat. 

      I opened the freezer door, nothing there but ice trays.  I opened the refrigerator door.  It was stocked full with sports drinks, and beer.  The typical bachelors pad.  I closed the door and scanned the room again.

      I ran a finger across the counter and not one speck of dirt was lifted from it.  But there was another laptop in the corner of the kitchen counter.  It may have contained just what we needed to end this investigation before I was forced to go undercover.  I had to check it.  

      You need to get out of there Ocean.  I’ve got a bad feeling, Noemi whispered.

      Just a few more minutes, there’s a laptop in the kitchen that I haven’t checked yet, I whispered into my earpiece.

      If there was anything there you would have found it by now.  Get out, Noemi begged, her voice sounding stressed.

      He's fast asleep, I assured my partner.

      And how the hell would you know that?

      I shook my head and wished I’d kept that bit of information to myself.  I peeked in on him a few minutes ago.  He was sleeping like a baby.  I smiled thinking that I had to shake off the vision of him and those sculpted muscles that would forever be burned in my memory.

      I hope like hell that he's sleeping on the couch in the living room.  You weren't supposed to go upstairs, Ocean.  The search was just for the basement.  You're always pushing your luck.

      Noemi was right.  But of course, there was no way I was admitting that.  I closed my eyes for a brief second.  One look at him and I couldn't concentrate worth a damn.  No, pushing my luck is arguing with you and risking him walking in and catching me here.  And if you’ve forgotten, let me remind you that this isn’t a legal search my dear.  So, shut up and let me work. 

      Five minutes is all the time I’m giving you.  You're playing with him like he's some cuddly teddy bear and not taking him serious like the monster that he really is.

      Again, Noemi was right.  And again, I was refusing to admit it.  Instead I opened his laptop.  Of course, it was password protected.  I made my way over to the kitchen drawer next to the refrigerator. I hadn’t yet checked it.  Gently, I pulled the drawer open.  I stuck my flashlight in my mouth and rummaged through the paperwork as quietly as I could.

      There was nothing that would put us one step ahead of him.  There were plans for a new home that he was building from the ground up and nothing else, so I shoved the papers back into the drawer, closed it, and searched the other drawers.  They were all empty.  He was far from stupid. 

      I’m guessing that you forgot that you should have been out of there three minutes ago, said a very irritated Noemi. 

      I could ignore Noemi, but then she’d think something was wrong.  I’m on my way, I replied.

      Not good enough.  Get your ass out of there now, Noemi demanded!

      Apparently, Noemi had the same weird feeling that I had.  I should have bailed a long time ago.  I should have already been sitting in the passenger seat of Noemi’s car heading away from Xavier’s house.  But something that I couldn’t explain was keeping me there.  

      I knew that getting caught could mean the end of life as I knew it, but I couldn’t help but linger.  Knowing that I should have been running across his lawn towards the car, I leaned against his kitchen counter and scanned the room again.  And again, I got that same feeling as before.  I could have sworn I was being watched.  But from where I stood I could see the entire kitchen as well as the entryway.  I smiled thinking that his kitchen was as big as my living room and kitchen put together.  Being a criminal obviously pays well.  

      The fact that I don’t see you means that you’re still in there.  You know better, Ocean.  Get out, now!  

      Noemi was wrong.  If I knew better, I would have made my way out of there earlier because that feeling that I should have listened to came rushing into me like a semi.  Before I could move an inch or even respond to Noemi’s demand, I heard a noise coming from the living room.  Damn it!  Too late for regrets, I thought to myself.  I slid quietly to a corner on the far side of the kitchen.  Although my instincts told me to run towards the kitchen door and make a run for it I hugged that corner like my life actually depended on it.  Stupid, stupid, stupid, always listen to those warning signs that your body gives you.  Something had told me not to linger on, yet I hadn’t been able to help myself.

      Afraid to breathe, I watched as that tall muscular form scampered into the kitchen.       

      He was standing nude in front of the refrigerator drinking a glass of water and I was still hovered in the corner hugging the wall tightly, hoping that he wouldn't flip on the light.  I held my breath, hoping and praying that he would hurry and return to bed so that I could make my escape.

      Talk about putting myself in a position that would compromise my safety.  I should have left the first time Noemi urged me to leave.

      I silently thanked God for preparation.  I’d washed every inch of myself with hot water, using no soap before I left my condo, even my hair.  I didn't want to take the chance on leaving my body scent in his place.  Thank God for even the smallest of miracles.  If I hadn't done that, one whiff and he would have known that he wasn't standing in the kitchen alone.

      Of all of the art forgers and embezzlers in Miami, I was smart enough to break into the man’s house who would probably sell my ass on the black market if I got caught in his home without an invitation I thought sarcastically.  

      It's really freaky how often I found myself caught between a rock and a hard place.  It takes real cojones to go up against a man like Xavier.  And there I was standing just feet from him.    

      A quick glance at the wall clock showed that my three minutes to get the hell out of there before Noemi called in the Calvary had expired.  Out of time, and Xavier was now standing with one arm outstretched, holding onto the top of his refrigerator, deep in thought.  That huge violent man with the quick temper looked as if he had no plans of getting out of there any time soon.

      Even in the darkness his towering figure looked intimidating.  Even with my training I doubted I could take him.  Wound him yes, but not take him down.  I was as far into that corner as I could get hoping for the chance to skip out of there unseen.  The black cat suit clung to my skin.  My hair, up in a tight ponytail was covered by a black toboggan.  The house was cool, and I was hoping that would keep me from perspiring as I grew more nervous.  But for some reason I was more concerned about Noemi calling in back up, and ruining our careers, than I was afraid of getting caught and having to fight him.

      I made a mental note to smack myself in the head when I escaped safely.  I knew that I would never find anything on him in his home.  This man’s universe, his entire world revolved around his businesses.  But he would never make it easy for anyone to obtain information that would get him several life sentences and a seat on death row.  I should have known I wouldn't find anything there.

      Ocean, where the hell, are you, screamed Noemi’s voice into my earpiece!  Noemi was breaking my concentration and making me more nervous than I already was.  Ocean, if you’re in trouble I need to know.  Say something.  Tap on the earpiece once if you’re okay, twice if you aren’t.

      I didn’t dare move.  One move and I was toast.   

      He moved from the fridge over to the sink.  The glass tapped lightly against the side of the sink.   I watched him, admiring his physique and never once forgetting how he used his charm and good looks to lure his victims in.  Although I was fed up with cowering in that corner, I knew what he did to his victims.  He showed no mercy whatsoever.  And if he caught me in his home uninvited he'd show no mercy to me either.

      I held my breath and continued staring at him.  I couldn’t believe that I was there, alone with him in the middle of the night.  Was I crazy?  There was no denying that now.  People were trying to break free of this guy and I broke into his home.  I frowned, thinking of how Noemi was safe and sound on the outside.  It was coming off like we had somewhat of a lopsided working relationship.  I always seemed to be taking the risks that could land me in the morgue.  Noemi was so indignant at times, but I was my partner.  My partner, who let me take the risk of breaking into Xavier Hawthorne's house alone while I was sitting in the getaway car sipping on a hot mocha from Starbucks.

      Noemi was this beautiful tall leggy type who was used to getting her way.  And I was just as bad as any boyfriend that Noemi ever had.  I was always making compromises for my friend.  I’d been holding her hand and metaphorically wiping her ass since grade school.

      I stopped thinking of Noemi and cleared my head and remained in that corner frozen, counting silently to one hundred without moving a muscle

      The wind howled as if warning me to get the hell out of there but there was nothing but silence by the time I reached one hundred.  

      My eyes opened, and unfortunately, he was still there.

      I really liked to think that I was fearless.  But my beating heart was telling me otherwise.  It was telling me that there was something inside of me that was wise enough to be afraid.  I was the independent tomboy who usually took chances without a second thought.  Standing in that corner inside of his kitchen, I came to the realization that my cowboy ways were going to be the end of me if I didn't get control over them.

      There was so much at stake and I was on the verge of ruining it all for us.  One slip up and all of the dominos would come crashing down.  To make things worse, my life was on the line and I had to pee…..just one thing after another.  Most women my age were, worried about the make-up, shoes and clothes the for the weekend the night before Friday but not me.  I was standing in the corner of the kitchen of a very dangerous and impulsive man, hoping that I didn’t break into a sweat or fart. Yes.  I was crazy.

      A noise from across the room almost made my jump out of my skin.

      Directly across from where he stood was his ringing cell phone.  Instead of going for the phone he looked down at the caller ID and ignored the caller.  Middle of the night booty call, I wondered silently?  Well, whoever it was, they hadn’t been important enough to warrant his attention because he glanced down at the caller ID a second time and hit the ignore button. 

      Trying not to pee my pants from fear of being caught I continued staring at him in awe and fear.  The man was wicked sexy.  He wore nothing but the skin he was born in.  Even in the dark I could make out his powerful form.  His olive skin was smooth and muscular.  He was six-foot three and pure muscle.  At first glance he was every woman's dream, the perfect roll in the hay.  But in reality, Xavier was every woman’s nightmare walking.  With that thought there was only one thing I could do.    

      Slowly, quietly, I slipped my blade out, ready to use it if I had to.  I should have been taking baby steps.  Instead, I was pushing my luck with a known sociopath.  Twenty minutes in and twenty minutes out, but I was always pushing my luck.  I’d stayed there way longer than I should have, and now I was paying the price.      

      His hands ran through his hair roughly.  He looked like he carried the weight of the world in that beautiful head of his. 

      He picked up his cell, ran his hand through his hair again and sighed heavily.  He then flexed and threw his arms backward and forward, and rolled his neck as he exited the kitchen.

      Breathing a sigh of relief, I waited several seconds, before I tiptoed from my hiding spot and slipped quietly through the kitchen back downstairs to the basement and exited the same way I had entered.

      Through his basement window.

      When I pulled the car door open Noemi practically jumped from her seat.      

      What the hell took you so long?

      Just drive.

      Chapter Two

      My breath caught in my throat.

      The pressure was on.  It was the moment that I thought I’d been waiting for my entire life.  I checked my lipstick in the mirror and wiped the sides of my mouth.

      Across the street was a line that was wrapped around the club…..one of Xavier’s clubs.  Tons of vehicles were lined along the street and crammed into the clubs parking lot.  This was a popular nightclub.  It was perfect for a guy like Xavier and his band of flunky's.  There were a lot of pretty girls to choose from.  Different ages, body shapes, and skin tones.  A farmer’s market of humans to choose from.

      I looked around nervously.  Something about the atmosphere made me uneasy.  I thought about circling the block several times to get my nerve up, but I couldn't risk losing my parking spot.  Then the thought of starting the engine and peeling off toward the highway to head home, and leave the case and the force behind, swept through my mind.      

      I suppressed that thought.  If I hadn't I would have just given up right, then and there.  I checked the mirrors.  Nothing had changed since the last time I checked us.  There were people everywhere around the club trying to get into the jumping nightclub.       

      I had lived in Miami most of my life and I still wasn't used to the night life.  Not that I never stayed out until the wee hours of the morning allowing the sun to beat me home, but it was never to hang out in nightclubs.  I was usually on stage playing my music in one of the smaller clubs where the women actually wore clothes that covered our tits and assess.       

      My hands shook slightly.  I usually felt a rush before a job, but this was different.  That familiar feeling wasn't there.  It was replaced by fear and uncertainty.     

      I stared out of the car window at the line that was just growing longer by the second.  This was so much different than any club that I would ever consider spending time in.  The huge lights on the club were so bright that they lit up the entire block.  Xavier's last name was in lights on the front of the club.  Hawthorne's was in bold bright lettering.  The huge three-story club had a little bit of everything to offer.  He catered to everyone's tastes.  The lower level of the club was where the hip hop and R&B was played.  The second floor catered to those who were into country music.  And the third floor was reserved for the live band and those who were into jazz music.  He was definitely raking in the customers and the cash. 

      An uncomfortable silence settled over the car.  I’d been going back and forth with Noemi the entire drive.  Noemi wanted the lead on this one bad.  And after seeing Xavier in person I could understand why she'd want to get as close to him as she could.         

      In my mind I knew that Xavier would automatically go for Noemi.  What guy wouldn't?  Noemi was stunning.  She looked like the cover girl on the cover of a Victoria Secrets catalog.  But she wasn't ready for the lead in a case this big.  This wouldn't be the first case we'd worked together, so I knew Noemi’s strengths and weaknesses as well as she did.  And putting it simply, Xavier would prove to be Noemi’s weakness if she took the lead.  

      I took in a deep breath.  As crazy as it sounded to both of us we did have to explore the possibility that he would choose me.  Sounded crazy but anything was possible.  But as huge as this case was we had to explore every possibility. 

      In the past Noemi and I had a few white-collar cases that we willingly took turns being the lead.  And there were a couple of cases where we had to take down a couple of small time drug dealers.  But never anything like this one.  This was big, real big.  And we were both fighting to be the one that got closest to Xavier.   

      Not because he was the hottest thing walking….although he was.  But because this case, was going to put us on the map.  The guys on the force would be forced to treat us as equals.  I was determined that Xavier was the big fish that we would reel in together despite who took the lead.  

      I looked down at my watch to check the time then my eye caught the SUV that was parked in the front of the club.  It was his.  We’d known he'd be there.  He was regularly seen in the club on Saturday nights.  It was our busiest night of the week when it came to those who lived in Miami as well as the tourists who’d heard about the club and were dying to see what it was about for themselves.  

      I didn't condone anything that Xavier Hawthorne was involved in, but I had to admit that he was a genius.  The club was and everything else he touched was gold.  I wouldn't be stupid enough to take him lightly again.  There would be no victory dances until the files on the case were locked in the vault because I knew that nothing about this would be easy.   

      Xavier was well educated and street wise and seemed to excel at everything he set out to do, including the sex trafficking business.  He'd managed to stay under the radar for years. 

      Until now.

      He'd been basking in the magnificent heat of the Miami sun and raking in millions selling other humans, for years.  His ability to evade an arrest was something that only someone who had friends in high places could manage.

      Xavier had definitely made a name for himself.  He'd gone from being considered a two-bit street thug who was barely making a few bucks, to being worth several millions.  No one could call him a small-time thug now.

      I looked in the rearview mirror at my other partner Caden.  He's gorgeous but he's such a square.  Where I was known for going as far off the beaten path as I could to secure an arrest, Caden was known for walking a straight line no matter what he was faced with.       

      Caden was hard to sway, but there was wiggle room with Noemi.  Noemi being a wild child allowed me room to toe the line.  Caden caught me looking and smiled at me.  I smiled back at him, thinking that if he found out that I’d broken into Xavier's house, he'd be pissed off, and ready to reprimand and lecture me about doing things by the book.     

      He always talked slowly in a southern drawl that a lot of women on and off the force seemed to love.  He'd lived in Mississippi until the age of ten.  His father got a job offer in Miami that he couldn't refuse, packed up his family and moved them all to Miami.  Caden had been a Miami resident for over twenty years but he still couldn't shake that southern accent.   

      I checked my lipstick in the mirror again then I stole another look at Caden.  He was thirty-one years old but didn't look a day over twenty-five.  He looked more like a college senior than a cop.  We were supposed to be posing as brother and sister.  I couldn't see it, but the captain was sure it would work.   

      Our job for the night was to go in and make contact.  It was that simple.  We weren't supposed to hook him.  Again, Xavier was a big fish.  So, he had to be dealt with delicately.  Dangle the bait in front of him just long enough to make him want to see more.  Then give him enough to make him nibble.  Then we would hook him.  

      I took in a deep breath.  There was no time for panicking.  Truth be told, I was going to be relieved when the night was over.  Actually, I should have been dragging my feet and having as much fun as possible, because the only thing waiting on me back at the condo would be a ton of monotonous paperwork.  But nightclubs, tiny skirts and lip gloss just weren't my thing.  I was ready to get in, get out, and get back to eat the half eaten three musketeer candy bar that was sitting in the refrigerator back at the condo.       

      I glanced over at Noemi who was staring vainly in her mirror.  There wasn't a soul in the car who was thinking that I had a shot at taking lead in the case.  Noemi even walked with an enviable sexiness that couldn't be ignored.  She was wearing very little and every inch of her perfect body was on display.  Funny thing is, even when we weren't on a case she dressed like that.  Jeans were always one size too tight.  All of her shirts showed way too much cleavage.  And she didn't own a pair of pants that weren't low rise.    

      I never needed those types of reminders of my femininity to make me feel like a girl.  The boob’s that I had to sport around was reminder enough for me.  I was just as sexy as Noemi, but I didn’t always have it on display.  But that night I was dressed as scantily clad as Noemi was, with everything that I had on display and right then I couldn't wait to call it a night and change into a comfortable pair of sweats.   

      Noemi was now checking and rechecking her eye shadow.  Anything to stare at herself, I thought.  She was usually quite loquacious, but for some reason she was very quiet.  Maybe she was just as nervous about the case as I was.  This was the big time.  No more little, league for us, I thought, passing a hand over my face. 

      My eyes went back to the club.  The longer we waited the longer the line became.   

      I glanced over at the beauty sitting in the passenger seat.  Do you have your story memorized?

      Noemi let out an impatient sigh.  Yes, Ocean!

      I sighed impatiently.  She was already messing up.  I didn’t want to have to spend my time on this case babysitting her.  It's Ina, not Ocean.  One screw up like that could get us killed, Sania.   

      Noemi's voice became serious.  Okay, Ina.  I'm ready for this.  I wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize our lives.  Unlike you, she added.

      What the hell is that supposed to mean?

      You know what I’m talking about, Ocean.  She was referring to my breaking into Xavier’s house.  And of course, I didn’t want her to let the cat out of the bag in front of Caden.  Lord knows if he found out we’d have to hear about it for weeks.  Not to mention how it was all her idea.

      Hey, you two, stop fighting like toddlers.  We are on the job.  He was scolding us like we were kids.  But he was right.  And as usual he was the voice of reason.     

      I flattened my hands on the front of my dress.  It was so unlike anything that I would wear.  The tiny green dress was just that, tiny.  Barely mid-thigh length, it was so low cut in the front that my breasts were bound to pop out before the end of the night.

      Let's go, I said, removing the keys from the ignition and throwing them inside of my small handbag.

      We stepped out of the car and crossed the street leading to the club.  The line to the entrance of the club was wrapped around the corner.  But luckily for me and Caden, we were with Noemi.  She never stood in line.

      When we approached the line, the bouncers were picking and choosing which girls were lucky enough to gain entrance and from what I could tell, they were only choosing the real cream of the cop.  All of the pretty, tall leggy girls were being ushered in.  When he noticed us, I was sure he'd point to Noemi and pass me over.  

      His eyes quickly roamed over Noemi, stopping at those long legs.  I almost threw up when a smile spread across his face.  He gestured with his thumb for both of us to enter the club.  His smile is broad when he gives us the once over and steps out of our way, creating a path for us to walk through to the club’s entrance.        

      Within seconds of entering the club all eyes were on Noemi.  I was getting my fair share of looks but they were literally gawking at Noemi.  It didn’t surprise me that the men were already all over Noemi.  She was a twenty-seven-year-old flawless beauty.     

      But I wasn’t too shabby myself.  At twenty-six years old, although I wasn’t five- foot eleven and all legs I was a looker with a banging body, at the top of my game in my career, and although I wasn’t turning hordes of heads like Noemi, I was still holding my own.  I laughed to myself and began toying with the idea of just finding a spot in a dark corner and letting Noemi take over the lead in the case without a fight.    

      The further we moved into the club the more I realized that I hated crowds.  Standing in that club with all of those people around me almost caused me to have an anxiety attack.  I needed a stiff drink.  Long Island ice tea, vodka tonic, anything.

      The place was packed to capacity.  Girls with little to nothing on danced like sex craved kittens.  Men were gawking at us as if they'd never seen legs, tits and thighs before.   Xavier could certainly pull in a crowd.  I paused and looked around, my eyes roaming through the crowd.  Directly ahead sitting atop a huge stage was a DJ booth.  The DJ was a short, cocoa skinned guy.  He was dressed in a pair of black dress pants.  The sleeves of his turquoise dress shirt were rolled up to his elbows.  His head bopped back and forth as he moved to the beat of the music and watched the crowd.

      I tiptoed to get a better view around the club.

           The clubs overheads were bright, too bright for me.  But it did help me to see everything and everyone around me.  The main level was packed to capacity.  I looked towards the upstairs and it was just more of the same, people were everywhere.  The line going to the upper level was wrapping around the huge club. 

      As we walked through we bumped up against people who were too high off of our drug of choice and too drunk to notice we were moving past us.  If it wasn't for the fact that Xavier Hawthorne owned the club, I would never have stepped foot in it.  

      Trying for a little subtlety, I nonchalantly glanced around the club trying to spot the man of the hour.  There were too many people for me to get a good enough view of every inch of the club.  I glanced back at Caden, who placed a hand on the small of my back then backed away from me.  I watched him walk off in the opposite direction.  Tonight, wasn’t about him.  It was all about one of the two girls on the team catching the eye of Xavier Hawthorne.  He was taking himself out of the equation all together.        

      Noemi and I ended up at the bar.  The bartender rushed over to us before we could get settled onto the bar stools.  I ordered two drinks, watched him prepare them, and slide them in front of us.  Drinks in hand we turned around to face the crowd.  We had our work cut out for us.  Noemi wasn't the only hot chick in the club.  Beautiful girls of all shades and sizes moved through the club.  If Xavier and his guys

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