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and broads.
Jake made his way through a clutter of tiny tables, each packed with four men and
the occasional woman, past the stage where a leggy brunette was jerking and writhing
around a steel pole in a g-string so tiny it was nonexistent. He made his way toward the
bar, where Cameron perched on a barstool, totally transfixed by the dancer, and Quigley
was in a heated discussion with a giant of a man who was trying to tend bar and talk at
the same time. When Jake sidled up between them, Quigley ignored him and kept up his
arguments with the bartender, whose arms and neck were covered with tattoos under a
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tight white T-shirt and had a crooked nose that resembled a twisted mound of sausage.
Cameron reluctantly tore his gaze away from the woman and acknowledged Jake with a
smile and a nod.
Jake poked Quigley in the side. Why the hell did you want me to meet you here?
We could ve gone to the Stumble if you wanted a drink. It would have been a damn sight
quieter and a lot cheaper too, Jake shouted into Quigley s ear, trying to overcome the
deafening music.
Quigley turned away from the bear of a man behind the counter, glared at Jake
and replied, You see that sonofabitch there? He refuses to believe I m who I say I am,
Quigley shouted, exasperated and completely ignoring Jake s question.
What s his name? Jake shouted back.
Cletus. His sister owns this place so he thinks he s God here, Quigley snorted.
She gave him something for me but he won t take my word that I m the one she left the
stuff for. Either that or he just hates cops, even ex-cops.
Jake leaned across the bar and waved at Cletus, who was studiously staring
toward the stage. Hey, Cletus! Come here. I m gonna get laryngitis yelling like this.
The big man turned his head to glare at Jake. Colored lights danced over his
brilliant red hair and beard and, when the light shifted, his eyes flashed red as they fixed
on Jake. Jake froze at the image. Holy shit, he whispered.
Cam leaned around Jake to stare at Cletus then Jake. What? Holy shit what? he
asked glancing between the two.
The red hair, the red eyes, Jake murmured.
What? Cameron yelled.
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Jake grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close. The red hair and eyes. Look
at him. It s the neon light that does it. Those damned cheap lights along the street. Jake
slapped the bar. Damn! I m slow these days.
Cameron pulled away and took another look; a good long look. Holy shit! he
exclaimed with his eyes wide and staring hard at Cletus.
Cletus ambled over with a scowl on his wide face. He leaned both hands on the
bar and thrust his face into Cameron s. What the fuck you lookin at dickhead? he
asked, while spraying saliva into the terrified Aussie s face.
Cam s face blanched at the violence in the big man s eyes. Uh, Jake, I gotta go
talk to a friend of mine. He nodded at the leggy, dark-haired stripper who had finished
her routine and now stood by the stage, glaring at him with an impatient gleam in her
eyes.
Jake nodded at Cam, watched him beat a hasty retreat to the brunette s side
before turning back to Cletus and pulling out his FBI identification. Jake grinned and
pushed it into the man s nose. Cletus, I presume? he asked with a deep, authoritative
voice.
Cletus backed up and his expression rapidly changed from belligerent to
chagrined. Yeah, that s me. Then he rapidly shifted to defensive. What about it?
You see this man here? Jake twitched his head toward Quigley, who sat quietly
watching Cletus with a smirk on his lips. He s an agent of mine. He came here to get
something your sister left for him. Now, the question is, are you going to give it to him or
are you going to make me use this thing to get it? Jake pulled the flap of his coat open,
showing the .38 tucked under his armpit.
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Cletus blanched, turned faster than Jake thought he could with his massive weight
and size, squatted in front of the cash register and pulled a large manila envelope from a
shelf. He rose and offered it to Quigley without a word.
Quigley shot the man his full-blown rendition of a shit-eating grin and said,
Well, thank you Cletus. I appreciate it.
Cletus face, suffused with angry blood, stiffened as he said, Tigg said to tell
y all to call her after midnight if you want anything else. Then he turned and beat a
hasty retreat to the end of the bar, where he made a show of washing a mound of dirty
glasses in even dirtier gray water.
Jake leaned close to Quigley, tapped the envelope with a finger and asked, Is this
why you had us meet you here?
Quigley downed his drink before answering, Yeah, Tigg said the information she
dug up would answer a lot of questions for us. Problem is, she also said she couldn t
supply all of it until later.
Cam ambled over, a big grin on his face and an arm draped loosely around the
shoulders of the stripper. She hugged a short silk kimono around her body in an attempt
to cover full breasts bare except for pasties glued to the nipples and the tiny G-string
she d danced in. He long legs had no trouble keeping up with Cam while they walked to
the bar. Cam stopped in front of Jake and Quigley and stood well back from the bar and
Cletus back while he introduced the woman. This is Moni Draper. I think you need to
talk with her Jake. What she has to say is even more interesting than what she has to
show up on that stage. He winked and the woman elbowed him in the ribs.
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She shrugged off Cam s arm and stepped up to Jake, let the kimono slide open,
and plastering her barely clad breasts against his arms while she whispered in his ear.
You may not remember me Agent Daniels but I was the cop in the meeting you had with
the chief and Russell the other morning. Wait! Don t react; we re being watched. Act as
if I m propositioning you. She made a show of rubbing up against him even more while
pasting a seductive, full-lipped smile on her face.
Jake grinned at her while reaching around her waist to encircle it with his arms.
He nuzzled her earlobe while murmuring, Make it quick.
She pulled back to stare into his eyes while she put both arms around his neck.
Nose to nose, she mumbled back, The chief is on the take. The whole department knows
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