Listen To Her Heart, page 27
“I can take care of that,” Rheyna said with a mischievous grin on her face.
Briana grinned at Rheyna. “What do you plan to do?”
Rheyna shrugged. “I’ll think of something. Maybe I’ll call in a small bomb scare up the street.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Yalen laughed.
“Oh yes, I will,” Rheyna winked. “You two go ahead and get your things together and I’ll make the phone call.”
“I need to reply to Emily first to let her know we’ll meet tomorrow,” Yalen said as she hit the ‘reply’ button on the email.
Just as Sgt. Whitley parked in front of Yalen’s hotel, all hell broke loose up on the corner where the 55 Bar sat. Police cars came from all directions, sirens blaring, tires screeching, coming to a halt, and blocking all streets at the intersection.
“What do you think is going on up there?” Sgt. Mueller asked, nodding toward the bar.
Sgt. Whitley shrugged. “I don’t know. Could just be a couple of shit-faced wankers arguing over a football game.”
“Oh no, it’s more than that, look!” Sgt. Mueller said, pointing at the windscreen. A white van with a yellow stripe down the side had just pulled up directly in front of the bar. Letters on the side panel indicated that it was the Royal Logistics Corps Bomb Disposal Unit.
“Damn. They must have received a bomb threat,” Sgt. Whitley said as people begun to pour out from inside the bar.
“I think we should go check it out,” Sgt. Mueller said.
Sgt. Whitley shook her head. “I think we should stay right where we are in case the women come back to the hotel.”
Sgt. Mueller opened the car door. “Come on. Even if they come back, we won’t miss much,” he said, stepping out of the car.
“All right but we can’t be long,” Sgt. Whitley said as she got out of the car and closed the door.
Rheyna peered around the edge of the curtain, looking down at the street. “Okay, I think now is the time for you two to get moving,” she said, turning to look at Yalen and Briana.
Yalen walked up to Rheyna and hugged her. “We will see you tomorrow and thank you for everything.”
“Don’t thank me just yet,” Rheyna said, shaking her head. “We still have a lot of work to do.”
Rheyna walked over to Briana and hugged her. “It was nice to meet you and you take good care of her,” she whispered into Briana’s ear.
Briana smiled at Rheyna. “I will.”
“When you talk to Holly in the morning, make sure to let her know that we’ll give her a call later in the evening to let her know what time we’ll need her help,” Rheyna said as she walked Yalen and Briana to the door.
Yalen, with the backpack over her shoulder and the Pelican case in her hand, turned to Rheyna. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
Rheyna gave a salute sign with her hand and stood there watching as Yalen and Briana went down the steps.
With a smile on his face, the blond-haired man watched the scene down on the street from his window above the 55 Bar.
“Brilliant,” he said, nodding his head appreciatively. “I was wondering how you were going to pull this off.”
He walked to the opposite side of his flat to the windows that overlooked the parking lot where he had watched Yalen and Briana climb over the fence earlier in the day. Within minutes, he saw two shadowy figures come over the fence.
“If all eyes are on the bar on the corner, then no eyes will be on you. Very good move, very good indeed.”
Yalen and Briana made their way across the parking lot and over to the corner of the building. Yalen put her hand on Briana’s arm to hold her back as she peered around the building to look up the street.
The streets and pavement were now filled with people as police officers evacuated the bar along with several adjacent buildings.
Barricades had been set up, blocking all access to everyone within a hundred yards of the bar.
She noticed the Prius parked almost in the same spot as earlier but was relieved to see the car was unoccupied. Now was their chance to blend in with those coming down the sidewalk and with a little luck, they could make it back to their hotel without being seen. Yalen just hoped that the hotel didn’t end up getting evacuated as well.
She grabbed Briana’s hand and the two of them calmly walked out from around the building and onto the pavement, seamlessly intermingling with those who had left the bar. They quickly made their way across the street and into the hotel.
Demescko and Emily were sitting on the futon drinking coffee and noticed at the same time when the email icon changed, showing that a new email had come in.
“I can’t believe that she agreed to meet. She had never responded to my other emails. What did you say that got her to agree to meet me?” Emily asked.
Demescko looked at Emily over the top of her cup as she sipped the hot liquid. “Just that it had to do with Khost, Afghanistan.”
“How did you know that would do it?” Emily asked, still not understanding the meaning.
“She was in Afghanistan when a bomb went off, killing her father.” Demescko shrugged. “I knew she would be too curious and would want to know what you had to do with that.”
Emily’s thoughts turned to Lebedev, sending a chill up her spine. “How much longer do you think before I can leave this country?”
Demescko leaned back on the futon. “Just as soon as I can make the arrangements and hopefully that will be within the next couple of days.”
“He really scares me,” Emily whispered as tears ran down her cheeks.
“Aw, sweetheart, come here,” Demescko said, pulling Emily into her arms. They leaned back on the futon, Emily resting her head on Demescko’s shoulder. “I’m not going to let him or anyone else hurt you. I promise and just as soon as I can, I’m going to get you out of here, and if I have to take you to my house to make sure you stay safe, that’s what I will do.”
Emily scooted closer, wrapping her arms around Demescko’s waist. “I don’t know what I would have done without you,” Emily whispered.
Demescko placed her hand gently on the side of Emily’s cheek and used her thumb to wipe away Emily’s tears. “I am, so sorry that I didn’t get you out of here before now,” she said. She placed her fingers under Emily’s chin, gently lifting so she could see Emily’s eyes.
“I’ve missed you so much,” Emily whispered, her lips slightly parting.
“I’ve missed you too,” Demescko said as she lowered her head, claiming Emily’s mouth as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do.
Emily groaned as Demescko’s tongue slowly and gently caressed hers and she was powerless to stop it.
Demescko’s heart raced in her chest as Emily hungrily kissed her back, igniting a fire inside her body that travelled from her feet to her groin. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized what had just happened. She slowly broke the kiss, leaning back to look into Emily’s eyes. “I’m … I’m … uh … sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t know what came over me. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“I’m glad you did,” Emily said. She reached up to touch Demescko’s face and flinched as a bolt of pain shot through her shoulder.
“Oh, god, I am, so … sorry. I forgot about your injury again,” Demescko said, a pain-stricken look on her face.
Emily laughed. “I’m okay. It only hurts if I move wrong.”
“I want to see it,” Demescko said in a firm voice.
Emily smiled. “Really, it’s okay.”
Demescko got up from the futon. “We need to make sure that it’s clean, so it doesn’t get infected. I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“You are not going to let this go are you?” Emily said as she got up from the futon.
Demescko smiled and shook her head. “Nope, I’m not.”
“Will you stay with me tonight?” Emily asked, taking Demescko by the hand as she walked toward the bathroom where she kept the bandages.
Demescko stopped walking and Emily turned to face her. “Yes,” she said, pulling Emily into her arms. “Right now, I can’t th … think of anyone I would rather be with,” she said, softly kissing Emily on the lips.
Yalen and Briana stood in the middle of their hotel room, expressions of shock on their face as they looked around.
The room was trashed. The drawers had been pulled out of the dresser and thrown on the floor along with all of their clothing. The mattress had been removed, and was now flipped up against the wall.
“It looks like a tornado went through here,” Briana said.
Yalen held her finger up to her mouth for Briana to be quiet. She took her backpack off of her shoulder and sat it on the desk. She saw that the bear was in the same spot where she had left it and the alarm clock was still on the nightstand. She had a feeling they were in for quite a show when they reviewed the recorded footage.
She unzipped the backpack, took out the fob keychain detector, and turned it on.
Briana was silent as she watched Yalen systematically check for listening devices. As Yalen ran the detector up the legs of her nightstand, the key fob beeped and the green LED light came on. She got down on her knees so she could look up under the nightstand. She motioned with her finger for Briana to come over. Without saying a word, Briana knelt down beside Yalen and looked up under the stand. Affixed to the inside wooden lip was a small, round button sized device.
Briana’s eyebrows rose as she looked at Yalen and Yalen nodded as she got back to her feet. She continued to move around the room and found another device just like it affixed to the inside leg of the desk. She walked to the other side of the bed, grabbed the remote control off of Briana’s nightstand, and then turned the TV on. She adjusted the volume loud enough so that if anyone were listening, all they would hear was the TV.
Yalen took her laptop out of the backpack, placed it on the desk, and powered it on. She turned the bear over and pulled on the end of the velcro strap that kept the small bow tie attached around the bear’s neck. On the front of the bear where the tie covered the throat, was a small slit. She wedged her index finger and thumb into the opening and pulled out a micro SD disk. She then went over to the nightstand and popped open the battery cover on the bottom of the clock. She removed the batteries and then pulled out the small micro SD disk hidden beneath them.
She mouthed the words, “Be right back,” to Briana and then left the hotel room.
Briana walked over to the mattress, grabbed the edge of it, and pulled it back down onto the bed frame. She had just finished placing all the drawers back in the dresser when Yalen returned. She sat down on the edge of the bed as she watched Yalen pick up the remote control.
Yalen smiled at her as she lowered the volume on the TV and then came over and sat down next to Briana on the bed.
“So baby, how would you like to join me in the shower?” she asked, grinning at Briana.
Briana did a double take as she looked at Yalen and then grinned when Yalen nodded her head.
“Hmm, it depends,” Briana said.
“Depends on what?” Yalen asked.
“Do I get to lather you all up and then lick the water drops off of your skin?” Briana asked and then smiled at the shocked expression on Yalen’s face.
She’s enjoying this way too much, Yalen thought as she looked at Briana, but two can play that game. “Honey, once you get me in that shower, you can do whatever you like as long as you do it slow and gentle.”
Briana got up and came around the bed. She stood directly in front of Yalen, her crotch eyelevel with Yalen’s mouth. “Mmm, I kind of like this position.”
Yalen’s mouth was suddenly wet, her heart racing in her chest. She unconsciously licked her lips as she looked up at Briana, remembering how soft Briana’s mouth was when she kissed her goodnight back at her house. “Me too,” she barely managed to croak out.
Briana reached out, placing her hand on the side of Yalen’s face, her thumb caressing Yalen’s cheek. Her eyes had turned a smoky grey, as she looked at Yalen’s lips. “Baby, I’ll do whatever you want and however you want me to do it and by the time I’m done, you’ll beg me not to stop,” Briana said in a husky voice that sent goose bumps up Yalen’s arms.
Oh, dios, I’m in so much trouble here, Yalen thought as she placed her hands on Briana’s hips.
Yalen found it difficult to swallow as her eyes met Briana’s eyes. “I think I’m past ready for that shower now,” she said as she got up from the bed. What you really need is a cold shower, she thought when Briana winked at her.
Across the street, Sgt. Mueller choked, spitting coffee all over the dashboard of the car. “Please, please, please tell me you put cameras in the room along with the listening devices,” he said, looking at Sgt. Whitley.
“You are such a wanker, Brody,” Sgt. Whitley said, shaking her head.
“I cannot believe I am missing this and in case you have not noticed, both of those women are my fantasy come true,” Sgt. Mueller said as he wiped the coffee off his chin and shirt.
Sgt. Whitley shrugged. “In case you were not listening, I believe that you would not do a thing for either of them at the moment or any moment in the near future. You, my friend, do not have the right equipment,” she laughed.
“Who said I have to join in? I would be perfectly content just to watch,” Sgt. Mueller said with a wink.
Sgt. Whitley looked at her partner and shook her head. “You are a typical perverted heterosexual man. Have you ever heard a woman say how much she would love to watch two men shagging? Why do you think that is?”
Sgt. Mueller laughed. “Because it is a gross thought and because you have to admit that watching two nancy boys crossing swords with their willies is not in the least bit arousing whilst two women … now that is something worth staying up late for.”
“Maybe you should go take a shower,” Sgt. Whitley laughed.
“Times like this is what turned me into a professional wanker,” Sgt. Mueller laughed, although he was somewhat serious.
Sgt. Whitley grinned at him. “Times like this are what tells me I am in need of a new partner.”
Unbeknownst to the detectives, the blond-haired man, wearing a dark brown fedora and tan colored trench coat, stood near the same corner of the building where Yalen and Briana had stood earlier. Under his arm was a folded newspaper that contained a directional microphone.
He adjusted the wireless ear bud in his ear as he continued to listen to the Scotland Yard Sergeants’ conversation inside the car.
He heard Sgt. Mueller say how gorgeous Briana was and then heard Sgt. Whitley say that Yalen was very attractive as well.
He chuckled when Sgt. Mueller said he wouldn’t kick either woman out of bed.
“In your dreams my dear sir,” he mumbled as he pulled a pipe out of his inside coat pocket and lit it. He glanced up and down the street and then stepped out onto the pavement. Up ahead he could still see the lights from the police cars parked outside the 55 Bar. He took several puffs on the pipe as he walked toward the Prius.
“I have a lot to do tonight in order to prepare for tomorrow,” he whispered to himself as he crossed the street and headed for the hotel.
Sgt. Whitley leaned her head against her hand, her elbow on the door as she watched an old man go into the hotel. “You know what I think is odd?” She continued without giving Sgt. Mueller a chance to answer. “Why weren’t they upset or freaked out about their room?”
Sgt. Mueller frowned. “What do you mean?”
Sgt. Whitley smacked her hand against her forehead. “I forgot to tell you this. When I went into their room, Lebedev’s men had torn it apart. It was a mess and their belongings were all over the floor. The drawers were emptied. It was as if they were looking for something specific.”
Sgt. Mueller nodded. “That is odd but they could have already discussed it before we got back to our car.”
“Maybe,” Sgt. Whitley nodded. “But, why didn’t they call the police or complain to the hotel staff? From what I saw in that room, it would have taken them a while to clean it up.”
“You are right. If it had been me, the first thing I would have done was alert the hotel manager.”
“And you would have also been frightened by it unless—”
“Unless, you knew you were being followed or knew who had done it,” Sgt. Mueller said, finishing Sgt. Whitley’s sentence for her.
Sgt. Whitley nodded. “Exactly and if your room was torn apart, why would you even think about shagging? I don’t know about you but I would have other things on my mind.” Sgt. Whitley laughed. She looked at Sgt. Mueller and shook her head.
Sgt. Mueller’s eyebrows pinched together in a frown. “What is so amusing?”
“She knows, Brody. She bloody fucking knows that we are out here and ten pounds says she also knows there are listening devices in the room. That conversation was for our benefit. I will bet you another ten pounds that she knows it was Lebedev’s men that destroyed their room, especially after that taxi ride.”
“You mean they were faking it?” Sgt. Mueller asked.
Sgt. Whitley shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time a woman faked it,” she said, grinning from ear to ear.”
“That is wrong in all directions,” Sgt. Mueller laughed.
“Yeah, well it is a very real possibility that what we heard was fake and it makes sense.” She looked at Sgt. Mueller. “Do you have your weapon?”
“Hell, yes. We have no idea what we are involved in but the one thing I do know is that Lebedev’s men are armed and we would be foolish not to carry ours,” Sgt. Mueller said, his eyebrows rising.
“Good. I have mine as well. I hope we don’t have to use them but like you, I would rather err on the side of caution.”
Yalen picked her laptop up off of the desk and motioned for Briana to follow her into the bathroom. She set it up on the corner of the sink and then reached into the shower and turned the water on.
