Лорен Донер - Smiley

“Really?” Jericho stood. He cracked his knuckles. “What was so funny? Share how this joke worked on my friend because I could really use a laugh. I want specific details.”

“Um, maybe he didn’t say it was meant to be funny. He was with that church group.”

“What church?”

“I forgot their name. You know the one with the heavyset preacher guy who has a whiney voice?”

“No.”

“He’s always going on about protecting the human race and how wrong it is that you weren’t sent to live in zoos.” He blanched. “I don’t feel that way though. I don’t! I’m so cool with New Species and the entire NSO thing. My girlfriend has a poster of Justice North on her fucking bedroom wall.”

“You resent that?”

The human’s face reddened. “No.”

“I don’t believe that. Justice is a handsome male.”

The human clenched his teeth. “She tells me I need to work out more.”

Jericho snorted. “I bet that isn’t good to hear.”

“She thinks he’s perfect.”

“Perhaps he is.”

“No guy is. And he’s a cat. She named her kitten after him. It’s all kinds of fucked-up.”

Smiley winced and glanced toward the camera, hoping Justice didn’t take offense. His focus returned to the male. It made him happy he wasn’t feline or canine. Primates were harder for humans to own as pets so he doubted there were many being named after him. Of course no one had known about him until the footage of him and Vanni behind the hotel was released. His name hadn’t gotten out until the shopping excursion.

“Get to the point. This male approached you to do what?”

“He handed me this little glass bottle with a liquid drug inside it. I was supposed to wait for a New Species to come into the bar and when some chick came in and sat next to him I was told to split the dosage in half and put it their drinks.”

“What drug?”

“Hell if I know. He said it would be entertaining. That’s the word he used.”

“What was his name?”

The human shifted in his seat. “I’m not sure. I didn’t ask. He was a big meathead. You know the type.”

“I don’t. Tell me.” Jericho crouched again, balancing his weight on the balls of his feet.

It seemed to frighten the human, having Jericho that close again. “A little over six feet tall. Dark crew-cut hairstyle. He didn’t have a neck.”

“Keep describing him.”

“He looked like he was on steroids, okay? All muscles and not much of a talker. I didn’t pay too much attention to his looks. I didn’t want to date the asshole. I just took the cash and the drug from him. I did what I was supposed to.” He paused. “I really needed the money. My old lady is always complaining about how I don’t take her to nice places and she’s been hinting for me to buy her a ring. Diamonds aren’t cheap. It’s kind of her fault if you really think about it.”

“Could you pick him out of a lineup?”

The human hesitated and Jericho rumbled deep within his chest.

“Yes!” The human nodded. “I could. He was in the bar a few times. He drinks bourbon with ice.”

The door opened and one of the task force members entered with a large envelope. He opened it and withdrew some eight-by-ten photographs. “Tell me when you see him.”

The human chose the third photograph. “That’s him.”

“You’re sure?” Jericho stood.

“Yeah. He’s got a jagged scar on the back of his left wrist. I saw it when he was drinking at the bar. It was kind of hard to miss. He’s tan and it’s pretty stark in comparison. You notice that shit when you’re chatting up customers when it’s slow. He wasn’t a talker so I thought he might be ex-military. They tend to be loners when they come in and I knew he was working security detail for someone at the hotel.”

“How did you know that?”

The human grimaced. “He had one of those earpieces with the cord running down to his collar and he was packing a gun. He had a left-side shoulder holster on. The suit was expensive so I knew he wasn’t there to rob the place. Could have been secret service because we’ve had them in the hotel before but they never drink while on duty. This guy was in there often. He kept talking to some guy named Gregory through his earpiece thing. The first time it happened, I thought he was talking to me and couldn’t read my nametag but then he said it was his boss.”

Smiley breathed easier. They had linked the drugging to Gregory Woods. He turned and opened the door. He wanted to see Vanni. She’d be happy to know the bartender had confessed and he’d identified Bruce’s photo.

Chapter Eighteen

Vanni hung up, glad it was over. She’d notified both credit card companies and was relieved to learn no charges had been made. Replacing her driver’s license and her medical insurance cards, along with some store discount cards, would have to wait. Those were things she had to do in person once she left Homeland.

She called her office, getting her boss. Glen seemed happy to hear from her. “When are you coming back in?”

“I’m not sure.” She hated the silence.

“I can’t afford to pay a temporary agency forever, Vanni.”

She translated that into what he wasn’t saying. She needed to get her life in order or he’d have to let her go. “I’m so sorry about this, Glen. You’re being very understanding. I know I need this week for personal time for sure. I do have some vacation time coming. The wedding is off so there won’t be a honeymoon.”

“I assumed that after I saw the news. It’s kind of been the talk of the building. Carl hasn’t been seen either. Are you all right?”

“I’m better off without him. He turned out to be an ass.”

“Men rarely react gracefully when they are cheated on.”

She winced. “That’s not exactly how it was. We’d kind of, well, it’s a long story.”

“You have two weeks. You’re excellent at your job and until now, a prized employee, but this is a business.”

“I totally understand. Thank you, Glen. I’ll call you again soon.”

She hung up just as the front door opened and Smiley walked in. She stood and forced a smile. “How did your meeting go?”

He approached. “What’s wrong?”

It amazed her that he could sense her moods so easily. “It’s not important.”

“Talk to me.” He sat on the couch and patted the spot next to him. She walked over and sat. He smelled good and looked even better.

“My siblings called. Then I made some calls about my credit cards and another to my boss. My brother is an ass but that’s nothing new. My sister was surprisingly fantastic. She’s usually not so understanding. My boss gave me two weeks to get back or I’m fired.” She paused. “On an up note, no one messed with my credit cards. I canceled them.”

He reached out and played with a lock of her hair. “You don’t need your job. You could stay here with me.”

Vanni didn’t know what to say to that. She changed the subject. “How did your meeting go? Was it about us?”

Smiley released her hair and took her hand. “They brought the bartender in. He identified Bruce as the male who paid him to drug us.”

That information comforted her. “He’s under arrest?”

“For the moment. We’re releasing footage of his confession to the news outlets first. It will apply pressure to Gregory Woods to flee to avoid your police. We hope he will take Bruce and his son with him. That’s when they’ll pay.”

“By being arrested?”

Smiley hesitated. “It’s not that simple.”

“They’ll get away with what they did?” It angered her.

“No. It’s just that our laws will handle this instead of yours.”

“What does that mean?”