Munro Family: The Deception Part 26

"B-but, Vince-"

His narrowed gaze glinted with menace. "I said, show my friends your f.u.c.kin' t.i.ts."

Fear like she'd never known paralyzed Savannah's limbs. She tried to lift her arms, but they refused to move. In panic, she glanced at the men seated with Maranoa, desperately searching for an ally, but was met with half-grins and eyes that were glazed with avid antic.i.p.ation.

Knowing she couldn't blow her cover, she forced her hands into action. Grabbing the bottom of her T-s.h.i.+rt, she began to inch it up over her head.

"Vince, it's good to see you again."

Savannah froze, the deep, familiar voice halting her actions. Will strode toward them. A tight smile tugged at his lips, but his eyes were chips of jagged blue ice.

"Mind if I join you?" He indicated the empty chair on Maranoa's left.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Rutledge pup." Vince's face broke into a smile. "I've never seen you here before this week and now, you're here all the time." His gaze slid slyly over toward Savannah. "I wonder what keeps bringin' you back?"

"Vince, it's all you." Will's grin was quick and easy. Only Savannah noticed the angry tic at the side of his mouth. "And maybe the girls." He flicked her a cursory glance.

"I think you've already met Sally?" Vince nodded in her direction.

"Yeah." He gave her another quick once-over. "Sally and I have...met."

Savannah saw the tension in the hard line of his jaw and knew he was barely containing his fury. She eased away from them and discreetly straightened her T-s.h.i.+rt.

"Going somewhere, Sally?" Will's mouth twisted into a semblance of a smile. His eyes glinted steel.

She halted, not sure what he wanted of her. She met his gaze bravely, almost wincing at the fury in their depths. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and beg his forgiveness, but both of them were on very dangerous ground. If Maranoa caught even a hint that something was amiss, they'd be in a world of danger.

Pasting a flirtatious smile on her lips, she stepped closer and leaned against Will, rubbing herself against him, while her hand caressed the hard muscles of his chest.

He was casually dressed in a short-sleeved, red polo s.h.i.+rt and a pair of designer jeans. s.h.i.+ny, black RM Williams boots were on his feet. His dark hair was slightly mussed, as if he'd run his hands through it more than once and he looked for all the world like a man who'd sought out a few hours of relaxation in his club on a Sat.u.r.day night.

His muscles bunched beneath her fingers. Ignoring his tension, she slid her hand inside the opening of his s.h.i.+rt.

"How about me and you get to know each other again, mister?" Her tone was seductive, as was the look she threw him from underneath her lashes.

Vince watched them, idle curiosity playing over his face. Pressing even closer, she licked the soft lobe of Will's ear. "I promise I'll make it worth your while."

Will's arm came around her and slapped her on the bottom. She jumped and let out a little yelp, quite sure the amount of force he'd used was no accident.

"Yeah, why not?" His gaze burned into hers a moment or two before he turned back to Maranoa. "Thanks for the freebie last time, Vince. I'm more than happy to pay for it tonight. She wasn't a bad f.u.c.k, after all."

Vince chuckled, showing vast amounts of perfect, white teeth. "I'm glad I could help you out. We aim to please."

"That's why I like to come here, Vince. Your hospitality is second to none." Leaning in closer, Will lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper and tapped his nose. "Any chance of a bit of nose candy? It'll really get the party rocking." He winked.

"I'd love to help you out, but I'm afraid we're out of that s.h.i.+t. I can probably rustle up a few pills."

Will answered with a casual shrug. "Nah, I'm good. Pills don't do it for me. Not like the powder does."

"Next week, mate. Come back next week and I'll see to it that you get whatever you need."

"You're on." Will shot him an easy grin. "In the meantime, if you don't mind, I might take Sally out the back and work up a bit of sweat."

Vince grinned back at him. "Go your hardest, mate. I'm sure she'll make it worth your while."

"Oh, I know she will." Will's gaze hardened. He reached for her hand and determinedly dragged her toward the door that led to the bedrooms.

Will seethed with fury. He couldn't remember ever feeling so angry. He strode along the dim carpeted corridor, dragging Savannah along behind him. Her sky-high heels and tight leather skirt made it difficult for her to keep up, but right at that moment, he didn't give a d.a.m.n. She could twist her ankle, for all he cared. It was probably better than having her neck wrung, which was what he felt like doing.

She'd lied to him. Rage at her deceit washed over him, fueled by the memory of his terror when he'd seen her with Maranoa and his sense of helplessness that he could do nothing that might blow their cover. The intensity of his anger scared him.

His heart pounded so hard it felt like it was going to thump right out of his chest. He forced air into his constricted lungs and fought to regain control over the emotions that threatened to undo him.

When he'd seen Maranoa manhandle her, he'd moved without conscious thought. One moment he was frozen to the spot and the next he was exchanging pleasantries with the brothel owner with his fists clenched at his sides and doing all he could not to drive them into the a.s.shole's face.

And it was all her fault.

Savannah's breath hitched. "Will, please! Slow down, or I'll twist my ankle."

"Shut up." He didn't even spare her a glance, but continued to drag her along the darkened hall, past a flurry of closed doors until they got to one that stood ajar. Taking care to check that the room was empty, he pulled Savannah in quickly behind him. With a flick of his wrist, he locked the door.

Savannah's heart pounded. It was dej vu. Her palms went damp. Will strode to the bed and switched on a lamp. Spinning around, his gaze pinned her where she stood.

"Will, let me explain-"

"Explain?" His voice was a fierce whisper. His cobalt eyes sparked with fury. "Where would you like to begin, Savannah? At the part where you smiled sweetly and told me you'd be staying home tonight? What about where you told me how supportive you were of my job-how much you understood my need to come here tonight, to finish what I'd started. Would that be a better place to start?"

He paced in front of her, his fury rolling off him in almost tangible waves. "I can't believe I fell for that c.r.a.p!" He came to an abrupt halt and turned to her. He stared at her with hard eyes. "You had absolutely no intention of staying home tonight, did you?"

"Will, please. I didn't-"

"Didn't what?" He interrupted her, his voice harsh. "Didn't lie to me? Didn't purposefully deceive me into believing you actually agreed when I explained why I didn't want you here? Yes or no, Savannah? Did you purposefully set out to deceive me into thinking you were going to do as I'd asked?"

"It wasn't like that!" she pleaded. "Will, please, you have to understand-"

"Yes or no, Savannah. It's that simple." His voice was deadly calm.

She s.h.i.+vered under his icy facade. She'd had no idea he'd be so upset. After all, it wasn't as if she hadn't been to the brothel before. She knew the risks she was taking and so far, she'd been able to take care of herself. She didn't need him to make the unilateral decision that he was now responsible for her welfare. When had she become incompetent?

Anger smoldered inside her. She could remind him how, as nice as it was to have someone looking out for her, she'd been doing an absolutely fine job on her own, thank you very much. She could tell him she didn't appreciate him macho-ing in on her life just because they'd shared great s.e.x and she'd agreed to move in with him. It didn't mean he owned her.

But after taking another look at his face, as impenetrable as granite, she refrained from saying any of those things. Drawing in a deep breath, she met and held his angry gaze.

"I'm not talking about this with you right now. You're not in the mood to listen to a thing I have to say and I refuse to compete with your anger. I apologize for deceiving you. I feel awful about doing it, but you-you left me with no choice."

She paused and then forced herself to continue while her courage held out. "When you've calmed down a little and you're ready to talk about this rationally, give me a call."

With that, she walked across the room, unlocked the door and stepped into the corridor. Pulling the door closed behind her, she walked to the back door as quickly as her tight leather skirt and five-inch heels would allow. Relieved to find it unlocked, she let herself out into the quiet night.

"Hurry the f.u.c.k up, Kid. We ain't got all night."

Dylan gritted his teeth and did his best to ignore Vince's chiding. He glanced at the dark shadows of the security guards who stood above him and cursed under his breath. At least one or two of the f.u.c.kers could have given him a hand. He hauled another carton of powder out of the cellar and tossed it up to Vince, who missed the catch. The carton tumbled to the ground and split open on impact.

"For f.u.c.k's sake, Kid. Be careful. That s.h.i.+t's worth a fortune."

Dylan drew in a deep breath and set his mind to the task. The quicker he emptied the brothel's cellar of drugs, the quicker he could take his leave. It couldn't come a minute too soon. He'd had about enough of Vince and the Black Opal for tonight.

The man had become a veritable ogre of late. His demands were becoming increasingly annoying. It was only because of Vince that Dylan was contemplating killing his sister.

As if the man could read his mind, Vince stared at Dylan with a narrow-eyed gaze and leaned over the hole which led to the cellar. "You found that sister of yours, yet?"

Dylan dropped his gaze and shook his head. "Nope."

"You can't tell me you don't know where she lives. She's your f.u.c.kin' sister."

"I know where she lives," he mumbled. "I've been busy."

Vince laughed without humor. "Busy, my a.s.s. Busy f.u.c.kin' my girls. Listen to me, Kid and listen well. You've got two days. Two days, or I find her myself."

CHAPTER 27.

Will watched Savannah depart through the rear door of the brothel. Relief that she'd escaped unharmed warred with his anger and disappointment. Knowing there was nothing more he could do about it now, he made his way back into the main bar.

The crowd had increased tenfold. Men hovered close to the stage where another live show was about to commence. He looked around, but Maranoa had disappeared.

He cursed Savannah again. Thanks to her, he didn't know whether the a.s.shole had left the building or was somewhere inside it dealing with whatever was purportedly going down. Will suspected a s.h.i.+pment of drugs was being unloaded, but where?

He had yet to find a cellar, but that didn't mean one didn't exist. The most logical explanation was that it was accessed from the back of the house. It would be an easy operation to have the s.h.i.+pments delivered through a rear gate and unloaded. He thought of the TRG officers waiting outside, concealed in the darkness-waiting for his signal to charge. If he gave the order too soon and they came up empty handed, Maranoa would make d.a.m.n sure there was nothing to find the next time around.

Obtaining another search warrant would be next to impossible. They'd already had one failed attempt. He sure as h.e.l.l wasn't going to contribute to another. There was nothing else for it: He had to find concrete evidence of Maranoa's criminal activities; something solid enough to ensure a conviction.

Heading toward the exit, he opened the front door. Five of the bouncers he'd seen earlier now lounged along the side of the building. Another one stood to the side, smoking a cigarette. All of them looked bored and disinterested.

Will's gut clenched with disappointment. Whatever had been planned had either already happened or hadn't come off.

With a polite smile plastered across his lips, Will nodded goodnight to the guards and made his way along the sidewalk in the direction of his car. His thoughts turned to Max O'Connor and the near certainty that the editor was connected to Maranoa.

He recalled Savannah telling him about Max's strange behavior. It was possible the editor had already warned Vince the police had been notified. If that was the case, they had little chance of finding him with incriminating evidence. The drug lord was way too smart for that.

Will's shoulders slumped at the thought that yet again, the a.s.shole had gotten away with it. Just as quickly, steely determination surged through him. He thought of Cole and his spine straightened. There was no way he was giving up.

The night was still. It was late and traffic was light. Unlocking his black BMW, Will pulled open the door and slid behind the wheel. He pulled out onto the road and took the first left and drove slowly along the darkened street that ran parallel to the brothel's street frontage. Within moments, he spotted it. A narrow, unmarked gravel laneway ran right along the brothel's rear boundary.

"Bingo." He turned into the laneway and crept forward. Within moments, he spied the gate. He pulled out his cell phone and called Pete.

"Will, what have you got?" Despite the late hour, Pete's voice was sharp.

"Not what we were hoping for. If there was going to be a haul tonight, we're either too late or it's been called off, but I've found the gate that gives the brothel access to a back lane. Now we know how they're getting the s.h.i.+t into the place. I haven't found a cellar yet, but it must be there. It's the only thing that makes sense.

"We need to relocate the surveillance team around the back and tell them to be on the lookout for a reasonable-sized truck. Maranoa a.s.sured me tonight he'd be fully stocked with drugs again next week."

"Good work, Will, although it's a shame our intelligence was off about tonight. I guess the TRG boys can go home."

"Yeah, for now, at least."

"You go home, too. Get some rest. You'll need to be fresh again for tomorrow. We'll keep everybody on call until we nail these p.r.i.c.ks. If Maranoa said he'd be back in business next week, it won't be long." Pete paused and then added, "Oh, by the way, I hear congratulations are in order."

"Yeah, thanks."

"You could sound a little more enthusiastic. Don't tell me you're having second thoughts already?"

Will sighed. "No, but I can't say the same thing about Savannah. After tonight, who knows what she's thinking?"

"What do you mean, after tonight? Did you two have an argument?"

"No, well, yes, I guess. Pete, she was here again tonight, after I specifically told her not to come. She left me thinking she was going to spend a nice quiet evening packing her things at her condominium and what happens? I'm in the Black Opal, doing my best to work out what Maranoa's up to, when Savannah strolls through the door dressed to kill. Next minute she's serving at Maranoa's table."

"s.h.i.+t, are you kidding me?" Pete was incredulous. "I warned her off that place, too. d.a.m.n, I'm going to kill her!"

"You'll have to wait in line." Will's voice was drier than sandpaper.

"What the h.e.l.l does she think she's doing? Is she trying to get herself killed? This guy is serious. The body count around him keeps piling up. He's not going to let a journalist come in and sabotage everything. How could she be so stupid?"

"Exactly. And now that I'm almost certain her editor is in the thick of it, her actions were even more reckless. For all we know, Max might have already identified Savannah to Maranoa."

Pete's voice sharpened. "What's this about O'Connor?"

Will went on to tell his boss about the altered newspapers and discovering the Daily Mirror's editor was a friend of Maranoa's.

"Were you able to find anything on him?" Will asked.

"Well, he doesn't have a record. Apart from a few minor traffic offences, he's as clean as a whistle. I did a background check on his finances. Both parents died years ago. Interestingly, they were murdered during an armed robbery."

Pete went on. "They owned a corner store in Marrickville, but didn't leave anything very substantial as far as a.s.sets went. There was the family home in Marrickville. It was sold, but even that wouldn't account for the way O'Connor's living now. We're talking fifteen, twenty years ago. He's got a penthouse suite overlooking the harbor at Vaucluse and there are at least three luxury sports cars registered under his name. Not to mention-"

"Hang on a minute," Will interrupted. "Where did you say his parents lived?"