“So you have no idea where she is?”
“I’ve traced her to the club, now I just need to continue surveillance until she shows up again.”
“Which may be tomorrow or may be never.”
“I’ve got to believe, with her dressed like that,” he nodded toward the photo. “That she’s pretty immersed in this club.”
“Good Lord, how did that happen? Do you think they extorted that money from her?”
Abbott shrugged. “No clue. Sometimes it’s hard to explain a woman’s mind. The attraction of the bad boy and all that.”
“Hmm. I suppose you’re right.” He studied the photo, still having trouble making sense of this in his mind. These puzzle pieces just didn’t fit together. What in the hell was the connection? He set the photo aside. “Yes, well, keep on it. This is your top priority. I want updates daily from now on.”
Abbott stood. “Of course, sir.”
Nicklaus stood and extended his hand. “Well done and all that.”
Abbott shook it. “Thank you, sir.”
When he was gone, Nicklaus sat back down and picked the photo up. His eyes ran over her body in the trampy little outfit. Maybe he’d have to dress her up like that when she came back. Of course that would be just for his private entertainment. “Shannon, my luv, what a surprise you’re turning out to be.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“I’m bored,” Shannon said, hopping up on the workbench in the garage down on ground level.
“Yeah. You said that already,” Crash replied, not bothering to look up at her. His head under the hood of the old Ford pickup he was trying to get running.
She let out a deep frustrated breath.
He glanced up from what he was doing. “It’s pouring rain, Shannon. It’s not like we can take the bike anywhere. Unless you want to be soaked when we get there.” He walked over and picked up a beer off his tall rolling tool chest, taking a slug. Shannon turned and looked out the open garage door at the downpour, and he could see cabin fever was starting to set in. Grinning, he let his eyes slide over her. “We could fool around. That’s always an entertaining pastime for a lazy, rainy day like this.”
She turned back to him, rolling her eyes. “Be serious.”
“Okay, then, how about we play a little game?” he asked, setting the beer down and returning to the engine.
“What kind of game?”
“Truth or Dare.” The muscles in his arms strained with the torque of the socket wrench as he fought to loosen a spark plug that was stuck. “Son-of-a-bitch.”
“That’s so high school.”
“You haven’t played it with me. The dares are so much more inventive when you’re an adult.” Finally, the plug broke loose, and the ratchet on the socket began to turn. Clickety-clack.
“It’s a child’s game.”
“What’s the matter? Chicken?” He turned his head enough to look at her.
“No.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Okay, fine.”
“Truth or Dare?” Crash asked, replacing the old plug with a new one.
“Truth.”
He straightened from under the hood and grinned at her. “How many sexual partners have you had?”