Tales of the Night Part One

“He’s going to know I’m wearing a wire.” I grumbled as I held up the belly dancing costume. “There’s no place to hide anything with this.”

Matt snorted. “You’re going to have an ear piece and a wireless mic in your necklace, as long as he doesn’t run a scanner over you, you’ll be fine.”

That was easy for him to say, he wasn’t the one who was going to be dancing in front of a suspected murderer. In a very revealing belly dancing ensemble, with the very high risk of getting kidnapped. This was routine though, Matt would be my backup. In the chance something happened, I knew I was in good hands. Though we both knew I’d push the mission until I got the information I needed— enough to tie him to the crimes and murders that have been plaguing the city for almost a year now. Tall, slender, dark haired women had gone missing from this particular restaurant and half of them showed up dead. The only links between the girls were that they all had ties to a BDSM club and they were either dancers at the restaurant or were told to meet someone there. I met all the requirements and had been trained for this mission. We were just hoping he’d take the bait.

“Okay, get dressed, you’re due to dance in a few minutes.” Matt turned his back. “You know I’m not going to let anything happen to you, right?”

He was a great partner and we had been through so much in the three years that we worked together. I knew he wouldn’t let me down. “Do I look scared? I’ve been face to face with a murderer before.” I shimmied out of my dress pants and blouse.

“Just not one that we actually want to kidnap you.”

There was that. I let out a forced laugh. “Look, I’ve got this. The tracker and mic are in the necklace, as long as that makes it to the location with me, you’ll know where I am. I’m not scared of him.” Not yet. I pulled on the belly dancing outfit, the long skirt flowed around my ankles and the top jingled as I tied it around my ribs and my neck.

“I know.” He turned around and I saw something dark in his eyes. “I just have a bad feeling about this.”

I flashed him a smile. “There’s nothing I can’t handle. That’s why we got into this business in the first place. Adventure, helping people in need. We need to get this guy off the streets.” Thought they hadn’t joined the FBI together, they both went in for the same reasons and had always wanted to do undercover operations. A perfect match for partners.

“Okay superwoman. Let’s get you out on the floor to dance your way into his heart.” He shook his head and gave me a quick hug before I walked out of the room. The restaurant was a small, family run Moroccan place, the patrons sat on the floor at low tables and ate traditional seven course meals. The tables bordered the walls leaving the carpeted floor clear for the dancers. I took a deep breath and signaled for the music to start. I let the beat take over my body and led me swaying into the carefully choreographed dance. Dancing was something that always brought me peace and came naturally to me. My hips moved to the music in a classic belly dance fashion, each of my moves isolated and pleasing to the eye.

My gaze scanned over the small crowd in the room as I moved. Matt’s voice came into my earpiece, “the man in front of you, with the two big guys flanking him. That’s our suspect, Zach Remond.”

I took note of the man. He was handsome, his skin a tan shade, his jet-black hair was slicked back leaving his eyes clear. From where I stood his pupils seemed to take over the irises of his eyes, leaving them black pools in a sea of white. He and his two goons were dressed in expensive suites. The other two men were both blonde and generic; I could have pegged them as bodyguards a mile away.

Moving with the music I made my way around the tables allowing people to tip me. Zach waved a five-dollar bill at me and I turned and winked over my shoulder before moving toward him with the beat of the music. I shimmied my hips as he tucked the bill and a note into my skirt. The ending of the song approached and I stayed at his table for my last moves, ending with an elaborate arch of my back so I could meet his gaze.

Back in the room, I stripped off my costume and put my clothes back on. The plan was for Matt to explore the perimeter of the building while I got dressed. I flipped open the note and glanced at it.

Meet me out back.

Oh yes, this man was mistaking belly dancer with whore, but it was my job to put myself in his hands so we could figure out if he was the murder or not. I shoved my costume in my bag and muttered. “Meeting our target out back.”

There was no response, but that didn’t mean Matt wasn’t there. No, it just meant that he was being cautious. I made my way out of the changing room and to the back of the building. Typical of dark alleys, the light touched hardly anything, limiting my vision. I could make out the shapes of the dumpsters and wondered what had happened to the security light most places had outside. I heard the footsteps behind me, but I was supposed to be playing innocent dancer, not kick ass FBI agent.

When an arm wrapped around me, part of my instincts kicked in and I started to struggle. I slammed a foot into my attacker’s arch and tried to pull away, but a cloth wrapped around my mouth and my vision went black.

Cold air dancing across my skin made me shiver. I opened my eyes to find myself in a windowless room. My first question was what had happened to my clothes? I was naked and shivering in a room with a few standing lamps, pillows and blankets all over the floor and my hands were cuffed together. My mind went to worst case scenarios, but a quick inventory of my body told me that everything was fine and nothing nefarious happened without my consent.  In the corner of the room I saw my clothing neatly folded and my necklace on top of the pile. At least it was still in the room with me. I could only hope that the microphone was still on.

“Sadie?” Matt’s voice sounded in my ear and I instantly relaxed.

“I’m here, can you hear me? The necklace is on the other side of the room.”

“Loud and clear. Describe to me where you’re at?”

I looked around the room again and sighed. “Nowhere noticeable. No windows, plan white walls. The door has a deadbolt that requires a key and I haven’t seen anyone since I woke up.”

“I’m within five miles of you since I can still hear you.” The GPS would still be active unless the necklace was destroyed, but there was nothing like a comforting voice in my ear.

“Don’t freak out if I disappear. Keep your mic safe.”

I stood from the floor and tried to walk over to it, but stopped half way there with a jerk on my arms. “I’m not able to get to it.” The door jostled and I cursed, I hadn’t been able to hear anyone outside, which meant that they were either quiet or the room was sound proof. Neither was to my advantage.

I quickly went back to my spot and narrowed my eyes at the door as Zach walked in. “If you wanted a private dance, chloroforming and kidnapping me was not the way to ask.” I gave him my best coy smile and batted my eyes at him.

“Do not kid yourself Special Agent Peters, I know exactly who you are.”

Fuck.