Chapter 22

“So, are we going somewhere?” Sinead asked. “Or was I really that bad of a dinner date?”

Marc had led Sinead out of the restaurant and the valets had brought his car around, but after helping her in instead of driving away he’d circled the block and come to a stop just a little way down the street from the restaurant.

“You were mostly lovely,” Marc said.

“Just mostly?”

“Well, other than the sour looks you would give me every once in a while,” Marc said. “And I never did get any good stories about your time as a police officer. But I’ll forgive you for that, considering the circumstances.”

“Thanks,” Sinead said dryly. She clearly wasn’t put off by the fact that he’d seen her occasional expressions. “So what are we doing, then?”

“Waiting for this,” Marc said, gesturing ahead of them. Victor and his Jamaican guests were exiting the restaurant. “They were halfway through their desserts when we left,” he explained. “Which gave us time to be ready to follow him.”

Victor and his guests split up - a blacked-out Escalade pulled up in front of the restaurant and the Jamaican men got in, while Victor headed down the street and passed Marc’s car without a glance.

“We don’t need to follow him,” Sinead said. “He does the same thing every time he comes here. He leaves right around 9:30, heads home and changes, then he goes out to a bar near his apartment.”

“Well, you could have told me that earlier,” Marc said with a sigh and a little smile. “Where is the bar? We can get there ahead of him.”

“Marc, all he does is try to find a woman to pick up for the night,” Sinead said. “He won’t talk business.”

“Everything can be important,” Marc said, pulling away from the curb and entering traffic. “And everything can be an opportunity if you know how to look at it properly. Trust me, Detective.”

Sinead sighed and gave him directions, then looked out the window. Marc glanced over at her and frowned. Perhaps he was playing things too tightly. Or too loose? Sinead was difficult to get a solid read on - sometimes she seemed to be perfectly happy with how things were going, or even pushing for more, and sometimes she seemed distant and possibly even disgusted, though he caught notes of her possibly being disgusted with herself as much as with him. And then she would get immensely focused on her case, and it would wash away.

Marc focused on driving for a moment and was surprised when Sinead cleared her throat and he glanced over at her. She was sitting back in the seat but was looking at him intently. “Is this still covered under my payment for the night, or is this something new?”

“It’s all part of the night, petite rebelle,” Marc said. “Don’t worry, I won’t ask you for something you are not ready for. Our little adventure tonight has been enjoyable so far, hasn’t it?”

Marc could see Sinead considering her answer to that. She’d been pampered, dressed up and brought to a fantastic dinner that also doubled as undercover work for her case. She’d also had a couple of fingers eased into her butt, followed by a buttplug.