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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: Cops and Rubies Chapter 6
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fic
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos + Zayne Reyes
Rating: PG-13, possibly NC-17 for some conversational content
Word Count: 5,323
Summary: And so the plot thickens and the detectives kick into high gear. The end is in sight.
Author’s Note: I realized the other day I miscalculated. I said this fic was 50k. Well, dumbass, 8 chapters x 5k words each = 40k, not 50k. Have I ever told you that math is not my strong suit? Gah. Oh well.
Continued from here.
“So, so pretty,” he murmured, fingering a long strand of dark hair. “How I wish we had time to play, but maybe next time? I’m sure your beauty will keep for a few weeks, my dear.”
Antonio walked around her comatose body and removed each piece of jewelry. The necklace, the earrings, the flower shaped ring. Anything that looked like it might fetch a pretty penny or two went into the velvet bag he held in one hand. It was slowly filling up and that made him a happy man. What could he say, he was easy to please.
Women like this one were the reason he’d gotten into this game in the first place. Not the swinging lifestyle, but the robbery. Stealing from rich bitches was immensely more satisfying than swapping wives with some schmuck he met on the dance floor of this hotel. The only thing that made it better was seeing the looks on their faces the next day or even on the next visit while they regaled him with the story of their missing items. Priceless entertainment.
He was giving her one last, lingering look before leaving when his cell spluttered out an ancient dance tune. Grunting an obscenity, Antonio answered. “Yeah?”
“Think I’ve got another couple of marks for you. Interested?”
Antonio’s ears perked up at the sound of his informant’s voice. Although he’d made quite a haul already tonight – and that wasn’t even counting what Bonnie was bound to get off the other chick – the bigger the score the better, he always said. “Do tell. I’m all ears.”
Seemed like this was going to be their most profitable visit to date.
“I’m starting to get worried,” Zayne said, holding his beer up to his lips and taking a sip. “It’s been over two hours, and they said they’d find a way to check in by now. You think we should go check up on them?”
Zeklos rubbed his temples with his fingers before checking his watch. The ice blue face of the Rolex caught the sparse light in the bar and he smiled. It wasn’t his day-to-day watch for obvious reasons, but he put it on tonight knowing it’d catch the eye of everyone in the room, including their prospective jewel thieves. Besides, with everything else that had happened since arriving in this god forsaken place, he needed something to boost his confidence. This watch did just that because it reminded him of how hard he’d worked in order to buy it. Let him know that he’d seen worse days than these.
“That’s a mighty fine watch,” the bartender said, leaning over the counter to take Andrej’s hand into hers. “Rolex?”
“Indeed it is,” Andrej said, giving a quick sideways glance at his partner. Reyes rolled his eyes and smirked.
“It’s gorg,” she said, turning his wrist over to study the clasp on the back before righting his arm and allowing him to regain control of his body parts again. “Mind if I ask how much it set you back.”
Pointedly not looking at his partner, he braced himself for Reyes’ inevitable response. “Six grand.” Zeklos almost smiled at the choking noise coming from beside him.
“Whoo,” she said, fanning herself. “Fancy.”
“That’s one word for it,” Reyes muttered, stuck somewhere between impressed and disgusted.
“Worth every penny,” Zeklos said, trying to steer his partner away from his usual snide comments. “Just like a fine wine, when it comes to some things, nothing else compares to the best.”
This drew a genuine smile out of the bartender. “Can I getcha anything else?”
“Not at the moment,” Zayne answered for them both. “I think we’re about to head back to the room, aren’t we, baby?”
A shiver of pure thrill rushed through Zeklos’ body as Reyes’ fingers glided over the back of his wrist, teasing at the feathering of dark hair. The longer they played this game, the more he understood what made Zayne so damn irresistible to the females of the world. The boy knew how to seduce a person – any person – with just a wink and a smile. Andrej thought about schooling his features into something more appropriate and changed his mind at the last second, figuring that looking every bit the love struck fool would be so much more authentic.
Unfortunately, it was a look he had down all too well.
“If that’s what you want, cowboy, I’m all for it.” He leaned a little closer to the dazzling Texas native, fluttering his eyelashes in a manner that would get his ass kicked in any other setting. Here, with Reyes, however, all he was going to get was swept away. And possibly made fun of later, but it was all in the name of the job.
Reyes looked down into Zeklos’ blue eyes and licked his lips, slowly. Thinking. Possibly intentionally tormenting Andrej as well. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I want. Let’s go.”
He watched Reyes slip off his barstool and saunter towards the exit leading into the hotel lobby. Taking a deep breath, Andrej followed on legs that were much less sure than he wanted them to be. Every day it became clearer that Zayne was going to be the sweet, sweet death of him. And Zeklos would leap happily to his demise.
The elevator door closed and Zeklos slumped against the rear wall, eyes shut tight. The quiet hum of the machinery soothed his frazzled nerves, helping him regain control over his rebelling body. It was a good damn thing that Reyes was oblivious to anything outside of himself because if he even had the slightest clue that he’d this kind of effect, there’d be no living it down for Andrej.
“You okay over there?” Zayne had relaxed against the back wall of the elevator, a hand’s breadth from Zeklos. “You’re looking a bit… flushed.”
Andrej took three deep breaths before answering, debating how honest he should be with his partner. “I hate that you know.”
Zayne shifted against the elevator. “Know what?”
Andrej sighed. “You know what. That thing I’d been hiding for so long. The one the girls were so gleefully harassing me about?”
“Oh,” Zayne said, chuckling softly, comprehension dawning. “That. Would you believe that I forgot?”
Zeklos felt his heart sink into his stomach. Was he really as unmemorable as that? “How could you forget? I kissed you.” Twice. But he wasn’t going to split hairs if Reyes wasn’t. “Rather passionately at that. And then those two women humiliated me.”
“Probably a good thing they didn’t know you kissed me then. Twice.” He caught Zeklos’ eye and grinned. “Smart of us to keep that little tidbit under wraps, eh?”
Shit, so Reyes was keeping score. Great. He lifted his hands to his face, pressing the heels of his hands against his eye sockets. If they didn’t find out who was behind these robberies and soon, Zek was going to lose his cool. A man can only pretend for so long before it all comes out.
“I said something that upset you, didn’t I?” Zayne’s voice was colored with concern.
Reyes wasn’t known for his sensitivity, so his words took Andrej by surprise. Zek knew his partner cared about him, worried even, but to be so obviously troubled by the possibility he’d done something wrong was a first for the Texan. “No,” Andrej said, honestly. “It wasn’t anything you said.”
“Then what was it?” Reyes sounded earnest this time, another surprise. He certainly was running the gamut emotionally tonight. “Talk to me, Zek.”
There wasn’t anything he could say, other than admitting that Reyes was using his feelings against him. Zeklos kept that bit to himself, because he wasn’t completely certain that Reyes knew how much he affected him. Although that wasn’t exactly fair to Andrej, it was less fair to hold it against Reyes. Which brought him to another question: how did he tell his partner that the simple touch at the bar had been too intimate to bear without making himself sound like the sex-starved loser that he was? Better to just deny it all and deal with the aftermath on his own. “Nothing, Zayne. You didn’t do anything out of line, so stop worrying.”
“Such a fucking liar,” Reyes said, thumping his head against the back of the elevator. He blew out an exasperated breath before turning his eyes on Zeklos. “You were looking at me all starry-eyed and wanton one minute, and now I can’t even get your eyes past my chin. Something’s up. You’re entirely too direct to not look me in the eye when talking to me.”
Zeklos couldn’t change the past no matter how much he lied, so he shut his mouth for the rest of the elevator ride to their floor. He couldn’t bear the thought of being anything but honest with Reyes, but in this instance, silence was better than the truth. Even if the stillness weighed heavier than the noise in that small metal box.
A soft touch to his cheek startled Zeklos and he jerked his face to the side. “What the hell are you doing now, Reyes? Ever heard of personal space?” Andrej’s heart was rabbiting in his chest, the rest of his body responding in a very unnatural way to his partner’s unexpected caress. Zeklos gave a frantic rub to his cheek, desperate to erase the feel of Zayne on his skin all while wanting to keep it there forever.
“Just testing my theory.” Reyes leaned away from Zeklos, folding his arms across his chest.
Zeklos didn’t want to know, was afraid he already knew what that theory was. Too much of his private life had been revealed since they’d arrived here and he hated himself for allowing it to happen. Andrej prayed he could leave with a tiny bit of dignity still intact, although at the rate things were going, that was a pipe dream. “Can we focus on the girls now? Make sure they’re still alive before you push your theories on me.”
“Gotta say, ‘let’s focus on the girls’ is not something I thought I’d ever hear you say, honey.” The elevator dinged and opened onto the floor they’d been staying on. Zayne gave the hallway a quick look before stepping out. “Come on, Zek. Let’s go check on the girls’ afterglows. We can deal with your issues another time.”
Andrej unlocked the door to the room he’d been sharing with Hilary and found it empty. “Well, they’ve not made it back here yet. Feel like playing jealous husband?”
Zayne rubbed his hands together and grinned. “Always, my friend. Always. Let’s go bust some heads open.”
Rolling his eyes, Zeklos followed his eager partner back into the hall and down two doors. Reaching the room Reyes had been sharing with Trish, they paused. “You sure this is a good idea? I mean, what if –”
“What if they’re having a foursome in there?” Zayne tried to make it sound sarcastic, lighthearted even, but Zek could see how much the idea of it plagued at him. “Well, if they are, you’re about to get an anatomy lesson, kid. But, just to be sure…” He leaned his ear against the door and listened intently. Shaking his head, he pulled his key card out of his back pocket. “All quiet inside.”
“We’re going in?” Zeklos tilted his head towards the door, Zayne nodded. “Do it.”
Slipping the key card into the slot on the door, Reyes pulled it back quickly, hearing the lock pop. Turning the handle, he entered the darkened living room and called out, “Luuuucy, I’m home!”
Andrej looked around, unable to see much. “I’ll never understand you,” he muttered to Zayne.
“What? No Ricky Ricardo in Bucharest? What a sad childhood you must’ve had.” Zayne opened his mouth to finish his harassment when the lights flickered on and his words stuck in his throat.
“Oh shit,” Zek blurted. “This can’t be good.”
“Where the hell am I,” Hilary moaned, rubbing the side of her neck.
“On my marriage bed,” Zayne joked, in an attempt to keep himself calm. “Inside the world’s ugliest hotel.”
“You’re in the bedroom of his and Trish’ room,” Zeklos clarified. “We found you knocked out on the couch, missing all of your jewelry. How are you feeling?”
Hilary stretched, blinking her eyes a few times. “Groggy. I think - he must’ve stuck me with a needle or something. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late. I feel like an idiot.”
“Don’t,” Zayne said giving her a hard look. “This isn’t your fault. You can’t anticipate every tiny detail of an op. Even the best trained and most elite make mistakes.”
“While your ego might be a touch bruised over this, Maxwell, we do have a bigger problem.” Andrej caught her gaze and held it, hoping her head was clear enough to help them out. “Where’s Rollins? You said you were all coming back here. Where is she?” He knew that plans changed, that nothing ever went as easy as expected, but it angered him deeply that they’d split up again, possibly putting both of their lives in danger. Nothing was going as expected on this case.
“She and that annoying little blonde went back to her room. The blonde’s room, that is.” Hilary looked from Zeklos to Reyes. “Can I have a glass of water?”
Frowning, Zeklos left the room to get her a bottle of water from the kitchenette. When he returned, he found Zayne sitting on the edge of the bed, holding her hand, muttering something. Zek felt a stab of envy seeing them together like that and promptly forced it away. “Here,” he said, handing over the water and bumping Reyes in the back of the head for good measure. “Do you know what room they were in?”
The detective visibly blanched. “No. Uh, I –”
“You didn’t even think to ask, did you?” It was the icing on an already frustrating night, not to mention a stupid move on the part of a veteran detective. “Was he that attractive, Hil? Huh? Because he drugged you and left you here, alone. What kind of trouble do you think Trish might be in? And we don’t even know where she is.” Finally hearing himself, Andrej left the bedroom and began pacing the living room. He was suddenly afraid that if he continued to talk, he’d say something he’d never be able to take back. As angry as he was, he and Reyes still had to work with the female detectives for the duration of the case. Now was not the time to start burning bridges.
Zayne stormed out after him. Roughly grabbing a shoulder, he spun the Romanian around until he faced him. “Just what the hell is your problem, Zeklos? She’s had a rough night and you’re yelling at her?”
“Yes, I’m yelling at her,” he said, shrugging off Zayne’s grip. “She failed at one of the most important parts of her job – keeping track of her partner.”
“You’ve lost track of me before,” Zayne spat.
“Don’t I know it, Reyes, but it wasn’t ever because I failed to ask. It was because you lied to me or flat out ignored me. Do you even understand the difference?” Andrej’s worry for Trish was overriding his sense of control in much the same way that Reyes’ feelings for Hilary were overruling his common sense.
Reyes’ mouth was open but no words came out. Yet another first for the night.
“Stop fighting you two,” Hilary snapped from the doorway, visibly peeved at everyone in the room, herself included. “Zek’s right in that I screwed up, but I honestly thought these two were harmless. Is there any way we can call the concierge and find out what room this Bonnie woman was in?”
The boys looked at one another, silently waging a war that was far from being over. “I think we can do that,” Zayne finally said. “I’m sure they have patrons looking for other patrons all the time in this place.”
“You should call,” Zeklos suggested, “since it was your wife that went off with her. Nothing unusual in that. Possibly even expected around here.”
Giving a nod, Zayne picked up the phone and dialed the front desk. Several minutes later, he nodded and thanked the voice on the other end. “Got it. They’re in a suite four floors up. Room thirty-four.”
“Let’s go boys, we’ve got us a detective to find,” Hilary said, reaching for her badge.
“You’re staying here,” Zeklos told her. Holding up a hand before she could object, he added, “You’ve been drugged and are unsure on your feet. Unless you want me to tie you to the headboard and leave this one with you, I suggest you don’t argue.”
“Aw, come on, Hil. Argue a little. Please?” Zayne pressed his hands together in a prayer pose and widened his eyes at her.
“Oh god,” Hilary laughed, equal parts disgusted and flattered by his flirting. “Get the hell out of here, both of you.”
“I feel like we’ve spent half this case riding in elevators,” Zayne commented as he pushed the button for the floor they were headed to.
“Could be worse,” Andrej said, jingling the change he had in his pocket. “We could be locked in a janitor’s closet again.”
Reyes laughed. It was an old joke between them, one that saw the light anytime they were nervous or overwrought by a case. “That wasn’t all that bad,” he said, surprising Zeklos with the admission. “Not nearly as much fun as it would have been if I was stuck with Maxwell, but not as bad as it could have been either.”
It was a backhanded compliment, but a compliment all the same. “Uh, gee, thanks, Reyes.”
“Eh, you’re a hell of a lot cuter than some of the other homicide detectives in our precinct you know.” Before the doors had fully opened, Zayne moved to exit, and was stopped by a body falling into his. “What the hell,” he muttered, staggering backwards, carrying the unidentified female body along with him into the elevator car.
“Good god,” Andrej gasped, stepping forward. “I think we’ve found Trish.”
Zayne drug her to the back of the elevator and lowered her limp body to the floor while Zeklos pressed the button to return them to their own floor. The ride downward seemed to take forever, even though it was mere seconds in truth. But the reality of what had happened to both female detectives in the span of a couple hours hit him hard. Zeklos found himself torn between allowing them to do their jobs as they were trained to do and his instinctive all-male need to protect. He was more afraid of offending these two decorated officers than he was of the imminent backlash that was sure to come from their captain when he learned about the situation. Even so, his innate desire to keep his friends and coworkers unharmed rose to the forefront.
Trish rose shakily to her feet when the elevator settled at their destination. Reyes steadied her briefly before scooping her up into his arms. “Come on, honey, time for bed. I think you’ve had too much to drink.”
Andrej half-grinned at his pre-emptive cover on the off chance someone saw him carrying a resistant woman through the hall. He had to give Reyes credit, he was quick on his feet. “Yes, Trish, I think you’ve had a little too much of something tonight. Do what your husband thinks is best.”
“Shut up,” she slurred, flopping an arm around behind Reyes’ neck to point at him. “Both of yous.”
“Oh, she’s going to be fuuuuun,” Zayne said, rolling his eyes heavenward. “Mind unlocking the door, Zek?”
Stepping between his partner and the door, Zeklos hesitated. “Where’s the key?”
Zayne frowned. “It’s in my pocket. No freebies while you’re digging around in there either, buddy.”
Sighing, Andrej steeled himself before sinking his hand into Zayne’s front pocket. He moved his hand to the right and then, very slowly, to the left, unwilling to give Reyes anything to harass him about later. “It’s not here.”
“Nope, it’s in the other pocket,” Zayne stated a little too calmly.
“Were you going to tell me that before or after I embarrassed myself by groping your thigh?”
“Later,” Trish giggled, loopy from whatever she’d been given in Bonnie’s hotel room. “Much later, like after he’s gotten his happy ending.”
“That’s not funny,” Zayne groused, pulling her tight against his chest before giving her a gentle shake. “And it’s also not true. I’d expect him to buy me dinner first.”
“Not from what I’ve heard,” Trish sang.
They were going to kill him one of these days, Andrej thought. Reaching into Zayne’s other front pocket, he located and deftly removed the key card without another incident. The door clicked open and Andrej held it open for the happy couple.
“You know,” Rollins said, words rolling right into each other. “You two would make beautiful children. Cute, fat, caramel-skinned babies.”
Yep. They were singlehandedly going to be the death of him. One word at a time. Andrej shook his head, refocusing on the situation rather than their words. “Trish, you’re high. Stop talking.”
“Wait, Trish is high?” Hilary stood in the living room watching Zayne with a cautious eye. “Did she get hit with whatever I got, too?”
“Not sure,” Zeklos responded. “She’s giddy and out of it, where you were unconscious. I don’t know if they got her with something different or if you were lucky enough to get the full dose.”
“Yeah,” she grumbled. “Lucky me. You okay though, Trish? Need anything?”
“Noooo,” Trish sang as Reyes dumped her rather unceremoniously onto the couch. “I’m just finnnne.”
“Sure ya are,” Zayne laughed. “But, she at least seems to have all her jewelry.”
“Yeah,” Trish said, fighting to sit up and failing. “I fell asleep and woke when that blonde bimbo was pulling on m’ wrist, trying to get my bracelet off.” She held up her wrist and studied the bracelet in question. “So I pushed her away and bolted out the door.”
“Stumbled,” Reyes clarified.
“Focus, Zayne,” Andrej said. He took a seat on the couch next to Trish’s curled up legs. “You actually saw her trying to remove your bracelet, Rollins? You’re positive?”
Trish nodded. “Ow, that hurts,” she muttered, rubbing her forehead. “But she couldn’t because this thing has a stupid clasp.”
“It does,” Hilary agreed. “It took me ten minutes to get it on her. I can’t imagine someone trying to get it off her while she was doped up like this.”
“Speaking of which,” Zeklos said, “lean over this way a bit, Trish.” She did as she was told so that Andrej could inspect her neck. “I don’t see any obvious signs of an injection like Hil has.”
“It must’ve gone into her drink then,” Zayne mused. “Did Bonnie give you anything to drink?”
Trish blanched, realizing she’d missed the obvious. “Yeah. A glass of wine and like an idiot, I drank it, too. I really messed this one up, didn’t I?”
“No,” Zayne said, voice reassuring. “This entire case has been one giant clusterfuck from the beginning.”
“So, how do we fix it before the perps move on?” It was the only thing that mattered to Zeklos now. Getting the ones responsible and making sure they knew they’d picked on the wrong women.
“I don’t have a clue,” Zayne said, looking at him. “But we’re going to figure it out.”
“I can say this much,” Trish said, looking around the room. “They’re so not swingers.”
“How do you know this?” Reyes’ eyes had widened slightly at her admission, begging for more intel.
Trish shrugged. “All couples are different, but it was unusual for them to single us girls out. With three couples, we’d have just drawn lots to see who got to play with whom.” A round of uncontrollable giggles filled the room. Zeklos figured she was picturing them all playing a giant game of twisted checkers or something.
“We found that odd, too,” Reyes said, slowly drawing out the words. “But how do you know so much about this?”
Redirecting her gaze towards Zeklos, the safer of the two men, Trish sighed. “My ex was bi and she thought it’d be fun to play the ‘scene’ a bit.” Her red hair flopped from side to side as she shook her head. “Stupid cow refused to believe I didn’t like men, said I had to. Bitch.”
“You don’t like what?” Reyes was stunned.
Hilary placed a comforting hand on Trish’s shoulder, ignoring Reyes’ predictable response. “Women like that give the rest of us a bad name. Forget about her.”
“I tried, but this whole case keeps bringing it all back.” Trish rubbed a hand across her eyes.
“Trish,” Zayne offered. “As confused as I am by all of this, you don’t ever have to like anything other than what you want to like. Except for me. You have to like me because, well, I’m irresistible. Right, Zek?”
“I refuse to answer that,” Andrej deadpanned.
“Afraid of incriminating yourself,” Hilary teased.
“Don’t you know it.” Andrej looked at Trish’ pale face and Hilary’s bloodshot eyes. They had to end this soon before someone got really hurt.
“Who are these new marks you’ve found?” Antonio stepped into the little booth behind the bar, allowing for just enough room to fit his half-sister, the bartender.
“These two,” she said, pointing at a dark-haired pair of men on the surveillance tapes. “This one,” she said, pointing at a handsome Hispanic male, “is a flake and probably not worth your time. However, this one,” and she tapped on the face of the other male, “is a goldmine.”
Antonio leaned in closer and grunted. “Yes. I’ve run into these two. Actually, their wives were rather… acquiescing, to say the least. Garnered quite a haul off of one of them.” He frowned for a moment and shook his head. “Bonnie fouled up the other. What makes you think these two are worth the effort?”
“This tall drink of water has quite the crush on the cowboy,” she said. “And he was wearing a six thousand dollar Rolex as if it were a Timex.”
“Interesting,” he drawled, thinking rapidly. “And you say the one with the expensive tastes has a thing for the other?”
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “It was written all over his face. You could almost feel the heat coming off his body when they touched.”
“Hmm.” Antonio looked at his sister for a long moment. “If we can get them both back here, do you think you could help me out?”
“By serving him up a special drink?” She shrugged. “Possibly, if it’s busy enough that no one’s paying much attention.”
“Good. Now to figure out how to distract this walking jewelry store long enough to get him someplace quiet and relieve him of all this extra weight.”
“Tony, my boy, you are a devious one,” she said, relaxing into his side. “It’s what I love about you so much.”
“Okay, so the captain is aware of our situation,” Reyes said, looking around the room. “He’s none too happy with how things have been working out so far, but he’s willing to give us a couple more days to wrap this thing up. Seeing as Trish actually witnessed Bonnie LaRoux trying to make off with her jewels, we have some kind of direction to take here.”
Hilary lifted her coffee mug to her mouth and took a sip. “So, what are you proposing as our next move?”
“We need to check out LaRoux’s room. And find out if Simon has one of his own,” Reyes suggested.
“This is bad idea,” Zeklos said, setting his mug onto the coffee table. They’d all crashed in Trish and Zayne’s room the night before, unwilling to split up after everything that had happened. “We don’t have a warrant and anything we find would be inadmissible anyway.”
“Maybe,” Zayne said, shrugging it off. “But it might help lead us in the right direction. Help us catch this bastard. Or, rather, these bastards.”
“Zayne, we already know who is stealing from the patrons as well as how they’re doing it. What we don’t know is how to catch them in the act.” Hilary looked to Trish and Andrej for support on this.
“I hate to admit it,” Rollins said, frowning, “but I kinda think Reyes has got a point. How do we know this wasn’t simply an isolated incident?”
Their discussion was interrupted by a knock on the door. “I’ll get it, I’m closest,” Zeklos said, standing. On the other side of the door was a hotel runner with an envelope in his hand.
“Oh, Mr. Cahill, do I have the wrong room? I was looking for Mr. Zayne Mendez.”
“No, no,” Andrej said, stepping aside. “This is Mr. Mendez’s room. Zayne?”
Zayne took Andrej’s spot at the door and took the envelope from the runner’s hand. “What is this?”
“An invitation from Mr. Simon. Antonio and his lovely wife, Bonnie, have invited you to a private dinner this evening.” The young man stopped talking and stood, waiting.
Reyes stared at him as if he were looking for more information that wasn’t forthcoming. Huffing out an amused puff of breath, Zeklos pulled out his wallet, found a twenty and handed it to the young man. “Thank you.”
The runner gave a curt nod and disappeared down the hall.
“How’d you know that’s what he wanted?” Zayne’s curious green eyes fixed on his partner, searching.
“Because that’s what you do in nicer hotels, Reyes. You tip the help.”
“So, open the envelope and tell us what it says,” Trish urged, eager as a schoolgirl going to her first dance.
Reyes slipped his finger under the flap of the envelope and broke the seal. Pulling out a piece of heavy stock paper, he read the words embossed on it and frowned. Handing it to Zeklos, he waited.
“What’s it say?” Hilary was beginning to sound as anxious as her partner.
“It says,” Zeklos chuckled, smiling at the girls, “that Zayne is cordially invited to dinner in the private dining room tonight. And he’s to bring… me.”
“What did I do to deserve this,” Reyes muttered.
“Better question might be, what did you two do to make Simon think you were a couple?” She wiggled her eyebrows in a dramatic gesture of inappropriate behavior. “Hmm? Inquiring minds want to know the dirty details, Reyes!”
“There are no dirty details, Rollins,” he denied.
“If that’s true,” Maxwell interjected, “then why is Zeklos turning twelve shades of embarrassed over there?” She flashed him a smile that only made him more uncomfortable.
“Because he’s afraid of what the two of you will make out of something as innocent as all this,” Zayne said. “You have both been impossible since you figured out his little secret.”
“Aw,” Trish said, standing and winding her way over to Zeklos’ side. “It’s only because we love you, you know.” She wound her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his side.
“Ah,” Andrej laughed, his nerves near to breaking. “With friends like the three of you, who the hell needs enemies?”
Reyes pointed a finger at his partner. “Exactamundo, my friend.”
“So, what are you two going to wear,” Hilary asked. “Zayne honey, you have got to find something better than what you’ve pulled out of the hat so far.”
Zeklos tried to hide his smile behind his hand, but Maxwell was so on the nose with her comment that it was impossible. “She has a point. Dressing like John Wayne will only get you so far.”
“Mmmm,” Trish murmured. “I think someone needs a shopping trip.”
Reyes groaned. This was not what they’d signed up for.
Story continues here.
--
End Note: Zeklos' watch is actually $60k, according to Amazon... but I thought that a bit far-fetched, so I stole the design and added a massive clearance price to it. :D
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fic
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos + Zayne Reyes
Rating: PG-13, possibly NC-17 for some conversational content
Word Count: 5,323
Summary: And so the plot thickens and the detectives kick into high gear. The end is in sight.
Author’s Note: I realized the other day I miscalculated. I said this fic was 50k. Well, dumbass, 8 chapters x 5k words each = 40k, not 50k. Have I ever told you that math is not my strong suit? Gah. Oh well.
Continued from here.
“So, so pretty,” he murmured, fingering a long strand of dark hair. “How I wish we had time to play, but maybe next time? I’m sure your beauty will keep for a few weeks, my dear.”
Antonio walked around her comatose body and removed each piece of jewelry. The necklace, the earrings, the flower shaped ring. Anything that looked like it might fetch a pretty penny or two went into the velvet bag he held in one hand. It was slowly filling up and that made him a happy man. What could he say, he was easy to please.
Women like this one were the reason he’d gotten into this game in the first place. Not the swinging lifestyle, but the robbery. Stealing from rich bitches was immensely more satisfying than swapping wives with some schmuck he met on the dance floor of this hotel. The only thing that made it better was seeing the looks on their faces the next day or even on the next visit while they regaled him with the story of their missing items. Priceless entertainment.
He was giving her one last, lingering look before leaving when his cell spluttered out an ancient dance tune. Grunting an obscenity, Antonio answered. “Yeah?”
“Think I’ve got another couple of marks for you. Interested?”
Antonio’s ears perked up at the sound of his informant’s voice. Although he’d made quite a haul already tonight – and that wasn’t even counting what Bonnie was bound to get off the other chick – the bigger the score the better, he always said. “Do tell. I’m all ears.”
Seemed like this was going to be their most profitable visit to date.
“I’m starting to get worried,” Zayne said, holding his beer up to his lips and taking a sip. “It’s been over two hours, and they said they’d find a way to check in by now. You think we should go check up on them?”
Zeklos rubbed his temples with his fingers before checking his watch. The ice blue face of the Rolex caught the sparse light in the bar and he smiled. It wasn’t his day-to-day watch for obvious reasons, but he put it on tonight knowing it’d catch the eye of everyone in the room, including their prospective jewel thieves. Besides, with everything else that had happened since arriving in this god forsaken place, he needed something to boost his confidence. This watch did just that because it reminded him of how hard he’d worked in order to buy it. Let him know that he’d seen worse days than these.
“That’s a mighty fine watch,” the bartender said, leaning over the counter to take Andrej’s hand into hers. “Rolex?”
“Indeed it is,” Andrej said, giving a quick sideways glance at his partner. Reyes rolled his eyes and smirked.
“It’s gorg,” she said, turning his wrist over to study the clasp on the back before righting his arm and allowing him to regain control of his body parts again. “Mind if I ask how much it set you back.”
Pointedly not looking at his partner, he braced himself for Reyes’ inevitable response. “Six grand.” Zeklos almost smiled at the choking noise coming from beside him.
“Whoo,” she said, fanning herself. “Fancy.”
“That’s one word for it,” Reyes muttered, stuck somewhere between impressed and disgusted.
“Worth every penny,” Zeklos said, trying to steer his partner away from his usual snide comments. “Just like a fine wine, when it comes to some things, nothing else compares to the best.”
This drew a genuine smile out of the bartender. “Can I getcha anything else?”
“Not at the moment,” Zayne answered for them both. “I think we’re about to head back to the room, aren’t we, baby?”
A shiver of pure thrill rushed through Zeklos’ body as Reyes’ fingers glided over the back of his wrist, teasing at the feathering of dark hair. The longer they played this game, the more he understood what made Zayne so damn irresistible to the females of the world. The boy knew how to seduce a person – any person – with just a wink and a smile. Andrej thought about schooling his features into something more appropriate and changed his mind at the last second, figuring that looking every bit the love struck fool would be so much more authentic.
Unfortunately, it was a look he had down all too well.
“If that’s what you want, cowboy, I’m all for it.” He leaned a little closer to the dazzling Texas native, fluttering his eyelashes in a manner that would get his ass kicked in any other setting. Here, with Reyes, however, all he was going to get was swept away. And possibly made fun of later, but it was all in the name of the job.
Reyes looked down into Zeklos’ blue eyes and licked his lips, slowly. Thinking. Possibly intentionally tormenting Andrej as well. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I want. Let’s go.”
He watched Reyes slip off his barstool and saunter towards the exit leading into the hotel lobby. Taking a deep breath, Andrej followed on legs that were much less sure than he wanted them to be. Every day it became clearer that Zayne was going to be the sweet, sweet death of him. And Zeklos would leap happily to his demise.
The elevator door closed and Zeklos slumped against the rear wall, eyes shut tight. The quiet hum of the machinery soothed his frazzled nerves, helping him regain control over his rebelling body. It was a good damn thing that Reyes was oblivious to anything outside of himself because if he even had the slightest clue that he’d this kind of effect, there’d be no living it down for Andrej.
“You okay over there?” Zayne had relaxed against the back wall of the elevator, a hand’s breadth from Zeklos. “You’re looking a bit… flushed.”
Andrej took three deep breaths before answering, debating how honest he should be with his partner. “I hate that you know.”
Zayne shifted against the elevator. “Know what?”
Andrej sighed. “You know what. That thing I’d been hiding for so long. The one the girls were so gleefully harassing me about?”
“Oh,” Zayne said, chuckling softly, comprehension dawning. “That. Would you believe that I forgot?”
Zeklos felt his heart sink into his stomach. Was he really as unmemorable as that? “How could you forget? I kissed you.” Twice. But he wasn’t going to split hairs if Reyes wasn’t. “Rather passionately at that. And then those two women humiliated me.”
“Probably a good thing they didn’t know you kissed me then. Twice.” He caught Zeklos’ eye and grinned. “Smart of us to keep that little tidbit under wraps, eh?”
Shit, so Reyes was keeping score. Great. He lifted his hands to his face, pressing the heels of his hands against his eye sockets. If they didn’t find out who was behind these robberies and soon, Zek was going to lose his cool. A man can only pretend for so long before it all comes out.
“I said something that upset you, didn’t I?” Zayne’s voice was colored with concern.
Reyes wasn’t known for his sensitivity, so his words took Andrej by surprise. Zek knew his partner cared about him, worried even, but to be so obviously troubled by the possibility he’d done something wrong was a first for the Texan. “No,” Andrej said, honestly. “It wasn’t anything you said.”
“Then what was it?” Reyes sounded earnest this time, another surprise. He certainly was running the gamut emotionally tonight. “Talk to me, Zek.”
There wasn’t anything he could say, other than admitting that Reyes was using his feelings against him. Zeklos kept that bit to himself, because he wasn’t completely certain that Reyes knew how much he affected him. Although that wasn’t exactly fair to Andrej, it was less fair to hold it against Reyes. Which brought him to another question: how did he tell his partner that the simple touch at the bar had been too intimate to bear without making himself sound like the sex-starved loser that he was? Better to just deny it all and deal with the aftermath on his own. “Nothing, Zayne. You didn’t do anything out of line, so stop worrying.”
“Such a fucking liar,” Reyes said, thumping his head against the back of the elevator. He blew out an exasperated breath before turning his eyes on Zeklos. “You were looking at me all starry-eyed and wanton one minute, and now I can’t even get your eyes past my chin. Something’s up. You’re entirely too direct to not look me in the eye when talking to me.”
Zeklos couldn’t change the past no matter how much he lied, so he shut his mouth for the rest of the elevator ride to their floor. He couldn’t bear the thought of being anything but honest with Reyes, but in this instance, silence was better than the truth. Even if the stillness weighed heavier than the noise in that small metal box.
A soft touch to his cheek startled Zeklos and he jerked his face to the side. “What the hell are you doing now, Reyes? Ever heard of personal space?” Andrej’s heart was rabbiting in his chest, the rest of his body responding in a very unnatural way to his partner’s unexpected caress. Zeklos gave a frantic rub to his cheek, desperate to erase the feel of Zayne on his skin all while wanting to keep it there forever.
“Just testing my theory.” Reyes leaned away from Zeklos, folding his arms across his chest.
Zeklos didn’t want to know, was afraid he already knew what that theory was. Too much of his private life had been revealed since they’d arrived here and he hated himself for allowing it to happen. Andrej prayed he could leave with a tiny bit of dignity still intact, although at the rate things were going, that was a pipe dream. “Can we focus on the girls now? Make sure they’re still alive before you push your theories on me.”
“Gotta say, ‘let’s focus on the girls’ is not something I thought I’d ever hear you say, honey.” The elevator dinged and opened onto the floor they’d been staying on. Zayne gave the hallway a quick look before stepping out. “Come on, Zek. Let’s go check on the girls’ afterglows. We can deal with your issues another time.”
Andrej unlocked the door to the room he’d been sharing with Hilary and found it empty. “Well, they’ve not made it back here yet. Feel like playing jealous husband?”
Zayne rubbed his hands together and grinned. “Always, my friend. Always. Let’s go bust some heads open.”
Rolling his eyes, Zeklos followed his eager partner back into the hall and down two doors. Reaching the room Reyes had been sharing with Trish, they paused. “You sure this is a good idea? I mean, what if –”
“What if they’re having a foursome in there?” Zayne tried to make it sound sarcastic, lighthearted even, but Zek could see how much the idea of it plagued at him. “Well, if they are, you’re about to get an anatomy lesson, kid. But, just to be sure…” He leaned his ear against the door and listened intently. Shaking his head, he pulled his key card out of his back pocket. “All quiet inside.”
“We’re going in?” Zeklos tilted his head towards the door, Zayne nodded. “Do it.”
Slipping the key card into the slot on the door, Reyes pulled it back quickly, hearing the lock pop. Turning the handle, he entered the darkened living room and called out, “Luuuucy, I’m home!”
Andrej looked around, unable to see much. “I’ll never understand you,” he muttered to Zayne.
“What? No Ricky Ricardo in Bucharest? What a sad childhood you must’ve had.” Zayne opened his mouth to finish his harassment when the lights flickered on and his words stuck in his throat.
“Oh shit,” Zek blurted. “This can’t be good.”
“Where the hell am I,” Hilary moaned, rubbing the side of her neck.
“On my marriage bed,” Zayne joked, in an attempt to keep himself calm. “Inside the world’s ugliest hotel.”
“You’re in the bedroom of his and Trish’ room,” Zeklos clarified. “We found you knocked out on the couch, missing all of your jewelry. How are you feeling?”
Hilary stretched, blinking her eyes a few times. “Groggy. I think - he must’ve stuck me with a needle or something. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late. I feel like an idiot.”
“Don’t,” Zayne said giving her a hard look. “This isn’t your fault. You can’t anticipate every tiny detail of an op. Even the best trained and most elite make mistakes.”
“While your ego might be a touch bruised over this, Maxwell, we do have a bigger problem.” Andrej caught her gaze and held it, hoping her head was clear enough to help them out. “Where’s Rollins? You said you were all coming back here. Where is she?” He knew that plans changed, that nothing ever went as easy as expected, but it angered him deeply that they’d split up again, possibly putting both of their lives in danger. Nothing was going as expected on this case.
“She and that annoying little blonde went back to her room. The blonde’s room, that is.” Hilary looked from Zeklos to Reyes. “Can I have a glass of water?”
Frowning, Zeklos left the room to get her a bottle of water from the kitchenette. When he returned, he found Zayne sitting on the edge of the bed, holding her hand, muttering something. Zek felt a stab of envy seeing them together like that and promptly forced it away. “Here,” he said, handing over the water and bumping Reyes in the back of the head for good measure. “Do you know what room they were in?”
The detective visibly blanched. “No. Uh, I –”
“You didn’t even think to ask, did you?” It was the icing on an already frustrating night, not to mention a stupid move on the part of a veteran detective. “Was he that attractive, Hil? Huh? Because he drugged you and left you here, alone. What kind of trouble do you think Trish might be in? And we don’t even know where she is.” Finally hearing himself, Andrej left the bedroom and began pacing the living room. He was suddenly afraid that if he continued to talk, he’d say something he’d never be able to take back. As angry as he was, he and Reyes still had to work with the female detectives for the duration of the case. Now was not the time to start burning bridges.
Zayne stormed out after him. Roughly grabbing a shoulder, he spun the Romanian around until he faced him. “Just what the hell is your problem, Zeklos? She’s had a rough night and you’re yelling at her?”
“Yes, I’m yelling at her,” he said, shrugging off Zayne’s grip. “She failed at one of the most important parts of her job – keeping track of her partner.”
“You’ve lost track of me before,” Zayne spat.
“Don’t I know it, Reyes, but it wasn’t ever because I failed to ask. It was because you lied to me or flat out ignored me. Do you even understand the difference?” Andrej’s worry for Trish was overriding his sense of control in much the same way that Reyes’ feelings for Hilary were overruling his common sense.
Reyes’ mouth was open but no words came out. Yet another first for the night.
“Stop fighting you two,” Hilary snapped from the doorway, visibly peeved at everyone in the room, herself included. “Zek’s right in that I screwed up, but I honestly thought these two were harmless. Is there any way we can call the concierge and find out what room this Bonnie woman was in?”
The boys looked at one another, silently waging a war that was far from being over. “I think we can do that,” Zayne finally said. “I’m sure they have patrons looking for other patrons all the time in this place.”
“You should call,” Zeklos suggested, “since it was your wife that went off with her. Nothing unusual in that. Possibly even expected around here.”
Giving a nod, Zayne picked up the phone and dialed the front desk. Several minutes later, he nodded and thanked the voice on the other end. “Got it. They’re in a suite four floors up. Room thirty-four.”
“Let’s go boys, we’ve got us a detective to find,” Hilary said, reaching for her badge.
“You’re staying here,” Zeklos told her. Holding up a hand before she could object, he added, “You’ve been drugged and are unsure on your feet. Unless you want me to tie you to the headboard and leave this one with you, I suggest you don’t argue.”
“Aw, come on, Hil. Argue a little. Please?” Zayne pressed his hands together in a prayer pose and widened his eyes at her.
“Oh god,” Hilary laughed, equal parts disgusted and flattered by his flirting. “Get the hell out of here, both of you.”
“I feel like we’ve spent half this case riding in elevators,” Zayne commented as he pushed the button for the floor they were headed to.
“Could be worse,” Andrej said, jingling the change he had in his pocket. “We could be locked in a janitor’s closet again.”
Reyes laughed. It was an old joke between them, one that saw the light anytime they were nervous or overwrought by a case. “That wasn’t all that bad,” he said, surprising Zeklos with the admission. “Not nearly as much fun as it would have been if I was stuck with Maxwell, but not as bad as it could have been either.”
It was a backhanded compliment, but a compliment all the same. “Uh, gee, thanks, Reyes.”
“Eh, you’re a hell of a lot cuter than some of the other homicide detectives in our precinct you know.” Before the doors had fully opened, Zayne moved to exit, and was stopped by a body falling into his. “What the hell,” he muttered, staggering backwards, carrying the unidentified female body along with him into the elevator car.
“Good god,” Andrej gasped, stepping forward. “I think we’ve found Trish.”
Zayne drug her to the back of the elevator and lowered her limp body to the floor while Zeklos pressed the button to return them to their own floor. The ride downward seemed to take forever, even though it was mere seconds in truth. But the reality of what had happened to both female detectives in the span of a couple hours hit him hard. Zeklos found himself torn between allowing them to do their jobs as they were trained to do and his instinctive all-male need to protect. He was more afraid of offending these two decorated officers than he was of the imminent backlash that was sure to come from their captain when he learned about the situation. Even so, his innate desire to keep his friends and coworkers unharmed rose to the forefront.
Trish rose shakily to her feet when the elevator settled at their destination. Reyes steadied her briefly before scooping her up into his arms. “Come on, honey, time for bed. I think you’ve had too much to drink.”
Andrej half-grinned at his pre-emptive cover on the off chance someone saw him carrying a resistant woman through the hall. He had to give Reyes credit, he was quick on his feet. “Yes, Trish, I think you’ve had a little too much of something tonight. Do what your husband thinks is best.”
“Shut up,” she slurred, flopping an arm around behind Reyes’ neck to point at him. “Both of yous.”
“Oh, she’s going to be fuuuuun,” Zayne said, rolling his eyes heavenward. “Mind unlocking the door, Zek?”
Stepping between his partner and the door, Zeklos hesitated. “Where’s the key?”
Zayne frowned. “It’s in my pocket. No freebies while you’re digging around in there either, buddy.”
Sighing, Andrej steeled himself before sinking his hand into Zayne’s front pocket. He moved his hand to the right and then, very slowly, to the left, unwilling to give Reyes anything to harass him about later. “It’s not here.”
“Nope, it’s in the other pocket,” Zayne stated a little too calmly.
“Were you going to tell me that before or after I embarrassed myself by groping your thigh?”
“Later,” Trish giggled, loopy from whatever she’d been given in Bonnie’s hotel room. “Much later, like after he’s gotten his happy ending.”
“That’s not funny,” Zayne groused, pulling her tight against his chest before giving her a gentle shake. “And it’s also not true. I’d expect him to buy me dinner first.”
“Not from what I’ve heard,” Trish sang.
They were going to kill him one of these days, Andrej thought. Reaching into Zayne’s other front pocket, he located and deftly removed the key card without another incident. The door clicked open and Andrej held it open for the happy couple.
“You know,” Rollins said, words rolling right into each other. “You two would make beautiful children. Cute, fat, caramel-skinned babies.”
Yep. They were singlehandedly going to be the death of him. One word at a time. Andrej shook his head, refocusing on the situation rather than their words. “Trish, you’re high. Stop talking.”
“Wait, Trish is high?” Hilary stood in the living room watching Zayne with a cautious eye. “Did she get hit with whatever I got, too?”
“Not sure,” Zeklos responded. “She’s giddy and out of it, where you were unconscious. I don’t know if they got her with something different or if you were lucky enough to get the full dose.”
“Yeah,” she grumbled. “Lucky me. You okay though, Trish? Need anything?”
“Noooo,” Trish sang as Reyes dumped her rather unceremoniously onto the couch. “I’m just finnnne.”
“Sure ya are,” Zayne laughed. “But, she at least seems to have all her jewelry.”
“Yeah,” Trish said, fighting to sit up and failing. “I fell asleep and woke when that blonde bimbo was pulling on m’ wrist, trying to get my bracelet off.” She held up her wrist and studied the bracelet in question. “So I pushed her away and bolted out the door.”
“Stumbled,” Reyes clarified.
“Focus, Zayne,” Andrej said. He took a seat on the couch next to Trish’s curled up legs. “You actually saw her trying to remove your bracelet, Rollins? You’re positive?”
Trish nodded. “Ow, that hurts,” she muttered, rubbing her forehead. “But she couldn’t because this thing has a stupid clasp.”
“It does,” Hilary agreed. “It took me ten minutes to get it on her. I can’t imagine someone trying to get it off her while she was doped up like this.”
“Speaking of which,” Zeklos said, “lean over this way a bit, Trish.” She did as she was told so that Andrej could inspect her neck. “I don’t see any obvious signs of an injection like Hil has.”
“It must’ve gone into her drink then,” Zayne mused. “Did Bonnie give you anything to drink?”
Trish blanched, realizing she’d missed the obvious. “Yeah. A glass of wine and like an idiot, I drank it, too. I really messed this one up, didn’t I?”
“No,” Zayne said, voice reassuring. “This entire case has been one giant clusterfuck from the beginning.”
“So, how do we fix it before the perps move on?” It was the only thing that mattered to Zeklos now. Getting the ones responsible and making sure they knew they’d picked on the wrong women.
“I don’t have a clue,” Zayne said, looking at him. “But we’re going to figure it out.”
“I can say this much,” Trish said, looking around the room. “They’re so not swingers.”
“How do you know this?” Reyes’ eyes had widened slightly at her admission, begging for more intel.
Trish shrugged. “All couples are different, but it was unusual for them to single us girls out. With three couples, we’d have just drawn lots to see who got to play with whom.” A round of uncontrollable giggles filled the room. Zeklos figured she was picturing them all playing a giant game of twisted checkers or something.
“We found that odd, too,” Reyes said, slowly drawing out the words. “But how do you know so much about this?”
Redirecting her gaze towards Zeklos, the safer of the two men, Trish sighed. “My ex was bi and she thought it’d be fun to play the ‘scene’ a bit.” Her red hair flopped from side to side as she shook her head. “Stupid cow refused to believe I didn’t like men, said I had to. Bitch.”
“You don’t like what?” Reyes was stunned.
Hilary placed a comforting hand on Trish’s shoulder, ignoring Reyes’ predictable response. “Women like that give the rest of us a bad name. Forget about her.”
“I tried, but this whole case keeps bringing it all back.” Trish rubbed a hand across her eyes.
“Trish,” Zayne offered. “As confused as I am by all of this, you don’t ever have to like anything other than what you want to like. Except for me. You have to like me because, well, I’m irresistible. Right, Zek?”
“I refuse to answer that,” Andrej deadpanned.
“Afraid of incriminating yourself,” Hilary teased.
“Don’t you know it.” Andrej looked at Trish’ pale face and Hilary’s bloodshot eyes. They had to end this soon before someone got really hurt.
“Who are these new marks you’ve found?” Antonio stepped into the little booth behind the bar, allowing for just enough room to fit his half-sister, the bartender.
“These two,” she said, pointing at a dark-haired pair of men on the surveillance tapes. “This one,” she said, pointing at a handsome Hispanic male, “is a flake and probably not worth your time. However, this one,” and she tapped on the face of the other male, “is a goldmine.”
Antonio leaned in closer and grunted. “Yes. I’ve run into these two. Actually, their wives were rather… acquiescing, to say the least. Garnered quite a haul off of one of them.” He frowned for a moment and shook his head. “Bonnie fouled up the other. What makes you think these two are worth the effort?”
“This tall drink of water has quite the crush on the cowboy,” she said. “And he was wearing a six thousand dollar Rolex as if it were a Timex.”
“Interesting,” he drawled, thinking rapidly. “And you say the one with the expensive tastes has a thing for the other?”
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “It was written all over his face. You could almost feel the heat coming off his body when they touched.”
“Hmm.” Antonio looked at his sister for a long moment. “If we can get them both back here, do you think you could help me out?”
“By serving him up a special drink?” She shrugged. “Possibly, if it’s busy enough that no one’s paying much attention.”
“Good. Now to figure out how to distract this walking jewelry store long enough to get him someplace quiet and relieve him of all this extra weight.”
“Tony, my boy, you are a devious one,” she said, relaxing into his side. “It’s what I love about you so much.”
“Okay, so the captain is aware of our situation,” Reyes said, looking around the room. “He’s none too happy with how things have been working out so far, but he’s willing to give us a couple more days to wrap this thing up. Seeing as Trish actually witnessed Bonnie LaRoux trying to make off with her jewels, we have some kind of direction to take here.”
Hilary lifted her coffee mug to her mouth and took a sip. “So, what are you proposing as our next move?”
“We need to check out LaRoux’s room. And find out if Simon has one of his own,” Reyes suggested.
“This is bad idea,” Zeklos said, setting his mug onto the coffee table. They’d all crashed in Trish and Zayne’s room the night before, unwilling to split up after everything that had happened. “We don’t have a warrant and anything we find would be inadmissible anyway.”
“Maybe,” Zayne said, shrugging it off. “But it might help lead us in the right direction. Help us catch this bastard. Or, rather, these bastards.”
“Zayne, we already know who is stealing from the patrons as well as how they’re doing it. What we don’t know is how to catch them in the act.” Hilary looked to Trish and Andrej for support on this.
“I hate to admit it,” Rollins said, frowning, “but I kinda think Reyes has got a point. How do we know this wasn’t simply an isolated incident?”
Their discussion was interrupted by a knock on the door. “I’ll get it, I’m closest,” Zeklos said, standing. On the other side of the door was a hotel runner with an envelope in his hand.
“Oh, Mr. Cahill, do I have the wrong room? I was looking for Mr. Zayne Mendez.”
“No, no,” Andrej said, stepping aside. “This is Mr. Mendez’s room. Zayne?”
Zayne took Andrej’s spot at the door and took the envelope from the runner’s hand. “What is this?”
“An invitation from Mr. Simon. Antonio and his lovely wife, Bonnie, have invited you to a private dinner this evening.” The young man stopped talking and stood, waiting.
Reyes stared at him as if he were looking for more information that wasn’t forthcoming. Huffing out an amused puff of breath, Zeklos pulled out his wallet, found a twenty and handed it to the young man. “Thank you.”
The runner gave a curt nod and disappeared down the hall.
“How’d you know that’s what he wanted?” Zayne’s curious green eyes fixed on his partner, searching.
“Because that’s what you do in nicer hotels, Reyes. You tip the help.”
“So, open the envelope and tell us what it says,” Trish urged, eager as a schoolgirl going to her first dance.
Reyes slipped his finger under the flap of the envelope and broke the seal. Pulling out a piece of heavy stock paper, he read the words embossed on it and frowned. Handing it to Zeklos, he waited.
“What’s it say?” Hilary was beginning to sound as anxious as her partner.
“It says,” Zeklos chuckled, smiling at the girls, “that Zayne is cordially invited to dinner in the private dining room tonight. And he’s to bring… me.”
“What did I do to deserve this,” Reyes muttered.
“Better question might be, what did you two do to make Simon think you were a couple?” She wiggled her eyebrows in a dramatic gesture of inappropriate behavior. “Hmm? Inquiring minds want to know the dirty details, Reyes!”
“There are no dirty details, Rollins,” he denied.
“If that’s true,” Maxwell interjected, “then why is Zeklos turning twelve shades of embarrassed over there?” She flashed him a smile that only made him more uncomfortable.
“Because he’s afraid of what the two of you will make out of something as innocent as all this,” Zayne said. “You have both been impossible since you figured out his little secret.”
“Aw,” Trish said, standing and winding her way over to Zeklos’ side. “It’s only because we love you, you know.” She wound her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his side.
“Ah,” Andrej laughed, his nerves near to breaking. “With friends like the three of you, who the hell needs enemies?”
Reyes pointed a finger at his partner. “Exactamundo, my friend.”
“So, what are you two going to wear,” Hilary asked. “Zayne honey, you have got to find something better than what you’ve pulled out of the hat so far.”
Zeklos tried to hide his smile behind his hand, but Maxwell was so on the nose with her comment that it was impossible. “She has a point. Dressing like John Wayne will only get you so far.”
“Mmmm,” Trish murmured. “I think someone needs a shopping trip.”
Reyes groaned. This was not what they’d signed up for.
Story continues here.
--
End Note: Zeklos' watch is actually $60k, according to Amazon... but I thought that a bit far-fetched, so I stole the design and added a massive clearance price to it. :D
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2015-06-01 09:30 pm (UTC)Aw, and Reyes was so sweet in this chapter! I love how he makes the effort to understand his partner, his concern for all the detectives involved, his sly whoops moment when he neglected to tell Andrej he was checking the wrong pocket for his room key... *happy sigh*
Lovely!
Hah, also, I love your spectacular discount! Can you discount things in my life like that? :DDD
no subject
Date: 2015-06-01 10:57 pm (UTC)Thank you - I was hoping that he'd show his softer side this go 'round. He really is a good guy, even if he's notorious for putting his overly large boot in his mouth. Hahaha... it was a cheap trick, but I thought it was pretty funny myself. :D
Thanks. *blushes*
ROFL! I know, right? I just knew that there wasn't anyway this immigrant detective would be in possession of a $60k Rolex, not even if he stole it out of evidence. :D And honey, if I could do that, I'd be sharing the love all over the place!