Murder, Malice and Mischief Read online

  “Relax,” Evie said, even though she was far from following her own advice. “You know I’ve never been a modest person.” To appease Dora, she added. “But don’t worry. I have on panties and pasties.”

  “Pasties?” Dora let out a sigh. “Remind me why we picked the strip club to check out first?”

  “Screams. And—”

  “That was a rhetorical question.” Dora sighed. “I’m sorry. Here you are being above and beyond the best friend in the world, on your thirtieth birthday no less, and I’m giving you a hard time about it. I’m just nervous.”

  Evie understood completely, and to lessen the tension, she asked, “Did you just say hard time? Because…” She waggled her eyebrows at Dora and got the intended effect when her friend laughed.

  They drove in silence for a while, and Evie noticed Dora gazing out the window at the seedier section of Pensacola. It wasn’t an area Evie frequented either, but she had a feeling Dora was a lot more uncomfortable than she was. “Hey,” she said as she reached over and grabbed her best friend’s hand. “There’s nothing we can’t get through. Think of all the things we’ve already survived.”

  Dora squeezed her fingers. “We have had a few adventures, haven’t we?”

  “It was definitely your turn,” Evie said.

  “Yeah? Well, this one’s a doozy. You’re welcome to bail at any time.”

  “Never,” Evie said. “Remember our first day of kindergarten?” As if either of them could ever forget. That was the day Dora and Evie met. She recalled the way Dora had noticed Evie crying when her mother had left her in the classroom. She’d walked over, grabbed Evie’s hand and said, “Don’t cry. I’ll be your friend.” The two had been best friends ever since.

  “I do.”

  Chapter 10

  Evie pulled into the parking lot of the strip club, and red light from the neon sign flashed over their heads as she parked in a spot under it. “Then you need to remember that we’ve stuck by each other through a whole lot. Remember bedazzled jeans?”

  Dora nodded. “Crimped hair.”

  “Ugh,” Evie said. “And denim everything.”

  “Oh my god, low rise jeans. Remember how you couldn’t sit down without showing off your butt crack?”

  “See?” Evie asked. “We’ve already survived flashing our coin slots. We can totally do this.”

  Dora laughed with her. “Okay. But next year? Let’s just drink too many margaritas for your birthday. I’ll even match you drink for drink and brave the hangover from hell.”

  “Oh man, you’re daring me with tequila? Bring it, sister,” Evie joked.

  Dora blew out a breath and reached into her bra to hoist her breasts higher. “Bring it, I will.” She gave Evie a serious look. “You remember what this guy looks like?”

  Evie nodded. They’d found a picture of Dirk on the internet so they’d be able to spot him.

  Dora smiled at Evie and said, “Good. Let’s do this.”

  While Evie clutched Sunshine with one arm, the two women marched in time with each other toward the club entrance, their heels clicking on the pavement like a tribal beat. It occurred to Evie that Dora had agreed to their scheme a lot faster than usual, and she suspected it had everything to do with the danger she knew she was in. Danger Evie had every intention of helping Dora get out of unscathed. She’d meant it when she said she owed her best friend.

  Nobody had ever believed in her the way Dora did. And nobody else had stuck with her through her many failures. Evie couldn’t count the number of jobs she’d burned through, but what she did remember was that Dora had been there to help her pick up the pieces and move on every single time. She’d done the same for Evie when it came to her broken heart too.

  So, when Dora pushed their way into the strip club, Evie was determined to do whatever it took to get Billy free and Dora one step closer to proving her innocence. Anything.

  Dora took the lead, her shoulders back and her head held high, surprising Evie. She was exuding self-confidence and determination. Good, Evie thought, but an ache had formed in her gut. This wasn’t exactly the nicest part of town, and Evie knew better than anyone that these weren’t the type of people that cared to be messed with. They just needed to get the information they came for and then get the heck out of there.

  “There he is.” Dora paused and jerked her head toward a tall, dark-haired man at the end of the bar. “That’s Dirk.” She turned and glanced at Evie and Sunshine. “Give her to me. You can’t audition with a dog in your arms.”

  Evie shook her head. “Not until after we talk to Dirk. It wouldn’t be professional for my manager to be carrying a small dog.” Though Evie highly doubted Dirk Jones would give one flying fig about Sunshine. As long as Evie was willing to take it off, she was certain that was all he’d care about.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” a tall man with muscles that went on for days said to Dora, sliding up next to her and resting a hand on her hip. Dora stiffened, but before she could tell him to back off, he produced a one-hundred dollar bill and tucked it into her cleavage. “How about a lap dance before the rest of the punks in here wake up and notice you?”

  Evie smirked as Dora pulled the bill out of her cleavage and held it out to the man. “I’m not a stripper.” She waved to Evie. “I manage Candy over here, and right now we need to go talk to the boss man.”

  The Ken doll glanced over at the bar and frowned. “Jones appears to be busy.” Then he glanced back at Dora. “It sure looks like you’re dressed to shake that ass tonight.”

  “I—”

  Evie grabbed the bill Dora was still holding and tucked it into her bra. “She’d love to. Dora, go give the man the dance he’s asking for.”

  “What? No, I’m not—” Dora started.

  “Give us just one sec,” Evie said, smiling brightly at the man as she hooked her arm through Dora’s and tugged her away a few feet.

  “What are you thinking?” Dora hissed, keeping a wary eye on her admirer.

  “I’m thinking we can use the money. Have you forgotten we’re both out of jobs now? If we’re careful, a hundred bucks will go a long way toward keeping the fridge full.”

  Dora closed her eyes and let out a barely audible groan.

  Evie patted Sunshine’s head as she added, “You know how to shake it. Remember the moves we made up to Beyoncé’s “Naughty Girl”?”

  “Yes,” Dora said, her tone hesitant.

  “Just draw on those and you’ll be great.” Evie gave her a little shove. “I’ll be right here if Ken doll gets handsy.”

  “A hundred bucks,” Dora said under her breath as if she was trying to talk herself into it.

  “You got this.” Evie pulled her back over to the man and grinned. “Have fun. Sunshine and I will be right here watching.” She leaned in closer to the man. “Remember, no touching.”

  “What if I pay extra?” he asked Evie.

  She patted him on the shoulder. “Sorry man. That’s against the rules. Take it or leave it.”

  He glanced at Dora again, his eyes glittering with anticipation. “All right. Let’s do this, honey.”

  “This way,” Dora said, boldly taking him by the hand and leading him over to an unoccupied chair.

  “There she goes, Sunshine,” Evie said to her pup. “Look at her. She’s swaying her hips and flipping her hair like an expert. She even managed to flip her skirt just enough so that he got a peek of her backside.”

  Sunshine squirmed in her arms as if straining to see Dora.

  “Oh, wow. She just gently pushed him down into the chair and straddled him, completely taking charge.” Evie glanced down at Sunshine. “Can you believe that? I think our Dora might have missed her calling as a dominatrix. Who knew?”

  Sunshine turned big brown eyes on Evie, giving her a look.

  Evie laughed. “I know. You’re right. She does have that no-nonsense attitude. If I didn’t know her so well, I’d start to wonder if she had a collection of BDSM toys hiding in her closet.” />
  A small crowd of business men moved, blocking Evie’s view of Dora. But soon enough, Dora’s head started to bob up and down in time to the slow beat of the music playing over the sound system. Evie giggled. She couldn’t help it. Two days ago, the idea of Dora giving anyone a lap dance would’ve been the craziest thing she’d ever heard. That type of thing was definitely more Evie’s scene. But after today, seeing her poor mailman get abducted and knowing what had happened back at Dora’s office, this was nothing in comparison.

  “Look at her sticking her butt out, Sunshine.” Evie craned her neck, to get a better view. “And the way she’s putting her rack right in his face without even touching him. Jeez. She’s a freakin’ natural.”

  Sunshine let out a small whimper and covered her eyes with a paw.

  Evie shook her head. “Giving a good lap dance is nothing to be embarrassed about, Sunny. Workin’ it with the right person can lead to a hot night in the bedroom.”

  “You know it,” a stocky man said from right behind Evie just before his large hand landed on her barely clad butt cheek.

  “Hey! Hands off the goods,” Evie said, jumping back and putting plenty of space between them. “That’s not how this works.”

  “You were the one who said good lap dances lead to something better. I was just giving you what you asked for, baby.” He moved forward, his hand out as if he was going to grab her again.

  Sunshine lifted her head and growled, baring her teeth.

  “Whoa!” He took a few steps back and blinked as if he didn’t quite believe what he was seeing. “Who let that prissy little beast in?”

  “She’s with me,” Dora said, appearing right behind Evie.

  “Gooood,” the man said, drawing out the word and making Evie’s skin crawl. “I always did like a two-for-one special.”

  Dora narrowed her eyes at the guy. “Back off, buddy, or I’m going to let this sweet little dog go for her favorite body part.” She lowered her gaze, letting it linger just below the belt.

  The man’s face paled. And without saying another word, he took off, disappearing into the crowd.

  “Thanks,” Evie said, grinning at her friend. “You have a multitude of skills I didn’t realize you possessed. Seriously, Dor, that lap dance? It was pro level.”

  Dora frowned at her.

  “Uh-oh. What happened? What’d he do?” Evie’s ire rose, and her entire body heated with irritation as she craned her neck looking for the man who’d just been ogling Dora’s assets.

  “He gave me a tip.” Dora produced a twenty but was still frowning.

  “Excellent.” Relief rushed through Evie as she grabbed the bill and shoved it into her bra with the hundred. “But why the sourpuss face? Cash is good.”

  “Evie,” Dora hissed. “You were supposed to be looking for Billy, not watching me degrade myself for cash!”

  Oops. Evie grimaced. Dora had a point. “All right. Sunshine and I are on it. There’s Dirk.” She pointed to a tall guy with dark hair who was standing near the door to the back room.

  Dirk had his hand on a wall and was leaning over a girl in glasses and a plaid skirt. She turned around and stuck her butt out and he shoved money in her G-string, making her giggle as she walked away.

  “Hey, Dor-a.” Evie sang out. “Looks like our friend Dirk has a thing for the uptight librarian.

  “Oh no.” Dora shook her head. “I already took one for the team. It’s your turn. Remember the plan? You were going to audition.” She started to reach for Sunshine, but Evie took a step back as she shook her head.

  “Nope. My Jessica Rabbit look isn’t going to work. You’re rocking what Dirk wants in a big way. Just give me three minutes. That’s all I need to search the back.” Evie gave her a bright smile. “Once you’ve enthralled him with your glorious cleavage, Sunshine and I will be quick like bunnies and find out if there’s any sign of Billy.

  Dora’s jaw tightened. “I really hate you sometimes, you know that?”

  “You love me.” Evie winked at her. “Go on. As soon as you distract him with that great rack, Sunshine and I will get our search on.”

  Dora took a deep breath. And just like a pro, she strutted her way over to Dirk to put her assets to work.

  Evie didn’t hesitate. She weaved through the club and slipped through the door that led to the back. A dancer strode by, apparently unfazed by a new girl holding a small dog. She just nodded and waited in the wings for her turn on the stage.

  Interesting, Evie thought. She’d expected to be questioned, but either the place had a lot of dancer turnover or no one cared enough to wonder what she was doing there. The place wasn’t all that big. She poked her head into the three small offices. All of them were empty.

  Unless the girls had Billy tied up in their dressing room, the place had turned out to be a dead end. Just to make sure, she pushed the door open to the dressing room and spied three women in various states of dress—or undress. No Billy. Before they could question her, she ran back into the club just as Dora shook her rump for the last time.

  Dora’s eyes locked on her friend’s as Evie gave a tiny shake of her head. Evie watched as Dora stopped and said something to Dirk. He frowned after her as she hurried over to Evie. “Nothing?”

  “Nothing.” Evie scanned Dora’s body with her gaze and licked her lips dramatically. “Unless you want a new career. Looks like Dirk was interested.”

  “Oh my god,” Dora hissed. “You are so not funny.”

  “Fine. Fine.” Evie laughed as Dora shoved her out the door of the club.

  Chapter 11

  “I’m not going in there like this,” Dora insisted. It was one thing to strut around in stripper clothes in a strip bar, but she wasn’t showing her face in Dildos R Us wearing an eleven-inch skirt that did almost nothing to cover her backside.

  “But you’ll wear a white button-down shirt that shows off your nips?” Evie said with a snicker.

  “What?” Dora glanced down at her chest and groaned. “Those pasties would’ve really come in handy.”

  “Want mine?” Evie asked, already reaching into her shirt as if to peel them right off herself.

  “No! Forget it.” Dora felt her face go hot. She wasn’t that desperate that she was going to share pasties with her bestie. “I’ll just toss this sweatshirt on,” she said, digging around in a duffle bag of workout clothes. “And these running tights.”

  “Suit yourself.” Evie patted Sunshine’s head, making no move to change her own outfit.

  “I definitely will, thank you very much.” Dora awkwardly changed in the passenger’s seat, grateful it was dark out as she hastily shrugged out of the white shirt and tugged the sweatshirt on. After she’d switched her skirt for the workout pants, she looked down at her high heels and groaned. “These don’t exactly go, do they?”

  Evie giggled. “That’s one way to class up your outfit.”

  Dora opened the car door and let out a heavy sigh. “Come on. At least I can use one as a weapon if we run into Marco or any of his minions.”

  “Now you’re thinking.” Evie followed her out of the car, but just as they got to the front door, she tugged on Dora’s sleeve.

  Dora glanced back at her, noting she was clutching Sunshine so tightly that the little dog had started to pant and squirm to get out of her mother’s arm. “It’s okay, Sunshine,” Dora said, gently pulling her from Evie’s grip. “She didn’t mean to squeeze the stuffing out of you.” She looked at her friend. “What’s wrong?”

  Evie ran a nervous hand through her hair. “It’s just that I started to think about what you’d said about running into trouble. Do you really think Marco might be out looking for you at these places?”

  Dora shrugged, trying to ignore the unease in her gut. “If Billy’s here, there’s a strong possibility, don’t you think?”

  “Right. Obviously. I guess I was just so caught up in our ruse at the strip club, I hadn’t even thought about it.” She bit her bottom lip and then reached into the tin
y handbag she had slung across her shoulder. “He likely won’t recognize me, but you…” She shoved a dark pair of sunglasses at Dora. “Put those on. With your hair and makeup all done up like that, the glasses will help.”

  Dora didn’t see how wearing sunglasses, at night no less, along with workout gear and high heels, was going to do anything to help her maintain any sort of cover, but she put them on anyway. If she didn’t, Evie was likely to have a meltdown right there in the seedy parking lot.

  Evie blew out a breath. “Okay. Let’s go find Billy.”

  Still clutching Sunshine, Dora held the door open for Evie and followed her in. “Your turn to distract the cashier. I’ll check out the back this time.”

  “Sure, Dora. But let’s just take a look around the store first, let him eye the goods a bit before I dazzle him with my sparkling personality.”

  Considering a sex shop was more Evie’s comfort zone than hers, Dora said, “Whatever you say.” She watched as her friend waved at the twenty-something cashier behind the counter and then sashayed down the aisle toward an impressive selection of dildos.

  Dora went the opposite direction, scoping out the entrance to the back room. The door behind the counter that was marked Employees Only was propped open, and light spilled out into the store. Once she heard Evie charming the clerk into helping her pick out the best vibrator in the store, Dora could just slip—

  “Dora? Is that you?”

  She froze, knowing that voice anywhere. This is not happening. This is not happening. This is not—

  “Nice shoes. Very sexy,” Luke Landucci said in a low rumble of a voice.

  A ripple of pleasure rolled through her at the compliment, and she turned around. Her face had heated to almost unbearable levels, and she could barely look him in the eye when she blurted, “Bachelorette party.”