“I’m gonna split then,” I said. “Got some work to do.”
Raul waved goodbye, and I turned back towards my bike. Just before I hopped on, my phone buzzed. I yanked it out, thinking it might be from Moves or Ryder, but it was from Kim.
We’ve got a plan for Operation: End Trey.
I rolled my eyes at how dramatic Kim could be. I suppose she had the right since Trey was a liar and a cheat. I read the next text:
I’m meeting him for a date at Figo Wine Bar downtown on Thursday.
I want my girl Claire to have back-up, so you into play her fake date...
so she can blend in while she gets her evidence?
I stared into space for a moment. Seeing Claire again was a bad idea. Just one evening with her had tempted me to throw away all my rules about keeping myself to casual hook-ups.
Then again, Claire of all people understood that relationships were all shams. I could tell from the way she discussed Trey and other guys like him that she’d seen her fair share of cheating and betrayal. That meant maybe, just maybe, she understood how it was better to keep things casual.
Not that we would be hooking up. It was a fake date.
And Kim was right that back-up was necessary. A guy like Trey was not going to take kindly to being publicly humiliated by two women. Not to mention that I was pretty positive that Kim had some very public and very scathing words in store for him after Claire acquired proper evidence.
I was sure Kim and Claire could hold their own, but it wouldn’t hurt to have someone there to make Trey back off. To help everyone achieve a clean exit should things turn ugly.
My mind made up, I lifted my phone to text Kim:
I’m in.
Six
Claire
I have always believed in punctuality. In my experience, most bad things only happened because of poor timing.
So when it came to running my cases, I was a stickler for doing whatever necessary to avoid bad timing. Which meant that I decided Pin and I needed to get to the restaurant a good half hour before Kim and Trey’s reservation. We needed to be settled in an ideal spot by the time the doomed couple entered.
I had also taken no chances with the seating. I called the hostess ahead to explain the situation. The hostess, herself a past victim of a cheat, had been on board. She promised me that I would have a corner table with a great view, while Trey and Kim would be seated smack dab in the center of the wine bar.
It would still be tricky to get my camera out to snap photos, but I had pulled off similar maneuvers. Besides, I would have Pin to help cover me.
Kim had suggested the fake date. I had laughed it off, but Kim had made some good points. I was way less likely to draw attention to myself if I was sitting with someone.
And Trey’s reaction was an unknown factor. I had agreed that Kim deserved to let him have it once I got my photos, so I couldn’t say no to an extra body to help us out. I have my pride and I had handled many dicey situations, but I wasn’t stupid. I accepted help when it was offered.
At six on Thursday, I ran through my plan one last time to make sure I had everything. I was supposed to meet Pin at half past the hour for our reservation. I hoped he was on time. Then again, I doubted punctuality was something bikers valued as much as I did.
I ducked into my bathroom to swipe a final coat of lip gloss on and admire my outfit. I had to give myself credit: my look walked the perfect line between Date Night and Kick a Cheater to the Curb.
It was a dark burgundy dress with thin straps and a v-neck that showed my cleavage to its best advantage. But it wasn’t flimsy. The bodice was fitted and the satin skirt flared out around my hips, falling to my knees which allowed for moveability. I had opted for pointed gold shoes with only half-inch heels. I didn’t expect that I would need to run or move anywhere fast, but it was always good to err on the safe side. Just in case.
The truth was, tonight was just for the photos. With Kim’s help, I’d managed to build an airtight case against Trey. I had gathered text message screenshots, detailed schedules, and even a few emails. But the wife always wanted a picture. A high quality one too. Blurry photos didn’t quite do it.
I had explained to Kim that it would be best if she could be a little touchy with Trey. Maybe even get him to kiss her. Kim had agreed. She was a natural, to be honest. She’d been laser-focused on helping me get all the admin stuff in order so she could have a clear shot when she went in for the kill.
After shoving my notebook, camera, phone and pepper spray into my bag, I called a car. Fifteen minutes later, I was perched on a bench just outside the restaurant.
To my surprise, Pin hopped out of a cab at 6:25 on the dot. I almost didn’t recognize him. He had exchanged his leather jacket for a neat button-down with his hair arranged in a neat side part.
He cleaned up well, and was even more handsome away from the dim lights of a seedy bar.
