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“Scrambled is fine.”

“To answer your question, Sean wondered if that’s how I looked when I did a drag performance,” I replied matter-of-factly, cracking a couple of eggs into a bowl.

“Really? You look like a flamboyant gay makeup artist, not a female impersonator. Has he never seen a drag show?”

“No. But he wants to see me perform. He’s brought it up twice.”

“Hmm,” he replied. “Has anyone in the precinct seen you do drag?”

“I don’t think so. I keep that part of my life hidden from work, babe. At least no one has brought it up to me before. And you know the news would spread like wildfire through the station.”

Craig sat back down. “How does this impact what you’ll be doing today?” he asked.

I plated his eggs and passed him the Tabasco sauce. It was good to see him dig in. “Sean and I plan on meeting with the special events team first thing. We’ll clue them in on what we know so far, and I’m sure Lieutenant Anderson will assign specific duties to keep a tighter watch on the contestants. We’ve had round-the-clock surveillance in the hotel since yesterday.”

“I had a thought,” he said between bites of eggs. “I still haven’t heard from Mr. Sheffield, who’s in charge of the concierge desk at Bally’s. What if I were to see if he’s in and play reporter again on the phone? Maybe get some information that we haven’t gotten yet. If he’s willing to talk.”

“Wouldn’t Chloe have called if he’d reached out to that burner phone she has?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah. In a heartbeat. She told me she’s kept it with her since I told her what I’d planned on doing. Today I’m going to format my new cellphone and have Chloe come over with the burner phone we use for my reporter persona. I’ll call Bally’s from that one. That way, the phone number will seem legit from the caller ID.”

“Okay, but I don’t want you doing too much. You’re still recovering, babe. And I’ll make sure Chloe understands that as well, mister,” I scolded with a pointed finger as I braced my hands on the counter, looking down at him. “I know you. You’ll push and push because it’s how you’re wired.”

He passed me his empty plate with a smirk, but didn’t say anything. He knew I was right. I huffed as I walked to the sink, knowing I had him figured out. Three years together did that.

I kept my word by calling Chloe as I drove to the Palace Hotel and told her not to let Craig work too much. She was another tenacious one, and I knew she’d bend over backward for her boss, but I also knew she’d respect my wishes so he could get some rest.

Lieutenant Anderson and Sean gathered the security team for our briefing in a secure area of the hotel. I needed to be careful because I was undercover, so I only discussed what we knew so far and kept my appearance brief.

When I walked in, there was a lone catcall from the back of the room. I was sure it came from one of the rookies who didn’t know who I was. The reaction to my appearance was expected, since I’d never dressed that way before. I’d built a reputation for successful undercover work, which earned me respect throughout the department. It was just some light fun—probably meant to ease the tension of the task we were given.

I kept my talk brief, but laid out who we knew we wanted to take down. I told them we had a dirty sheriff and shared his name and picture. I only knew the first names of the others, and there could be more. We needed more evidence and a way to find out where the missing women were being held. My focus would be on Sami since I’d be closest to him around the staging area.

Sean met me at the surveillance van after I’d left. I had just put my earpiece in when he joined me. “I gave forensics the audio recording from yesterday. Archie will work on it today,” Sean said, dropping onto a low stool.

“Good. I’ll keep my eye on Sami today. The women will have more interviews most of the day, and they’re starting rehearsals for the opening number. He should be in the ballroom most of the day working on their stage presence.”

We checked the equipment again, and once we were satisfied, I left to enter the hotel. As I walked through the casino to the ballroom, my cellphone rang. Pulling it out of my satchel, I saw Craig’s face filling the screen. I found a secluded area to take the call.

“Hey, Howler. You got your new phone working, I see.”

“Yup, it was pretty easy. I already chatted with Chloe, and she’ll be coming over later with the burner phone.”

“Okay. I talked to her about you taking it easy. I mean it,” I replied sternly. “How’s your head feeling?”

“I know, I know. My headache is pretty much gone thanks to your magic hands and the ibuprofen. I plan on doing nothing until she gets here.”

“Good. Go take a nap. I made your lunch; it’s in the refrigerator. I forgot to tell you before I left.”

“Thank you, Mom,” he said sarcastically.

“You’re welcome. I gotta go. I’ll chat with you later. Love you.”

As soon as I hung up, the idea came to me that Craig could look over the Chandlers’ financials, just as another set of eyes. He could easily do that at my place. I knew he was invested in that case as well, because of Brooke, and he’d be more than willing to do it. I continued to the Ralston Ballroom when I felt someone walking next to me.

“Good morning, GG,” Sami said, keeping pace with my stride.

“Well, hello, Sami,” I responded, slipping my arm through his.