A Touch of Honey: The Crime and Passion Series, #3

By Gamal Hennessy

In seduction, control is surrender and surrender is control.

Nikki Sirene uses her sexual charms to manipulate men and steal their secrets. She lives in constant fear because the man who used to love her is now trying to kill her.

Desperate for protection, she agrees to a relationship of mutual exploitation with a mysterious spy named Warren Baker. He agrees to protect her from her enemies if she agrees to help take down a sex slave operation in New York.

Entering into this world of depravity and pain pushes Nikki to the edge of sanity. Can she escape with her freedom and her life, or will she become just another human trafficking statistic?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gamal Hennessy
• Release date: Mar 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781507077474

Book preview

Chapter 1: Sin City

Nikki Siriene hid in a strip club to get away from the maniacs trying to kill her.

Most strip clubs have tight security. The clubs in New York often have more safeguards than other cities and Sin City followed this pattern. This particular club had at least a dozen over muscled men in black suits hired for their ability to intimidate. Sin City also had security cameras covering the doors, the bars and the VIP area. Everyone who came in had to go through both a metal detector and a physical pat down. If she wanted a location more secure than this, she'd have to lock herself in a bank vault or some Midwestern militia bunker.

But Nikki needed more than security. She needed to make money and Sin City had plenty of opportunities for a lady to generate revenue. With her smooth athletic curves and training as a dancer, it would've been easy to work the pole and walk out with a few hundred bucks a night, even after deducting the cut the club took from every girl. Besides, dancing at Sin City looked like fun. Nikki admired the way the ladies of various erotic shapes and sizes played with the men, women and couples who were more than willing to exchange hip grinding, roaming hands and bare breasts for large sums of cash. She thought the wordless seduction could help her forget her life for a little while...

But she couldn’t afford the risk. It was too easy to be spotted on stage or isolated with strange men in the VIP room. She didn't want to risk being caught half naked in the dressing room if someone showed up looking for her. Nikki wanted the money, but she had to limit her exposure to risk if she wanted to survive.

She couldn’t work the tables as a waitress either. Those girls made a lot less than the dancers, but she could live off the payout from tips. She just couldn’t wear the mandatory outfit. Their white corset tops, skin tight shorts and black stiletto heels were designed to inspire sensuality and promote patron spending. They weren’t designed for running or blending into a crowd. Besides, the bottle service girls had to move in the open too much for Nikki’s liking. The job demanded more direct contact with the patrons. Walking up and down the show floor for hours created more exposure than she could handle, even for more money.

She preferred to work behind the service bar in the back of the club. Most patrons didn’t know the dark, isolated space existed, so few people came back there besides the other employees. She had a good view of both the front exit and the show floor so she could see potential trouble before it reached her. She had a side exit only a few steps away and the alley beyond it branched off into three different directions. Her hiding spot gave her both a view of the action and a way to escape if trouble found its way to her door.

Wearing her dark hair tucked into a bun under her Sin City cap, a loose black t-shirt, stretch pants and sneakers, no one noticed her among the herd of strippers dressed for business. She didn't wear much make-up and even though some of the other girls cursed her looks with silent envy, she went out of her way to avoid attention. She had to work to secure this spot. It took constant flirting with the owner, and a couple of annoying make out sessions with the bar manager, complete with hand jobs, before they considered her request. But in the space of two short months, Nikki put herself in the best tactical position possible to both make a living and hide from the men trying to kill her.

So Nikki didn’t panic when two operators came into Sin City and took seats far away from the stage. She saw professionals patronize the strippers from time to time. Some of them used the strip club to make deals or exchanges. Others used it as a way to unwind, exchanging the money they made for a little carnal pleasure. Just because these two popped up on her radar didn't make them dangerous. But Nikki kept an eye on them anyway.

They sat in the middle of the room. They positioned themselves to split the room in half. Between them, they had a clear view of everything. The Asian guy seemed animated and happy. He spent more time joking with his friend and drinking beer than watching the women. The other guy was bald, black and only a bit bigger than his friend, but he projected the image of a predator at rest. His body stayed loose and calm but ready at any moment to attack. He gave the ladies more attention but he kept his eyes scanning the show floor. They didn't look in her direction, but she wouldn't be able to get past them without...

Nikki flinched when the side door opened with a violent clatter. She turned, ready to run, but the familiar sight of a neckless bouncer stepping inside diffused her shock. Before she could turn back to her last drink order, all her planning and preparation fell apart.

A woman with dark skin and seething eyes burst in through the back door and into Nikki’s space behind the bar. She flashed a badge. She said something. Nikki couldn't hear it over the beat of the music and the roar of blood in her ears. Maybe the cop said her name. Maybe she accused Nikki of some crime. It didn't matter. The hand snatching up her arm and pushing her face down against the bar sent a message without words. Nikki knew she was being arrested.

The bar felt sticky against her cheek. Bent over and face down, she could only see the half full glasses from the beer order she never got to finish.  The handcuffs bit into her wrists with a cold cruelty.  Nikki heard the manager pleading somewhere behind her. He used every trick he knew to distance himself and the bar from Nikki. The sniveling didn’t surprise her. What nightlife owner would risk his license and his income for a few hand jobs? The cop herded Nikki across the show floor and out of Sin City in a rough trot. Everyone watched her walk of shame under the chaotic lights and pounding music. A few people even took pictures on their smartphones. The crowd used her spectacle as a minor distraction before they went back to the fantasies of hip grinding and bare breasts.

As the forceful hand guided Nikki’s shoulder through the room, Nikki looked for the two professionals she saw before things went sideways. They were gone. The Asian's beer sat on the table unfinished. She cursed herself for being so distracted by them. Maybe if she hadn’t been watching them the cop wouldn’t have caught her so fast. Maybe it wouldn’t have made a difference.

As the cool night air hit her face and all the anonymous eyes watched her leave Sin City in handcuffs, Nikki knew trying to hide in a strip club was her real mistake.

Chapter 2: Limited Opportunities

Nikki took a certain amount of comfort from being arrested.

She preferred the embarrassment of being marched through Sin City in handcuffs to being stunned with a Taser on a dark street corner. The discomfort of the cop’s hand pushing the back of her head into the unmarked car felt better than being dragged to some seedy hotel to be gang raped and tortured. She didn’t mind spending a night in jail if dying was her only alternative. Compared to the fate Nikki feared, getting arrested felt good.

She didn’t think Chris could be behind this. Based on what she knew, he didn't have the resources in New York to make all this happen. He certainly didn't have the connections to recruit a cop. He had several federal agencies chasing him. At least, that's what he said when they were together. He lied about so much during their relationship.  Nikki really didn't know who Chris was or how far his influence went. But she knew what he would do if he caught her. At least Chris couldn’t reach her if she went to prison.

But why did she get arrested? She wasn't involved in anything to warrant the involvement of a police detective. Her fake ID couldn't be the problem. If anyone detected an issue with her passport, she couldn’t have gotten through customs in Miami. If anyone knew about her forged driver’s license she wouldn’t have been able to rent her apartment or pass Sin City’s cursory background check. But if her documents didn’t get her in trouble, then how did she wind up in the back of a police car going to...

Where were they going? Nikki had been so caught up in her own head she didn't bother to notice where the car went before now. The cop didn't turn left on 138th Street to drive towards the police station. She turned right, drove a couple more blocks and turned right again. Her Ford Fusion slowed on a desolate street with only an abandoned Yellow Taxi depot on one side and the looming wall of the Major Deegan Expressway on the other.

Nikki's heart pumped faster when the ignition went dead. Her mouth felt dry and thick when she tried to speak. What are we... The detective climbed out of the car without a word.

Nikki's head whirled around fast to follow the woman’s movements, but her mind spun much faster. How did she know this woman was a cop? She’d never been arrested before. She didn't know if the badge she saw was real or not. Maybe the arrest was a smoke screen designed to pick her up and isolate her without a fight. Maybe Chris could find her in New York. Maybe she walked right into a trap. The doubts and fears bubbling up in her stomach made Nikki want to vomit, but she swallowed hard and forced herself to look for a way to escape.

The detective didn’t give her many options. She parked the Fusion too close to the support wall of the Major Deegan Expressway for Nikki to open the far door. The door next to her was unlocked, but Nikki’s captor got out on that side. She stood about ten feet away, too close to avoid but too far away for Nikki to slam the door into her. Nikki could see the black barrel of the gun the detective held at her hip. She had a clear shot into the car and she could shoot long before Nikki could open the door and rush her. The woman didn’t say a word. She didn’t need to speak to establish herself as a threat.

If Nikki wanted to escape, she had to open the door, run back towards the corner and try to disappear in the shadows of the side streets. But she'd get shot before she could get out of the car. Even if she did manage to make it out of this alley, she'd still have to deal with the handcuffs. Even for a beauty like Nikki, It would be hard to get help from anyone in the South Bronx who thought she might be running from the law. Bolting out of the car seemed like suicide, but Nikki didn’t want to just sit and wait to be shot or raped or whatever else Chris had planned for her when he got there.

Nikki decided to run, but she didn’t move. She couldn’t will her shaking legs into motion. Her body rejected the desperate bravery her mind imagined. Nikki tried to breathe deep and use her fear of Chris to force herself out of the car, but her arms and legs just quivered with nervous energy. So she sat there, tears filling her eyes as her gaze drifted between the cold eyes of her captor to the dark barrel of the gun.

Nikki couldn’t tell how long the face off lasted, but at some point a new set of headlights spilled into the alley, bathing the detective in their yellow white glow. Nikki hoped someone might stumble onto the scene. Maybe her captor would run, or at least turn to deal with the intruder to give Nikki a chance to get out of the car. But the small dark woman didn't move. It felt like she expected the new arrival, as if this new car was part of the plan.

Was it Chris? Would he risk coming back to the states to find her? Nikki looked over her shoulder, half expecting to see him there, but the headlights prevented her from seeing anything but the opened doors on either side of the new car. The doors and the car’s position in the alley cut off her escape route. Even if she did find the courage to leap out of the car and make a run for it, she had nowhere to go. Nikki felt a heavy weight on her chest when she considered the professional organization of her captors. How could she escape when they left nothing to chance?

When the detective motioned her to get out of the car, Nikki obeyed. What else could she do? At the very least, she needed to stay alive long enough to create an opportunity for escape. Compliance might buy her the time she needed, or she might be walking to her death. She shuffled towards the mysterious car thinking of her dead lover Dominique. Is this what she went through when Chris caught her? Did she get to see the appeal of his handsome face before the dog masks came out and the brutality began? Nikki wouldn't accept a similar kind of death. She'd rather let this bitch shoot her now. It would be better than facing Chris and his Dogs.

Nikki saw the Asian operator from Sin City sitting in the driver’s seat, but she had to bend over to look into the back of the town car. Another man sat there, but it wasn't Chris. He looked a little older, with more than a few grey strands in his close cut blond hair. His posture seemed a bit more awkward than Chris’s. He leaned at an odd angle to keep his right leg straight. More than anything, he projected a demeanor much more relaxed and in control than she ever remembered with Chris. The confidence in his eyes struck Nikki as both comforting and arrogant. But his lack of stress made sense. He wasn’t alone and handcuffed in a dark alley with a gun pointed at his back.

His voice came out in an even, almost friendly tone. Sorry about all the drama. Can we talk?

Talk about what? What the fuck is going on? Nikki's voice rang in her ear as too forceful and aggressive. It fit the emotion of her situation, but she knew she needed to project a relaxed demeanor. She didn’t want a bad attitude to make her situation any worse.

If the relaxed man noticed her tone, he didn't comment on it. I want to talk about you, of course. There’s no reason to talk about me. I'm kind of boring when you get right down to it.

She looked over her shoulder at the detective who still stood ten feet behind her holding the gun near her hip. Nikki glanced into the front seat and saw the Asian trying hard to project a serious appearance, but his eyes smiled at her in the rear view mirror. Everyone waited for her response.

Nikki looked past the door blocking her way and towards the street. She didn’t see anyone walking by who might hear her cry for help if she screamed. She also didn't see the black guy from the bar. A heavy lump dropped in the pit of her stomach when she thought about the possibility of him creeping in the shadows close by, acting as an unseen deterrent to her escape.

Nikki didn’t reveal her thoughts when she turned her gaze to the back seat. Most guys just come into the bar and try to buy me a drink when they want to talk.

I'm really shy. I was afraid you might say no and run away. He didn't have the smile of a shy man. In spite of her predicament, Nikki felt her shoulders loosen as she looked at him.

So what happens if I say no?

He shrugged his shoulders without any tension or malice. I'm afraid you've got limited opportunities at this point. It's not like you can just go back to Sin City...

Thanks to you...

He offered another helpless shrug. I only did it this way because I thought you might run. I wanted to get your attention before you tried to go off the radar again.

So you have me arrested at my job? Nikki kept her voice calm, but heat rose to her cheeks. She spent months making sure her cover was secure. She didn’t have another one to fall back on and she didn’t know how to go about creating a new one.

Like I said, I need your attention...

So you limited my opportunities, yeah I noticed. She breathed out a heavy sigh and decided to try a different approach. She held up her hands to expose the cuffs. Do I need to wear the accessories you got me to have this conversation?

His smile would have been charming and disarming in any place but this alley. That depends. Are you going to try and strangle me if we take them off?

I might try to do that anyway. Her response made both men laugh with a surprising enthusiasm. She didn’t think the detective would laugh at anything and a glance over her shoulder proved her right. The man in the back seat composed himself by the time she turned back to him.

I'm too delicate to be strangled with handcuffs, my dear. Why don't you get in the car and we'll take those off.

Nikki considered bolting when she stepped around the open car door, but she decided against it. The gun could still hit her and she still couldn't see the other predator on their team. Besides, something about the man in the backseat attracted her against her better judgment. Dominique was the last person to stir those feelings in her.

The detective slammed the door shut after Nikki sat down. Her head leaned into the window and she ignored Nikki, looking at the laid back man with a mix of anger, frustration, and lust Nikki associated with arguing lovers. She only snapped out five words before she tossed a small key in his lap and stormed away from the car.

Don't get used to this, Baker.

Thanks. he said to an empty car window.

The Asian backed out of the alley and the detective snatched the door of her Fusion opened. As they started down 138th Street, the man she called Baker let out an amused sigh.

I think she likes you. She's a lot angrier most of the time.

Chapter 3: Compromised Assets

So I'm hoping you still have the flash drive you acquired from Cruz Maritime.

Baker opened the cuffs and dropped them into his lap in one smooth motion. Nikki rubbed her wrists to project an image of pain. They didn't really hurt, but she needed to do something with her hands to stall for time. She held his gaze for an extra beat to reinforce her sincerity then shook her head and lied.

I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a bartender at a strip club, at least I used to be, before you got my attention.

Baker nodded. I understand what you’re trying to do. You want to stick to your cover story as long as possible. You’ll deny everything that doesn't fit your legend. That's your first line of defense. It's interrogation resistance 101. But if you were going to work that angle, it would have made sense to act more frightened back in the alley. Baker smiled as if teaching tradecraft to an eager student over drinks. Let me play along. I’ll tell you a little story and pretend to put things in perspective for you. Does that make sense?

It's your car.

Actually, this is a company car. I prefer to drive something much nicer than this on my own time.

Nikki shook her head in spite of herself. Whatever.

Baker smiled back Whatever. Approximately nine months ago, a woman named Nikki Siriene attended a Christmas party in the resort city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. The host of that party was one Manuel Cruz, former President of Cruz Maritime. In the days following that party, Nikki became an intimate acquaintance of both Manuel Cruz and his wife; a French painter named Dominique. What do you think of that picture so far?

Nikki's jaw clenched as she forced out a response. A high profile international threesome sounds pretty hot.

It was, but it got hotter. Baker shifted in his seat to face her. His interest and excitement in the story filled the whole car. The memories he exposed forced bile into her throat. You see, Manuel didn’t know Nikki had been sent to spy on him. Baker let those words hang in the air for a moment as if to savor them. Prior intelligence suggested Cruz Maritime might be smuggling illegal weapons into Mexico. It was Nikki's job to steal the data that could prove or disprove that suspicion.

Nikki wanted to say something to end this torment. She wanted to scream or lash out at Baker’s intense and animated face. She couldn’t handle his fascination with her nightmares. She couldn't listen to this, but she couldn’t open her mouth to stop him.

Baker must have noticed the pain on her face. His tone lost its enthusiasm, but he continued. Unfortunately, Nikki had a problem. Actually, she had three problems. First, her case officer was a man named Christopher Carpenter. That was a problem because Carpenter is mentally and emotionally unstable, completely unfit to run field operations. He'd gone so far off the reservation a Congressional committee considered investigating him for acts of genocide. And Carpenter wasn't really interested in the op. His obsession focused on controlling Nikki more than anything else.

I don’t want to hear anything about him. The nausea churned in Nikki's stomach at the word genocide. The idea of sharing a bed with a mass murderer made her feel like she’d bathed in blood. She didn’t challenge Baker’s accusations. She'd seen Chris’ true nature on video. He revealed his demonic passion and used Dominique as his disposable prop.

Ok. The second problem involved Dominique. Nikki fell in love with Manuel’s wife. That made the mission of betraying Cruz Maritime almost impossible. Finally, Dominique presented the most complex problem of all. She claimed to be an agent from another intelligence service who also wanted to spy on Manuel. Based on unconfirmed reports, Dominique might have worked for British, French or even Russian intelligence. Near the end, the operation went sideways in a big way. Every op hits some kind of snag, but this was fucked beyond all recognition. Do you want to know how it ended?

I know how it ended. Nikki's voice sounded so tiny in her ear. She didn't want to admit anything, but she couldn't listen to Baker talk about the night Dominique died.

Baker's voice became a whisper to match hers. Then you know how important that drive is. A lot of people suffered for that information.

The emotional manipulation took its toll when she snapped. If you know what happened, then you know the USB is useless.

Why do you say that?

Nikki let out a long breath in an attempt to focus. When Manuel died, Cruz Maritime became compromised. The assets were seized and Argentinian authorities started a full investigation. Any smuggling Cruz might have been doing died when he did. You can't use what's on that drive.

Baker gave Nikki his inside joke smile again. Luckily for you, compromised assets can still be useful in the right hands.

What the hell does that mean?

He shrugged.  It means that if you still have the drive, then it is possible for us to form a relationship based on mutual exploitation.

And if I don't have it?

Then we both have a problem.

And what's my problem? Nikki folded her arms and sucked in her stomach with a defiant huff.

The same problem you were trying to solve working the bar in Sin City. Chris is still out there, and he's still looking for you. If I found you, there's a good chance he can too.

Nikki shook her head and sucked her teeth. Sin City was just a precaution. Chris isn't in a position to come after me. Based on what you're saying, he's got too many people chasing him to waste resources on me.