He typed in notes, then looked back at Pink and smiled.  Flynn knew that smile.  The Trust-me-I’m-the-hero-I-won’t-lie-to-you-smile.  “But while you’re here, I’d like as much information as you’re willing to provide us.”

Pink nodded. “I’ll tell you what I know.”

Justin went straight to the heart of the matter. “How many times have you drugged a Surf’s Up patron and videoed them in a compromising position?”

Pink’s eyes popped open.  “That was my first time!” She glanced at Flynn, then back to Justin.  Then said under her breath, “I had a lot of firsts that night.”

Flynn wanted to pull her into his arms and assure her this was almost over.

“I’m assuming you’re going to be in trouble with Andre if you don’t deliver the goods?” Justin asked.

Pink shivered.  “Yes, he’s not the kind of man who gives you a pep talk and tells you to try again.”

“Is he under the impression you have a video?”

“I told him I had one, but that it was on my phone and the phone was stolen at my gym.”

“Is that true?”

“Which part?”

“All of it.”

“Um,” she looked at Flynn, who nodded, urging her to tell the truth, as much as it might embarrass them both.  “There was a video, but it was destroyed. The stolen phone part was a lie to buy time.”

“What was Andre’s reaction to your story?”

Biting her bottom lip, she looked at Flynn, then back at Justin.  “He told me to make another one and that if I didn’t he would hurt me.”

“Jesus Christ, Pink, why the hell am I just hearing about it now?” Flynn ejaculated.

“It’s been a pretty eventful day, it slipped my mind.”

“How would you like us to help you out of your jam, Miss Fuentes?” Justin asked, calmly bypassing the storm.

“I don’t know exactly,” Pink said.  “What did you have in mind?”

Justin’s eyes glittered with excitement.  He looked at Flynn, then to Pink.  Flynn had the distinct feeling he wasn’t going to like what Justin was about to propose.

“Using you and Flynn, we’ll create what appears to be a compromising video, which you can deliver to Andre.”

“Hold the fuck up,” Flynn said, standing.  “No sex video.”

Justin’s jaw tightened.  “We’re not in the porn business, Ryker.”

“Good, because that isn’t going to happen.”  Hell if he was he going to have Pink strip down and make it look like he was fucking her while the task force recorded it.

Flynn grasped Pink’s hand and pulled her up. The agreement when he’d called Justin this morning was for information trading.  Nothing more. Now they wanted her to make another video and in effect work as a UC in the club?  No fucking way. “It’s too dangerous for Miss Fuentes to go back to the club.  Find another way to get what you need.”

Yanking her hand from Flynn’s, she said to Justin, “I’m open to suggestions.”

“No, damn it,” Flynn said, seething.

When she turned and pressed her small hand to his chest, Flynn’s heart leapt against it.  “I appreciate your concern, Flynn, but I’m going to see this through, even if it means I go back to the club.”

Not if he had his way she wasn’t.

“Miss Fuentes,” Justin said. “Right now, this meeting is all we’ll require of you, and of course if you see any of those men in the photographs, you will notify us when you do.”

Chapter Nineteen

Izzy sat back thoughtfully in the seat of the Corvette and tried to put together exactly what just happened. She got the distinct impression that the crew at the Federal Building wanted more from her than they were willing to give in return.

“What if your people can’t find Alex?” she asked Flynn, who had said less than two words since they’d gotten back into the car.

“If there’s something to find, they’ll find it,” he said curtly.

“Even though she hasn’t been reported missing?”

He glanced over at her, then back to the road ahead.  “I gave you my promise I’d help you find her.  If you say she’s missing, then she’s missing.”

“What if your friends don’t want to give you information?”

“There’s no reason for them not to, Pink.”

“Maybe.”  Staring out the window, Izzy thought about Flynn and his interactions with the people he worked with.

He’d done everything except mark her in front of his coworkers. He’d been especially adversarial with Maddox and the blond sergeant.  His behavior confused her.  He didn’t want to associate with her because of what she did and had done.  But then he acted like he had some unspoken claim on her in front of the task force.

“When was the last time you and Sergeant Jackson had sex?”

“A year ago, and it was once,” he snapped.

Pink laughed bitterly.  “Keeping to that 'I don’t do mornings’ mantra.”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Tell me how it was, then?”

Flynn glanced at her like, really? Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared at him.  She wanted to know. The sergeant was pretty. Probably a knockout if she let her hair down and wore something soft and sexy instead of that ugly blue pantsuit.

“I was working violent crimes.  Bank robberies to be specific.  Sonia had just been promoted to sergeant and was on the SFPD arm of the team.  We were hot on the trail of a serial bank robber and had an idea when and where the next hit would be. Sure enough, as we pulled up in an unmarked, the bad guys were fleeing.  I was driving.  It was a high-speed pursuit through the streets of San Francisco.  They crashed, we got them. On our way back in, we made a pit stop. End of story.”

“Wow, cop love is so romantic.”

Flynn chuckled despite the topic.  “There was nothing romantic about what we did. It was a de-stress mechanism.  Nothing more.”

“I’d say it was a little bit more than a mechanism for Sergeant Jackson.  I saw the way she looked at you when we walked in.  She wanted another Special Agent treat.”

“Doubtful.”

“More like highly probable.”  But Izzy let it go.  She knew the look of a woman who wanted a man.  She’d seen it on her mother’s face every time her father walked into the room. “Your friends didn’t seem surprised in the least to learn Alex was my sister.  Why weren’t they?”

“In this business you learn not to be surprised by anything, and if you are, you don’t show it.”

“Is that why you hide the fact that you still want me?”  Izzy had never kept her mouth shut for decorum’s sake. Why start now?

Flynn’s knuckles whitened.  “I want to make sure you’re safe.”

“Your friends don’t seem to have a problem taking on the protector role, so why not step aside and let one of them step up, since I embarrass you.”

“You don’t embarrass me.”

“But you’re embarrassed by me.”

“I’m not embarrassed by you, Isadora!  Now leave it alone.”

A small tic erupted in his cheek.  Wisely, she sat back and stopped poking the tiger.

Without further conversation they continued to her house in Oakland. Instead of parking on the street this time, Flynn drove up into the empty driveway. Charlie was gone.  So much for that yummy lunch he’d promised. It was pushing four; she forgave him for not sticking around. Flynn put the car into park, Izzy opened her door and said, “Thanks for the lift.”

As she took her keys out to open the back door, she heard the driver side door slam shut.  “Let me go in first,” Flynn said, stepping up behind her and taking the key from her hand.  In his other hand was a gun. Suddenly shit got real.

Nudging the door open with his foot, his gun held up, he said, “Stay here until I clear the house.”

Izzy wasn’t too stupid to live; she nodded and stood back, allowing him to do what he had to.  Several moments later he was back and ushered her in.  He slid the gun back into the belt holster at the small of his back she just now noticed, shut the door behind them, and locked it.