Undercover

Part Seven

The club was dark, and the music was low, almost inaudible which was strange for this type of club, but I had to remind myself that we weren't in LA anymore. I'd scanned the room for potential suspects, ruling out all of the innocents, the old men just trying to get their gamble on, the elderly women who couldn't find exactly where the BINGO hall was. Then there were the kids who'd clearly used fakes to get in, the ones ordering "a vodka cran, with just a little bit of cran!" I'd heard this order at least thirteen times tonight and we'd only just arrived. It was hot and stuffy, and for the first time in years I actually wanted to leave this club, the whole environment was overly obnoxious, and it felt as if I couldn't breathe. The only thing keeping me sane was the man next to me, our hands intertwined, his cool fingers the source of my calmness. His demeanor was enough to ease my nerves, it felt nice, being able to let go, to fully trust the person next to me, something I hadn't felt in years. I close my eyes for just a minute, and before I can open them, he's kissing my lips softly, his other hand resting gently against my cheek, his cool touch calming me even more. I let out a little sigh, feeling my body relax completely.

"You okay?"

The worry in his voice was enough for me to open my eyes, send him a smile and nod barely. He kisses the side of my cheek, tracing my fingers with his own. I take another deep breath, trying to focus all of my energy on the case, the subject at hand. We'd been told to be on the lookout for a loner, someone who wasn't here with anyone, which seemed easy enough, typically you wouldn't go to a casino alone, what's the fun in that? We find seats at the bar, exchanging smiles with the bartender while we place our order.

"What about that one?" Andrew raises his glass in the direction of the bathrooms, a man stands just off to the right of the hallway leading into the bathroom. I shake my head as a girl walks out, taking the man's hand. They walk off and Andrew sighs. "We've gone into every bar for the past five days; how can we still have no leads and no suspects?" I shrug my shoulders, sipping my beer slowly. How was it that we'd been in Vegas a good week and neither of us had gotten proper drunk?

"It just takes time, Andrew, these OP's are long, boring,"

"I hope you're not alluding to anything else..."

I choke on my drink because damn, that was a good one.

"You're really thinking about..." He grins while staring straight ahead, his eyes sparkling in the dimly lit room. "Now is not the time or place," he grins again, flashing me a look.

"We go undercover and all of a sudden you're no fun? Vegas has changed you, babe." He gets up from his seat, pushing his drink towards me.

"Where are you going?" I can feel my body begin to tense up, the idea of being alone for even a second in this place gave me anxiety. He scrunches up his nose, tilting his head to the right,

"I'm just using the bathroom, you okay?" I nod my head, trying to seem calm, but inside I was a nervous wreck. Things were different here, strange and unfamiliar, I didn't like change, never had really.

"You don't want me to come with?" He looks at me funnily and I shake my head, embarrassed for even asking.

"Kidding, kidding, I'm not weird like that, I'll see you when you get out?" He nods, chuckling to himself as he makes his way towards the bathrooms.

I make sure to watch him enter the bathroom, turning my attention back to our drinks. Blowing out the breath I'd been holding, I order another round, I'd need the whole damn bottle to ease these nerves. The bartender nods and brings our drinks by, I finish my first one, pushing it towards the bartender. I sip on the second drink, scanning the area again, hopefully, tonight would be the night where we'd get a lead or at least a potential suspect.