Uncovered Undercover

Sideways

Chapter 6: Sideways

Hailey set the bag down on the crate in front of her and looked up at Jay. "This will definitely be the best birthday present I've ever received," she sighed with a content smile as she slowly inched her heels out of her pumps, ready to kick them off at any moment and run if she had to.

Jay's expression changed ever so slightly at her use of their safe word, and he squared his shoulders, getting ready to react.

"That's great," Hansen grinned, unaware of the tension building up in his counterparts as the unfamiliar man reached them and came to a stand between him and his cousin. "Can we agree on the prices that I listed on the website?"

The man had given Jay a quick once over, and now his eyes lingered on Hailey's face. She could see the gears turning in his head, as he tried to figure out where he'd seen her before.

Jay nodded, keeping his attention on Hansen and their act going for the moment. "Yeah, the price-"

"I know you," the new man spoke over him in a deep voice, his pale, blue eyes still fixed on Hailey.

"I'm sorry?" she asked, smiling innocently.

"I've seen you before," he simply stated.

Jay and Hansen looked back and forth between the two of them, confused.

"Um, okay. Maybe you've seen me dance before? At the White Rabbit or the Venus Club maybe?" Hailey suggested, trying to steer the bald man's mind towards a conclusion that he might believe and be content with.

"Maybe she's given you a lap dance before, man," Hansen spoke up, annoyed by the interruption. "Does it matter? We're trying to make a deal he-"

"She's a cop!" the man suddenly bellowed and reached behind his back.

Hailey had seen the recognition enter his face before he'd opened his mouth, and by the time the word 'cop' had crossed his lips and he reached for his gun, she had already kicked off her heels and lunged for Jay to push him behind a large crate that stood close to them.

Asher, who had been standing behind her and Jay with the driver, reacted the quickest out of all the other men and managed to grab Hailey before she could duck behind the crate too. As chaos erupted around them and the other four men drew their guns, Hailey made short work of Asher by elbowing him in the ribs and throwing her head back to smash it into his nose. The surprise and subsequent pain caused him to release his grip on her arms enough so that she could free herself. He clawed at her, trying to get hold of her again but only managed to get his hands on the necklace which ripped off, as Hailey flung herself behind the crate.

The tall and wide crate stood close to the left-hand shelf which was tightly packed with boxes, containers, and cans of paint and chemicals.

Hailey hit the ground hard behind the crate but scrambled to her feet quickly. Jay had already pushed a row of boxes out of the shelf's bottom cubby through to the next aisle, had crawled through and was just getting to his feet on the other side. He held out his hand and helped Hailey make her way through the gap too.

Behind them, they heard angry yelling, and a shot was fired off which echoed through the vast space of the warehouse. Jay kicked over a stack of containers that stood next to the gap he'd created and effectively blocked the opening so no one could follow them for the moment while Hailey's eyes frantically scanned the aisle in search for a possible escape route. She ran towards the shelf across from then and ducked through an empty compartment into the next aisle, then did the same again with the next shelf as Jay followed. They had to get as many rows of shelves between them and the men before they could move up or down the aisles and look for a way out of the warehouse.