Dad Bods and Blizzards (Dad Bod Christmas #1)

2. Two

Two

Woody

The scripty, backlit letters spelling out Aubergine Affair on the otherwise stoic facade hint at the elegance awaiting us inside the sex club. Facades… just like Griz, Tubs, and I need to maintain.

Undercover work requires us to balance on some dangerous lines we’re not allowed to cross.

I drum my fingers on the steering wheel of our Chevy Cheyenne, a vehicle fitting for our reclusive gun-running mountain man facade. My mind races through every possible scenario regarding Naomi—none of them good.

“You realize what Dennis suggested is human trafficking, right?” I glance at Griz in the rearview mirror. “We can’t buy a person.”

Tubs turns sideways in the seat next to me. “Look at it this way… if we don’t take his offer, who knows what kind of creep he’ll sell her to?”

My knuckles whiten on the wheel. Every time I think about Naomi’s smile from the case files and the times we’ve run surveillance on her, my stomach twists. “Even if we could get authorization to participate in human trafficking, we can’t tell Nightingale who we are. That could jeopardize the entire case.”

I use Naomi’s codename to remind myself that I have to keep my distance. It doesn’t work. She’s gotten to me in a way that threatens the case—and I’m certain she’s gotten to Griz and Tubs as well.

Griz crosses his arms. “We know the kind of people her dad owes money to. What we have to keep in mind is that we don’t know if she’s part of his scheme.”

Tubs scoffs. “There’s no way she’s involved.”

Griz says, “None of us can imagine her being involved, but it’s our responsibility to keep our personal feelings separate from the job.”

Tubs rubs his hands over his face. “She may be a little spoiled by the luxurious lifestyle her father’s given her up until now, but I can’t be responsible for leaving that princess in the castle when it gets stormed.”

Griz builds on that. “And the only way we can be certain of her whereabouts is to accept the deal and hold her captive.”

“There has to be another way than exchanging her like property.” Snowflakes collect peacefully on the windshield, blocking my view of the world. “If we could get her alone and gain her trust…”

“Get her alone, that’s cute… Then what?” Griz leans forward. “Her dad finds out, charges us with kidnapping? If we take his offer, we have control.”

“Control?” I spin around to face them. “There’s no way she’ll trust us if we attain her as part of a debt relief plan.”

“It’s the only way we can protect her,” Griz hisses. “We can’t just pull her aside and say, ‘Hey, your dad’s a bad guy, and we’re about to bring him down in a weapons bust. Hang out with us so we can keep you safe, or you’ll be thrown on the ground, cuffed, and questioned for hours with no way to prove you didn’t know you were involved in a weapons smuggling ring.’”

Tubs smirks. “He’s right. While we think she’s innocent, her documented involvement won’t look good in court.”

“The prosecutors will have a field day with her waitressing job offering a way to pass information. It won’t matter that we determined she took the job to distance herself from her father.” All the more reason I can’t get her out of my mind. Brains and beauty, innocently protected from the world her father navigates.

The thought of her being sold like property, even to us, makes me sick. But the thought of her ending up with someone worse than us makes me even sicker. And the thought of her being treated like a criminal—

A blast of wind shakes the truck.

Tubs grabs his door handle. “Her father’s giving us time to consider his offer, so she’s safe for now. Let’s head inside, keep up appearances that we’re into buying women, and talk about our options again tomorrow.”

Griz and Tubs agree. At least in the sex club, the women have chosen to be auctioned. Even that is a bit much for me to believe, but it’s perfect for us to play along.

Getting out of the truck, Tubs says, “How many of these people are going to get stuck here in the blizzard?”

Griz motions to a pickup truck with a plow blade attached to the front. “Some of them will be fine.”

Tubs adds, “The rest of the lot looks like a car show for the rich and famous.”

He’s right. The luxury cars might as well be a checklist of ways to spend money I’ll never experience as a government agent.

Stomping through the couple of inches of snow that’s accumulated, pretending that I’m a rugged mountain man who doesn’t give a fuck about blistering cold or snowflakes, I’m grateful for the weight I was required to put on for this assignment.

Our fleece-lined flannel shirts and jeans are big hits too. We’ll stand out from the men who drive these other cars, but being seen is important. We’ll bid. We’ll maintain our facade.

Then my heart stops. It’s as if God himself parts the people in the room to allow my gaze to land on Naomi. She’s talking to the owner and the women who are going to be bid on. Is she going to participate?

Griz’s hand wraps around my arm, yanking me backward. Shit! I stepped toward her. What was I thinking?

That’s the easiest question on the test. We have to win her. “Get your hand off me, Griz,” I growl.

I lose sight of her as someone leads her away. My attention moves to a banner that reads, Christmas Cherry Auction .

Cherry. I almost lose my mind. She’s selling her virginity? Fuck!

How the hell do I come up with enough money to make sure I win?