AN This chapter is souly going up because 'Aiden Burn' is so faithful in her reviews. We like Danny Messer a lot too...way more than we should, which is how this fic started to begin with! LoL We also like strong female leads, which is why Shelby is the way she is...she doesn't need a man, just wants one and damn I mean it's Danny after all...right? Hope you enjoy. :)

Sprite Sweetheart: We're glad you enjoyed this as well and hope the updates keep you interested...we're trying to wrap this story up soon...just waiting for the inspiration.

All right no more blabbering from us...read on. :)

"I'd do ya."

She grinned. "You already have."

That night at Club 77, Shelby was pacing the manager's office. He had agreed after a single dark threat from Ben to let the cops use his office as their headquarters that night. It had a glass wall that overlooked the club, perfect for surveillance.

She had her black wig back on, secured tightly to her hair this time, in case anyone accidentally (or purposefully) tugged on it. Her button-down blouse was open low enough to reveal her ample cleavage, but not so low that the tiny microphone she was wearing between her breasts could be seen. Her pleated black skirt was dangerously short, and strappy sandals only served to amplify her already gorgeous legs. Danny couldn't help but estimate in his mind how long it would take him to get her out of that outfit. She glanced up at him and gave him a half smile as she fitted the tiny earpiece in her ear.

Flack's mood had not improved since that afternoon. He was growing more fidgety and anxious with every passing minute.

"Don, quit it. You're making me nervous," Shelby rebuked him.

Flack grumbled something incoherent and turned away from her, looking out the window to the club below.

"I think I see him," Ben said. "There, standing by the dance floor."

Flack nodded, he saw him too.

Danny walked over to Shelby who was strapping a small handgun onto the inside of her thigh.

"Care for a stress reliever after all this?" he asked as casually as he could manage.

"You sure are persistent, aren't you?" she asked without looking up.

"I'm afraid I might be addicted," he told her.

She looked up at him and he was surprised to see an intense sadness in her eyes. Even her smile was sad. "Thanks, but it'll have to wait. It's time to go."

She walked away and headed down the stairs. She would go out the back door and come back in the front door, so as to avoid any suspicion. She checked her mic and earpiece as she went. "Wired for sound?" she asked.

"Loud and clear," Ben answered her. "Be careful."

Danny and Aiden guessed this was a routine conversation for them and anticipated Shelby's answer: "Careful's for cowards."

Yates' posse were assembled around him, big burley guys and world weary, wary girls. Shelby's mark from earlier that day was there, scanning the crowd for her. When he finally saw her, he leaned into Yates and said something in his ear. Yates nodded and Rob left the group, headed for Shelby.

"Good to see you made it," Rob said in her ear as he put his arm around her waist.

"Business opportunity of a lifetime, I'd be a fool to pass it up," she answered.

"You weren't followed?" he asked.

She laughed. "I'm not even a blip on the radar yet, G. Don't worry about me."

"Good. Come on." He led her through the crowd towards Yates. His posse parted and Yates gave her the same long, slow looking over that she'd come to expect from his kind. Shelby could feel adrenaline beginning to pump through her system and she had to resist the urge to pick a fight with this guy. She was outnumbered, five to one, so it wouldn't be a fair fight. She hated humiliating more than one person at a time.

Blatantly ignoring the women who were giving her chilly stares, she sidled up to Yates. She smiled slyly at him and led him by the hand to the dance floor. As she pressed her body into his, she knew Flack was turning away from the window upstairs. She had no idea what Danny would be doing.

"Why are you here?" Yates asked her, already impressed with her brazen confidence.

"You know why," she answered.

"You ever dealt before?" he wanted to know.

"Grass and 'X' in high school in Jersey," she told him. "I'm in college now and it's not paying the bills."

"You're ambitious."

"So are you," she said, grinding down to the floor and back up again. "At least, that's what they tell me."

Flack watched Shelby grind down and grimaced as Yates watched her, visibly taking in every inch of her. He ran his hand over his face and started pacing. Danny snickered to himself and just watched her interact, fascinated how she used her sexuality to have the man immobilized in front of her, but still managed to look classier than any of the other girls in the club.

Watching Danny lick his lips and smirk to himself was too much for Flack, "Do you need to do that?"

Aiden looked up from where her and Ben were listening to the conversation occurring between Yates and Shelby.

"Do what?" Danny cracked his neck and didn't take his eyes off of Shelby for a second.

Grabbing Danny's shoulder Flack propelled him around so they were looking at each other, "That, just, watching her like that."

"Isn't it up to us to watch the UC officer doing her job?"

"Not the way you were doing it."

Danny was amused and knew it was pissing his friend off, "It might be time for you to get over her Don, it was a long time ago."

Pointing his finger in Danny's face Flack fumed, "Do NOT tell me what to get over, you don't know shit about that woman."

Inhaling Danny raised an eyebrow, "I know she's a capable cop who knows how to do her job. I know that she's damn focused on her career and likes it that way." He got up in Flack's face and smiled, "And I know how to drive her so insane she's writhing."

Flack was gearing up to punch him when Aiden had, had enough, "Okay both of you stop it!" She stepped in between them, "You." She pointed at Danny, "Take your cocky attitude and go back to the window, with minimal comments." She glared him down till he turned with a shrug.

"Look at me Don." She took his arm and guided his head with her other hand so he was looking at her, "You are not doing her any good by acting like this. You need to get yourself together or I'm going to have to kick your ass out of this office do you hear me?"

He nodded at her, "Yeah."

"Good, go listen with Ben." She pushed him to the desk. Shaking her head she groaned, "It's like I'm running a freakin' day care."

Shelby heard a vague disturbance in her ear from upstairs, but effectively ignored it. She needed to stay focused – Yates was almost where she needed him.

"So do I get a sample?" she asked him.

"Not till we strike a deal," he told her, his hands beginning to stroke her back.

"What's the offer?"

"70-30."

She scoffed and ground her hips into his a little harder.

"50-50 or I find someone else."

He frowned. "What, you think I need you?"

She shook her head. "No, I think you don't understand my market. Rich Catholics whose parents feed them allowances of $20,000 a week. I'm sure it wouldn't take much to find someone else who'd be all over that."

He put his hand around her neck and forced her head up so that she was looking him in the eye. She had to fight back the urge to break his arm, but she knew he was just testing her. She didn't flinch.

"Don't take me for a fool."

"I don't," she told him. "I came to you first, didn't I?"

He stared her down, trying to decide what to do. "60-40," he tried.

"No good," she said, holding firm.

He let her go with a smile and a nod. "Done. Meet me at the old foundry in the Bronx in two days. Rob will have the details."

She grabbed his hand. "A sample," she insisted.

He pulled a small bag from his pocket and passed it to her. "A down payment," he said, gripping her hand tightly.

She lifted the left side of her skirt and pulled out a wad of cash. "A pleasure," she murmured in his ear, putting the money into the front of his pants.

He looked down for a moment then back up at her, "Two days." He repeated still holding onto her hand.

Slipping her fingers from out of his grip she smiled at him, "Old foundry in the Bronx, I won't forget. You won't regret this."

"I better not." With that he was gone, there was no point in being around her any longer she'd gotten what she wanted from him and he was jonesin' for one of the women he had left at his table.

"I'm getting a cab." Shelby said to the bouncer and also for the benefit of everyone up in the managers office. She really didn't want to have to share a van with Don and Danny. Not now. She had to process what had just happened between her and Yates, plus, she squeezed the bag she had just 'purchased' she wanted to be sure she had the right product.

Ben started packing up their equipment, "She'll meet us at the precinct, you guys coming?"

Aiden answered for her and Danny, "Yeah we'll be there, we'll take our own cab."

"Why…" Danny started to protest as she grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door.

"See you there!" She called over her shoulder as she dragged her perplexed partner out the back of the building.

"That woman is…" Ben was at a loss of words.

"An enigma." Flack offered, "Yeah I've often thought so. You need help with all that?" He indicated the equipment then started helping to pack it up without question. This was turning into one of the worst weeks he could remember, short of the one when Shelby had left him.