Chapter 3: Introductions

"The van is set up and in position," Kim's voice reached them over the radio.

"We're ready too," Kevin's voice confirmed.

"Alright, we're all set. Hailey, Jay, you can go in," Voight's voice rasped through the radio's loudspeaker, and the two detectives nodded at each other.

"Copy that, Sarge," Hailey spoke into her radio, then stashed it in the car's glove compartment before shooting one more glance at Jay.

Now that the moment had come for them to slip into their personas, both felt their nerves pick up. They had gone undercover more times than they could count, many of those times together, so they were used to the slight spike in adrenaline that made the mind clear and sharp, but today, their nerves ran higher than usual. This time would be different, and they both knew it.

"Ready? Let's go," Jay breathed, got out of the car and quickly walked around the front to open Hailey's door.

She climbed out, inhaling a deep breath of fresh air to keep herself calm, and the two of them headed towards the entrance of the club.

As they walked across the parking lot, Hailey inched closer to Jay. "Is this how you walk with your girlfriend?" she whispered, and he glanced down at her.

He realised that he'd been keeping too much of a distance from her and reached around her back to place his hand on her slender waist.

Both had switched on their concentrated and highly focused undercover mode, but this unfamiliar touch and proximity left neither of them unfazed. Hailey's skin heated up under Jay's touch, and his fingers tingled as he felt the contours of her lower ribs underneath the soft flesh of her side.

Hailey gave Jay an approving smile and added, "I know that this goes without saying, but to give you some extra peace of mind I hereby give you permission to touch me in any way you deem beneficial for our cover."

Her words made Jay's pulse pick up, and he swallowed hard, before nodding.

The night was still early, so there was only a short queue outside of the club's entrance. When they reached the front, the bouncer gave them a quick once over, then stepped aside to let them pass.

Inside, the two of them were hit by a wall of thick, warm air smelling of cigarettes and alcohol mixed with the distinctly sweet scent of the fog machines. Hailey and Jay walked down a narrow hallway decorated with dark wallpaper and lined with a thick, red carpet, then passed a coatroom and entered the main space of the club. The repetitive, thumping music that was playing was set to a volume that still made it possible to listen in on the conversations of the people in close vicinity.

The dancefloor was only moderately busy with a few dozen people dancing and grinding against each other, some people sat at the bar with drinks in hand, and two dancers swung around poles on pedestals on either side of a short staircase that led up to the VIP area.

After a quick look around the club, Hailey nudged her head towards the stairs, and Jay nodded. They made their way across the dancefloor, and Hailey climbed the stairs with Jay following a step behind her with his hand resting on the small of her back.

Hailey immediately spotted Hansen lounging on a large couch in the shape of a horseshoe in the centre of the VIP area, surrounded by a handful of men. Including Hansen's, she recognised three faces, his brother and cousin sat across from him. The remaining men were unknown to Intelligence.

When Hailey and Jay reached the top of the steps, a large, broadly built bouncer glared at them and planted himself firmly in their way. Behind him, Hansen rose from his seat and headed over to them.

He wore a beige suit over a black shirt that was unbuttoned one button too many, had dirty blonde hair and eyes so dark that they seemed to be completely black. His sharp facial features could have been perceived as decently attractive were it not for the unsettling air he carried about him.

When Hansen came to a stand in front of Hailey, an uneasy feeling spread in her chest. She glanced up at Jay to see if he was getting a similar vibe off the man, but his expression revealed nothing.

"You must be the potential customers," Hansen greeted them with a smile that showed off his white teeth but didn't reach his eyes.

"That's right. I'm Ryan," Jay confirmed, and the two men shook hands while Hailey studied Hansen intently until he faced her.

"And you are?" he asked, letting his eyes trail up and down her body blatantly.

Hailey plastered a sweet smile onto her face and reached her hand out. "Riley," she said in a soft, melodious voice.

Hansen took her hand and brought it up to his lips to kiss it. Hailey struggled to keep her face friendly and not roll her eyes.

"Pleasure to meet you, Riley," Hansen purred, his eyes lingering on her for a moment longer before dropping her hand. "I'm Drake. Come, have a seat."

Before the bouncer stepped aside, he patted Jay down for weapons. When he came up empty, his eyes locked on Hailey. She stared back at him challengingly for a moment, then slowly spun around in front of him, indicating that the tight dress offered no room to hide any weapons while simultaneously showing off her body. All three men surrounding Hailey, as well as the men on the couch, gaped at her as she did so, and she finished her show with a confident wink and smile, then walked past the bouncer.

Jay followed close behind her. Hailey wasn't a woman who liked to flaunt or show off her physical attractiveness which was something he liked about her. She had an effortless allure about her, and to him, she looked just as beautiful, if not better, in her jeans and flannel shirts as she did in that black dress. She preferred to dress casually and comfortably, but her little show had proven that she was very aware of her appeal and assets and knew exactly how to use them in just the right way. Even though she wasn't really his girlfriend, Jay felt a small surge of pride because the men around him thought she was. He was also proud of his partner for playing her part so expertly.

When Hansen led Hailey and Jay over to the couch, the men sitting there got up and quietly left the VIP area.

Hansen motioned towards one end of the curved couch and took a seat on the opposite side. Jay dropped down on the couch and splayed his arms across its backrest, exuding confidence while looking around the space. Hailey sat down next to him, close enough that their legs were pressed up against each other and placed her hand on his thigh.

Her nerves were beginning to dwindle, and she was starting to have fun. Looking down at her hand on Jay's leg, she decided that she might as well make the most of their situation and enjoy the physical contact. Jay shifted his arm on the backrest behind her back, pulled her closer against his side and began tracing circles on the soft skin of her exposed shoulder with his fingertips, sending goosebumps across her skin. Seemingly, he was getting more comfortable too.

"This is a nice place," Jay noted, still looking around, pretending to admire the place but actually observing his surroundings as well as the people. "Are you the owner?"

"Thank you, and yes I am," Hansen smirked. "I put a lot of work and money into this place, and I'm very happy with how it turned out."

"Money well invested," Jay nodded approvingly. "Okay, shall we get to business?" he changed the topic. "I contacted you because we're interested in the Birkin bag and the vintage Rolex you're offering online. This one here," he placed his free hand on Hailey's knee, "hasn't shut up about wanting one of those bags since she saw one in a magazine or something. When I found your site, it seemed like a perfect coincidence."

Hansen's eyes lingered on Jay's hand for a moment before replying. "How did you come across the website?" he inquired with a serious face.

"Let's just say I'm familiar with those parts of the internet for business purposes too," Jay replied casually while continuing to caress Hailey's shoulder.

Hansen raised an eyebrow. "What do you do for a living?"

"Major import and sales of party supplies," Jay said with a wink. "If you ever throw a party or want to crank up the excitement in here," he motioned around the club, "just let me know. We're in similar businesses, maybe we can benefit off each other."

"Similar businesses? I just sell luxury goods online," Hansen objected innocently.

"Come on, man. Don't play me like that," Jay retorted, doing his best to keep his voice casual, but Hailey could detect the annoyed tone that crept into his voice whenever he spoke to criminals he had no respect for. "We both know why you're selling your stuff on the dark web and not through some prestigious auction house."

Hansen shrugged and played with a gold chain necklace that hung around his neck. "If what you're implying here is indeed correct, then I'm sure you understand why I like to get a feel for my customers before doing business with them. Get to know them a little bit, see if they can be trusted and are who they say they are."

"Yeah, of course. I do it the same way, and that's why we're here tonight isn't it," Jay agreed with a smile. "Enjoy the night, have a little fun, get acquainted."

"Are who they say they are?" Hailey repeated Hansen's words. "Are you saying I look like a cop? I'm not sure how to feel about that," she raised an eyebrow at Hansen, pouting slightly.

He chuckled at her provocatively teasing expression. "Don't take it personally, honey."

"Well," Hailey sighed and sat up, "tell me, have you seen many cops do this?"

She opened her bag and got out a tiny glass cylinder with a white powder inside. Reaching behind her head, she pulled all of her hair over to one shoulder, then popped the metal cap off the cylinder. Carefully, she tapped the glass and sprinkled a thin line of the powder into the dip above her left collarbone.

"Shall we get the night started, baby?" she asked Jay with a mischievous smirk on her lips and leaned her head back.

On the outside, Jay stayed calm and unperturbed as if they did this kind of thing daily. On the inside, his mind was racing. Was this all just a show for Hansen or was Hailey teasing him? Would she have done this if Adam or Kevin sat in his place?

The sight of her sitting there with her neck and decolletage exposed for him made Jay's face heat up, yet he didn't miss a beat and clasped one hand behind her neck and used the index finger of the other to close one nostril as he bent down and inhaled the line of powder off Hailey's clavicle. He pulled back rubbing his nose and caught her eye.

Holding his gaze, Hailey reached out and wiped her thumb across the space under his nose down to his top lip to collect a few specks of powder, then stuck her thumb into her mouth. As Jay watched her, the heat, that had clung to his cheeks, travelled from his face through his chest and down his arms.

When she'd lowered her hand, he decided that it was his turn to be mischievous and tease her. Keeping his hand behind her neck, he leaned down again and let the tip of his tongue trail over her skin, collecting the last trace of powder that still clung there. He heard her suck in a sharp breath and was very content with himself when he sat back against the couch.

The vitamin B powder he'd snorted wouldn't elicit an actual high or rush of energy, but the thought of what he'd just done did.

With a thumping heart, Hailey continued her act and let some of the powder trickle onto the back of her hand and inhaled it too. "Would you like some?" she asked and held the glass cylinder out for Hansen who fortunately declined.

"No, thanks. I had a line earlier." He seemed to have enjoyed watching the event that had occurred before him as his posture had relaxed and his face held an amused smile.

"Alright! I'm ready for a drink!" Hailey expelled a long breath and got up from the couch. "Can I get you boys anything?"

Hansen shook his head and picked up his full drink off the table, so Hailey turned to Jay who reached into his pocket and got out his wallet to hand her a banknote. "Get me something strong," he told her.

She snatched the money out of his hand with a smile, spun on her heels and headed for the stairs. Jay and Hansen watched her walk off.

At the top of the stairs, Hailey stopped to shoot a glance back at Jay, and for just a short moment, they dropped their personas and were cops and partners again. They exchanged a quick grin showing their mutual amusement at the show they were pulling off, and then Jay teasingly raised an eyebrow at her, indicating that he would enjoy watching her struggle to descend the stairs in her heels. Hailey chuckled and focused her attention on the first step. Once again clinging to the handrails, she carefully took one step at a time until she reached the bottom.

Across from Jay, Hansen expelled a long breath. "You're a lucky man, Ryan."

"Don't I know it," Jay agreed, and his eyes followed Hailey as she made her way through the growing crowd of people.

"How long have you been dating?" Hansen wondered.

"About half a year."

"Oh, not that long. So I may still have a chance!" Hansen joked, and Jay huffed in response.

"You can try, but you won't get very far. I had to ask her four times before she even agreed to go on a first date with me."