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DOPPELGANGER
Chapter Seven
The building couldn't have been any bigger than an average-sized living room. Its brick walls having been painted white many times to cover up the layers of graffiti from over the years. A narrow awning stretch over the single slab of a door that had no windows or anything to see inside. It made the atmosphere even darker than she had imagined. A small opening in the door revealed a bustle of activity between shouts and jovial screams accompanied by loud metal music.
Sydney and Kath gave one last wary glance to each other before they each took a deep breath and started for the door. It didn't take much effort for Kath to ease the rusted door open, a boy not much older than her nearly passing out in front of them as he staggered in front of them attempting to get to his friends' table nearby with a fresh beer in each hand.
Katheryn winced and shook it off. If she was the kind of girl she had suggested to Harris, she was more than likely used to this kind of atmosphere. Therefore, she had to act like it. In fact, she gave a few bikers an uncomfortably broad and flirtatious smile as they found themselves leaning up against the bar.
Kath began searching for Harris but didn't notice anyone in charge who looked remotely like him. But another figure appeared from the next room, his arms filled with a load of freshly-cleaned mugs for the evening rush. Katheryn tried casting a smile his way to get his attention. He immediately noticed as he settled the crate underneath the counter and rose back to full height, smiling to her in return.
Katheryn propped her chin on her fist and leaned forward to put her best flirt forward as Harris stopped in front of her, setting a clean glass in front of her. "What'll it be, pretty lady?"
"Hmm…for some reason I'm not very thirsty tonight."
Harris fingered the edge of the cup as he glanced around the room. Katheryn knew he was making sure she had not been followed.
"I meant what I said the other day," Katheryn continued. "I really like you."
Harris cracked open a signature smile Kath had not yet seen. It seemed genuine. And she could almost swear he was blushing just a bit. Which made her both uncomfortable and happy that her cover was solid.
"Well, Katie," he winked, confirming he had not forgotten her name, "You stick around for some drinks and I'll show you a good time tonight. What do you say?"
Katheryn suppressed the urge to swallow the lump in her throat and issued the softest smile she was able to. "I'm looking forward to it already."
Harris began to saunter away, a blanket of pleasure still gracing his impeccable jawline when he suddenly turned, grabbing at Katheryn's wrist and bringing her forward. His eyes were aflame as his breath beat in her wincing face. "How did you find out about this place?" he whispered jeering in her ear.
Sydney was ready to pounce but remained calm. They couldn't blow their cover yet…if it had not been compromised already.
"I—I," Kath cried, her voice cracking from the shear pain in her wrist. "My friend here. She invited me here. I had no idea you worked here. I swear."
Slowly, Harris eased off, running his face through his hand. "I—I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. It's just—we have had some suspicions of cop trouble lately. You can't be too careful. I'm sorry I had to do that. I just had to be careful."
"I understand," Kath mumbled, finally getting the feeling back into her hand as the purple coloring ceased.
Harris then slipped her a piece of paper and winked. "I'll see you tonight. Okay?"
Katheryn picked up the piece of paper, read it quickly, and then looked up into the man's eyes as they felt like they were reading every part of her mind. "I can't wait."
Once he was gone, Sydney touched Kath on the arm. "How's that hand?" she whispered.
"It's fine," Kath insisted, handing the paper to Sydney. "That's the least of our worries. We're in. Now what?"
Sydney read silently, 137 Beecher Street. Deep Ellum. Second floor. The "honeymoon" suite. Love, Harris. "Wow. He really did take a liking to you."
"Yeah," Kath cleared her throat. "Too good of a liking. If Carlos was here he'd be having a fit. He'd be telling me not to do the meet."
"Yeah, and I'd almost agree with him. But we have to go through with it. Gage and Trent are going undercover with the cop while you're busy with Harris."
Katheryn nearly belted out a laugh. "What do you mean by busy? Surely you don't think I'm going through with what he wants to do tonight?!"
"Of course not."
"Then what's the backup plan? Jump out of a random window?" Kath noted sarcastically.
"Maybe try the cat and mouse game. Tease him and insist on another meeting later on."
"Not a chance. He's super touchy. He'll be suspicious of that."
"True." The twosome fell silent in thought. It wouldn't be an easy task to say the least.
Trent, Gage, and Detective Beecham crouched over a layout of Harris' bar in the back of an undisclosed laundry truck about a quarter of a mile away from said establishment in an abandoned parking lot. While deducing the plan for the evening, they had been listening in on Kath and Sydney's undercover mission through earpieces, secretly thankful that everything had gone smoothly so far.
But without alerting the other two men, Trent was just as concerned about what Harris wanted with Katheryn as she was. They would have to get the evidence they needed to help Beecham and get out of there. Hopefully they would get enough to be able to arrest Harris before he could do any damage. Sydney's cat and mouse game might actually be the only thing that would work.
"So here's the entrance," Beecham pointed out on the page, a flashlight also guiding the way. "I'm going to go in for work in about half an hour like I usually do. You guys will hang tight for about an hour before you each come in separately. I've got a meeting with Harris about hiring a bouncer to help me out. While we're talking, you guys get into a fight, and I'll rush in like the cavalry. When I break up the fight, I'll run the instigator out and try to recruit the other one. Harris should be leaving for the day by then. He'll want to close up shop. So I'll say I want to show you the ropes. I'm hoping he'll let me lock up for the night since he's eager to get to your Miss Spencer."
Something inside of Trent wasn't settling right as he nodded in agreement with the plan. It sounded risky. But every undercover mission he'd ever been near to was always risky. It went with the territory. He simply shrugged the matter off, blaming it on the nervous energy that always rushes into the veins before a job.
With a unit of Rangers on the outskirts of the meeting place as backup for Katheryn, the evening hours came far too quickly than any of them had anticipated.
Just beyond the antiquated L-shaped relic of a motel from decades before, a taxi piloted by an undercover Ranger pulled to the curb, letting Katheryn out long enough for her to pay her fare and issue words of caution before pulling away.
As Katheryn stood under the canopy of stars in the bone-chilling darkness of the night, a shiver consumed every inch of her body…not to be blamed on her scant undercover attire. She could already feel a slight chaff on her skin where the fabric clung to her snuggly, her nose wrinkled as she tried to wiggle away the itch while she was still out of sight. Not to mention the draft she could feel at the edge of the dress which lay just around her lower thighs. At least the straps were a centimeter thick, she thought with a chuckle on her breath. After taking one last deep cleansing breath, Katheryn took a step forward, managing to keep both heels stable on the ground as she stepped forward.
Taking a good look around the rather dim establishment, she searched for the room she was supposed to go to. She spotted it almost immediately on the second floor. Her heart sank as she realized how far she would have to run to reach the staircase if she had to make a run for it. It didn't give her any comforts at all.
The shuffle of her feet coming to a standstill at the door couldn't be heard above Kath's pounding heart as she finally laid a few soft knocks on the door and took a genteel step back to await her fate, trying her best to step into character. She could hear someone moving around inside and saw a light come on and go off. Then another light appeared, then another, as if candles were being lit. Seconds later, Kath's heart stopped as Scott Harris' face appeared before her.
"Well, hello there." His smooth greeting flowed as he step aside and waved her in. "Make yourself comfortable." He ambled over to a vintage record player, lifting the needle softly until he reach the third track and set it gently onto the music to let the soft jazz tunes surround them and set the mood.
Katheryn was observing the bed covered in rose petals when she felt two hands begin to massage her shoulders. She could feel the battle in her body. Although scared to relax, she could feel the magic in the stranger's hands gently bringing Katie out of her while Katheryn remained suppressed for fear of what could happen. She knew what was coming next. And she had to delay it for as long as possible. Kath shrugged out from under the soothing massage and made a straight path for the bathroom, a fake cry welling from her throat.
Harris was confused. His forehead creased and reddened cheeks illustrating his displeasure. He followed Kath into the bathroom and watched her mascara streak on her face. "What's the matter, darling? Don't you want to be here?"
"I do," Katheryn sniffed. "It's just…I'm afraid. I—I've never done this before."
Harris' eyes flashed open in disgust. "What do you mean? I thought you did this for a living? I expect to hire you if all this goes as planned. I've got a girl quitting next week. I need you." He began to caress her cheek. "You're the most beautiful woman of them all."
Katheryn let out a little smile, the fakest of them all as she found his eyes. She did well to hide the fear they struck into her as she reached up to kiss him on the cheek. As she had hoped, it appeased him and made up for her slipup. "Yes, I've done this before. I didn't lie. What I meant to say is that nobody has ever made me feel special like this. It's been like some cheap transaction to them. No music or flowers. Just there and gone."
"I see." Harris continued brushing away her tears. "I guarantee I'll make you feel amazing tonight." With that he let his hand travel down her arm, caressing her waist and brushing against her hip until he had his hand in hers and was leading her back to the bedroom.
Kath feared the delay had not been nearly long enough. She estimated Trent and Gage to have only just begun to dig through the trenches of the bar. It would be a while before they'd be coming to her rescue. Then in that moment she could feel her heart sink and nearly shatter as she realized she might have to go through with this. This wasn't what she had in mind when she thought of undercover work. Giving away the one thing she was saving for only one man that was in her life. And now she was faced with a choice. She could run and risk her and the guys' cover being blown, or she could stay and fake the most romantic night of her nightmares.
Then as Harris escorted her to the edge of the bed, his hand nearing the strap of her dress as his lips drew closer to her in sweet preamble, she knew distinctively that there was nothing else she could do but endure.