Page 37 of The B-Team

“Well,” Ryan said slowly. “Are you going to share with the group?”

“Yes, yes, I am.” Her cheeks turned pink. “But first, I really need to use the bathroom.”

There was a round of frustrated groans as Belinda rushed to the bed to help her sister.

“Back off,” Belinda ordered in a fierce voice. “Julia’s doing the best she can, considering she’s on bed rest. You can wait another five minutes to find out what she knows. Be nice.”

“Wow,” Isobel said. “She sounds just like that sergeant major she played in the movie about the submarine. I forget its name. Do it again,” she called to Belinda, who shook her head in exasperation.

“You know”—Claire adjusted her headband, sweeping her blonde hair farther off her face—“once this is all over, we should have a party where Belinda plays all her parts for us. Not the whole thing, just a taster.”

“Oh!” Isobel bounced in her seat, looking like a kid who’d just realized Christmas was coming. “Maybe we can rope in the whole family. Get her mum and brother too.”

“Her brother was sooooooo hot in that last action movie.” Claire fanned herself.

“Will somebody please gag the peanut gallery?” Rachel called, still pacing the room.

“Megan would love it if we got Belinda’s brother to put on his superhero costume for the party,” Claire said gleefully. “That character’s one of her fantasy men. In fact, sometimes she gets Dimitri to dress up as him.”

Ryan groaned loudly. “Rachel, I’m letting you off the leash. It’s bad enough listening to Megan talk about her sex life. I don’t need to hear it from her sister.” He pointed at Claire. “Attack!”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“When the cop comes with our dinner,” Megan Raast said to her cellmate, Violet Lee, “you need to flirt with him and see if you can get some useful information for us to use in our interviews—assuming we get interviewed today. What kind of shoddy operation is this where they leave their suspects languishing in cells all day long? I’ve watchedTaggart. Somebody should have interviewed us by now. But then,Taggartis set in Scotland, and we have higher standards there.”

Violet sat perched on the edge of the platform that doubled as a seat and a bed. Her legs dangled above the floor, and her back was ramrod straight. She’d been in the same position since they were put into the cell. All she’d done was stare at the door as though trying to vaporize it with her glare. She hadn’t even blinked when Megan used the toilet. She was beginning to think Violet had experienced some kind of psychotic break and tuned out entirely.

“Violent, are you listening to me? We need information, and you’ll have to get it. I can’t flirt. I’m married.” She thought about that. “Well, technically, Icanflirt, but it’s unethical. So, it’s up to you.”

Slowly, like an evil toy in a horror movie, Violet turned her manic stare on Megan.

Yay! It’s alive.

“I’m not flirting,” she said firmly.

Megan was undaunted. Violet might have a reputation for violence, but Megan was recklessly fearless. It took a lot more than a tiny woman from Glasgow to intimidate her.

“Yes, you are. We need to find out more about this Fitzwater guy and what his beef is with Benson Security.”

“Why?” Violet glared some more.

“Because,” Megan said slowly, “we need to find out his weak spots so we can put pressure on them.”

Violet narrowed her eyes. “I’m not flirting.”

Honestly, if Megan still had her gun, she’d have shot the woman. Nothing deadly; maybe just pop one in her backside to get her attention.

“Violet, you’ll have to take one for the team on this. I can’t do it even if I wanted to. All the cops know I’m Dimitri’s wife, so they wouldn’t take me seriously. Just bat your lashes, throw out some compliments, then ask him what’s put the bug up Fitzwater’s butt.”

“No.”

Megan let out a strangled groan as she twisted her long blonde hair up into a knot on the top of her head. “What is your problem? Don’t you know how to flirt?”

When Violet’s cheeks turned a dark shade of pink, Megan almost choked on air.

“Seriously?” Megan gaped at her. “You don’t know how to flirt?”

Violet pushed her shoulders back even farther. If she got any more uptight, she’d snap her own back. “I know how to flirt. I’ve just never done it.”