One Night of Scandal

“How did you even get his number?” the other girl asked.

“Mac gave it to me. But he warned me that this guy is totally on the down low. Everything is super hush-hush, but his stuff is good and he sells it cheap.” The young woman glanced at her phone display, then squealed. “Ooh, he just got back to me. Come on, let’s go. You have cash on you, right?”

As both girls hopped off their stools, Darcy sprang to action, lightly touching the blonde’s arm. “Excuse me.”

“Yeah?” The girl eyed her warily.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop—I swear, I don’t usually do that—but…Do you think I could get that phone number from you?” Darcy put on her most innocent, unassuming face.

Suspicious brown eyes peered back at her. “Why?”

She offered a sheepish smile. “I’ve been trying to score some—” she leaned in to whisper into the woman’s ear “—Ecstasy for weeks now, but my usual guy is dry.”

“Really? You don’t look like the type who, uh, uses that stuff.”

Darcy laughed. “I don’t do it often, but every now and then I feel like getting a little…happy, if you know what I mean.”

The two women giggled. “Oh, we definitely know what you mean,” the brunette answered.

The blonde quickly clicked a couple of buttons on her BlackBerry, then turned it around so Darcy could view the screen. “Here. Hope this helps you feel happy tonight.” She shot her a warning look. “But you’re only allowed to text him. He won’t pick up the phone if you call.”

Darcy wasted no time pulling her own phone out of her purse and punching in the phone number. Once she was done, she winked at the two girls, thanked them, and then watched them scurry off and get swallowed by the crowd.

The instant they were gone, Darcy spun around and waved her hand in an attempt to get Reed’s attention.

When he noticed her frantic movements, a slight frown marred his lips.

“Get over here!” she called.

Without an ounce of enthusiasm, he made his way over, wiping his hands on a red-and-white-checkered dishrag. “Hey, I know I’m taking a while, but I can’t leave until my relief shows up. It’s insanely busy tonight.” He looked frazzled. “Normally we don’t get a rush this big until closer to ten.”

She spoke in an urgent tone. “I think I just found your drug dealer.”

Confusion filled his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“AJ told me there’s some guy dealing drugs at Sin. Well, I just spoke to two girls who know him.” Darcy beamed at him. “They gave me his phone number.”

He gave a sharp intake of breath. “You’re shitting me.”

“Nope. It’s right here on my phone. Should I text him?”

Reed’s expression went deadly serious. “Yeah. Do it now. Tell him you’re interested in buying a few party favors and you’ve got the cash.”

Darcy started to key in the message, then stopped and shot Reed a blank look. “How do I phrase it? What does Ecstasy even come in? Hits? Pills? Fingers, you know, like whiskey?”

A laugh burst out of his mouth. “Yes, Darcy, ask for two fingers of E. Makes you sound like a real pro.”

She scowled. “Excuuuuuse me for not being super knowledgeable about drugs and all the forms they come in.”

“I thought you knew stuff,” he said smugly.

Her scowl deepened. “Yeah, normal, everyday stuff. I’m not part of a drug cartel!” She pressed send, then set her phone down on the counter. “There. I kept it vague, so we should be good. Hopefully he texts me ba—”

Her iPhone buzzed before she could finish the sentence. Wow. That was one on-the-ball drug dealer. The kids in her eighth grade class could take a lesson or two from him about punctuality.

She quickly read the message, then relayed it to Reed. “He says thirty bucks for two pills—is that a reasonable price or should I try to barter with him?”

Reed rumbled with laughter again. “Tell him it’s fine.”

With a nod, Darcy sent an answering message, and just like before, a response came in right away, instructing her to go to one of the curtained-off alcoves situated throughout the club in exactly thirty minutes. She shot back a quick “KK” before grinning at Reed. “This is so exciting. I feel like a narc.”

He snickered. “You watch too many cop shows.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t watch enough cop shows, otherwise you’d find this as exciting as I do.”

A stern look sharpened his features. “It’s not supposed to be exciting, Darce. Drugs are serious shit.”

An annoyed shout sliced through the trance beat blasting from the DJ platform. “Yo, dude! Quit getting your mack on and bring us our beers!”

“I’ll be right back.” Looking unenthused, Reed hurried off to take care of the waiting patrons.

He didn’t end up coming back for another twenty minutes, and Darcy was thoroughly impressed as she watched him move up and down the bar with ease, filling endless orders and flashing that cocky grin to every customer, male or female. At one point, he clicked on his earpiece and muttered something she couldn’t make out, and then he was suddenly heading back to her.

He lifted up the wooden barrier that blocked off the bar area, opening his mouth to address her just as a tall, bulky man with a shaved head stalked up to them. Darcy recognized him as one of the bouncers, but she couldn’t remember his name.