Uncovered Undercover

Introductions

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 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.