Denise and Jerod spent the next three hours removing anything from the house that could possibly connect them to Fantasy Enterprises.
The laminated cards with various sex positions, the prototype smartwatches, the laptops and tablets, the butcher block paper lining an entire wall in the living room. All of it. They pulled it down, packed it up, and loaded it in Jerod's van.
When they were done, the command center was returned to its previous state as an ordinary living room.
Once they were convinced the house was completely sanitized, Jerod grabbed his keys and his jacket and headed for the front door. Denise stopped him in the hallway.
"Hold on. I want to come with you," Denise said.
"I think it's better you didn't," Jerod answered. "I don't want you connected to this any more than you already are."
"It's too late for that," she said. "We're in this together."
Jerod sighed and then nodded.
"OK," he said simply.
Denise grabbed her coat and the two of them climbed into the van.
Watching Jerod as he drove down the lake road, she could see his mind was working hard, trying to figure things out.
She noticed he kept looking in the rearview mirror.
"Do me a favor," he said. "Keep your head on a swivel. Look for shadows."
Denise checked both side mirrors and looked over her shoulder.
"Do you think we're being followed?" Denise asked.
"I don't know," Jerod answered. "But I don't want to take any chances."
Denise kept checking the mirrors, left and right.
"How's it looking?" Jerod asked as they merged onto I-20.
"Nothing," she answered. "There was a car, but they turned off."
"Good," he said.
Denise looked at him, pensively.
"What would we do if we
were
being followed?" she asked.
He turned and looked at her, his brow furrowed.
"We'd do a heat check," he answered evenly.
"A heat check?"
"When you think you're being followed, you do something unexpected. Like stop at a gas station, or make a U-turn. Then you see what they do."
"And if they make a U-turn too," Denise said, "you know you're being followed."
"Well, you know they
might
be following you. Or, it could just be a coincidence. So, then you make a second random move. If they're still there, then you know for sure."
Denise thought about this. Then she looked at him and smiled.
"Are you sure you weren't in the CIA or something?" she asked.
Jerod smiled, glancing at her.
"Nah, just read a lot of detective novels, that's all. You know."
"And you ... just retained it all?" Denise asked.
Jerod shrugged and continued driving towards downtown Dallas.
"Could you do me a favor and give Jasmine a call?" he asked. "We've got to figure out where to store this stuff."
Denise pulled out her cell and found Jasmine's number. A few moments later, she was picking up.
"Hey, It's me. I'm driving with Jerod. Let me put you on speaker."
"Hi," Jerod began. "Listen, Denise and I are heading downtown. Do you want to us for a drink? How about Sixty Vines. We'll be there in about twenty minutes. Okay, see you there."
This was news to Denise. Sixty Vines was a trendy beer and wine spot in Uptown. They'd eaten there before, but this hardly seemed like the time to socialize. They had a lot of work to do. Then she remembered -- it was located right across the street from Jasmine's store.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Jerod pulled over to let Denise out.
"See if she's inside," Jerod said, "I'll find a place to park."
Denise entered the restaurant and found it bustling with 20- and 30-somethings. She told the hostess she was joining a friend and then headed to the bar. She scanned the room looking for Jasmine.
The restaurant was sleekly modern, with spacious rooms and an airy, California vibe. She found a bar stool and ordered a glass of wine. Within five minutes, Jasmine walked in the front door.
She was wearing a flowing, satiny top with form-fitting Capri pants. She was wearing her hair up and she looked as alluring as ever.
Denise gave her a wave and Jasmine smiled and waved. She greeted Denise with a kiss on both cheeks.
"Where's Jerod?" she asked.
"Parking," Denise said. "What would you like to drink?"
"Well, I haven't eaten since lunch so nothing too strong."
"I haven't either," Denise smiled, "and it's not stopping me."
"What are you having?" Jasmine asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Pinot," Denise answered. "It's good. Want a taste?"
"You or the wine?" she said, flirtatiously.
Jasmine caught the bartender's eye and signaled she wanted one just like it.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," Jasmine said, leaning against the bar next to Denise. "I thought, after such a long day, you guys would be taking it easy."
Denise looked at her steadily.
"Something's come up," Denise said matter-of-factly. "We need to talk to you."
Jasmine nodded.
"What about?" she asked.
The bartender placed a large glass of red wine in front of Jasmine. She nodded her thanks. Denise waited until the bartender was out of earshot.
"Let's find a quiet place to sit."
Denise put some bills on the bar and they worked their way toward an open-air patio. They found a cluster of Adirondack chairs away from the crowd. Denise texted Jerod to tell him where they were.
A few moments later, Jerod arrived, striding across the patio, looking cool and collected. He bent over, kissed Jasmine on the cheek, then lowered himself into the third remaining chair.
"We're drinking Pinot," Denise said. "Do you want something?"
"I'm good for now," he said. "If the waiter comes, maybe I'll get something."
Jasmine eyed Jerod, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Denise said you wanted to discuss something with me?" Jasmine said.
Jerod calmly relayed the news to Jasmine, as concisely and as directly as he could. He told her about the trouble they'd had with the security guys at the lake and how they seemed to be keeping an eye on the house. While, he didn't think there was a formal investigation underway, he wanted to err on the side of caution. Besides, it wasn't the rent-a-cops that worried him -- it was the fact that one of them might get the Texas Rangers involved.
"I don't think we're under surveillance," Jerod said. "To be safe though, I don't think we should meet at the house anymore."
Jasmine listened carefully.
"Where are we going to meet then?" she asked.
That was just like Jasmine. Fearless and undeterred. Jerod liked that about her.
"I was wondering if could meet at your store," Jerod said.
Jasmine thought about this for a moment.
"Sure. But it would have to be at night. After we close. I don't want to have to explain things to my mother."
"Got it," Jerod answered. "Could we start as soon as tomorrow night?"
"Yes. We close at five-thirty. How about seven o'clock?"
"OK," Jerod said. "There's one other thing. I have all our business-related stuff in the van. Papers, supplies, computer stuff. Is there someplace we could store that stuff that's secure? And discreet?"
"Our stockroom's in the underground garage," Jasmine said. "There's a big, unused storage room. It's practically empty. We could use that."
"Perfect," Jerod said. "Thank you, Jasmine."
Denise handed Jerod her glass of wine and he took a big sip. He handed it back and let out a deep sigh. He leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.
"Thank you," he said softly.
Jasmine smiled, glad she could take some of the burden off of his broad shoulders.
After finishing their drinks, the three walked back to where Jerod parked the van. They piled in, with Jasmine sharing the passenger seat with Denise. She guided him to the entrance of the underground garage. She gave Jerod the access code and led him to an empty parking spot near the freight elevator.
They spent the next hour unpacking the van's contents and putting it in the storage room.
When they were done, they were famished. They chatted about where they could grab a quick bite.
"You're welcome to have dinner at my place" Jasmine said. "I've got some Shirin Polow and Kufteh. It's leftovers, but it's quite good."
Denise and Jerod looked at each other.
"Yeah, sure" Denise said, "that's sounds great. You sure it's not too much trouble?"
"No trouble at all," Jasmine said with a smile.
Jasmine lived in an apartment in the same luxury high rise where the store was located. Five minutes later, they were standing outside her door.
Her apartment was on the tenth floor and had a "soft loft" architectural design: tall ceilings, hardwood floors, and an open layout. The living room was flanked by two low lying white leather couches with colorful, woven pillows. Textiles and art prints adorned the walls.
"Beautiful," Denise said as she took it all in. "I love how you've decorated it."
"The bathroom's in here," Jasmine said, opening the door and turning on the light in her bedroom. "Help yourself."
Inside, a king-sized bed was fitted with an ethnic bedspread.
"Pretty convenient," Jerod said, "living in the same building as your shop."
"It makes for a nice commute," Jasmine smiled.
She poured out three glasses of red wine and invited Denise and Jerod out on the balcony to take in the view. The Dallas skyline was sparkling in the twilight. In the foreground, they had a view of Uptown and the Dallas Museum of Art.
"Great view," Jerod said. "Do you own this place?"
"No, I'm renting," Jasmine said. "I want to get my own place at some point. Maybe outside the city."
Jerod checked the time.
"I need to call the team," Jerod said. "Let them know about the change in plans. Jasmine, do you mind if I use your phone?"
"Of course not," she said. "You can use the phone in the bedroom."
Jerod didn't want to go over logistics using his own phone. Just in case. The more he could keep Jasmine, her store, and the sales team off the radar, the better.
Denise and Jasmine returned to the kitchen. Jasmine pulled some food out of the refrigerator and began reheating them on the stove.
