“It’ll work,” I said, a proud smile on my face. I had to admit, Leona was sort of a hot guy. Not really my type—my type was six two and athletic—but she could definitely get a date.
“You’re really handsome,” Izzie murmured from the doorway.
“Thanks, babe,” Leona said in her best guy voice. Izzie giggled.
“Oh, come on!” Kira threw her hands up in the air.
Leona sauntered over, doing her best macho-guy walk. “Hey, blondie,” she said, tilting her head. “By the end of the night, you’re going to be all over me.”
“Gross!”
We all started laughing, and my phone vibrated on the granite of my kitchen counter. I reached over to grab it but cringed when I saw it was Joel. I’d forgotten to call him earlier, and I certainly couldn’t answer with Kira here. I felt her look at me, so I just hit “ignore” and reached over to grab the nearest plate.
I turned back to the squad, holding it out. “Cookie?”
Kira drove as we headed toward Rick Sanchez’s house in the Richmond District. It was a small, cute house, which wasn’t great for parties (I’d been to a few there before with Aiden). But Rick had a massive backyard with a fire pit that was perfect for an undercover operation. Not much light.
“Park a few blocks away,” I said when we turned onto Cooper Street. “We don’t want anyone recognizing the car.”
“Good idea,” Kira answered and glided to the curb. Only she bumped it hard, and we all fell to the side.
“Ow,” Izzie said as her forehead smacked the passenger window. “Damn it, Kira!”
We all turned to stare at her. She looked back at us, irritation all over her face as she rubbed at her forehead. Then as if she’d just realized what she’d said, she apologized.
“Jeez, take a pill, Iz. I got us here alive, didn’t I?”
“I’m sorry,” she said again, shaking her head. “I’m just not feeling well.”
“Are we ready?” Leona asked, interrupting and sounding nervous. Making a mental note to check on Izzie later, I nodded.
“Think so.”
“Wait,” Kira said. “Come here.” Leona leaned forward between the seats, and Kira reached out to smooth down Leona’s mustache with her red-tipped fingers. “There. If you’re going to be a guy, you’ll want to make sure your facial hair is well-groomed and not, you know, falling off your face.”
“Thanks, babe,” Leona said in deep-toned male voice. Kira stared at her and then smiled.
“You know,” she whispered. “You’re actually kind of turning me on right now.”
“Told you!” Leona eyes lit up. “You’re so predictable Kira.”
“Oh, shut up,” Kira said, turning around in the seat. “I was only kidding.”
I wasn’t sure that was true, but at least, it would give Leona some confidence before going into the party. Smart thinking on Kira’s part.
“Izzie,” I said, reaching out to put my hand on her shoulder. “Did you bring the listening device?”
She fumbled through her backpack before taking out the small red box and opening it. I plucked out the device and pulled off the adhesive backing.
“Where do you want it?” I asked Leona.
She looked over her blue flannel for a second and then took the device from my hand, sticking it inside her front pocket. “Check the feed,” she said to Kira.
Kira slipped the earbud in and held her finger against it. We were all silent for a few seconds until she gave us the thumbs-up.
“Strawberry smoothie,” I said. “Now.” I turned to Leona. “You’re name is …”
“Rocco Roberto from East Washington. I’m here because I’m thinking of transferring.” She exhaled. “But no one will get a chance to ask me. I plan on sticking to the shadows and staying under the radar. Now,” she held out her hand, “let me have the phone.”
Izzie passed back the camera phone, and Leona clicked it on and tested it. “It’ll be tough to get clear footage with it being so dark, but the fire should provide some sort of light. I’ll stream what I can get though.”
My heart was racing. Even though finding the culprit would help the healing process for the squad, I was terrified that Leona would get caught. Queen of the Nile! People hated us a ton already. What would Blaze do if he caught us spying again? It might turn into a flipping stake burning.
I gulped.
“It’s going to be okay, Tess,” Leona said quietly, patting my leg. It was a little odd with her being dressed as a guy. It felt sort of tingly.
“I hope you’re right.”
“This is supersweet and all,” Kira said, “but we need to move out. Time is of the essence.”
“Wow.” I widened my eyes. “You got that saying right!”
“Obvi.”
“On that note …” Leona opened the back door and slid out onto the darkened street, having us check her over one last time to make sure everything was taped down and masculine. Then she started strolling down the sidewalk toward Rick’s house.
“This better work,” Kira murmured as we watched her. Her strut was a bit over the top as her boots clopped on the pavement, but overall, I’d say she was passing inspection.
A few tense moments passed when she disappeared around the corner and Kira held her finger to her ear. After another second, she looked up at me and smiled. “She’s in.”
I began to chew on my lip as I waited for an update. Had I just sent my friend to the slaughter? What if they spotted her as a fake the minute she stomped in? “She’s streaming video,” Kira said, motioning for me to get out my phone.
I quickly signed into our SOS account and sat back as Izzie leaned over to see. At first, the image on the small screen was grainy and at about crotch height. Leona must have been holding the phone at her side.
“There’s Blaze Harmon,” I said. “I’d recognize that belt buckle anywhere.” It was silver and said, “Badass Mother F”—well, it said a bad word. Not easy to miss.
“Score.” Kira laughed. “Leona just got hit on by Cecelia Penn!”
“Really?”
Kira’s smile was wide when she turned to me. “She asked if Leona wanted to”—she made finger quotes—“‘go someplace more private.’ But in her defense, she’s sounds pretty tipsy.”