Thanks again for the feedback. It's much appreciated.

TOC is here .

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~
From part 12:

“So why not just kill you?” Clark asks. “I’m glad he didn’t, but why the elaborate set up and marriage?”

“Several reasons,” I answer. “Lex loves a challenge and it was probably a thrill to win me over and to destroy my independence. We also overheard Lex saying that it’s embarrassing to do away with someone; that it announces he lacks the finesse to deal with something more creatively. He feels like he’s let himself down.”

Clark’s face twists in disgust. “There are so many things wrong with that statement that I don’t even know where to start. The sooner we get him behind bars, the better.”

I can’t help but agree.


~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~
Master of Disguise - Part 13
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~


I smother a giggle as Clark tugs the crotch of his leather pants down for the fourth time.

“It’s a little tight,” he explains.

“Clark,” I beckon him closer with one hand and press the other against the hidden microphone in my top. He leans in close so that I can whisper under my breath. “You’re invulnerable and spend half your life flying around in skin tight spandex. How can this possibly be uncomfortable for you?”

He moves back and glares at me before reaching up to smooth the bandana around his hair, pulling it lower on his forehead. “It’s not that it chafes, it’s the way *they* keep looking at me.”

I look in the general direction of his jerky thumb movements to see several women eyeing Clark like he’s tonight’s dessert special. I glare at them until they turn back to whisper amongst themselves, nursing their drinks and casting longing glances toward my partner’s tight breeches. I allow my eyes to follow the same path, taking in the tight, black dress shirt and then across his posterior as he leans around to look for our man again. I can’t help it. I drool and lick my lips as my eyes linger somewhere lower than his intellect. He clears his throat and my eyes snap up.

“Lois,” he hisses.

“What?” Although I try for innocence, my dry throat and heated cheeks belie the fact I’d been ogling.

“Focus, please?”

“Believe me, I am focused. Very focused...” I mumble the last words then smile at his exasperated growl. A sound, incidentally, that has exactly the opposite effect on me than intended. God, but he is gorgeous.

I laugh and open my compact to check my lipstick. “Face it, Clark. You’re far too attractive for your own good. You should be used to it by now.”

Above my mirror, I watch him roll his eyes before my eyes start the pleasant trip across his broad shoulders and down his muscular arms. His sotto whisper puts me back on the job.

“Are you sure he’ll come?”

“He’ll come. Louie said he will work for anyone if the price is right.” Once I’d made it clear what I wanted, Louie had put the word out that someone named ‘Angel’ wanted John Black for his demolition expertise, along with the date and time of the meeting.

“He’s here,” Clark announces, sliding his sunglasses up his nose.

I fluff my hair and check my face one more time before snapping the compact shut. “Showtime.”

This is it. If we can get his confession, we’ve got the first link between Lex and the destruction of the Daily Planet. I watch John Black settle onto a bar stool as Clark approaches him, whispers something to him and slips him a stack of hundred dollar bills. Black pockets the money before nodding, rising to follow Clark as he leads him back to my table.

Black settles in across from me and Clark takes up a protective position to my back, playing my faithful bodyguard. Black leers at me, his eyes roaming to focus on my cleavage. The red leather halter-top is my favorite for this very reason. He won’t suspect that there’s anything going on above my neckline.

“So,” I smack my gum loudly to pull his attention back to my face. “You Johnny?”

“Who’s askin’, baby doll?”

“I’m Angel. I got a special kinda job and you come highly recommended. You a free agent?”

“It depends. What’ve you got in mind, sweet thing? You need a little, uh … excitement?”

I mentally gag, but maintain my bimbo façade through remarkable effort and smile innocuously instead. “Sort of. I need some demolition work done, like what you did to that newspaper building last year.”

“Who told you I had anything to do with that?”

“I heard it from the Boss.”

Instead of responding, he takes a slow sip from his drink and then lowers the glass and tips it back and forth, the ice cubes settling into the silence between us. He sets the glass down on the table and looks at me with narrowed eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says at last.

My jaw slows as I chew my gum while considering what to do next. I don’t have a clue what I said or didn’t say that made him suspicious, but I realize that Johnny isn’t going to admit anything, not if I don’t give him an additional incentive. I carefully pull out a stack of money from my cleavage and count out about ten thousand dollars, laying the bills on the table in front of me. I know I’ve made the right move when I catch a glint of greed in his eye.

I slide the stack to the center of the table, but leave my hand on top of it. “I don’t want to play around, Johnny. I’ve got a job to do and I’m willing to pay, but I’m looking for the guy that blew the Planet for Luthor last spring. Was that you?”

He reaches for the money but Clark catches his wrists against the table. Johnny winces in pain at the tight grip and glares at Clark, but he only glares back.

“The lady asked you a question,” Clark says gruffly.

Johnny’s eyes flick to me and I blow a bubble, popping it loudly. “Yeah, that was me,” he finally answers.

“How’d you do it?” I ask. “Did you work the details yourself, or did the Boss plan it out?”

At my nod, Clark releases his hands and Johnny pulls back, sliding the money into his shirt pocket before rubbing his wrist and shrugging. “Bit of both really. It was a cut and dry job. I swiped a lunch pail and the boss supplied the explosives. Since he didn’t care about collateral damage, there wasn’t much planning. I just planted the explosives, waited for his signal and sat back to enjoy the fireworks.”

“You didn’t decide on the timing?”

“Nah. The Boss was very specific – the babe had to be out before it could blow or I wouldn’t get paid.”

I nod and pretend to mull things over as I swallow the bile rising in my throat. “The Boss paid you himself? I didn’t think he dealt directly with thugs.”

Johnny’s eyes narrow at the insult. “I ain’t a thug; I’m the talent.” His eyes roam over my body again. “Cox paid me. You pay out like she does?”

I lick my lips and run my eyes down his body, shifting forward to give him a clear view down my top. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see, won’t you.”

He leers at me again and gives me what I’m sure is meant to be a seductive look. “Why all these questions? What’s that job got to do with yours?”

“I want to bring down a high-profile business man for …personal reasons and figured if you could pull off blowing up the Daily Planet without getting caught, you were the man I wanted.”

“So, do I get the job, or what?”

“Sure,” I giggle again. “Why don’t we go someplace private to discuss the details?”

I stand up and hold out my hand to him, the invitation clear. Johnny grins lasciviously and slips out of the booth to follow me. I turn to walk to the back door of the club with Johnny at my side and Clark falls into step behind us. After a few steps, I feel Johnny’s hand on my butt, which slides down my short leather skirt to linger on my fishnet-clad thigh. I turn to smile at him and catch Clark’s stormy look from the corner of my eye. I risk a quicksilver glare, silently telling him to leave it for the few remaining steps to the back door. In response, Clark hurries forward and opens the door for me.

“Such service,” Johnny mocks before swaggering out of the club and into the alley.

With the crook of a finger, I motion for Johnny to follow me and then I turn to walk hurriedly down the dark alleyway. I see faint splashes of red and blue reflected against the asphalt ahead of me, so I make sure to wiggle my hips enticingly as I walk to keep Black’s attention. It’s probably not necessary since Clark is bringing up the rear – I’m confident that he won’t let Black get away.

My distracting movements must work, because Johnny remains close behind me as I turn the corner of the building. By the time he realizes we aren’t alone, Henderson’s men surround him with their guns drawn. One officer pushes Black up against the wall and frisks him, while another reads him his rights. Clark and I join Henderson and I see Johnny look around frantically for an escape until his eyes land on me, his face darkening in outrage.

I blow a bubble and pop it loudly before reaching into my top. I watch Black’s eyes widen when he sees me pull the wire out of my halter top to hand it back to Henderson. I smirk before turning my attention to Henderson.

“Did you get it?” I ask.

“Every word. Thanks for the tip, Lane.”

Grinning, I turn toward Johnny as the officer cuffs him and then pulls him toward one of the cruisers. I step up close enough to pull the money out of his shirt pocket and smile at his livid expression. “What do you think, Spike? You think the Boss’ll be happy that Johnny spilled the beans?”

“Bitch! You set me up?”

“Yeah, I did,” I giggle. “And you are going to prison for a long, long time.”

“Not so long as you think,” he warns.

“Oh, I beg to differ. Don’t take it personally, Johnny; I’m after the Boss. Catching you is just the icing on my cake.”

In response, Johnny laughs, but it’s a despondent, hopeless laugh. “You ain’t got squat, lady. I’ll never live to testify.”

“Don’t worry, Johnny. Henderson only brought clean cops with him tonight. You’ll live. Besides, I’ve got enough on the Boss to bring him down without you. Taking you down for destroying the Daily Planet is sweet all by itself.”

“You don’t get it. He doesn’t allow loose ends; I’ll be dead by morning and you’ll be close behind. He’s your worst nightmare.”

Henderson approaches and places his hand on top of Johnny’s head, pushing him down into the squad car. “You think the Boss is scary?” Henderson asks, flashing a quick glance at me and shaking his head. “He hasn’t got anything on the Missus.”

Johnny’s eyes widen in recognition as the police officer closes the door in his face. I wave as they drive away. Once he’s gone, I turn to Clark and throw my arms around his neck. He hugs me back and I laugh with joy. “We got him.”

Clark sets me down on my feet and we stand there, staring at each other and smiling like fools. I see his eyes flick down to my mouth and my smile slips, the pit of my stomach quivering at the thought of kissing him. Henderson ruins my chances by butting in with reality.

“Don’t get cocky, Lane. We still need Cox to confess before we can get anything solid on Luthor.”

I pull away from Clark and turn toward Henderson. “But we’re close, aren’t we? You can bring her in on Johnny’s word?”

“Yeah. Thanks to you we’re closer than we’ve ever been. I’ve been looking for the Boss for a long time.” He quirks an eyebrow at me and grimaces. “It almost makes up for the pain you’re putting us through to perpetuate your ‘kidnapping’ story.”

Clark earns an ineffective jab to the ribs when he snorts, trying not to laugh at the byplay between Henderson and I. I roll my eyes and turn back to Henderson, who’s now staring at the microphone in his hand, lost in thought.

“What is it, Bill?” I ask.

“I’m just wondering,” he smirks. “How in the world did you hide this in that scrap of material you call a shirt.”

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

tbc...