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Would she still be alive if I hadn’t gone after Vitale like that? Did he target her on purpose just because he knew that I liked her so much? I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s not like I wish this fate on any of the other girls – they’re all excellent people just trying to make it in a dark, unforgiving world. But Shimmer had a light in her that hadn’t been burned out by the ways of the world yet, and now that light is gone forever.
And for all I know, it’s my fault.
“Do you have any other details? Like, anything at all? You know I didn’t do this, Leo,” I plead.
“She checked into the motel at around two in the morning, so if you have an alibi for that time, you should at least be able to fight this,” he replies. His tone doesn’t sound hopeful or convincing, and all I need right now is just a little bit of hope that I can crawl out of this mess.
“What the hell are you going to do?” he continues.
“I know who this was, first of all. It was Vitale. I don’t have a concrete alibi for that time, because I was arriving home from threatening him. He’s the one who has been behind this whole trafficking operation. He must have gone out to kill her as a warning to me that he’s not fucking around,” I reply, my voice dark.
“Vitale isn’t smart enough to be getting away with this. How do you figure?”
“No, he isn’t, but he knows I’m an easy target with the police. He knows that they’ll want to come after me for multiple reasons. The biggest reason they’re after me is for making them look stupid when I’ve stepped in to diffuse situations they were responsible for. That doesn’t even begin to cover all the black market shit we’ve been up to. Vitale is nobody to the cops, and human trafficking is a very alluring reason to put me in prison,” I reply, losing my breath as the reality of the situation begins to hit me.
To think that only ten minutes ago, I was jerking my dick to the thought of a beautiful woman. Now a girl is dead, and I’m being blamed for it.
“Whether he’s responsible or not, you need to make sure your lawyer knows what’s up. If the cops find probable cause to arrest you, they’ll be on your doorstep in minutes. They’re foaming at the mouth for a reason to arrest you,” he warns.
Leonardo is getting nervous about this as well, just based on the way his voice is wavering. He knows that if I go down, then so does he. It’s a part of the sacrifice that we make for the lifestyle that we enjoy, and we might be losing it all at once.
“Okay, so listen to me. I know how we can get Vitale in the spotlight for this, for all of it. That girl I’ve got here who is writing an article about me? She could go undercover and pretend to be a trafficking victim in order to gain evidence against him. It’ll be a hell of a lot easier to get evidence proving that he’s responsible instead of proving that I’m not,” I reply, feeling a small glimmer of hope beginning to take shape in my chest.
“That sounds insane. Didn’t you rescue her from Blanco? That night at the warehouse? She’ll never want to put herself in that position again,” he replies.
I know he’s right, at least about how she might feel about it, but I know I can gain her trust. “No, listen to me. She’s here to help me clear my name, and we’ll have a wire on her. We’ll be listening from somewhere close by, maybe from a van or an empty building. She won’t be in the same position. If things go bad, we can rush in and save her.”
I can practically hear him rubbing his temples and rolling his eyes at me.
“You know what? That sounds a hell of a lot more complicated than just getting your lawyer involved, but you know I’ll be here by your side through it all. Just... really think it through before we start putting this plan together, please. I have a family.”
“Alright, you know I will. I’ll talk to you later. I have a lot of shit I need to do now,” I say, hanging up the phone.
I toss my phone onto my bed, sitting next to it as I allow this new predicament to settle into me. I’m so angry at all the issues that Vitale has brought to me after all I’ve done for him. The fact that greed alone has brought him to the point of committing atrocities against these women makes my blood boil.
Now for the hard part.
I’ll need to work extremely hard at gaining Iris’s trust, to the point that she’ll go through this with me. She might like me, sure, but she’ll need to trust me with herlifeif I have any shot at this working.
I know it’ll take time, time that I don’t have. If there’s anything I can do to accelerate the process, I’ll have to find it. She’s not a materialistic girl. That much has been proven. I don’t want to be too gratuitous by showering her with gifts that she doesn’t want, which would be my strategy if she were anyone else. I’ll have to work really hard at this, even if I have to let my own guard down.
Asking Iris to pose as a trafficking victim does feel like a step too far, but she might just be desperate enough for that standout article to actually do it. As far as journalism goes, having the opportunity to go undercover with the protection of the mafia seems like a dream for someone like her. She’s dedicated enough to her craft to stay with me in the first place, so that might be the perfect angle for me to work.
For now, though, I’m going to take her out to Pepper tonight. I can show her how my men operate as protectors while also potentially getting more information about what happened to Shimmer. Iris will also have the opportunity to see how these girls behave in order to mimic their speaking patterns as well as the way they carry themselves.
I’ll have to get her something to wear that will help her blend in. I might allow some self-interest to bleed into my choice, especially now that I’ve gotten a glimpse of her naked body. I need to see as much of her as possible without being pushy or demanding.
I can hear Iris’s shower running once more, and I’m starting to wonder if there’s more to her excessive bathing routine than just wanting to feel clean. It’s a stupid musing to have, especially since we just got done playing tennis in the sun, but it’s arousing to think about her playing with her slick, soapy tits as she imagines me sucking on them.
I need to focus. Before I can even ask Iris to participate in this mission, I need to make sure that it’s feasible to begin with. I’ll spend the rest of the day writing up the logistics of the plan before we head to the club. At least then I’ll have an idea to work with while I’m questioning the employees about Shimmer.
12
Iris
“Hey, put this on. We’re going out tonight.”
Matteo intercepts me in the hallway as I head downstairs for a small snack. He tosses a black dress at me, catching me off guard. I almost drop the dress, stumbling along the wall.
