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She had to draw Mitch’s mind away from the situation.Theyonly had to be involved with themselves, not something they had no control over.
Vanessa could control what happened in this bathtub. Any sense of injustice or concern for others had to be put on hold for another night.
Part 2
Into the Dark
Chapter 10
WhenVanessaandMitchreported everything they had seen in Club Night, Agent James became more determined to see the investigation all the way through… especially now that there was anin,let alone a financial one.
Mitch was aware that none of the money she was paid for her “entertainment” would end up in her bank account. From the moment she and Vanessa officially became confidential informants for the FBI, things worked differently. They had to report to either Agent James or another agent shortly after every meeting in Club Night to go over whatever evidence they had procured or leads they had established. To keep Mitch and Vanessa away from the FBI office, the point of contact arrived every Monday or Tuesday in a florist van, carrying in three loads of bouquets that often made Vanessa’s allergies act up.
Agent James possessed no real reaction when Mitch explained what she had been hired to do. “Do whatever Candace asks you to do,” Agent James said in Vanessa’s office the following week, her florist’s costume clashing with her serious demeanor. “As long as it’sthisspecific situation, you will not be in trouble for committing misdemeanors and even some felonies.”
“I’m aware of how it works,” Mitch said.
It was Vanessa who was uncomfortable. “I’m not letting her be pimped out to the kind of nefarious bastards and unsavory characters who might walk into that club.”
Mitch glanced at her from the couch in Vanessa’s office. “I know what I’m doing. It won’t come to that.”
“What if it does?”
“She knows I belong to you, not her. I’m there because she thinks I’mcute,Van. She’s not going to cross a boundary and piss you off.”
“How do you know?”
“I just know.”
Vanessa was not happy with that answer. Agent James was bemused.
“Tell me more about Thalia,” the agent said, changing the subject. “You said she was a waitress at the restaurant Candace owns in the Financial District?”
“Yup.”
“And that the woman you saw leaving with someone named Irene is also a maid in Candace’s employ?”
“Yup.”
Agent James was not perturbed by Mitch’s clipped answers. “Is she trafficking her staff?”
“Not the craziest thing we’ve encountered,” Vanessa said. “Unfortunately.”
The agent contemplated that. “I’d like to speak to Ms. Cruise. Alone.”
Vanessa bristled. “Absolutely not.”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Richards, but the fewer people hear certain instructions, the better.”
“That makes me even more adamant that she is not alone with you. If Mitch and I are doing this, it’s imperative that –”
“Vanessa,” Mitch said. “It’s fine. I’d like to talk to her alone as well. Why don’t you check in with Luke? You haven’t yet today.”
Her partner looked at Mitch as if she had overstepped her bounds.That’s how it goes sometimes.This was a serious enough matter that Mitch wasn’t even expecting a punishment – and if Vanessa went that route later, Mitch would push back.What’s the point of this relationship if I can’t tell her when to back off?
Eventually, Vanessa got up, snatched her phone off her desk, and marched out of her office. Mitch waited for her to be gone, door closed, before turning her attention to Agent James.
“She doesn’t like being told what to do, does she?” the agent mused.
