by Voss, Deja
“Do you have any idea how much you must mean to him?”
Did she have any idea what the two of us had been through together? Did she have any idea how he was my sanity, my voice of reason, my guiding compass. Everything he taught me just by being who he was? Did she have any idea how many times he’d put his life on the line for me. How many times he sacrificed his mental health to me.
Did she have any idea how much he meant to me, and how fucking painful it was trying to keep him away so he didn’t have to sacrifice anymore?
He was out of the agency. I was in. I wasn’t going anywhere. He was already gone.
These paths weren’t supposed to cross anymore. We were like that wort case scenario when you jumped a car battery and accidentally crossed the cables and blew yourself up. I was destined for explosion. He was better than that.
“We’ve always been very close,” I said. “He means a lot to me, too.” Fucking everything. He meant everything. Everything that I didn’t deserve. Everything I could never have.
“If I’m going to be hanging around here helping you, so are the guys. Husband’s order,” she said, pursing her lips.
“I’d rather none of you be around here, but I guess it’s too late for that now. You know this is an active investigation.”
“What are you going to do? Arrest me?”
“You might have to speak on trial. If you want to keep your connections in the industry, how will that look? What about the club? If these guys have to testify against somebody, don’t you think that would put them in a dangerous position? Isn’t that why Law got out of the agency in the first place?”
“You don’t worry about that. You know exactly why Law got out of the agency and it sure as shit wasn’t because he was afraid of testifying in court.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
There was laughter in the hallway, followed by pounding on the door, and I knew our private conversation was about to come to an end.
“And don’t you worry about me and this business. I’m never showing my pussy on camera ever again. I’m a changed woman,” she said with a wink. She hovered her finger over the coke crusted table before shoving it back in her pocket. “Neither one of us is showing our pussies on camera. Direct order from the bosses.”
“That’s a relief,” I said.
“Although if I do, Judas made me promise lesbian shit only.” I couldn’t tell if she was serious when she licked her lips at me.
“We gotta get out of here.” I rolled my eyes at her and walked to the door. “Thanks for your help.”
“I’ll get you up to Sabine speed in no time at all. First things first, we’re going to have to get you a whole lot of garlic though.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sage:
I sat at my vanity, dabbing concealer under my eyes. The breeze from the window fluttered the floor length sheer curtains and they took on an elegant form, like the ghost of a lady.
This place was beautiful, but I definitely wasn’t trying to stay here longer than I had to. I was as nervous as I was excited to wrap this case up. My life was about to change in ways I never imagined. While I was happy this case was turning into a big fat bust for the sake of these women I’d grown to care about, it was bittersweet. I wasn’t going to save the world. It was time to save myself.
It’d been on the tip of my tongue this whole time, no matter how much I tried to deny it, no matter what I did to stifle it. I loved him. Landon was the only thing in my life that had ever been real, and he was here, ready for me to take the next step. Now I was about to do something that scared me more than going undercover and fighting terrorism. I was about to attempt the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. I was going to have to be myself for once in my life.
I had gathered absolutely zero evidence. I knew this mansion inside and out. I’d seen the books, and aside from a little petty cash going missing here and there, this operation was turning into a spectacular waste of resources for the agency. All I needed was a few more days to write up my final report, and Sabine was going away forever. Unless she actually decided to make a reappearance into the world, that is. On her own terms, obviously.
The guys in the club were enjoying their stay here in the house, that was for sure, but once I officially declared this case a nonissue, they were on their own. I didn’t care if they kept the contract going or not. At least, as long as Law kept his fine ass out of here indefinitely.
“What are you doing, gorgeous?” Kevin asked as he appeared in the doorway. He was holding his laptop. “Did you sleep well last night?”
“I did,” I said. “I am hungry, though. Can you send someone with breakfast?” I had that kid wrapped around my finger. If I told him I wanted something, he dropped everything he was doing to see that I got exactly what I asked for. It would’ve been endearing to most women, but to me, it was weak. How he was going to run this business when I was gone was beyond me, considering every time someone with a set of boobs looked in his direction, he turned into a big old pile of goop.
“I will in a minute. I want to show you something,” he said. “Can I come in?”
I stood up from the vanity and motioned for him to join me. He plopped down on the bed.
“Did you get that teaser video back from the editor already?” I asked. We had filmed a couple shots in the studio yesterday morning of Sabine and Athena dressed in lingerie, bouncing around on a bed. It was definitely way outside of my comfort zone, but compared to some of the stuff I saw going on in the studio in the days prior, it looked like a knitting circle.
I couldn’t deny the fact that I was secretly kind of excited about seeing it. I knew Landon was going to appreciate it.
“Something better,” he said, patting the mattress next to him. “I’ve been meaning to show you this for awhile, but I had to make sure I could trust you first.”
“You ever doubted me?” I asked, sitting down next to him. Maybe he was smarter than I thought. He propped the laptop up on his knee and scooted and inch closer to me, resting back on his elbows. He had this cocky grin on his face, and if I didn’t know that I could take him down with one quick pop to the jugular, I would’ve been a lot more uncomfortable about the whole situation. I wondered where this sudden burst of confidence came from. Maybe he finally found a mail order bride who didn’t find him repulsive or something.
“Just watch. You’ll understand.”
He hit play on the video and my eyes grew wide. It was that familiar dungeon I’d seen in the clip back at the agency. The lights were low, and in the center of the room stood two hooded men, looming over a nearly naked woman with a brown bag over her head. She was obviously in distress, writhing in the chains that bound her to the table. Her body had burn marks all over, and I instinctively cover my eyes as one of the men brandished a sword and began slicing a thin cut across her stomach.
“Kevin what the fuck am I watching?” I stammered. It was very similar to the video the agency showed me before I started this mission. Same dungeon. Same men. I peeked through my fingers and they pulled the bag off her head.
“What the fuck!?” I shouted again, watching Fawn’s face contorted in terror as the man held the knife to her throat. The things they were doing to her body were the most horrible things I’d ever witnessed in my life. Every time she passed out in pain, they slapped her on the face, dumped water on her head, whatever it took to keep her awake.
I fell to the floor and proceeded to vomit as Kevin just sat on the bed laughing.
“Fawn!” I shouted. “You’re a fucking monster.”
Undercover or not, after witnessing that, I couldn’t keep my composure. I grabbed the laptop out of his hands and threw it across the room. It shattered against the wall as I reached for his throat.
“What’s all this noise about?” a familiar voice said with a nervous giggle. I turned and looked over my shoulder and there stood Fawn. There wasn’t a hair out of place on her head. Her tight white tank top showed no s
ign of any marks on her body. As soon as she caught one look at me with my hand around Kevin’s neck, she came rushing over, dropping to her knees beside the bed.
“Lyndsay, stop!” she cried out. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”
I relaxed my grip from him and he choked on the air, trying to catch his breath.
“Let go,” he begged.
I looked at Fawn sitting at my feet, tears rushing to her eyes. “Honey, it’s all fake. I’m here. I’m okay.”
I took a step back and slapped my hands over my face, trying to shake that image from my head. She wrapped her arms around my knees, hugging me to her, and I backed away.
“Don’t,” I said.
“Awe come on, Lynds,” Kevin taunted. “You think a man like me is capable of something like that? I told you I had computer skills. We’ve been putting these videos out on the black market for months now. You wouldn’t believe what people will pay for them.”
I wasn’t sure what he was capable of anymore. Prior to today, I had trouble looking at him as anything but a slimy bastard. Now, in my eyes, he was a sick monster.
“I don’t understand,” I said. “People are going to find out she’s not dead. What happens then? They come after you? They come after her? It’s not safe for anyone.”
“I get to go on a ten year vacation. All expenses. After that, I never have to work a day in my life again. I’d say that’s winning.”
“We’ve made arrangements for Fawn to live a life of privacy. Lots of NDAs of course. After about ten years the dust should be settled enough and she’ll be too old to work in the industry anyway. I don’t just make stars, Lyndsay, I make futures for our talent.”
“Well aren’t you just the kindest,” I said sarcastically. “Is this a common practice in this business?”
“Not especially. We can’t do this as much as we like. If law enforcement caught wind of the kind of stuff we’re putting on the dark web, you know they’d be up our asshole in two seconds flat. We’d have to come clean, and there goes a huge chunk of bitcoin in everyone’s pocket.”
I paced around the bedroom, still reeling from what I just watched. He made it sound so innocent. He made it sound like just some people dicking around shooting a horror film in the basement. I was never an advocate for censorship, but this, knowing what kind of people would pay money to watch this kind of shit, knowing that these sick monsters walked amongst us every day.
“I can’t be associated with a brand that does this kind of shit,” I said. “I don’t want my name on this. I would think you would’ve informed me before I signed any contracts.”
“This is a completely separate entity, Lynds,” he said. He stood up from the bed and I scurried to the other side of the room, not wanting him anywhere near me. Even breathing the same air as him was making my stomach turn in knots. “Completely untraceable. Which is why it’s of utmost importance we move fast here. Tomorrow night, this house will be full of high ticket guests. Black tie affair. People will be flying in from all around the world to meet Fawn while she’s still, uh, intact?”
“What the fuck?” I stammered. Maybe I was doing a disservice to my cover by not just accepting this all at face value and falling in line, but for once in my life, I thought my reaction was completely normal for a human being. “That’s a whole new level of gross. It’s one thing to make porn, any kind of porn, but having to meet the people who watch it? Especially that?”
“Trust me, Lyndsay, it’s just a money thing. We will make sure the house is completely safe and secure. The club is running security. I made sure all the men will be available. The women will be dressed in evening gowns and there is a no touching policy. This night has nothing to do with anything but Fawn mingling with the crowd. That’s it. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised about the caliber of clients who will be here.”
There was nothing pleasant about a man willing to pay money to watch a woman being raped and murdered. I didn’t care if he was the king of the world and donated half his money to rescuing starving children. Once you wanted a part of whatever this sick shit was, you were automatically a cretan to me.
Which is why I knew in my heart, I needed to be there. Completely present. I was going to be in a roomful of dangerous criminals. It was going to be the best possible thing that could happen in this investigation.
“Aren’t you going to miss your family?” I asked Fawn.
“My family thinks I’m scum. They don’t understand the things I do. When I come back ten years from now a millionaire, I can start my life all over again, with or without them. I didn’t plan on living my life like this forever. I just wanted to put myself through school. Then it got addicting, and school kind of went out the window. I get a new name. I get all the plastic surgery I want. I can finally become a teacher and nobody will ever judge me again. And all that money will give me the opportunity to do it from my heart.”
This poor young girl seemed so genuine. I felt for her in that instant. It was basically what I went through with the army. My family thought I was scum because I was a teenager who liked to party a lot, so I knew the only way to get out from under that was to just go away. Live my life. Not let their judgement of me hurt me anymore. I did what I did for me, and now I was doing a career that in my heart was my true calling. Even though I had all the money in the world, I did this out of love. I did this out of need. If I wasn’t around to protect these women, who was going to take my place?
“It sounds like you thought it out pretty well,” I said. I hugged her to my body. I stroked her hair and squeezed her tight, just to make sure it wasn’t actually a ghost standing in front of me. That I didn’t pass out after watching that video and this wasn’t some sort of crazy dream my brain was creating to fragment itself from the reality. “I’m just glad you’re alright.”
She chuckled. “I’m sorry I scared you. Didn’t realize that was possible.”
I shook my head. In the short time I’d been here I’d really grown to respect and admire these women. I wouldn’t exactly call them friends, but I didn’t want to see anything bad happen to them, either.
“You better go start packing, Fawn,” Kevin said. “And try on those dresses I left on your bed. I want to get them altered as soon as possible if we need to.”
I watched her walk from the room, my feelings conflicted. Her rationale for shooting that film didn’t make it okay. I could still hear her pained screams rattling through my ears, and the fact that they were fake didn’t make it any better.
Kevin shut the door behind her, and standing face to face with him made me feel extremely anxious. He masterminded this whole thing right under my nose. How long had I been oblivious to this plan?
“We need to talk about what you’ll be wearing to the party tomorrow night,” he said.
Hopefully something I could conceal a handgun in at the very least. The thought of being paraded around in a roomful of blood thirsty perverts made my skin crawl. Even with the club protecting us.
Holy shit.
The club definitely did not need to be there. This was too close for comfort for me. Their participation in this event, even unknowingly, could easily come back and bite them in the ass.
“I don’t think the club is capable of running security for something so important, Kevin,” I said. “Don’t you think you should hire a professional company?”
“There’s no time for that. Besides, none of these men are willing to get blood on their hands. Why do you think they pay us to do the dirty work? All they’ll be doing is meeting Fawn, putting in some special requests for the viewing party, and leaving on their private jet. Worst case scenario, I have to do a little video editing to comply with their tastes, but I think we covered most of the bases. This time tomorrow, we’re going to be swimming in a pool of unmarked cash.”
Gross. I needed to hear it all for my investigation, but the more he opened up, the worse I felt about it.
“You’re going to have to go as Sabine tomorrow, just so you
know,” he said. “I maybe leaked that you were spotted hanging around here.”
“What?” I stammered.
“I won’t take no for an answer. It’ll be amazing for business. If we can get the idea in these people’s minds that maybe Sabine will make a video like this in the future… What do you think? Maybe we could get Athena in on it, too?”
“No Athena,” I said. “Absolutely not.”
“I don’t understand why you dislike her so much.”
If only he knew. I didn’t dislike her whatsoever. She was the closest thing to a girl friend I think I’d had since middle school. I just definitely wasn’t trying to bring her into this nightmare.
“She’s not trustworthy, Kevin. She will tell someone. I know it. She’s been snooping around here the day we came to town. The less she knows, the better. I don’t even feel comfortable having her here tomorrow. Besides, she has a husband and a child. You really think she’s going to go on some ten year vacation to cover your tracks?”
“I knew there was a reason I kept you around, I mean, other than that sexy ass of yours.” He reached out his hand to touch me and I was so off, I barely moved away in time to avoid his grip on my ass. I held up my fist and he backed away. “Bet you look real pretty begging for your life.”
I wasn’t sure if he was being menacing or trying to make light of the video. I didn’t care either way. I needed out of this house. I needed to be somewhere quiet where I could process what I’d just witnessed. There had to be more to this story than what was on the surface. I needed to go somewhere and talk to Omar and see what he suggested for the investigation going forward. I didn’t have it in me to do any of that right this second. All I could see playing over and over again in my mind was that video. Fake or not, it burned a hole in my mind. I couldn’t unsee that.
“I’m getting out of here,” I said. “I need to go for a walk. Don’t follow me.”
“You’re cool, right?” he asked. “You’re not going to give me any reason to doubt your loyalty, Sabine?” His smile was slimy, toothy. It wasn’t a question. It was a threat.
