He didn’t look particularly worried, but then very little could ruffle Agent Belt. He took a bite of his food, took the time to chew and swallow, before responding.
"Did you make sure you weren’t followed?"
I wanted to snipe at him. I'd left the hotel early and wandered around before making my way there, so I was certain that if there had been anyone tailing me, I'd lost them somewhere along the way. I could have asked the same of him, but I knew Belt was a professional.
"I can do that much, at least. Besides, I doubt he's having me followed. He doesn’t think I have a clue yet."
He arched an eyebrow. "You should be careful, anyway."
"I hear you, old man." I was being careful, more than I'd ever been in my life. I frowned at him. "That isn’t what I came here to talk about."
The waitress appeared again, cutting me off. But she'd just brought the receipt. After that, I thought we'd be free to leave after we were done without more interruption in between. I waited impatiently for her to go away.
"Destiny is in, but I don’t think she's in this a hundred percent," I said.
"But you already convinced her, didn’t you?" Belt asked.
"What other choice does she have? It's understandable that she has her reservations. If any of this is traced back to her, she will be caught way in over her head. I did my best to reassure her, and that was it," I replied.
"I hope you didn’t promise her the impossible,” he retorted.
I scowled down at the food, stabbing some on my fork, tossing it in my mouth and chewing furiously.
"I wouldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be fair to her after what we're putting her through with this plan. I promised her a new life, and she will get it. So long as you keep up your end of the bargain and do what you're supposed to. If we are doing this, you must promise me that she gets protected, or I walk."
He gave me a droll look. "And what about you?"
I shrugged, unconcerned. "What about me? I can survive just fine on my own. But Destiny has been in too deep in Angelo's world. If word gets out she's snitching on him, other people he is affiliated with that she may have encountered, will get nervous. Nervous criminals usually turn homicidal. I'm not looking for a miracle; I am also not asking for witness protection," I said distinctly.
"So what exactly is it that you want?"
"Scrap her old life, create a new one. A private one, Belt, no more FBI coming after her for whatever reason once she gives you whatever it is you want," I demanded.
He paused for a bit before he continued eating. But I noticed the pause and took note of it. I knew he knew what I was asking. I wasn’t sure about the whole process of getting someone a new identity that went through the FBI, but no matter how scrapped the old life was, it was knowledge that people would have; that would have to be stored somewhere in their database so it could be monitored. No matter how secure their systems, I still didn’t like it.
He chewed the food in his mouth and put the fork down. "I have rules, kid. Rules I have to follow."
"I'm all too aware of that."
"It's good, that you're so aware of it. Keeping this in mind, so long as you keep me in the loop—of everything that goes on from now on—I will work on your new IDs."
I raised an eyebrow at how deliberately he worded everything. But I had known him long enough to understand this much, at least.
"So long as we understand each other, Belt."
He smiled, eyes shrewd, and ate some more.
He was wordlessly telling me I could go on ahead with what I have planned. A lot was left unsaid, which we both knew as we ate, but I didn’t feel like it needed to be said. It was the kind of understanding I never got to have with my dad. Belt, unlike my dad, wasn’t going to hold me back, though he would still try to keep me on a tight leash.
Fine by me. I had no intention of going easy on him. My phone buzzed in my pocked, and I took it out, read the message on it.
Perfect.
"You can start by helping me with something."
Chapter 14
Destiny
With Alex out, I found myself with nothing to do. We'd spent the past few days pretty much locked up at the hotel, waiting for news. But there was some sort of delay in Angelo's plan that made me wonder why he was stalling.
Was it because the FBI was already onto him, and he was aware of it?
Alex had found an excuse for us to be out for a couple of hours. We ended up at the park, sitting under a picnic table, mostly buffered by the trees so we didn’t get much wind. He'd given me a list of questions, sent in a document to my phone, and started the recorder on his own phone. So even if we had been followed, whoever watched us would have seen two people sitting and spending more time looking at their phones than each other.
I answered all the questions like I was in an interview, and Alex had sent the whole thing, unedited, to his contact with the feds. It wasn’t all of it, though, Alex had told me that, for the sake of leverage, we would only record a bit at a time. It had only been five days, three since I sent the first recording, and if Angelo didn’t have a job for him soon, we would send another one.
But then Alex decided to step out to visit his contact by himself.
After several restless hours of alternating between lounging and pacing in the hotel suite, I decided it was time to call on Zoe.
Alex had told me to, the sooner the better, but I hadn't felt like doing it, not yet. He'd told me to tell him if I decided to do it anyway, like he just knew I would. Maybe I was just too predictable.
I made the call, surprised she answered, and even more when she so readily agreed to lunch. I sent a text to Alex so he would know. When he asked for details, I told him where we would be meeting and the time we agreed. He went silent after that, and it made me wonder what he was planning.
I dressed casually, but upscale; expensive jeans and top, accessories, shoes. I was going to flaunt the wealth that was allowed me. I wasn’t sure if I trusted Zoe anymore, but Alex had told me to pretend, so she wouldn’t get suspicious, just in case. I knew all about pretending. I wanted to take it a step further, though. I wanted to test her for myself, so I would be sure.
I left the hotel at half past noon. Because I was going to meet Zoe, it wasn’t something I needed to hide. I called down to the lobby before leaving the room so they would have a cab ready for me. Anything I requested from the hotel suite's phone would be funded as part of the room expenses, so I didn’t even have to pay for the ride. After going through some light traffic, I got to the restaurant at around one.
Zoe wasn’t there yet, so I got a table for two, and sat down to wait.
I worried that she wouldn’t come, but I needn’t have. Not long after I sat down, I saw her walk in the door. She was dressed in an understated way, like she usually did in public; a demure skirt and blouse, with flats and a few bracelets on her wrists, her hair flowing neatly down her back. It was a different image than the one I last saw of her. For a moment, I sat frozen, just watching her, wondering if she had really betrayed me.
The moment passed, and I smiled as I raised my hand to signal her. She smiled when she saw me and headed for me. I signaled for a server at the same time, so someone was at the table ready to take our orders when she sat down. We each placed our order, and then we were left alone. I wasn’t sure what to say, hadn't thought much about it really, and I was about to start panicking, but she went first.
"I'm sorry I was a little late. Work has been hectic."
She was still allowed to work, because whatever she and Angelo had was closer to something casual. She should have been grateful it stayed that way, but I was starting to get the idea that she didn’t.
"It's nothing, I haven't been here even five minutes." I waved her apology away good-naturedly. "I'm just glad you could make it. I can't remember the last time we met just to chat."
She trilled a light laugh. "Neither do I. I kinda missed you, to be honest. I just didn’t want to bother you wi
th whatever you were doing for Angelo."
I just smiled. I did a lot of things for Angelo, a lot that I didn’t want to do. Did she know that? Did she care? I was never allowed to tell her, but I'd always thought she would if she knew.
The food was brought and placed in front of us, momentarily interrupting us. We engaged in small talk, reminiscing about our days as waitresses, talking about mundane things like clothes, make up, and shopping. After a few minutes of talking and laughing, there was a lull in the conversation while we focused our attention on eating.
I hadn't felt so relaxed in so long. Zoe was acting like the friend she always had been, and it had me confused and doubting her motives again. She couldn’t be lying to me if she could act like this, like nothing had changed, could she? I was a good actress, but I didn’t know about Zoe. Just maybe…
But then she opened her mouth and ruined the tranquil atmosphere.
"So, Angelo told me about your housemate. I'm surprised he wasn’t with you when I came over, though."
I froze for a second, before forcing myself to act natural. "You mean Alex Wright?"
There was no reason Angelo would have told anyone about Alex now; not unless it was a new client. Either she went snooping, or he had told her. If he had told her, it didn’t bode well. He must not have much use left for Alex if he was ready to make him public knowledge.
That Zoe of all people knew about Alex, however she found out… I no longer wavered; I couldn’t possibly trust her. If Angelo had told her, she would take his side over mine, or she would have come to me the second it happened instead of trying the tactics she pulled when she visited me before at the hotel.
She also shouldn’t have been so interested in Alex. She hadn't been with any of the other guys Angelo used to have me shack up with. When I smiled at her again, it was calculated. She didn’t seem to notice the change.
"Was that his name? I didn't hear it well. But you guys are staying together, right?" she persevered.
"Yeah, we are," I answered her.
"I hope he's treating you right, then. Haven't heard much good about him, really."
"What did you hear, exactly?"
She shrugged, taking food in her mouth and taking the time to chew. "He's a crook. A con artist, though I can't say I've ever met one of those. And honestly, I'd rather not."
Right. Because Angelo wasn’t an even bigger criminal. I looked down at my plate, taking a bite of my own food, making my movements careful so my anger wouldn’t show.
"Alex is all right. Not like we spend that much time together at the hotel; he likes to go out. I'm only with him when we're meeting someone for Angelo."
"What exactly are you doing?" She sounded innocently curious.
I hesitated, part for show, part because I wasn’t sure I wanted to tell her that. But since she already knew about Alex… besides, I didn’t think she'd just go blurting to Angelo about it. So, I told her the parts of the plan I was privy to; the whole scam, the clients, the money.
"My job was basically to charm him so he would do the job well, and help with charming the clients so they could release their money easier. I think he's out collecting the rest of the money right now, actually."
He wasn’t; he wouldn’t go until Angelo gave him the green light, but a little fib wouldn’t hurt. It wasn’t the kind of thing Angelo would take lightly to being asked, so she wouldn’t dare.
"You didn’t leave him at the hotel?" Zoe asked.
"Oh, no. He left before I did, didn’t even bother bringing me with him," I shrugged carelessly. "Well, whatever. He can do whatever he wants, it's not like I'm his babysitter. Besides, soon, the plan will be complete, and I can be rid of him. After that, I can go back to the man I truly love and want to be with; Angelo."
I smiled as I said it, and I was proud of myself—and a little sick—that I managed to say that so convincingly with a straight face. I expected her to call me out on the lie, but she didn’t. Her real reaction was interesting, though.
I saw the anger that swept across her face a second before she wiped it away, replacing it with a bland smile. But I'd seen, and in that moment, I'd been shaken. She wasn’t just angry, though she was that; she looked like she absolutely loathed my existence. That look pretty much wiped away any doubts I still had left.
Was she jealous because Angelo gave priority to me? I could have told her the horror stories that being one of his favored girls could lead to, but wouldn’t she listen to me, any more than I'd been willing to listen to her when she tried to warn me away from him before? And had that been genuine, or was it just her trying to claim her territory?
Had we ever been true friends?
"You and Angelo are still close, huh? I thought you were worried he might have gotten tired of you."
I gave her a look of mock surprise. "No. I mean, he was, but after this thing with Alex, he promised me things would go back to how they were."
Again, a bold-faced lie, but she bought it, and I could see her face darken, even as she ducked her head to focus on her food, trying to hide it. I was starting to get the force of her dislike for me, and it bothered me. But if she was willing to lose herself so deeply to her jealousy, it worked out just fine for me. She wouldn’t even guess I was suspicious of her, since she was so lost within her own mind.
There was silence between us after that, and we continued to eat slowly. I was startled when I heard my phone ring from my bag. It was a message notification, and I took it out to check.
"Who's it from?" she inquired.
I glanced up at Zoe, gave her a placid smile and another lie. "It's from Angelo. He's just checking up on me."
I looked down to read the message from Alex. He was asking for an update. I wondered why, but I gave it to him anyway. I looked up when I heard chair legs scraping against the floor. Zoe was getting to her feet, flashing me a cool smile.
"I'll just leave you two to chat. I'm going to the bathroom."
Most of the food was gone from her plate, and she got up and left with her bag. I quickly told Alex what was happening. He didn’t message back, and I waited for Zoe to return.
She didn’t.
I finished my food, and when someone came with the bill and to take the plates, I paid for everything. I sighed, checking my already depleted cash. Zoe must have sneaked out on me. I thought about giving her a call, and I was reaching for the phone when it buzzed, making me jump. I picked up the call.
"Hello?"
"It's me." Alex. "She's gone."
I narrowed my eyes, glancing around in suspicion. How did he know that? "Where are you?"
"I'm just outside. If you've paid for the food, just come out. I'll open the door for you when I see you."
I was done anyway, so after hanging up, I put the phone back into my purse, slung the strap over my shoulder, and left the building. I spared a cursory glance outside, saw a black car parked across the street with the back door open, and I headed toward it. I sat myself inside and closed the door behind me.
I was surprised to see Alex siting in the shotgun seat. The driver was someone I hadn't met before, he looked late thirties, early forties; dark hair, built big. I was cautious, but when Alex looked back at me, his eyes were clear of their usual caution.
“Destiny, this is Senior Special Agent Belt," he introduced, his tone dry, lips curling up at one corner. "He's the agent that's going to be helping us."
I nodded, met his eyes in the rearview mirror. "It's nice to meet you, sir."
"Likewise," he replied easily.
I turned back to Alex. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to try something. Belt here, wanted to help."
"Just so you know, kid, that is the last time I walk into a women's bathroom for you," Agent Belt told Alex.
"Right," Alex smirked.
My eyes moved from one to the other, curious at how they interacted. Alex had told me they knew each other, but I hadn't realized they would be quite so close.
"So wh
at exactly were the two of you doing?" I questioned.
Alex lost the smirk, turning serious. "I wanted to bug Zoe's phone. There wasn’t any other time I could get near her, and I wanted to do it personally, so I was hoping you would meet her today."
"When did you… the bathroom." She had left with her bag, and left the café after that without letting me know.
"Yeah. It would have been annoying to have to do it if she'd left her purse, so something good happened. We were lucky she went inside a stall and left her bag on the counter. I paid some women to walk in there and make some noise so what we did was mostly unnoticed. "
"And these women didn’t find this strange?"
He shrugged. "They didn’t really care so long as we weren’t stealing anything; and I gave them a lot of money."
I wish he'd told me what he was up to. I could have helped. "That’s good then, right? Why are you in a bad mood?"
"Because." He scowled. "She made a call as she sneaked out the back door."
"What?" I exclaimed.
He and the agent shared cold looks.
"Seems Zoe befriended one of Angelo's goons," he began, and then paused, piquing my interest.
"So?" I prodded.
"So… she's trying to get him to help her get rid of you," Alex replied.
His expression was grim. I didn’t doubt he was serious. My mind reeled, not wanting to accept it.
"But then…" I began.
"She's jealous of you, Destiny. From what I heard of the conversation, this guy is infatuated with her, so he's willing to do whatever she wants. She sounded really convincing when she was telling him that all they have to do is get rid of you, and they can run off and be happy together."
"But Angelo—" I interrupted.
"I don’t think it occurs to him what Angelo could do to him if he finds out. He isn’t worried about going behind his boss's back—his boss, who slept with Zoe then tossed her aside. Zoe was spilling some bullshit about how you were onto them and they needed to step up the plan quickly."
I felt my body shiver, and I wrapped my arms around myself. That I'd just had lunch with her, and she hated me so much she wouldn't think twice about having someone off me. Clearly, I had been wrong about a lot of things.
Dirty Money: A Dark Mafia Romance (Alpha Men Book 1) Page 9
