Asset Management

by Annette Mori

  Toni swiveled to Char, cocked her fist back, and landed a solid right hook to Char’s cheek. “I started to trust you. Why did you bring us all here just to kill us? I don’t understand.” She looked at Char in confusion and with a healthy dose of sadness. She felt betrayed on the deepest level. “What’s the point of gaining my trust? Is this all a big game to you?” Toni asked.

  Char rubbed her cheek and glared at the muscular woman. “Are you out of your cotton-picking mind! Put that fucking gun away, Ronda. What the hell were you thinking bringing them down at gunpoint?” Char looked back at Toni. “Nice right hook, by the way. No one’s killing anyone.”

  Ronda shrugged and placed her gun inside the holster under her jacket. “What? She’s a damn feebie. You know how they are—shoot first and ask questions later. I still remember Waco. I’m quite fond of my tits, you know, and I’d rather not have them blown up.”

  “Give me a break. First, I am not a feebie because I left the FBI two years ago, which I’m betting you people already know. Second, Waco was like twenty years ago. I would have been a kid so I had nothing to do with that fuckup. I’ve only just met you and you are the most paranoid nutcase I’ve ever met. You would have fit in nicely with the FBI crew at Waco,” Sophie snarled.

  “Enough. Ronda, you will apologize to our guests. No one is shooting anyone and just to help clarify the situation, I presume you were referring to Viktor and his employees,” Maggie stated in a firm, quiet voice.

  Toni was surprised the woman managed to enter the room without detection until she spoke.

  “Well, yeah. Who did you think I was suggesting we shoot?” Ronda’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, shit. Toni, you thought I was saying we should shoot you and your pals. Sorry, my bad.” Ronda turned her gaze on Maggie. “Why can’t we just shoot them?”

  “Ronda, there is a place for your special talents, but unfortunately shooting Viktor and his entourage will only result in another unsavory character taking his place. The mob has a very solid succession plan. In this case, cutting off the head is like cutting off the tail on a salamander. They will just regenerate a new head. Someone will step up to fill in the hole. No, we need a more permanent solution.” Maggie looked squarely at Toni, Sophie, and Kim. “That is where all of you come in. We need your help to shut down Viktor and the sex slave trade for good. We need to hit them in their pocketbooks. Without the financial resources, they will not be able to operate their revolting business.”

  “After we put them in financial ruin, then can we shoot them?” Ronda grinned.

  “Assassination is not our first option. We only use that particular choice, when all other alternatives are considered and we have no other routes to select. We cannot sink to their level or we are no better than the base animals they are,” Maggie explained.

  “Fine. By the way, I did not have another alternative with the goon that followed Toni and Char. Unfortunately, a car accident causes one’s neck to break on occasion. I might have helped it along a little bit, but he was a loose end that I don’t believe we needed to keep clipping. I found multiple photos of not only Toni, but Sophie and Char. I don’t think he was able to transmit in the time he followed you, but you’d better check it out.” Ronda tossed the phone to Dani.

  “Char? Who is Char?” Sophie interjected.

  “Oh, sorry, I’m afraid it was necessary for me to maintain my persona as Heather Stiles when we first met. I am Char,” she clarified.

  “I knew it.” Sophie smirked.

  Maggie sighed. “It is sometimes necessary to exercise a bit of caution. Ronda, I do understand your need to take care of the situation with Viktor’s associate. I will not question your judgment, but please be mindful of our code.”

  “You have a code?” Kim spoke up.

  “Yes. Killing another person is a last resort and only exercised if we believe without a doubt that keeping the person alive would jeopardize one of our agents,” Maggie explained.

  “Okay. Now that we’ve settled who is not killing whom, do you think we might be able to get back to strategic planning?” Char interrupted.

  Char winced as Dani reached up to place her thumb on her cheek. “Your cheek is starting to swell and I think you might actually sport a shiner tomorrow. Why don’t I get some ice for you?”

  “Oh, God. I’m so sorry. I guess I jumped to the wrong conclusion.” Toni looked at Char and felt genuinely remorseful for her earlier actions.

  “It’s okay. I probably would have done the same given the same set of circumstances,” Char’s voice softened as she spoke to Toni.

  “No. It’s not okay. Dani, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take Char back to her room, get some ice, and take a closer look at the damage I caused. Why don’t you stay back and show Sophie and Kim your impressive setup here. We’ll be back in a little while. I want a chance to talk with Char alone if you don’t mind.” Toni winked.

  Dani beamed. “Thanks, Toni. I’d love to show Sophie and Kim around. Maybe we can explain a few things to them and then, when you and Char get back, we can bring everyone up to speed with what we know. We’ve given you bits and pieces of the story, but haven’t told you all of it yet. I hope after we explain everything, that you will decide to join us and together we will be a force to be reckoned with.”

  “Well said, Dani.” Maggie turned her penetrating gaze toward Ronda. “Ronda, I think you had better move Sophie’s vehicle and hide it along with the others.”

  †

  Char wasn’t sure why she had told her sad tale to Toni. It was almost as if she had just unzipped her brain and the story came tumbling out.

  Toni, holding her hand, tugged Char down the corridor.

  Char looked at their clasped hands and smiled. She didn’t know why she let Toni have power over her. She hadn’t let someone take care of her in a very long time—not since Maggie. It felt good and she let go of her need for control. For a little while at least.

  Damn Ronda and her bull-in-the-china-shop mentality. Char hoped the way Ronda dragged Toni’s friends into the compound hadn’t set her efforts to gain Toni’s trust back several steps.

  When they reached the door to Char’s living quarters, Toni turned her head. Char wondered if Toni was asking permission to enter the cozy room. Char nodded. If she was going to give up complete control, she might as well let Toni take the initiative.

  Toni opened the door and drew Char to the couch. “Why don’t you sit down while I get some ice.”

  Char reluctantly let go of Toni’s hand as she sat down and leaned her head against the back of the couch.

  Toni ambled out of the living room and Char heard rustling in the kitchen. A few minutes later Toni came into the room with a bag of ice in her left hand.

  Char noticed her right hand dangling against her hip and gasped as she saw the bruising and swelling that had already started to become prominent.

  Toni sat next to Char and gently placed the bag of ice on her cheek.

  Char lifted Toni’s right hand and raised one of her eyebrows. “Um, I’m afraid you’ve suffered a far greater injury than I have. I guess you’re not really used to bar brawls, so we need to get some ice on your hand as well. We might need to x-ray it too.”

  Toni shrugged. “I’m not really known for my brawn. It seems like I’m not the only one who can claim their head is an asset. Yours is pretty hard.”

  Char laughed. “Yeah, well, I hope being hardheaded is not the only thing I can claim as something to be proud of. Maybe I’m not a genius like you, but hopefully I can hold an intelligent conversation or two.”

  “Shit, I didn’t mean it like that. I find everything about you sexy and alluring, including that beautiful brain of yours. Unfortunately, having a high IQ is not really a desirable thing to possess. Most of the women I meet don’t seem to want to converse with me. So we don’t, you know, talk too much. May I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “How did you know I put something in the business card and even more
importantly, how did you guess it contained a biological agent?”

  “I suspected it when I examined the card and didn’t detect any raised areas in the ink. After my initial scrutiny, I asked Ronda to bring some lab equipment to me to do further testing. I still don’t know how it works, but I was pretty sure its origin was biological and that was confirmed with my testing. You never did answer my question about how long the agent will remain in my body.”

  “I never confirmed that anything entered your body so why are you so sure that’s what occurred?” Toni asked.

  “Simple, if I had the technology and knowhow, that’s what I’d do. You can’t assume that a business card would remain on someone, so the only way to ensure you can track a person is to inject something in them or use a biological agent. Given your brilliance with inventions, I was confident you finally developed an advanced tracking agent that somehow absorbs into the body.”

  “Do you know how hot that is to me for you to process information in that way?” Toni asked.

  “Sure, about as hot as an inventor that designs a biological tracking agent. Your turn for some ice, although I think the ice has performed a side benefit for me. Kind of like a cold shower.” Char removed the ice from her cheek and placed it on Toni’s hand. “Keep that on for at least ten minutes. How’s my face look?”

  Toni looked into Char’s eyes. “Despite the shiner you’re sure to have, beautiful. You’re quite beautiful, you know. I suspect you hear that all the time.”

  Char did hear that all the time, but for some reason, hearing it come from Toni’s lips touched her in a special way. Somehow, she knew Toni’s admiration went deeper than her outside appearance and she wasn’t used to that.

  “God, you keep distracting me and never seem to answer my questions. Although I don’t think I would mind if you were able to track me down for all of eternity, I would like to know that this biological agent will work its way out of my body at some point in the future. Preferably before I have grandkids.”

  “You want kids?” Toni asked.

  “Yes, someday I do. Please answer the question.”

  Toni looked sheepish as she responded. “Um, actually that’s a prototype in your body and I’m not exactly sure. I think, yes, eventually it will work its way out, but I’m sorry I don’t know how long it might take.”

  “Educated guess, please,” Char pleaded.

  “Not more than a year and probably not less than a week.”

  “Okay, your hotness level just went down a notch. I would hope you would have a better guess than between one week and a year.” Char smiled.

  “In that case, six months—give or take a day. Did my hotness level go back up again? I can honestly say you are the first person to acknowledge my brain as an appealing part of the whole package. It gets old when all someone sees is what’s on the outside.” Toni looked down.

  Char thought Toni’s voice had a hint of sadness to it and she made a mental note to ask more about that. In her mind, Toni was the whole package. She couldn’t imagine anyone not falling desperately in love with her.

  Love, shit, did I just use that four letter word in relation to Toni?

  “You know, Toni, I told you everything about my sordid childhood, yet I don’t really know anything about you, your family or what your life was like growing up.”

  “Not much to tell really. I grew up in your typical middle-class family. I’m the youngest child and I don’t think my parents knew what to do with me. I got in trouble a lot—especially in school. Eventually they moved me to a special school. I hated it there and I stopped feeling normal the day they sent me away.”

  Char saw an expression cross Toni’s beautiful face and imagined her as a teenager—scared and alone in a foreign institution away from the comfort of home. Toni didn’t have to describe her experience because, written all across her face was the look Char had seen on too many occasions. All the young girls they rescued had that same frightened appearance. She absently brushed a lock of Toni’s hair aside in an effort to make a connection.

  Toni continued her personal revelation. “The shrink told my parents I was acting out because I was probably bored. They assumed that was why I was kissing Mary Beth Kowalski behind the bleachers. To their horror, they discovered that being a lesbian isn’t actually tied to boredom. We don’t talk about it now. The only one that asks me about my love life is my older sister and she and her husband never even blinked an eye when I told them. They just acted like it was the most normal thing in the world.” Toni looked away. “I suppose my dad doesn’t really mind either. He says he can relate because he loves women too. He’s a typical male—thinks lesbians are just fine, but God forbid one of his grandsons turns out to be gay. My dad’s a pig. He spent the better part of his youth chasing women behind my mom’s back.”

  Char thought that Toni sounded bitter and perhaps this was a sore subject, so she deftly changed it. “Okay, let’s take a look at your hand.” Char removed the bag of ice and nodded. “Good, it looks much better. I think the swelling is down now. How does it feel? Do you think you need an x-ray? We have our own equipment here in the compound and agents who specialize in medical care.”

  “You do? How come I haven’t seen anyone else except Dani, Ronda, and Maggie?”

  “We didn’t want to overwhelm you, so the other agents are lying low for now. We have about eighteen other agents who live in the compound and another twenty who we think of as independent contractors. Most of the agents are women Maggie saved from the sex slave trade business. She has an uncanny knack for picking the best. I think someone close to her was lost to the trade and she’s never gotten past this overriding need to stamp out this ugly business. Since Viktor is at the top of the list, at least here in the US, she is doubly motivated to shut him down. I have my own reasons for making sure we are successful.”

  “Dani?”

  Char nodded.

  “Do you think she’ll recover completely from her injury?” Toni asked.

  “Yeah, I do. Well, at least eventually from her physical injury. I’m not so sure she’ll recover from the emotional one,” Char clarified.

  “Natalie’s death?”

  “Yes. She fell in love with Natalie and hasn’t forgiven herself for what happened.”

  “But that wasn’t her fault. Sophie and Natalie were assigned to the case. Natalie volunteered to arrange the meeting and set everything up.”

  “Emotions aren’t always logical. For a long time, I blamed Sophie and Natalie for Dani’s injury and I admit to viewing all of you as assets to the organization. I honestly didn’t view you as people. I know that’s a pretty jaded view.” Char looked down. She couldn’t meet Toni’s eyes and the look of disappointment that she was convinced would be there.

  “Am I still just an asset to you?” Toni lifted Char’s chin.

  Char saw the hurt look in Toni’s eyes.

  “No, you’re not just an asset. You are so much more to me than that.” Char blurted out before she had a chance to censor her words.

  “Good. Because I feel the same way,” Toni responded.

  Char shot Toni a genuine smile and stroked her face. Toni seemed to lean into the touch and Char placed a tentative kiss on her lips.

  Toni grabbed both of Char’s hands, lifted her from the couch, and wrapped her arms around Char’s body in a gentle embrace.

  Char could feel her desire begin to climb rapidly, like a thermometer placed in a pot of boiling water. This time the kiss she initiated filled her body with passion as she explored every part of Toni’s lips with her mouth and tongue. Gentle nibbles increased the desire to an all-time high as she dragged Toni down the hall to her bedroom.

  Char’s mouth watered as she glanced at the long-legged beauty. Somehow, Toni had managed to worm her way into every one of Char’s fantasies. She licked her lips as her mouth went dry.

  God, Char, you’re acting like some hormone-crazed teenager.

  Toni was breathing hard as she reached
for Char’s shirt and undid the buttons slowly. As she removed the shirt, she stroked her arms down to the palms of Char’s hands and gently lifted them to her lips, where she placed an almost chaste kiss to each palm.

  Char removed Toni’s pullover and moved her hands to the sides of Toni’s body where she began stroking her belly, sending shivers down her spine. Toni thought she would come right then and there as Char’s hand undid the top button on her jeans.

  “I need you naked, now,” Char exclaimed in a ragged voice.

  Toni swiveled Char and pushed her onto the bed. “You first.”

  Char unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, tugging down on her pants and quickly divesting herself from the restrictive clothing.

  Toni stood wide-eyed at the foot of the bed, feasting her eyes on Char’s long, lean body gift wrapped in the satin and lace of her matching green underwear. She quickly unzipped her pants, stepped out of them, climbed on top of Char before soundly kissing her. She rolled on her side and began stroking Char’s collarbone until she reached the top clasp of the lacy bra. In a practiced move, the bra was undone and quickly removed, leaving Char’s milky white breasts exposed.

  Char’s nipples quickly reacted to Toni’s touch and she moaned in response. “Oh, God, that feels so good.”

  Toni stroked each side of her breast and then lightly rolled the nipples between her thumb and forefinger. She had an overwhelming desire to taste every inch of her body as she sucked the nipples gently letting her hand traveled down Char’s body to the top of her silk panties.

  Dipping her fingers just below the top band, she felt the soft hair leading to her treasure trove. Toni kissed and licked her way down, gently tugging on the silk covering her object of desire. She was anxious for her first glorious taste of the sweet nectar below. Removing the panties and flicking them to the side, Toni smiled as she caught a glimpse of her prize.

  Char was a true redhead. Toni discovered fine, neatly clipped red hair and inched her way down to part the soft copper curls.

  Toni’s tongue snaked out as she made contact with the sensitive bud that lay beneath the coils of hair. Char’s reaction was immediate as she lifted her body to meet Toni’s tongue and gasped. A long low moan followed.