Asset Management

by Annette Mori

  Toni arched her eyebrow. “Really?”

  “Yeah. I had a very interesting conversation with Maggie on the phone after he left.” Char raised an eyebrow. “You know, you didn’t have to send Ronda. I can take care of myself.”

  Toni looked down. “Sorry, I know you’re a bad ass. I just don’t want to see you hurt again. So tell me about the conversation.”

  “I get the distinct impression that Maggie and Antonio worked together a long time ago, but I’m just guessing. It seems they took divergent paths. It felt like Maggie was trying to provide some kind of justification for Antonio’s business dealings. She scheduled a meeting with the team and I think you should tell Kim and Sophie about it. Although we’ve come a long way in the trust department, I still sense Sophie’s hesitation with me at times. I think the news about this recent development and the upcoming meeting will come better from you.”

  “Okay. Where and when?” Toni asked.

  “One o’clock tomorrow at the Maryland hub.”

  “So, honestly, what is your assessment of the situation?”

  “Good question. I trust Maggie and she’s about as shrewd as they come. If she has some kind of history with Antonio and made a deliberate decision to leave him be, I’m sure she had her reasons. I don’t think he’s exactly an ally, but perhaps he’s not an enemy either. I’m not a super patient person, but Maggie assured me that she would reveal all tomorrow. Hey, enough business talk. What have you been up to today?” Char asked.

  “Oh, a little of this and a little of that. I’m like a kid in a candy store in the control room lab. You guys have every little toy a geek like me could ever wish for. By the way, Kimiko wanted to come with us. I think she has a huge crush on you, honey. She cornered me and asked, Ms. Char, where she, in that cute little accent of hers,” Toni teased.

  “She’s like twelve. Twelve-year-olds are far too young to get crushes.”

  “Ah, contraire. I was literally drooling for my grade school English teacher. She was almost as hot as you are. It must be the hot English teacher thing. Of course, whenever you’re not around she follows Dani like a little puppy dog. Maggie says she’s doing much better and her nightmares seem to be less and less. Poor thing. I’m glad Val found her. Do you think we should try to reunite her with her family?”

  “No, I don’t think so. They’re probably the ones who sold her in the first place. No, she’s probably better under Maggie’s care. I’m glad you’re there to teach her the science stuff. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how she seems to idolize you. I think it’s more likely that she has a crush on you, Ms. Tall, Dark, and Sexy—that’s what Sandy calls you. I’m just glad you’re mine.”

  Everything seemed to be falling in place for Char and she hoped this new development with Antonio Santori wouldn’t interfere with all the positive changes during the past four months. Char wasn’t sure she should completely trust Antonio, and Maggie was circumspect but didn’t seem worried.

  Maybe I should just let my concerns go by the wayside. She shook her head. He is still a mobster and I have a problem with that.

  She supposed that as mobsters go, he was probably the least offensive, if that was possible. His primary business was gambling and she didn’t have a huge issue with that. She’d heard he also dabbled in the legalized escort business in Las Vegas but as long as all the women were there by choice, she didn’t feel the need to override Maggie’s directives. She supposed time would tell whether Antonio would prove to be a problem for the agency or not. Knowing Maggie as she did, she would already have a plan B in her back pocket.

  †

  Kim and Sophie had decided to take up residence at the Virginia compound after their one-month vacation to the Fiji Islands. As a former FBI agent, regiment and structure were comfortable notions for Sophie and she believed in what the organization was trying to accomplish. However, her mistrustful nature of authority kept Sophie from complete and utter devotion to anyone but her two best friends. Dani and Char were slowly worming their way into Sophie’s circle of trust, but for some reason she still held Maggie at arm’s length.

  Lounging in their quarters one evening, Sophie was surprised when Kim confronted her. “I know you believe in the work we’re doing for Maggie, but I get the sense that you’re holding back.”

  Sophie smiled and looked Kim in the eyes. “You know, love, I think people underestimate you sometimes. Although you probably know me better than anyone, I still get the sense that you don’t miss too much when it comes to people’s true feelings about things.”

  Kim chuckled. “Well, I certainly missed the boat when I didn’t recognize your feelings.”

  Sophie waved her hand. “That was a case of being deeply embedded in the weeds with your own feelings and not being able to see the situation clearly.”

  “You, my love, are a master at changing the topic of discussion. Why don’t you trust Maggie?” Kim asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know. It’s not exactly that I don’t trust her or believe in what we’re doing. I’ve even grown comfortable living at the compound, especially now that I have you by my side. It feels safe here and that’s important to me. You’re important to me. I just get this niggling feeling that there is much more to Maggie than she shares and that bothers me. You and Toni have been an open book. Dani’s been incredibly open and almost naively trusting as well. Even Char is starting to open up to us—undoubtedly due to her relationship with Toni, but she still seems much more open and honest than Maggie.”

  “That’s true, I also sense there is something more to learn about Maggie, but I think we should assume she has good intentions.”

  Sophie chuckled. “Babe, you are such an optimist and that is what I love about you.”

  “Yes, I am and that optimism extends to believing a certain talented agent will bless me with her very capable hands.”

  †

  At first, Toni lamented the loss of her condominium after the sweepers blew everything up. Before Char had come along, Toni had valued her independence and privacy, but now it didn’t seem to matter. Even Dani’s frequent interruptions didn’t bother her anymore. Dani was like the little sister she never had.

  Living with Char in the Virginia compound had been great. The Maryland compound was near completion and they had to make a decision about where they wanted to live. Some days she wanted to stay at the Virginia compound with Kim, Sophie, and Dani. Other days she wanted to be free of their menagerie of friends. Time would tell whether she would be able to live in these tight quarters permanently or whether she would need her own place again for some amount of regained independence. She hoped Char wouldn’t take offense and would understand. Char might even have her own need for independence. They were still learning about one another, all their idiosyncrasies and little habits.

  Toni took the chance and brought Char home to meet her family. This was a big step for her. Her oldest sister, Tracy, was thrilled. Her other sister, Karen—not so much. Yet Toni harbored hope that it would just take Karen a little more time to get used to the fact that her sister actually had a steady partner.

  The biggest surprise was her mom. Char poured on the charm and completely blew her mom’s stereotypic views of lesbians out of the water.

  “She’s so beautiful,” her mom said in astonishment. At first, it pissed Toni off. Toni had met some incredibly handsome butch women and she cringed at her mom’s judgmental attitude and perceptions about what is and is not attractive. Eventually she let it go because, after all, her mom had grown up in a different era. Her mom also explained her reticence had more to do with the fact that Toni wouldn’t ever have children or a family.

  Char promptly corrected that misconception. “I have every intention of having kids,” she innocently proclaimed.

  Toni’s mom beamed at that declaration but Toni nearly spit out her coffee when she heard it. She loved Char, but she wasn’t quite sure she was ready for that level of commitment yet. She needed a little more time before she could s
eriously consider bringing a new life into the world and sharing the immense responsibility that went along with raising a child together. Maybe they should start with a cat or a dog.

  †

  It felt a little like déjà vu because Candy was their waitress again, but this time Dani had joined their group at the café. She thought back to when she’d engineered that first meeting with the trio and when Toni had so brazenly winked at her.

  Char watched as a myriad of expressions crossed Toni’s face. She wondered what deep thoughts her lover rolled around in that big brain of hers.

  Never in a million years did she think she would fall in love, but that’s exactly what had happened. She was thrilled that Toni had decided to stay with the agency. Despite her personal desire to have Toni close, Dani and Toni made an unbeatable research team and the agency definitely benefited from Toni’s brilliance. Yeah, her lover was a genius.

  As Candy approached the table with a smile, Dani whispered, “Do you know her?”

  Char nodded.

  “Hey, Char, Toni, how’s it going?”

  Toni looked puzzled.

  Char figured she was surprised that Candy knew her real name. She whispered in her ear, “I’ll tell you later.”

  Char had taken an instant liking to Candy and had sensed something was amiss with her relationship with her girlfriend, Sara. She thought back to that evening when she’d had a serious conversation with the petite blonde.

  †

  “It’s probably none of my business, but I have to ask. Did Sara do that to you?” Char pointed at the bruise on Candy’s cheek.

  Candy looked away. “She just had a hard day. Her job is really stressful and I wasn’t very sympathetic. I can be kinda sarcastic at times.”

  Char scowled. “Candy, look at me.”

  Candy met Char’s eyes.

  “No one ever deserves to be hit. Do you hear me? If you need help getting out of a bad situation, please give me a call. I promise I can help you.”

  Candy’s eyes welled up with tears. “I don’t have anyplace to go. She owns our house and I don’t make enough to rent my own apartment, especially with the cost of tuition these days.”

  “Why don’t you let me worry about the money? I have an inside track to a foundation that I’m sure will help you. Just promise me you will call if it gets to a point where you’re ready to move on.” Char scribbled her cell phone number on the back of her business card and pressed the card into Candy’s hand.

  “Thanks, Heather.”

  “Listen. Now that we’re friends, you should know I go by my middle name, Char. Heather is the name I give to my business associates.” Char gave Candy a reassuring smile.

  Candy nodded and scurried off when another waitress called out to her.

  Less than a week later, Candy had called in tears and Char quickly arranged for her to get a bequest from the foundation. Candy seemed better lately, but the sadness in her eyes still lingered.

  †

  “Hey, Candy.” Char gestured to her sister and grinned. “I don’t think you’ve met my little sister, Dani.”

  Candy looked at Dani and gave her a shy smile. “I can definitely see the resemblance. You’re every bit as beautiful as your sister, Char.”

  Dani blushed and stuck out her hand. “Thank you. It’s really nice to meet you.”

  Char looked from Dani to Candy.

  Well, I’ll be darned. After two years, I think my little sister has finally taken notice of someone.

  “So, Candy, what time do you get off tonight?” Char asked.

  “Oh, I have the short shift. I’m off at nine.”

  “Excellent. Do you think you might want to join us for a drink later tonight? We wanted to see this new female singer/songwriter at the lesbian bar down the street,” Char said.

  “Oh, I don’t want to impose or anything.”

  “You’re not imposing. I’d really like you to come,” Dani blurted out. “You’d be doing me a favor. Right now I’m a third wheel and the two of them can be downright sickening with their lovey-dovey looks.” Dani pointed at Char and Toni.

  “Okay, if you’re sure,” Candy responded with a tremulous smile.

  “We’re sure,” all three women said in unison.

  “I’ll come back and get you around nine, okay?” Dani smiled.

  “It’s a date.” Candy smacked her hand against her mouth. “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “No, it’s okay, it can be a date if that’s all right with you,” Dani proclaimed boldly.

  “Okay.” Candy blushed and looked directly at Dani.

  Kim and Sophie came barreling into the café.

  Sophie looked from Candy to Dani. “Hey, what did we miss?”

  “Later,” all three voices blended into one.

  †

  Maggie paced the control room at the Maryland hub. It was ten minutes before one and she still didn’t know how she would explain her ties with Antonio. She struggled with how much information to give her primary team. Did they deserve to know all of her history? Could she justifiably keep some of the more private information to herself?

  Maggie had once been deeply in love with Antonio and she wasn’t sure she ever really got over him. At one time, they had shared the same values, the same passion for what she considered right and wrong. How did it all get so complicated? She looked up when she heard the door open.

  Char and Toni were the first to arrive. Char stepped into the room, made a beeline for her and touched her on the arm. Looking into Char’s eyes, she thought she saw understanding and acceptance, but she wasn’t sure. Char was always very intuitive.

  Maggie was pleased when Dani came limping into the room without her crutches. This one bright spot to her day helped generate the confidence she needed to reveal her history.

  Kim and Sophie followed.

  Maggie imagined that Sophie, with her natural skepticism, would be the harshest critic but she hoped that Kim would temper her response.

  A few minutes later Ronda, Cindy, and Val joined the small group of senior level operatives.

  Maggie cleared her throat and watched as all eyes turned in her direction. Most of the team had already taken seats in the control room but Sophie stood with her arms crossed. “I’m sorry to disturb your busy day, but it was critical that I bring you all together to brief you on a recent development that was unanticipated.”

  Char nodded.

  “Char had a visit yesterday from Antonio Santori.”

  “Are we compromised?” Sophie asked.

  Sophie’s cold detached tone shook Maggie. “No. Antonio has known about us for a long time.”

  “What the fuck? And you’re just telling us this now,” Ronda bellowed.

  “Shut up, Ronda, let her talk,” Char interjected.

  “Antonio and I go way back. He and I worked for the same agency twenty years ago. We were practically kids and both of us were recruited at the same time. We became very close. That agency was very similar to our organization, but after a few years I questioned some of the orders I was given. Politics played a major role in who was marked for destruction or ruin and our missions ceased making sense. Antonio had the same questions I did and we decided to leave the agency and strike out on our own.

  “At first things went really well for us and we managed to break apart some of the smaller human trafficking rings, but financial resources were limited and Antonio started to make independent decisions about where we would get the money to continue our operation. I didn’t agree with his tactics and we parted ways. It was an amicable split and we both set rules.

  “As long as Antonio did not enter into the more unsavory business ventures, I would not intercede. Although he danced on the line a few years ago, when I learned of his involvement in the drug business, I chose not to interfere, determining that I wanted to focus all my energies on busting up Viktor’s slave trade business. Fortunately, Antonio came to the realization on his own that the drug business was n
ot for him.

  “When Toni, Sophie, and Kim liberated those funds from Byron that were attached to Antonio, I believe his interest was sparked and he thought I violated our agreement. I needed to recruit you not only to assist us with Viktor, but also to insure you would stay away from Antonio. I believe his visit to Char’s office was a gentle reminder.”

  “You used us so you could protect your lover?” Sophie glared at Maggie. “I always thought you were underhanded in your dealings with Toni, Kim and me and now this proves it.”

  “That’s not true,” Maggie replied.

  Char shot her hand up palm first. “Let her finish before you go off halfcocked, Sophie.”

  “She’s brought him down on us. What more is there to know? I won’t allow our lives to be compromised. We were doing just fine before the lot of you came along.”

  “Let her speak,” Kim said. “Please, for me.”

  “Fine.”

  “Thank you, Kim. I am being as honest as I can in this matter. And for the record, I did not set any of you up.”

  Char nodded. “Maggie, it might be a little more than that. He did request that we leave his business alone, but also suggested that he might help us out with busting up any human trafficking rings. Thinking back on the conversation, I sensed his sincerity when he spoke about the repulsiveness of the sex slave business. He also indicated his approval of our redistribution of funds. I don’t think him telling me to give you his regards was a random comment. It seemed like he was giving me a deliberate message,” Char explained.

  “Nothing Antonio does is random. I suspect you are correct. He was sending me a very personal signal that he is interested in joining forces—”

  “And, just how do you know that? Have you been in contact with him all along?” Sophie sneered.