Part 27 (1/2)
”Oooo, I'm scared. Look at me shake.” Jack sat down on the couch just as Heather did.
”So, this is the deal,” Jack said. ”Rozsa kidnapped an operative before he disappeared.”
”I thought you said he had your girlfriend,” Heather responded.
”Who happens to be an operative,” Jack said.
”And you are... what, by the way, if you're on loan to this organization?” Heather asked.
”Long, complicated, and irrelevant story, but I check out,” Jack replied. ”Anyway, Rozsa has my girl, and the only way we can get to her is through him. And the only way we can get to Rozsa is through the only man we know who has had contact with him.”
* 206 *
”Dario,” Heather said.
”Yeah. Only problem is, if we scare Dario, he's going to alert Rozsa,” Jack explained.
”And Rozsa will run,” Heather said.
”You're catching on. Now, we know he's about to leave for China to see a seller he owes money to. One who's making life difficult for him. You see, Rozsa is wanted internationally, and by contacting Dario, he's jeopardizing Dario's safety. We're pretty sure Dario wants to make Rozsa disappear, and we think he's going to do it in China. So we have to get my girl out of there before Dario gets to her, because he won't leave any witnesses.” Chase had already considered that scenario but hadn't expressed her concern to Jack. She was surprised how calm Jack remained right now, knowing what Dario might be up to.
”I'm really very sorry about all this,” Heather said, ”and I don't mean to sound insensitive, but what do I have to do with it?”
”We need someone to get close to Dario,” Jack replied. ”We don't know what he looks like and haven't even been able to get a last name.”
”I've never seen him, either. Can't the police help?”
”We know you've never seen him. You probably don't know he's in a wheelchair, either.”
”I had no idea.”
”If we involve the police, they would bring Dario in for questioning, which would lead nowhere, and we'd still be no closer to finding Ca.s.s...my girl,” Jack said.
”So what do you want me to do?”
”He wants you to go with him to China,” Chase said.
”So?”
Chase started squirming again, but she couldn't help it. ”We want you-”
”Oh, no,” Heather said, as the pieces fell into place. ”No way.
Forget it. I'm not going anywhere near that creep.” Though they needed her cooperation, Chase was relieved to find out she was right about Heather; she would have never accepted Dario's offer even if it meant a lot of money.
* 207 *
”I'm never going anywhere near him ever again. ”
”Heather, I know the guy is scary, but we'll have your back the whole time,” Chase said. ”We won't let anything happen to you.”
”Oh, really? Will you take my place when he wants to be entertained? Because just the thought of having to...be around him makes me sick to my stomach.”
”I understand it must be difficult to-”
”Difficult? It's difficult the first ten times. After that, it's downright disgusting. I know what you both must think of me. That I'm some kind of...of...wh.o.r.e. But I'm not. Doing this, week after week, man after man, satisfying the needs of whoever can...afford you. Do you have any idea how revolting it is? How degrading, to have to pretend you enjoy it? How demeaning, to accept their money like they've just done you a favor? All of them, without exception, think I actually enjoy it.” She laughed, almost manically.
”I don't know any woman in this business who enjoys it. It's all a farce. One big joke.”
Chase could feel Jack staring at her.
”I make them all feel they're special, like stallions that have just mounted the world. But when it's all said and done, the joke's on me.”
Chase couldn't look at Heather, and Jack wouldn't stop staring at her. She hadn't deluded herself into believing the call girls she paid lived the romance of their life during those hours, but she never considered they might feel nauseated afterward. She refused to believe that.
”But I digress,” Heather said bitterly.
”I won't pretend to know how it is on your end,” Chase said.
”But I'll do everything in my power to make sure you don't have to sleep with anyone for Dario.”
”Not for Dario, not for anyone. I'm done with this. I just can't do it anymore. Not for my career, not even for my brother.”
”Heather, we'll protect you at all times,” Jack said.
Chase struggled to remain professional and keep to the needs of their mission. Personally, she was glad Heather wanted to stop this life, and if it was up to her, she'd keep her as far away from * 208 *
Dario as she could. But she was being paid to save Lynx and stop Rozsa. ”All you have to do is help us ID him.”
”Catch him at the airport,” Heather said.
”We've already looked into that. We can't find a Dario booked for China. He's either travelling under a false ID or privately.”
”I'm not going anywhere near a creep who buys viruses and hides behind two-way mirrors. And...oh, yeah, knows everything about me.”
”He doesn't deal in viruses. That's Rozsa,” Jack said.
”So why does Dario owe him?”
”Because he buys organs from Rozsa. Dario's so-called furniture business is a front for a black-market organ ring,” Chase replied.
Heather looked horrified. ”Organs?”
”Rozsa used human guinea pigs to test the virus,” Chase explained. ”Once he was done with them, he sold their organs to help fund his research.”
”He killed them?”