Chapter 3 Callie #2
“Yes.” She snorted at my response. “Clingy probably isn’t the right word.” She bit her lip, staring off into space for a few seconds. “Obsessed is more accurate.”
“That sounds dangerous,” I observed.
“You have no idea.” She finished her coffee and rose, refilling the mug and adding more Cinnabon creamer. “He’s manipulative and demanding, pushing me to drop my other clients. He wants a personal escort at his beck and call, ready to fuck him or do his bidding any moment of the day.”
“Screw that!” I exclaimed, pushing my mug aside. “Tell me you didn’t agree to it.”
“Of course not.”
“Okay. Good.”
“But he’s not taking it well,” she replied carefully.
“What does that mean? You said you think someone is trying to kill you. Who? The freaking mayor?”
She swallowed hard. “I haven’t been truthful with you, not for a long time. Three years, to be exact.”
Frowning, I had no idea what she meant. “What are you telling me?”
“I’m not really an escort. Never have been, sis.”
Confused, I didn’t know what to say.
“I’ve been undercover all this time.”
“Undercover?” What the hell did that mean?
“I got picked up for soliciting and prostitution three years ago when I was first hired as an escort. The feds were trying to shut down an international trafficking ring and knew the DOLL Agency was intimately connected.”
“Wow,” I whispered, shocked. “You never said a word.”
How could she keep a secret like that and not tell me?
“I couldn’t,” she confided, her expression pained. “I took the deal they offered. Since then, I’ve been helping to gather evidence against the DOLL Agency, its clientele, and now, the mayor. I can’t cut ties with him. It’s part of the case they’re building.”
“Shit,” I cursed, understanding how complicated the situation had become for my sister. “Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because, as I said, I think someone is trying to kill me for the knowledge I’ve gained. I’m not sure, but they must have figured out I’m the mole.”
Oh no. “Jesus, Sadie.”
“Yeah, it’s as bad as you’re imagining. I don’t think the feds can protect me. I’ve gotten too involved and learned too much.”
“But your life is in danger. That has to mean it’s time to pull you out. Right?”
“It’s not that simple. They still need to finish building their case.
If I leave, I take the chance away from prosecuting these men for the crimes they’ve committed.
I’ve lost friends. Good people.” Her voice broke, and Sadie cleared her throat.
“I won’t let their disappearances and deaths mean nothing. ”
The missing girls in Nevada from the news. It all clicked now. I’d seen the reports for months on the local stations. Over a dozen women missing in the last eighteen months. Sadie must have known some of them.
I reached for my sister’s hand, folding my fingers around her cool skin. “I don’t want you to risk your life. You’re someone important too.”
She tried to smile and failed. “I love you, Callie. Don’t doubt it, but I could never live with myself if I didn’t see this through to the end.”
The finality of those words terrified me. “Sadie. If it gets too hot, you get out. I don’t care how. Contact me, and I’ll find you.”
A soft sigh left her lips. “I don’t know if that’s possible.”
“But if it is, promise me you’ll try.”
“Okay.” She squeezed my hand. “There’s an agent that I trust. He’s become a close friend—someone trying to help and protect me. I had to memorize his information since I couldn’t keep his name or number in my phone. Give me your cell, sis.”
I released her hand, sliding it across the table.
Sadie unlocked the device, already knowing my password.
I guess I was a little predictable. Couldn’t remember the last time I updated or changed any of my passwords.
She typed in the info and handed it back.
“Agent Carson Phillips is trustworthy. He knows how to get in contact with me if anything comes up.”
“Is he your handler or something?”
“Or something.”
Sadie blushed, and I sat back, staring at her with surprise.
“You like him.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “Carson is unlike anyone I’ve ever met. He’s sweet and charming but also brutally honest and doesn’t mess around. He’s strict and always follows the rules. Well, except for that one time,” she trailed off, fidgeting in her seat. “Yeah. Just once.”
The dreamy look on her face and how she described Agent Phillips proved she’d developed feelings for the guy.
“Be careful. Please. I don’t want you hurt when this is over.”
“I,” she began, shaking her head, “I’m a realist, sis. I know nothing can work between us, but it doesn’t stop me from wishing things were different. I believe, I know, Carson cares about me. He keeps things professional because there’s no other choice. Both of us must be careful.”
“But the heart wants what it wants,” I mused aloud.
“It’s scary how well you understand me,” she joked.
“So, to be clear, it’s not just the mayor we need to worry about. These traffickers are a problem.”
Sadie nodded. “Yes. And their business associates, including a motorcycle club, called the Dirty Death.”
“That’s ominous.”
“Isn’t it?” She wasn’t listening to me fully, lost in her thoughts. Not that I could blame her. This had nothing to do with her ADHD. My sister fought the overwhelming, devastating truth that awaited when she left and returned to the fate that awaited her outside these sheltered walls.
“You stay as far away from them as you can.”
She blinked, staring into my eyes with a resolution that completely freaked me out. “I already met the president of the club, Undertaker. He likes having me around.”
I stood up so fast I almost knocked my chair over. My heart was jackhammering inside my chest. Worry and fear for my sister took hold. What would happen to Sadie once the feds got what they needed? How the hell did she get away unharmed and live a normal life?
Sadie had been through so much. Before her job at the escort service, she’d been in the hospital for multiple injuries as the result of her asshole boyfriend who abused her.
He’d finally gone to prison thanks to a biker who kicked his ass and helped Sadie escape.
Hawk, if I remembered the name right, nearly killed her ex.
It wouldn’t have been a loss. Jed deserved what happened to him.
That was five years ago, and I hated that my sister only escaped one tough, life-threatening situation to be placed in another. It wasn’t fair.
I threw my arms around her, trembling with the realization that I could lose my sister because of this deal she made. I wished she’d gone to jail instead. At least she wouldn’t be risking her life with human traffickers, a deadly motorcycle club, and a corrupt politician.
Was that na?ve? Probably.
Sadie calmly brushed her hand down my hair, returning my hug. Her voice was far steadier than it should have been. “It’s going to work out. You’ll see.”
I didn’t share her confidence.