Read Online Cease and Desist (The IMA Book 4) by Nenia Campbell - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Nenia Campbell
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him in front of me. And he … ” her voice twisted “ … he enjoyed it. Immensely. Sexually . I've never seen anything like that before, Mr. Boutilier, and I hope to never again.”
I let out my breath. Finally, a part of the story I could believe. “Bastard always did like an audience.”
“It haunts my nightmares to this day,” she said. “And I'll be damned if I see my sister suffer the same way.” She shook her head. “He gave me a choice. I could join him freely, or I could become part of the collateral when he seized my boss's assets to repay his outstanding debts. There was only one option.”
“And you took it. You joined him.” I let my voice convey what I thought of that decision.
“What choice did I have? There was nothing for me in India. Adrian killed my boss, perhaps the only man there willing to hire me for something that wasn't sex or a death trap. I was an untouchable.” Defensive. “He let me bring my sister.”
“Why wouldn't he? You shackled yourself up right then and there, and gave him the key to your chains. That's the kind of shit he lives for.”
“From what I understand, you were in the exact same position when you agreed to work for him to spare Christina. So spare me the crude interrogation tactics. We both know you're being a hypocrite.”
“Did you fuck him?”
Suraya stared at me for a very long time. Then she looked pointedly away.
“Not willingly.”
“I don't blame you.”
“Blame?” She barked out a laugh. “Interesting choice of word — blame. If you did blame me, as you so callously put it, you would be a monster like him.”
“Some say I already am.”
Suraya looked away from the window she'd been contemplating. I saw her look over my face, searching for something that I knew wasn't there.
“Is that what Christina says? That you're a monster? Does she blame you?”
It sounded like she'd been talking to Angelica.
“You volunteered.”
“What if she had volunteered?” Suraya asked. “Would you have let her do it?”
I didn't respond.
“I didn't think so.”
“If you didn't want the mission, why would you volunteer?”
“Don't worry, Mr. Boutilier,” she said, a touch of irony in her voice now. “I'll play the naif foreign girl for you. It's much too late to renege.”
I steered the conversation back towards the mission at hand, trying not to reveal my annoyance. The head-fucking had to stop. “The less English you claim to know, the better. They'll view you as less of a threat.” Did her sister even speak as little as she pretended? Or was it an act? “If you can get the men to think of you as a simpleton, they might just let down their guard. If they're in this line of work, they won't think much of women, anyway.”
“I wouldn't count on that,” Suraya said. “These men will be paranoid, concerned about being caught. They will be eyeing each new transaction as a potential sting.”
“We don't have to worry about that, either. Cliff may have a contact who can initiate the trade.”
She studied me in silence. “Already?” she said at last, betraying her surprise.
“He's a drug runner,” I informed her, “but tired of the small pickings—” whether this was true or not, I'd already decided that this would be his official story “ — Unfortunately, he's also a coward, so at the slightest hint of trouble, he'll turn tail and run. So don't rely on him for anything, or any shit like that.”
“I can take care of myself.”
I wondered if that were true. I shrugged. “The price he gets for you will be his reward — except for the cut that he'll give Cliff for arranging the exchange. He'd expect that,” I added, “if a deal's too good, he'd be suspicious — but he is greedy, so I think we can assume that he'll skim a little more off the top. Whatever he thinks he can get away with.”
She looked back at me across the table. What will you try to get away with? her eyes seemed to say. Once, I might have said any
I let out my breath. Finally, a part of the story I could believe. “Bastard always did like an audience.”
“It haunts my nightmares to this day,” she said. “And I'll be damned if I see my sister suffer the same way.” She shook her head. “He gave me a choice. I could join him freely, or I could become part of the collateral when he seized my boss's assets to repay his outstanding debts. There was only one option.”
“And you took it. You joined him.” I let my voice convey what I thought of that decision.
“What choice did I have? There was nothing for me in India. Adrian killed my boss, perhaps the only man there willing to hire me for something that wasn't sex or a death trap. I was an untouchable.” Defensive. “He let me bring my sister.”
“Why wouldn't he? You shackled yourself up right then and there, and gave him the key to your chains. That's the kind of shit he lives for.”
“From what I understand, you were in the exact same position when you agreed to work for him to spare Christina. So spare me the crude interrogation tactics. We both know you're being a hypocrite.”
“Did you fuck him?”
Suraya stared at me for a very long time. Then she looked pointedly away.
“Not willingly.”
“I don't blame you.”
“Blame?” She barked out a laugh. “Interesting choice of word — blame. If you did blame me, as you so callously put it, you would be a monster like him.”
“Some say I already am.”
Suraya looked away from the window she'd been contemplating. I saw her look over my face, searching for something that I knew wasn't there.
“Is that what Christina says? That you're a monster? Does she blame you?”
It sounded like she'd been talking to Angelica.
“You volunteered.”
“What if she had volunteered?” Suraya asked. “Would you have let her do it?”
I didn't respond.
“I didn't think so.”
“If you didn't want the mission, why would you volunteer?”
“Don't worry, Mr. Boutilier,” she said, a touch of irony in her voice now. “I'll play the naif foreign girl for you. It's much too late to renege.”
I steered the conversation back towards the mission at hand, trying not to reveal my annoyance. The head-fucking had to stop. “The less English you claim to know, the better. They'll view you as less of a threat.” Did her sister even speak as little as she pretended? Or was it an act? “If you can get the men to think of you as a simpleton, they might just let down their guard. If they're in this line of work, they won't think much of women, anyway.”
“I wouldn't count on that,” Suraya said. “These men will be paranoid, concerned about being caught. They will be eyeing each new transaction as a potential sting.”
“We don't have to worry about that, either. Cliff may have a contact who can initiate the trade.”
She studied me in silence. “Already?” she said at last, betraying her surprise.
“He's a drug runner,” I informed her, “but tired of the small pickings—” whether this was true or not, I'd already decided that this would be his official story “ — Unfortunately, he's also a coward, so at the slightest hint of trouble, he'll turn tail and run. So don't rely on him for anything, or any shit like that.”
“I can take care of myself.”
I wondered if that were true. I shrugged. “The price he gets for you will be his reward — except for the cut that he'll give Cliff for arranging the exchange. He'd expect that,” I added, “if a deal's too good, he'd be suspicious — but he is greedy, so I think we can assume that he'll skim a little more off the top. Whatever he thinks he can get away with.”
She looked back at me across the table. What will you try to get away with? her eyes seemed to say. Once, I might have said any
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