Cavanaugh Undercover. Marie Ferrarella

this true?” Roland asked, looking at Brennan. What the man was thinking was impossible to gauge.

      Brennan had no choice but to tell the truth without knowing where that might lead. “I just met her in the motel room.”

      “All right, who are you?” There was an unspoken threat in the man’s voice that forbade her to say anything but the truth. It went without saying that it would go badly for her if she lied.

      She said the lines that she had been practicing ever since she’d asked for a leave of absence. “I go by Aphrodite Starling and I’ve come with a business proposition for you.”

      The cold, dead eyes never left her face. “I’m listening.”

      “I run an escort service of young ladies, emphasis on the word young,” she began. “Some of my girls have aged out, shall we say? I’m in the market for replacements. I need fresh talent. Word has it that you have fresh talent,” she told him, forcing herself not to look away. If she did, she knew he would take it as some kind of weakness—or worse. She had to win him over and do it fast.

      “I might,” he said vaguely, as if they were talking about a tool she wanted to borrow from his garage.

      She kept it conversational, as if he was her first stop, but not necessarily her only one.

      “I’d be interested in seeing what you have, perhaps taking a few off your hands.” She paused a moment before adding, “I’ll pay you top dollar.”

      The man appeared to only be vaguely interested, but she knew that had to be an act. Men like him were only in it for the money and they wanted as much as they could get their hands on as fast as they could get it.

      “I’d like to see the color of your money,” he told her.

      She had a counterrequest. “I’d like to see the nature of your girls.”

      He laughed, shaking his head. “Not so fast. I don’t even know who you are.”

      “And you won’t,” she told him matter-of-factly. “I don’t broadcast my organization. Staying under the radar is how I survive. Word of mouth in a very small, elite, tight circle does all the advertising for me that I need. Once I’m confident that you can deliver—and that you’re not just out to steal my money—I’ll give you references and you can have me checked out to your heart’s content.”

      “That sounds fair,” he allowed, then added, “But I’ll have to think about it. It doesn’t pay to be trusting. You understand that?”

      “Oh, perfectly.” Because I trust you as far as I can throw you, she told the unsavory man silently. Still, what she thought of him didn’t really matter. He had her sister, of that she was fairly certain. That gave him all the cards to hold. She just had her bluff, nothing more.

      “I have photographs I can show you,” Roland was telling her. “You can make your choices from them.”

      “Photographs can be easily doctored,” she told him with just a hint of contempt in her voice. “When can I see the girls in person so I can make my choices?” she countered.

      “My, my, such eagerness,” Roland said with a laugh that had no humor in it whatsoever. “All in due time, my dear, all in due time.”

      Okay, if he wanted to play word games, she’d play along. Anything to gain his confidence—as far as it went. “I heard that time was scarce and that you and your ‘people’ would be leaving the country very soon.”

      He sneered at her gullibility—or at least that was his inference. “Don’t believe everything you hear.”

      “Then you’re not leaving soon?” she asked, watching his eyes for some sort of a sign that would give him away one way or another. When he didn’t answer, she looked to the man who had brought her here for a confirmation or denial.

      “Don’t look at him,” Roland warned sharply. “He doesn’t have an answer to that any more than you do. You see, I do believe in equality. You will both be kept in the dark until such time as I feel you need to be enlightened. Not a moment sooner,” he told her.

      “All right, then, for the time being, I’ll look at those photographs you have.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, she knew it wasn’t even going to be that easy—seeing a photograph of Janie wouldn’t confirm that she was still alive. But she had to try even though she knew she was playing right into his hands. Maybe she could use that, she told herself. Use that to win the miserable human being over.

      It was a long shot, but right now she didn’t have anything else.

      “Tomorrow,” he said. “Come back tomorrow and perhaps I’ll let you look at them then.”

      She played along and looked confused even though in her heart, she knew that the man was enjoying asserting his power.

      “You just offered to show those photographs to me now,” she protested, delivering just a part of the frustration she was beginning to feel building up inside her.

      “I changed my mind. Women aren’t the only ones with that prerogative, you know.” The smile on his face indicated just how pleased he was with himself. “Give one of my men a cell number where you can be reached and I’ll call if and when I want to see you again. You can go,” he commanded like the tyrant he aspired to be within this growing organization, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

      Inwardly, Tiana was seething, but she couldn’t afford to indulge herself and show it. Somehow, exercising supreme control, she managed to keep her feelings under wraps.

      “Tomorrow, then,” Tiana said to him as civilly as she could.

      “Tomorrow,” Roland said with a smirk. “Or the next day.”

      She turned on her heel and began to walk away. It was either that or lose all control and strangle the pompous ass.

      When Brennan fell into place beside her, she looked at him almost accusingly. “I can find my way out of here without your help.”

      “I’m your ride, remember?” he reminded her cheerfully.

      Roland, apparently, hadn’t heard him say it. “Where are you going?” he demanded, eying Brennan, as if outraged that he’d leave without being dismissed.

      “I’m taking her back to her car,” Brennan answered. “I drove her here, thinking it was better if she didn’t have a way to leave from the hotel unless you wanted her to leave.”

      Roland appeared rather impatient for a second, then shrugged.

      “Not half-bad thinking. All right, be quick about it—and then come back. I want details from you about that motel room and then I might have another assignment for you. See if you’re worth my time,” he said loftily. “So whatever you’re going to do,” he ordered, and it was clear he wasn’t referring to just a simple drop-off and delivery, “make sure you do it fast.”

      “I’ll see what I can do to move things along,” Brennan replied respectfully, playing up to the man because there were a great many lives at stake if he played the game correctly and well.

      He was well aware that the woman beside him—who in his opinion remained an enigma—clearly had contempt in her eyes when she looked at him.