Although I could feel myself growing progressively more nervous, I caught his eye with ease. I gave him my most charming smile, and in a sultry voice, I greeted, "Hey there, handsome." Then I bit my lip to really sell the hoax.
When he looked me up and down I could tell that he liked what he saw. He returned a toothy grin. "Hello yourself. You the only one workin' tonight, sweetheart?"
"The other girls work hard, but even they need a break sometimes. Not like me, though. I can handle anything."
"Why ain't I ever seen you 'round here before?"
"I like to travel, see the world. I came here hopin' to find out if it's true what they say. That the city never sleeps." I gave him a subtle, yet seductive once over.
"The city don't sleep and neither do I," He replied with a wink. "How about we go back to my place, and I show you."
"We can go anywhere you'd like...for the right price."
Jimmy's arm slithered around my waist like a snake before he drew me close. He wreaked of stale cigarettes and bourbon and his breath was hot against my ear as he said, "I'd give all the money in the world for someone as pretty as you." I tried not to stiffen for fear of being figured out.
After working out a fair price, he took me to his house, which was just a block away. I felt just a little at ease when I caught sight of the unmarked black van parked a few houses down because I knew that van held Liv and the others. As soon as we had our proof, they would be there to arrest him. I just hoped it would be over before Jimmy's gun got involved.
Jimmy's house was that of the stereotypical single man's, with pizza boxes and empty glass bottles littering each room. Every surface was in need of cleaning and the air smelled like pot. But it wasn't the filth that made me pause. It was the three men on Jimmy's couch, specifically one man. While the other two were covered with some kind of muscle, the third was slender and had a mop of curls on his head. He seemed just as nervous as I felt as he watched the men drink heavily. When he saw me, he froze, looking like a deer caught in headlights. I could only guess that my expression matched his. He was the boy I had turned down at the bar forever ago. The one I had told I was a cop. My throat was suddenly dry. "You...only paid enough for one person…" I raspily stated to Jimmy.
"Don't worry, baby. I won't let them bother you," Jimmy said. He took a seat on the recliner adjacent to the couch and pulled me onto his lap. "How bout you take off that coat? It's a little warm in here." He helped me shrug off my coat, which I had forgotten I was wearing. I stared at the boy as I felt Jimmy run his meaty finger under my left collar bone, stopping when it reached the small, round indent I had sustained a little over six years ago. The only time I ever remembered it was there was when I saw it in the mirror whenever I was shirtless, but I would quickly avert my eyes before I had a chance to remember the pain as well. "What happened here?"
"I fell when I was a child," I said numbly. "I impaled myself on a stick."
"It looks like a bullet hole scar."
"I get that a lot." I could only imagine how on edge the team was as they watched this all go downhill, how much they wanted to kick in the doors and steal me from this place, but the only crime Jimmy had committed was buying a prostitute, which would mean he'd do a little bit of time then he'd be on his merry way. As uneasy as it made them, they had no choice but to wait this out. "Could I get a glass of water?"
"Of course. My nephew can get it for you, ain't that right, Matteo?"
The young man nodded. When he stood, I said, "I'll come with."
When we were in the kitchen, away from prying eyes, Matteo took a cup out from a cabinet and filled it with lukewarm tap water. Without looking at me he mumbled, "Why are you here?"
Despite knowing Liv could hear me I replied, "I'm workin' undercover on a case against your uncle. A suspected rape of a prostitute."
"You think he did it?"
"I didn't at first, but now...He doesn't seem so much like the likable type...not like you."
"That's a laugh. If I'm so likable why did you reject me at the bar?"
I sighed. "Because...I don't know how to handle nice guys, so I stay away from them." I slowly laid my hand on top of his. "Matteo, if your uncle does go down tonight, it's best you're not here. You haven't done anythin' illegal, but if you stay you'll go down with him."
"And if he didn't do anything?"
"Then we'll leave him alone."
Matteo drummed his fingers against the counter, thinking for a long time. Finally, he said, "He likes to brag."
"About what?"
"About how he's a real man because he can make a woman do anything she wants. He may not look like it, but he's got money, and he uses that money to bribe and blackmail women into keeping quiet. The women he buys, he pushes them to do things that he didn't pay for or things they don't do. He told me that it's a woman's job to worship a man and fulfill every last one of his desires. He's rough with them, and his head's so full of air because he knows he can get away with it." He met my gaze, his eyes red with burning tears. "Those women don't deserve to be treated that way."
"You're completely right, Matteo. But he won't be hurtin' anyone else after tonight."
"What's takin' you two so damn long?" Jimmy grunted as he entered the kitchen.
"Matteo here was just tellin' me how great of a man you are," I swiftly answered. "How you're so strong and powerful. The thought of that much power makes my knees tremble."
Jimmy barked out a laugh. "Sweetheart, I'm going to make more than just your knees tremble."
"I can't wait," I smiled. I felt sick to my stomach.