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Purge, Inc.
Into the Vortex
Chapter 9
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Kate sat on the couch, blanket splayed over her legs with the remote control in her hand.
She had found a box of old tapes and once she got the kids so bed, she thought she'd take the time to see what clues she may find in them. Never before had she wanted to see the videos of her seemingly content husband looking adoringly at the woman- as she did back at him in video, until now. There was no question there was love there- as much love as he could aggregate toward the mother of his child.
Sitting on the bed, stomach protruding out, Isla grinned as she laid baby clothes over her bump as Mike videotaped.
"Won't be long until she's wearing those clothes instead of you," Mike laughed as Isla grinned in agreement. The soft glow of the beige room was alit in yellows in the morning sun.
"I can't wait." Isla whispered.
Kate fast forwarded the movie, past to the part of the baby's birth and into her first birthday when she paused the video with a gasp.
The scene was at a barbeque, Mike was at the grill and someone must have been doing the video because she could clearly see Isla and Mike in the same frame. Isla held the baby as she sipped lemonade, but what had caught Kate's attention was the slight frame of a man she had seen before she and Mike had ever got together.
Garett Haney sat in the background with a beer in his hand in the shadows of the umbrella, shielding him from the sun.
Kate took out her cell phone and took a picture of the man and sent it to her friend.
Instantly, the phone rang.
"Interesting."
His words made her smile. "I thought so, too."
"I'll look into it."
She whispered goodbye before the phone clicked to end and Kate quickly pulled the video and rushed to put it into the inch of space under her dresser until she could get it out of the house and into safe hands.
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Mike looked at the woman moving around the room with a wide grin. "Long time no see." He smirked but she was not amused.
"Been flying high and fast, I see," She smirked back. Her heels clicked rigidly with each step as she pulled Mike into a slight, awkward hug, "Perhaps a little too close to the sun, hmm?" She moved a safe distance away from him quickly.
"You know me," His eyes turned a little colder as he took in the woman's sharp but lovely features put years on. He hadn't seen her since his last wife's funeral and he hadn't missed her at all.
Her presence meant one thing.
"So they're reopening the case?" He spat out, not covering his annoyance in the least.
Her lip curled. "They seem to have a new anonymous tipster."
"Is that so?"
She nodded, shrugging off his cold glare. It was the devil you know with Mike. Carmen wasn't aloof enough to forget that in one wrong step his vengeance would be turned onto her. She'd rather give him the information first than to have him to come after her when she didn't.
"Any idea who?"
"Not that I can say with it being anonymous, obviously. It was a male informant."
"What is this new information?"
The woman gave a slight shrug of her shoulder indifferently.
"So what's the point of coming here if you don't have any real information?"
Carmen took a deep, calming breath to give her a moment to articulate. "The fact that someone has information and is open to relaying such information is informative, is it not?" Mike's lips lined as he glared at Carmen but didn't say anything so she continued. "I'm doing what you asked of me, now it's done." Carmen shrugged as if it was a simple statement, but she needed to get out of there and away from him.
"Did you put a phone in the back seat of my car?" Mike's words bit with accusation as he took two steps toward Carmen. She stood her ground, unmoving. He had to give her credit for her futility.
"I didn't. I wouldn't."
Mike gauged how truthful he felt she was being for several tense moments.
"If you didn't then who did?"
"That's for you to figure out, Mike. My guess would be whoever planted the phone was the one who delivered the tip."
Mike sneered and backed away from Carmen as if he was slapped.
"You know I can't represent you any longer," she said steadily, instantly wishing she relayed that tidbit over the phone when his nostrils instantly flared. "I retired last year when Eleazer took over the firm. This meeting is just a curtesy." She wasn't about to share that she was still part of the firm as a silent partner. Carmen was hoping for a clean break from her former client and started for the door.
"You'll find me new representation."
Carmen stilled with his icy words. "I didn't think you would need it," she hissed, "You didn't do anything wrong, remember." She looked up in time to see his devilish eyes twist into a sinister smirk.
"Right," Mike agreed. "Tell Eleazer I'll be in touch."
They stared at each other for several moments.
"Of course," Carmen reached for the doorknob as she buffered the chill went down her spine and left as quickly as possible knowing Mike was watching her every move.
She waited until she was in the car, locked the doors and drove off without her seatbelt on yet, before she quickly called her partner.
It rang twice before it went her phone went dead.
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A/N: Thank you for reading and your reviews.