A/N: I am sorry about the delay in this chapter. I hope the next one won't take so long.
Chapter 52
Sally woke to the smell of something delicious. She stretched and the blanket covering her fell onto the floor. She frowned. She hadn't used a blanket earlier. What time was it, anyway? She sat up.
"Are you feeling better?"
Wufei's question made her jump but Sally was relieved that it was Wufei in her home. It explained where the blanket had come from.
"I'm feeling much better, thank you. You should have woken me up. Have you been here long?"
Wufei chuckled. "No. I haven't been here very long and I should not have woken you up. If you're not feeling well sleep is important." He sat next to her on the couch and felt her forehead. Her fever had gone down since he'd arrived. He kissed her. "Are you hungry?"
Sally suddenly felt ravenous. She nodded. "Starving."
Wufei smiled. "Good. I made curry."
Rashid escorted Hilde to the shuttle. Duo was staying behind to keep an eye on Gabe. Once Hilde was settled, Rashid would return to assist Duo with his interrogation.
"Here we are, Miss Hilde." Rashid held the door open and Hilde stepped inside.
"Wow. Quatre travels in style," Hilde muttered to herself as she looked around the posh interior.
The shuttle had plush recliner seats, a flat screen TV, a full bar, and a separate bedroom with a queen sized bed.
"You may feel free to use the back room as you wish, Miss," Rashid told her. "I do not know how long the interrogation will take but until I return Amal will see to your needs. Do not hesitate to ask for anything."
Amal was one of the younger Maganacs. He greeted Hilde with a bow. "Whatever you desire I shall endeavor to provide."
"Thank you," Hilde told him softly, embarrassed at the attention. "I think for now I'll just go lie down."
"Very good, Miss. Amal see that she is not disturbed. I shall return as soon as I am able," Rashid said as he left the shuttle.
Hilde let herself into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She was afraid for Duo. She knew what Gabe was capable of. Even though Rashid was going to help Duo now, what would happen once Duo had to deal with Gabe on his own? She hated that she had been stupid enough to get involved with Gabe in the first place. She hated that Duo had had to save her, even though she was grateful that he had. She hated that everyone had gone so far out of their way just because she made a poor choice of boyfriend. She curled up on the bed and cried herself to sleep.
Trowa followed Quatre into the building, still keeping up the pretense of being his bodyguard.
"Ah, Mr. Winner, what a delight to meet you," the secretary gushed. "Tell me, how did you hear of our little establishment?"
"It was recommended to me by a business contact," Quatre answered casually. "I have to say that when we drove up I thought we'd gotten the address wrong."
"Well, we do have a very exclusive clientele so our location is kept discreet. If you'll just follow me, I'll show you to your room."
Quatre and Trowa followed the man as though they did this all the time. Truth be told, Quatre was a little nervous. This place didn't give off the vibe he expected. There was no desperation, no fear, no anger, and no hopelessness. Something was off but he didn't know what and it was putting him on edge.
"Here we are, sir. Please let me know if there is anything else we can do for you."
"Thank you, I will," Quatre said with much more confidence than he felt. He looked at Trowa. "Wait out here and see that there are no disturbances."
"Yes, sir," Trowa replied as he took up a defensive stance outside the door.
Quatre entered the room feeling very nervous. The room was comfortably furnished and looked a lot like a small hotel room. Well, small for what Quatre was used to anyway. And lounging on the bed, wearing nothing but a bathrobe, was not what he was expecting.
'Oh boy,' Quatre thought. 'What have I gotten myself into?'
"Hello," the man on the bed greeted him. The man was tan and muscular. Quatre supposed that those who frequented this particular brothel might have found him very attractive. He wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or relieved that he hadn't been presented with an underage girl that he had to rescue. It definitely complicated things.
"Um…hello," Quatre replied, trying to figure out how to tactfully ask his questions about the workers here.
"You seem nervous. Is this your first time?"
"Let's just say this isn't what I expected," Quatre answered truthfully. "I was told about this place by a business contact. They failed to mention…certain details."
The man on the bed sat up. "So you don't swing this way, then?"
"No. Sorry. I hope you don't take it personally."
The man shrugged. "To each their own. But if we're done—"
"Actually, I was wondering if we could talk for a bit, if you don't mind."
"Whatever floats your boat, honey. It's your hour." The man patted the bed next to him and Quatre sat down, still a little nervous. "What's on your mind, Mr. Winner?"
"Oh…uh…well, you know who I am. What should I call you?"
"My work name is Harley."
"Okay. Tell me, Harley, are all the workers here male?"
"Yes. This location caters exclusively to those looking for male companionship."
"Are all your clients male as well?" Quatre asked. He was genuinely curious about that. He didn't know if women would frequent a place like this or if they met in more private locations.
"No. Occasionally you get women in here, but the majority of our clients are male."
"Are the workers here all of legal age?"
"As far as I know," Harley said. "There are a few guys that definitely look younger, but they have documentation. The boss won't hire anyone that he knows is underage. Before you ask, we don't service anyone underage, either."
Quatre nodded. "Thank you for the information. Who is the boss around here anyway?"
"The man you met at the front desk. His name is William. He's an absolute gem to work for. Best boss I've ever had, even if the work isn't quite what I wanted."
That piqued Quatre's interest. "What work did you want to go into?"
Harley waved a hand. "Oh, you don't want to hear about that."
"Try me."
"Well…okay. I really wanted to get into pharmaceutical engineering. I always wanted to be a doctor but haven't got the stomach for it. But if I could help to develop medications it would be almost the same thing and I could help people."
"So what's stopping you?"
Harley sighed. "Money, mostly. I can't afford the tuition, not if I want to go to a decent school anyway. I don't want to spend the rest of my life trying to pay off student loans but grants and scholarships aren't easy to get and they don't cover everything."
"What if money wasn't an issue?"
"It would make things easier," Harley said. "But it wouldn't guarantee that I'd even get into the program. I applied years ago and got accepted but a week later I was rejected. I found out that my spot was given away to the spoiled nephew of one of the board members. Even in grad school it isn't about what you know, but who you know."
Quatre nodded. "Unfortunately, that's becoming all too common. I think it prevents some of the best and brightest from living up to their potential."
"Uh-huh." Harley sounded skeptical.
"I know," Quatre said, "It sounds pretty hypocritical coming from me. But I really think that. You wouldn't believe how many board members I've offended because I don't hand out jobs without proof of aptitude."
Quatre paused, trying to think of a way to steer the conversation back on course.
"What's with all the questions, anyway?" Harley asked.
"Can I be honest with you, without you getting upset?" Quatre asked.
Harley frowned. "Maybe. I won't know until you tell me."
"Fair enough. I came here today because the Preventers asked me to help them out."
Harley cocked an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"They received a tip about a human trafficking ring and this was the address they were given. They asked me to come and check things out. This place is so exclusive they knew they'd need someone with enough clout to gain entry. So if there's anything going on that they should know about, I would greatly appreciate you telling me." Quatre knew he was going out on a bit of a limb, but he felt that Harley was being honest with him so he felt safe in asking. Besides, if Harley started lying to him, Quatre would be able to tell.
"So even if I had been a woman, you wouldn't have done anything with me other than talk?"
Quatre nodded.
Harley leaned back on his elbows and looked at the ceiling. "It seems to me that the Preventers were sent on a wild goose chase." He looked at Quatre. "Everything here is on the up and up. The boss treats us fairly and we know what we agree to when we sign on. There are no surprises and if we're uncomfortable with something, all we have to do is say so. I told you that William's a gem, especially in this line of business."
"Thank you for your time," Quatre said as he stood up. He pulled a business card and some money out of his pocket. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread it around that I'm helping out the Preventers on this case. Apparently the guy they're trying to track down is a real piece of work and I'd prefer that he not catch wind of my involvement."
"Of course not. Everything that happens in this room is strictly confidential," Harley assured him, standing up as well.
Quatre handed him the money and the business card. "This is to compensate you for your time. And if you decide you want to pursue grad school, you can call this number. They'll give you a fair shot, I wouldn't recommend them if they didn't. And they offer full scholarships based on both merit and financial need. I'm sure you'd qualify for something."
Harley blinked in surprise at the card. It was the direct line to the dean for the most prestigious medical school in the entire ESUN. "Th-thank you. I'll definitely consider it."
Quatre turned to go but Harley reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him. Quatre turned to look at Harley, wondering what he wanted.
"I really enjoyed our little chat, Mr. Winner. Thank you." Harley leaned in and gave Quatre a soft kiss on the cheek. "Until next time."
Quatre stood there, stunned, as Harley walked out of the room, using a different door than the one Trowa was guarding.
Duo waited somewhat impatiently for Rashid to return. Gabe was still tied up in the closet so Duo set about cleaning up the safe house as much as he could. He wondered if he ought to take the time to throw away the broken pieces of coffee table or just toss them into the room downstairs to make it look even more trashed.
He had the place looking fairly decent by the time Rashid returned.
"Tell Quat I'm sorry about the mess. It wasn't intentional."
"I'm sure he will understand. Don't worry yourself over it. I will arrange to have someone clean things later. We should interrogate the prisoner so Miss Hilde can be on her way. "
Duo nodded. "Yeah. Okay."
"How did you wish to proceed, Master Maxwell?"
"Well, I think we oughtta keep him tied up and threaten to torture him if he doesn't tell us what we need to know. When we're done with him we'll take him to Preventer HQ and book him. Depending on what he tells me, I might need them as backup so it'll be good to fill them in."
Rashid nodded. "Very good. Shall we begin?"
Duo nodded and went to the closet where Gabe was bound and gagged. Gabe glared up at him and Duo smirked.
"Mornin' Sunshine!" Duo crouched down. "Tell me what I want to know and this'll go much better for ya. Get me?"
Gabe's eyes narrowed but at the sight of Rashid behind Duo, his eyes widened and he nodded.
"Good." Duo and Rashid pulled Gabe out of the closet and dumped him unceremoniously on the couch. "Now, first off, I don't wanna have to repeat myself when I ask you somethin'. If you work with me I'll work with you. Deal?"
Gabe nodded.
"Okay then." Duo pulled the gag out of Gabe's mouth. "Tell me about this brothel you go to."
Trowa waited patiently for Quatre to finish interrogating the girl inside the room. He kept his eyes and ears open for any sign of trouble. There was nothing. The only person he saw was the secretary, who came by to verify that everything was all right.
When Quatre finally emerged from the room, his cheeks were tinged a little pinker than normal. Trowa raised an eyebrow.
"Don't ask," Quatre said softly. "I'll fill you in in the car."
Trowa nodded and followed Quatre out.
"Ah! Mr. Winner, how was everything?" the secretary asked when they got out to the small lobby.
"Everything was exceptional," Quatre told him. "Thank you for making time for me. I really appreciate it."
"I'm thrilled that you're pleased with your experience. Any time we can be of service, please let us know."
Quatre nodded to the man and led the way out to the car. Trowa held the door for him, like a dutiful bodyguard, and then let himself into the driver's seat. He waited until they were several blocks away before asking, "Was it a dead lead?"
"I'm not entirely sure."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," Quatre said slowly, trying to organize his thoughts, "this location is owned by Figaro de Seville, who pays the taxes for the properties owned by Angus Carruthers. However, according to Harley, everything here is legal and above board. "
"Who's Harley?"
Quatre couldn't stop the slight flush of his cheeks. "Harley is the name of the male prostitute I spoke to. According to him, all of the workers there are male and of legal age."
"Male? I thought…" Trowa couldn't stop the snigger that escaped his lips. "I'm sorry, Quatre. I honestly had no idea."
Quatre pursed his lips. "I'll tell Heero what I found out but if anyone tells Duo that I went to a male brothel, I will kill them."
"I'm sure Duo would be professional."
Quatre snorted. "Yeah. I'd believe it more if you were capable of saying that with a straight face."