"It pays for my sister's care."
I made a sound, almost like a chuckle. "Clearly, it pays for more than that. You drive a sixty-thousand-dollar car and you live in a place with a doorman."
She slid the sleeve back in place to cover the bruising and said nothing.
"Valmont's dangerous. He'll use you up and dump you the second he's tired," I supplied. "Maybe next year. Maybe tomorrow. I wouldn't rely on whatever arrangement you have with him to keep you going financially."
She looked in the rearview again, staring into the mask. "Are you a cop?"
"No."
"A reporter? Is that why you're hiding your face?"
"I'm doing my job," I told her. "Punishing those who deserve it. I'd hate for you to end up with no income to cover the rest of your lease."
Her shifted her gaze to the envelope again. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything."
She exhaled, then let the facts spill. How the club used rotating security, how the real fun happened in the back rooms, how Valmont liked to keep thingsinteresting. Names, dates, logistics.
I asked questions when I needed to.
She talked about the other girls, the schedule, the other men who came through and what they liked, about the occasional drop-offs in the nearest ER.
I listened to all of it, storing each useful word and filtering out the noise.
When she finished, I pulled the blade back and tucked it away.
"You need to run," I told her. "Leave town before it's too late."
She looked at the envelope in her lap again, then at the rearview mirror. It was clear she was debating in her head.
"You will end up like one of the other victims, beaten to half death, and tossed in front of the ER. And no one will care. You won't be able to file charges either. You don't understand who you're dealing with."
"How do you know?"
"I just do."
I slipped out the back, making no sound as I moved between the rows of parked cars.
I waited until her taillights faded up the ramp, then walked to the far end of the garage where my bike waited.
I thumbed the earpiece. The line crackled.
"Viper, you there?"
His reply was instant. "Always, boss. You got something?"
"Keep an eye on the mark for now. I need to know when she leaves town or if she doesn't."
"Ditto." Pause. "I got something for you too."
"What is it?"
"Solid intel. Bale guys broke into your girl's apartment last night. Good thing you got her out in time."
My girl?I had a momentary brain freeze.
