Hooked

shot.”
    “How many times have you done this?”
    Colin wagged his head and shrugged.
    “Christ. We’re finished. Now Russo has something on me to drag out whenever he needs to. I’m his bitch. I should fire your ass right now.”
    Colin swiveled his chair to face Benny, his thin, pinched face set hard. “You don’t know how to do what I do, Benny. I’m the one running this operation. Without me, you’d be a horny ex-hedge fund manager paying for sex or sticking a dildo up your ass.”
    “Don’t get us confused. That’s your shtick. I’m never that horny. And don’t forget, I own this building and the others. I furnished them, pay the utilities, and the clubs were my idea.”
    “Bullshit. The clubs were Eileen’s idea. She’s the one with the balls in your family. All you have is the cock. And it’s got to be so worn out I don’t see how you get it up any more.”
    “I get it up just fine. And as long as I pay your salary, you’ll keep my cock out of this. Besides, a rich guy can always get a beautiful woman.”
    “Maybe, but because of me, you get it for nothing. And frankly, that’s really all you do around here. Get fucked. The least you can do is appreciate my talents.”
    “Appreciate? You’ve been blackmailing clients. Clients who put their trust in a safe environment. One thing to pick men who frequent other clubs. They’d never be sure who’s putting the squeeze on them. But who do you pick? Mario Russo’s money man. And what do you do? Threaten him with exposing something that could only have happened here. It took Russo two seconds to figure it out when I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. He called you a puny little fairy. He figured that out too.”
    Colin twisted his mouth and fidgeted in his seat, a repentant expression on his face. “Okay, so it wasn’t my most brilliant move. I figured Martell for the big score. I didn’t think he’d tell Russo. Fact is, I thought Russo would be the last person he’d want to know.”
    Benny leaned into Colin’s face, almost nose to nose. “Martell is married to Russo’s wife’s niece. He’s freaking family.” Benny whacked the palm of his hand against Colin’s forehead. “Family. Get it?”
    Colin recoiled. “I get it, I get it. So I screwed up. Sorry. But it all worked out, didn’t it?”
    “Who knows? If he feels threatened, he could take us out, and we wouldn’t see it coming. If he does, I hope he pops you first. Knowing that would pleasure me no end before I meet my maker.”

Chapter Sixteen
    The Tour

    D ressed for the evening in a sexy black cocktail suit, her hair in a complicated twist, Tawny traded her usual public transportation for a taxi for the long ride uptown. High-profile men favored her elegant trendsetter-cum-socialite appearance that years of perfecting had achieved. Not too flashy, just the right amount of makeup, heels high enough to walk comfortably without wobbling like a drunken sailor.
    Geometric patterns of sun and shade played on the tree-lined street, the breeze temperate for mid-August. Time: a few minutes before five. Punctuality had always been important. People paid good money for her services. They didn’t deserve to wait. Hopefully, she’d find out what she needed in a few visits and wouldn’t have to return at all.
    Thinking back to the other night with Walsh set her on edge. The man wouldn’t give up. He’d dig and dig until he found what he was looking for. Like an Etruscan artifact waiting for the delicate touch of the excavating tool and brush, life’s secrets were never buried so deep they couldn’t be unearthed. She wondered why it made a difference if he pulled her history out of files as dead as past civilizations. What it said about her. What it said about him.
    Walsh would open her up, lay her bare, and the maggots would eat her insides until there was nothing left. She wished she could get on the next plane to some place she’d never been and stay until her last breath.
    Instead, she stood on the sidewalk facing Upper Eighties, about to enter into something she’d never do unless forced. Walking back into the life she’d decided to leave. Back into the world’s oldest profession.
    She inhaled a deep breath, climbed the stairs, and pressed the buzzer. The doorman let her in and introduced himself as Charles. He obviously expected her, and within minutes Benny arrived at the desk.
    “Tawny, beautiful as usual. I can’t tell you how pleased I am to see