“Are you aware of the illegal actions going on at the place you’re residing?”
“No.” I had to lie. According to Brant, Rocky was a bad man. I couldn’t cross him. It was possible he had the ability to have me killed. I had no idea how bad of a person he was, or what he was willing to do to save face.
“I think you’re lying, Ms. Healy. I think you know exactly what’s going on, and I’m pretty certain your boyfriend was hired to help with the next drop.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“What does your boyfriend do for a living?”
I shrugged. “He hasn’t found a job yet.”
He flipped through a few photos, coming to one where Brant was taking a device off of an ATM machine. “Are you denying your involvement with this man?”
He knew I wasn’t telling the truth. I was in hot water, and I didn’t know how to get out. “No. I didn’t know about this.”
He pointed to a person sitting at a slot machine in the distance. “This is you. I know that, because I have surveillance from that particular night. I also suspect you lifted a wallet while you were there. It seems this man,” he pointed to the gruffly man I’d stolen from. “Reported his wallet stolen to security. It was later located in the bathroom waste. I have video of you, not only taking the wallet, but also going in and out of the restroom. Now, this can go two ways, Ms. Healy. You can cooperate with me and make my job a whole lot easier, or you can sit here and withhold information. I can have you locked up for not only drug possession, but also theft, and proceed with the investigation accordingly without your assistance. If you choose to help me, this official report will go into the trash. If you proceed to withhold information this will get filed by this evening.”
I closed my eyes, trying to manage my trembling body. This was too much to take in. He wanted me to become an informant, and in doing so I’d be incriminating Brant. How was I to choose my freedom over the man I loved? Had he led me down this path I couldn’t escape from? Was he as bad as my parents had said? Clearly he’d been helping Rocky since the first night we arrived. Whether it was a test or not was still to be determined. I wondered how many other lies were out there, and because of it, what was I willing to do to uncover them. I needed answers. I deserved them, after giving up my life to be with him. Maybe I needed to hit rock bottom before I could find salvation. Maybe this was my way out of this hellish life I’d been living.
“What would you like to know?”
Chapter 11
Cassie
I’m not really sure how long we sat there going over details of Rocky’s operation. The little I knew about it wasn’t going to be very helpful, and I was fully aware if anyone found out I’d ratted my life could be over.
In the time I sat with the agent, we went over every single day since the moment we’d arrived in Vegas. He wrote everything down, while also recording the conversation.
I wanted to ask about Brant, but knew I’d be pushing it, especially since he was giving me the opportunity to avoid being charged. I had to do this, because I couldn’t live with myself if my parents ever found out the way I’d been living my life.
As far as Brant’s involvement, I had to hope I could convince him to stop and run away with me, otherwise he’d be going down with the ship, because telling him I was informing the task force of their business wasn’t an option. He’d be irate, and in turn would lash out, sending alarm to Rocky.
The agent, who said his name was Logan Campbell, made me sign a bunch of papers. If I screwed up, I’d be charged with interfering in an investigation. Alongside of the crimes I’d already committed I’d be doing jail time.
Special Agent Campbell was in charge of the investigation, and had been for quite some time. According to him they’d surveyed Rocky, also known as Rockefeller James, for around two years, gathering enough intel to be able to shut down his operation. Without someone on the inside, they’d been unable to establish timelines, mostly because Rocky kept everything to himself until the last minute. I knew how crucial I was for this case. However, he was giving me no choice. If I didn’t abide by his terms I could go to jail.
After agreeing to be his in, he brought in more files and surveillance photographs, stating it was only a part of the information they’d collected.
We’d been in there for several hours before I started to worry about Brant coming to work to look for me. “What time is it?”
“It’s almost seven, why?”
“My boyfriend picks me up from work. I get off at seven. If I’m not there he’s going to require an explanation. Unless you want me to tell him I was detained by the FBI, you better get me back.”
He stood up from the table and left the room, only to come back with my purse. “Call him. Tell him you’re covering for a friend until she can get there. Tell him she’s having car troubles.” Since he was adamant, I did what he said immediately without argument.
Brant answered on the first ring. “Hey, baby. Did you get off early. I can be there in fifteen minutes.”
I looked straight at the concerned agent as I purposely lied to my boyfriend. “No. It’s the opposite. Chloe is having trouble with her car. She got a flat tire. They’re taking their time fixing it, so she’s running late. I told the manager I’d stay until she could arrive.”
“Okay. I’m making you a special dinner tonight. The house is all ours for a change. I’m making your favorite, and I even splurged on that fancy wine you like drinking.”
I felt terrible for being a liar while he unsuspectingly prepared to impress me. I was essentially planning his demise while he was cooking dinner. I felt like a horrible person. “I can’t wait. I’ll call you when I’m ready.”
“Sounds good.”
“See you soon.”
After making sure the call ended, I slid my phone back toward the agent. “You can’t keep me here much longer if you want my help.”
He tapped on the table top before standing up again. “We better get on the road. Traffic is a bitch this time of day.” He handed me my purse. “I put my name in your phone as Cam. If he sees it, tell him I’m an employee at the casino; a female. If you learn anything you’re to call me as soon as you’re able to. Remember, if I find out you’re withholding information, I’ll be forced to proceed with charges against you.”
I knew how important this was. “I get it. I know I’m in deep shit. I’ll do whatever you want as long as my family doesn’t find out about this. It’s important they think I’m doing fine. Can we go now?” I was tired of talking to this guy. He wasn’t going to protect me when Rocky was holding a gun to my head, or killing my boyfriend for allowing me into his home.
I think I made it obvious I didn’t like the agent. He was quiet as we walked toward the rear exit. A few times I looked over to see him clenching his jaw. It didn’t matter that he was calm and collected during the whole ordeal with me. He hadn’t cursed at me, or treated me like I was a junkie. He’d been professional, even kind at times. I understood this was his job. He was only doing what he thought would help with the case. I just hated the fact that I was his bait.
Once we were back to the unmarked cruiser, he opened the front passenger side door for me. I was surprised I didn’t have to sit in the back again. I waited until we’d left the precinct to speak. “Do you do this for all the women you arrest? Do you have a slew of informants at your beck and call?”
A voice was coming in through the radio asking for available agents in the area to respond to an incident. He reported that he was in the middle of transferring someone and couldn’t respond, before finally answering me. “No. But I’ve been watching women like you fall victims because of men for as long as I’ve been doing this job. You don’t want to know how many dead females I’ve had to respond to. Most of them are runaways. Their families don’t even know they’re living in Vegas.”