Frankie doesn't look well. When I started working for Mr George a few months ago, Frankie was a muscular beanpole. Today he's a muscular string of dental floss, pale and damp. We've only had a few interactions, mostly working together to get rid of dead bodies, but it's been clear from the beginning that Frankie is Mr George's right-hand man because he's smart and serious and knows when to keep his hands to himself.
"Mr George sent me," I say as I walk up to him. He's standing in front of one of the doors that always stays locked. I've been looking for an excuse to see what's inside.
"He tell you what this is about?" Frankie asks.
I shake my head. "Just that you need an extra pair of hands and maybe a woman's touch."
Frankie grins. "A woman's touch, huh? Yeah, maybe. We got a dyke in there," he gestures with his shoulder, a little shrug toward the door behind him, "she's not sure she wants to work here."
All sorts of emotions are welling up inside but I'm pretty sure they just come out as a few extra eyelid twitches.
"I don't know how I can help with that."
"Mr George just wants to admit you to the next circle, maybe," Frankie says, shrugging.
"I'm glad he likes my work."
"Yeah, well, you did well enough at Ray's out in delRay but Mr George doesn't like freelancers on principle. He'd prefer you were part of the organization but he just don't have that many hit jobs, so he wants to find something else you'd be willing to work on." Frankie takes a moment to fiddle with his earpiece and turn the volume knob on his radio. "We got a few minutes out here while Doc finishes his examination. So, listen, her name's Nancy. She got here last night, tryin' to track down her friend. Turns out LaDeux was bi before she ever got here. Lost love, yadda yadda. Nancy sees LaDeux, professes her love for her, LaDeux doesn't recognize her—typical side effect of the cheer and goodwill, right—Nancy freaks out, wants to call the cops, and I chloroform her and get her out of the lobby before the guests arrive for the evening. Mr George wants to set her straight for her troubles."
"If you need to dispose of Nancy, I can do that," I say, thinking about how I'd smuggle her to Rowan, "But convincing lesbians to want cock isn't my typical thing. . ." I let my voice trail away. All that time hiding my real feelings from my mother made me a decent actress; Frankie has no idea how much his story and attitude makes me want to shoot him.
"Like I said, Mr George wants you to see the setup, see if you'd be a good fit for the operation. He'd rather hire you than someone we don't know. And, anyway, why dispose of a female when there's such a high demand."
I understand what he's not saying: by participating in the human trafficking, I become complicit in the operation and have more of a stake in its continued success.
Frankie and I are looking at each other. He's waiting for me to say something.
"I like my independence, but there haven't been a whole lot of other jobs recently," I say, arranging myself to look both resigned and curious.
Frankie nods at me. He pulls the radio out of its holster and speaks into it.
"Blake, status," he says. The hall is silent as he listens to his earpiece. "Yeah, good. Rebecca's coming in with me. . . Okay." His eyes had been roaming the wallpaper over my shoulder but they snap back to meet my gaze when he's done talking on the radio. "Just observe today. Cheer and goodwill take time, the way we do it, so's to keep the girls with some character, you know, so they aren't like blowup dolls. Gives you plenty of time to see what it's all about."
He half-turns and reached for the doorknob. It opens easily.
"Fingerprint detection on the knob," he explains, "Once you're on the payroll we'll program it to recognize your fingerprints, too, and it'll automatically unlock for you."
Who the fuck has that technology, I think to myself. I follow him in to discover we've just gone from one hallway into another. That solves one mystery; comparing aerials and exterior images to what I'd originally mapped out when I gave myself a tour a few months ago, Rowan and the team said there was a whole lot of missing space.
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