Page 28 of Devoted

"Yes." His question pushes my mind back to the stunning information Silvana uncovered about Kane. Homeless women. His monster of a dad preyed on them. They were his victims. Kane gave money and food and shelter to them. And drugs, I remind myself before I give him a saint'scrown.

"Angie," Winter's voice pierces my silentrevelation.

"Miss Tennyson, did you hear the question?" Dr. Renfrewasks.

"No, I'm sorry." She seems to make a mental note, something about interviewee is highly distractible, nodoubt.

Winter straightens some. "Did you have any form of addiction before you started the undercoverassignment?"

I blink at him a few seconds, trying to decide whether I actually heard the fucking question. My money is now on Internal Affairs. "Do three cups of coffee and a donut a day count as anaddiction?"

His lips draw out in a thin line. It seems he's not into my form of humor. "Alcohol and drugs, either prescribed or illegal were not aproblem?"

"No," I say firmly. No wonder four hours have been scheduled for this sideshow. It already feels like a week has passed and we haven't even gotten to my timeunderground.

"Let's jump ahead." Apparently he's feeling the same slow motion time pass as me. "How did a highly skilled detective manage to get herself drugged, kidnapped and taken to an underground complex?" It's firm in my head now. Winter was sent by IA and the good doctor is there more as a witness to make sure I don't come back at him with any harassment claims. The weeks of withdrawal have left me still somewhat paranoid but I'm certain this is no conspiracy formulating in myhead.

"You jumped ahead. Now let's jump back. In case you missed it, although that's hard to accept because you read it right from your little info packet." I flick my chin toward the folder in his hands. "I was undercover. I was no longer a highly skilled detective. I was a runaway with a tragic past trying to survive. Left my gun and badge behind and everything. They clashed with the young girl braids in myhair."

I'm pushing all his buttons, but I have to hand it to him, other than the occasional shift of his posture and the disgusting sweat stains forming in his arm pits, he's staying calm. Did Clark fucking know who theseexpertswere? There are only two possible answers. I decide to stick withno. I refuse to think Clark would do anything this shitty without warningme.

"How did you manage to get yourself into such a seemingly hopeless predicament? How did you become Freestone'sprisoner?"

"Do you mean how did Tawny Smith, the innocent street kid, fall for the old trick of delicious food, a warm shower and clean clothes? Actually, I think my answer is in my counter-question."

His nostrils flare. It seems I've pushed the last button. "Let's get something straight, Detective Tennyson, your department was left with an enormous medical bill along with the ridiculous budget needed to send another detective in after you, since you didn't seem inclined toleave."

"So that is what it's all about? Money? It's always the money. Look, the medical staff at the hospital were very nice, especially the nurses, but frankly, they didn't do much except make sure I didn't scratch my skin off. I could have gotten through this on my own. They made me go to the hospital. And it sure isn't my fault that in our out of control healthcare system hospitals charge five thousand dollars for anaspirin."

Winter gets up abruptly. I sit back as a precaution. He walks over to the table and gets a bottle of water and offers one to his quiet assistant. She says no. I didn't think she looked like the kind of person to drink from abottle.

He guzzles half of it in one shot and returns to the chair looking no less refreshed. He picks up the folder, drops it on his lap and lifts his face. His eyes are a muted gunmetal gray, an unfriendly color. "In a preliminary statement, you said the women you were living with at the makeshift tent city were picked up on a deserted street corner and driven in a windowless van to a warehouse. Who drove thevan?"

"Don't think I ever learned his name. A big guy with tribal tattoos on his arms. Freestone had several loyal bodyguards. I rarely saw the van driver. There was this guy called Rowan. He was pretending to be homeless, living amongst us at the park. He seemed to be the person on the outside choosing thewomen."

His ears perk up like a dog's. "Choosing them forwhat?"

He's waiting for me to drop some tantalizing, lascivious details but I stunt his anticipation with the plain truth. "He chooses the women who get to attend the party. The ones who get to have a delicious hot meal, a warm shower and their clothes laundered. There was also a parting gift of shampoo and essentials, like soap and toothpaste." It's been several long harrowing months but some of the details are coming back to me. "I couldn't see out of the van, but I think we were somewhere near the coast, somewhere near here. It was a big empty warehouse and the front offices had been transformed into a large room for parties and a massivebathroom."

"So the women were expected to bathe or shower?" He was very focused on finding out the dirtydetails.

"Yes. They were provided with as much shampoo and soap as they wanted. Clean dresses to wearafterward."

"Did you join the otherwomen?"

I lean back hoping it will relax me and make me look less defensive. Even though I'm feeling pretty fucking defensive. "I'd been living at the park for several days using the restroom sink to wash. Frankly, the hot shower and soap washeaven."

"Did Freestone and his bodyguards watch the womenshower?"

I glance over at Dr. Renfrew. Her lips are pursed. She's trying her hardest not to show a reaction orjudgment.

I turn back to Winter. It seems so long ago but my mind wanders back to that first night, the night I entered Lace Underground. It was the same night Kane Freestone saw through my undercover routine when I looked into the one way mirror. I saw his eyes for the first time that night. And he saw me. It was the first time we exchangedglances.

"Yes," I say quietly. "They weren't in the room with us but I noticed some of the vanities in the bathrooms had one waymirrors."

"So they watched the women shower?" he asksagain.

"If they were sitting behind the mirrors, then I suppose they were watching. To be honest, I think they were watching because they were looking for women to join LaceUnderground."

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