Page 177 of Rush of Jealousy

“We were all in this situation to find out what was happening in the underground world. The FBI was interested—and also could turn their backs on me using illegal measures to gather information—for their own purposes. Nic and I just wanted to find out who hurt Penny. Informants never testify in court, so we would be able to stay anonymous. Since we were undercover, we could do what we wanted and not get penalized for it in the name of the law.”

“Wow.”

“Then another incident happened with Illusion Escorts. Three of the girls who were active escorts died within a week’s time. The company folded and dissolved before I could buy it. A huge investigation was done on the local level. All while the FBI was using Nic and me to pass back information to them.”

Fuck. “What did the girls die from?”

“Overdoses.”

“Damn. That could have been Penny.”

“Exactly. She was spared and was able to get out. And I was so thankful. The FBI wanted to lure out all of the key players, so we brainstormed and came up with a plan. Our company that caught cheaters got shut down, for obvious reasons. However, we avoided being fined or having to pay a huge amount of back taxes. It was like they turned a blind eye just to use us for the chance to gather information. And it seemed like a fair trade at the time. Avoid prison time and become informants.”

“Seems so surreal. Like a TV show.”

“Except it’s real. And now I have more to lose than ever.” His eyes darken as he looks at me.

“What happened next?”

“I used the money we profited from that adventure to set up an alternative escort service with hopes to gain a database list of men who were wanting their fun but could flaunt it in a public setting—and through a legitimate business model. And that is how Entice was born.”

“Everyone who works there has no idea that you are calling the shots?”

“The higher up positions know I am a key investor. The details are not important to the business or to them.”

“So, let me get this straight. You are running Entice behind the scenes and Dominic is working undercover as an informant—using an alias name and pretending to be the CEO? How do you even get information to pass back?”

“Men with money get cocky. But doing the background checks alone helped us turn all of the disqualified names over to the FBI and gave us a chance to continue trying to lure out those who never had any criminal record. Those people are the most valuable because they are on no one’s radars. Obviously that is all about to change.”

“But Entice does not have a sexual encounter requirement.”

“Correct, none that could be charged for money. People do what people do. But the agency would not be taking a cut in those side dealings.”

So much information is running through my head all at once. “How are you able to keep girls safe who work for you?”

“The FBI planted some informants inside the agency…at least we think they did. Nic and I have no clue who they are though. And who knows, we could be completely wrong. It is really just a theory.”

“Wow.”

“We thought you were one at the beginning.”

“Interesting…”

“But I knew you weren’t one within a few meetings.”

“How so?”

“You’re the worst liar on the planet,” he says with a smirk.

“And you basically told me that when we met outside the mansion at the pool.” I remember that night so well.

“You wear your emotions in your eyes. I knew there was something so pure and innocent about you. Therefore there was no way you could be one. But Nic was convinced otherwise. So no matter how much I tried to get him not to interview you and allow you to join, he thought he needed to just for the extra backup.”

“Why would you have been worried if I was one?”

“Because I am so infatuated with you that it would, for one, make working extremely difficult, and two, make it so hard to sit back and watch you put yourself at risk. Which oddly enough, has been what you’ve been doing from the start. Anyway, informants could get caught and then the consequences could be horrifying. Ironically, you are doing something worse than being an informant. You are a fucking aspiring investigative journalist. Is this some cruel joke?”

“I’m being careful.”

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