Page 74 of A Labor of Hate
Performative.
Like they couldn’t afford to let their guard down or appear anything but normal.The changes between Vivienne at the spa and within her own home were subtle, but they were there.To anyone who knew what to look for, who had a baseline from seeing her when she wasn’t being watched, it was there.
My stomach pitched.Either they’d become suspicious of us all over again, or my hunch about them was starting to look more plausible.
We made it through the rest of dinner without incident.Vivienne had seemed as enthusiastic as always about seeing us at Lamaze on Thursday, which was a relief.If she suspected us, she hid it extremely well.
Colt and I didn’t dare breach the subject until we’d gotten home, changed our clothes, and convened in the front yard for a walk while the sun set.
He intertwined his fingers with mine and arched a brow, the corner of his mouth tipping upward.“That was a lot of cameras.”
“So manycameras,” I laughed, relishing the freedom to speak freely for the first time all day.
My smile died almost as quickly as it appeared.Vivienne didn’t have the luxury of going on walks to escape being watched.Did she get any reprieve from it, short of spa days and Lamaze classes?Were bathroom breaks the only chance she got to be truly alone?If I believed the security camera footage was only for her and Charles to view, it wouldn’t be as invasive.But I didn’t.
“I know.”Colt sighed, his dark eyes flicking toward a neighboring house when their dog started barking at us through the fence.“It complicates things a bit, but we’ll find a workaround.”
He sounded like he was convincing himself as much as me.
“Every system has a weakness,” I agreed carefully.
“But?”he prodded, catching on immediately to what I wasn’t saying.
“But ...”I sighed and gave one of my stray curls a nervous tug.I hadn’t dared bring up my hunch again since Colt reminded me about the nature of our assignment.But something about this whole situation with the Gauthiers felt off.“Did you notice how different they were tonight?”
His eyebrows pulled together, and he raised his voice enough to be heard over the dog as we passed its yard.“When they conveniently avoided all the topics we need to know about, or when they steered us past the stairs to the basement and pretended they didn’t exist?Because that still seems pretty on-par with how they were during our lunch date.”
Right.The only exposure he had to them when they weren’t shadowed by the gangs’ muscle was during Lamaze class.That didn’t allow for a lot of data to pull from.
I shook my head, tracing the path of a car as it cruised through the intersection ahead.“No, I mean like how they were so on-edge in their own home.That’s weird, right?”
Colt hummed thoughtfully.“I did notice that.But, again, that isn’t unusual for them.And, knowing what we know about Charles’ paranoia and extreme caution toward outsiders, it would make sense for them to have their guard up the first time they’ve invited someone new to their home.”
“I guess,” I mumbled.
Logically, that explanation made sense.What did I have to back up my hunch, anyway—quick micro-glances Vivienne made toward the cameras and an itch at the base of my skull insisting something wasn’t right?Good luck explaining that to McBride.
And yet, the itch wouldn’t subside.
Colt stopped a few yards before the intersection and turned to face me.His lips were pursed in his “contemplative” face, his eyes dark as espresso in the fading light.“You don’t agree.”
It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact.
I looked away, unable to hold his all-seeing gaze.“It felt like a prison in there, Colt.Not just for us, but for them, too.At the very least, Vivienne isn’t a fan of all the cameras.”
He didn’t reply immediately, either considering my words or questioning my sanity.Or both.Another car passed, this one turning onto our street.The scent of freshly mowed grass came from the yard we’d stopped in front of.
When I finally braved looking at him again, I found him staring into the distance, back toward our house.When he spoke, it was completely neutral.Another statement.
“You still believe he’s being coerced.”
“I think it’s a possibility we shouldn’t ignore,” I corrected.
“And what if he is, Lex?”Colt met my eyes, his brow furrowed and his shoulders tense.Still, his voice was quiet.“What can we realistically do about it?That doesn’t change the fact that he’s breaking the law, and without proof that it’s against his will, what can we do?”
“Make a deal with him?”
Colt’s expression darkened.“And how do you suggest we offer that to him?Pull him aside during Lamaze class and expose ourselves with no extraction plan andhopethat your hunch is right and he won’t immediately retaliate to save his own skin?”
