Page 30 of Bewitched By the Mountain Man
"She got the footage. She gave it to Derek."
"But why?" I ask. "What does she gain from this?"
"Derek wanted me back. She probably knew that. Maybe she was jealous, or insecure, or maybe she thought if she showed him I was at a sex club, it would disgust him enough to stop wanting me back."
I look at Vanessa again and feel a cold rage building in my chest.
"We need evidence that she pulled that footage," I say.
"How do we get that?"
I watch Roddy stand up, whisper something to Vanessa, and head toward his office. She stays behind, scrolling through her phone. This might be our only chance.
"Stay here," I tell Tessa. "I'm going to talk to Roddy."
Roddy knows of me, like he does all his regulars. We've exchanged nods, the occasional word, but I’ve always kept it casual. Just another guy who shows up, keeps to himself, doesn't cause trouble. I’ve made a point of not drawing attention. What he doesn’t know is I’ve quietly stepped in several times—helped women who looked scared or too far gone. Never got caught. Never made a scene. Just got them out.
If he suspected me of doing any of that, he’d have banned me a long time ago. Privacy is his currency, and he deals in it like gold. He doesn’t tolerate threats to it.
And that same obsession with discretion might just work in my favor right now.
Especially if I make it about protectinghisreputation.
I knock on his office door and he opens it.
“Hello,” he says slowly. “You may have gotten turned around. This area’s off-limits.”
“I know. But I’ve got information you’re going to want to hear.”
He doesn’t open the door any wider. Just studies me. “Is that right?”
“Yeah,” I nod. “It concerns the club. And your reputation.”
A pause. Then, “Go on.”
I step into his office. He moves to his desk, leans against it.
"What's this about?"
"The blonde in the gold mask," I say. "Out there with you. How long has she been coming here?"
His expression doesn't change, but I see the calculation in his eyes. "Why do you want to know?"
"Because I think she pulled security footage from a few weeks ago and gave it to someone outside the club, exposing them."
Roddy's jaw tightens. "That's a serious accusation."
"It's the truth. If she has access to your system, if she's been taking footage and distributing it, you have a right to know."
He's quiet for a long moment, then sighs and moves to his computer. He pulls up something, scrolls through, and his face darkens.
"Son of a bitch," he says. "She accessed the security room. Late at night, on Halloween, after I'd left."
There it is. Proof.
"I’ll take care of this," he says. “If this gets out, if people think their privacy isn't protected here…"
"I understand. I won’t say a word."
