Deathtrap (Crossbreed #3)(21)
Gem and Claude were certain that some of the regulars might remember her, so Claude went to work, questioning the ones Hooper had pointed out. Gem knew the right things to ask, and Claude could smell a lie, so together they made a great team.
But after three hours, she began to lose hope that anything would come of this assignment. It was so frustrating to work on a case that led to a dead end, but it happened. That was why they kept meticulous records, just in case something ever looped back around to a previous investigation. They usually received an advance payment they would keep regardless of the outcome. Viktor was choosy with his assignments and made sure he didn’t take on too many that he didn’t feel they could solve. At the end of the day, Viktor wanted to make sure his team was financially secure.
Gem enjoyed spending her money on clothing and decorations to brighten her room. The rest stayed in savings. As a Mage, she would live a long time, so Viktor had advised her to save as much as she could. Gem valued the sense of belonging and doing something positive with her gifts far more than money. Born a Relic, she possessed a natural ability to understand foreign and archaic languages. It would be a waste to squander that knowledge, so Viktor allowed her to work special assignments in her private chamber. He entrusted her with secrets, and even though he could be a bit of a stiff sometimes, no one else in the house made her feel as valued for her contributions. That wasn’t a feeling she’d ever known before—not even with her Creator, who was wonderful but focused heavily on refining Gem’s Mage gifts more than her Relic knowledge.
The lust room was exactly as she’d imagined. Sexy red furniture, black tables, candlelight, and stone walls. You could still hear the techno music throughout the building, but it wasn’t so loud that you had to scream to hold a conversation.
Claude homed in on two men hanging out in a corner and casually strode over to make conversation.
Frankly, Gem was bored with making conversation.
She plopped down in an empty chair and peeled off her long evening gloves.
“Can I get you something?” a waitress asked.
The server’s brown skin carried a glow so beautiful that Gem’s arms looked porcelain in comparison. All the staff wore black shorts, but their shirts were always the color of the room they worked in.
Gem glanced down and guessed the woman’s high heels were probably pinching her toes. “Why don’t you sit down for a minute? Those look like killer shoes.”
The sassy waitress jutted her hip. “I’ve got to earn my tips.”
Gem waved her to sit. “I’ll tip extra. I wanted to ask you something about a friend of mine you might know.”
The waitress arched a narrow brow and looked around. The moment she sat in the chair in front of Gem, her entire body sagged in relief. “We only have two girls to a room, so just for a minute. Who’s your friend?”
Gem took out a picture of Jennifer that Wyatt had found when searching for her alias information. Most everyone had a fake driver’s license. She had to be careful how to approach this. People didn’t like dealing with the law or anyone affiliated with investigations, and telling the waitress that Jennifer was dead would rouse suspicion.
“Hooper said she worked here about a year ago.”
“Yeah, I remember Jenny. That was back when I first started working here. She was the top spiker. It was hard finding a replacement. Did she have the baby?”
“I haven’t heard from her in a few weeks, so I’m worried,” Gem began, tugging on the edge of her skirt. “I thought maybe she went back with her ex. Do you know where I could find him?”
The waitress slowly shook her head. “I don’t know who she was seeing. We weren’t close or anything.”
“I just got back in town, so I’ve been searching everywhere. Anything you can remember would be helpful. I’ve been worried about the baby; it’s not like Jenny to lose touch.”
“I don’t think anyone here kept in contact with her.”
“My name’s Gem Laroux,” she said, hoping that would put the waitress at ease.
“Latasha Threadgood.” She flashed a bright smile and leaned against the armrest. “What did she have?”
Gem felt a flutter of panic but played it smooth. Since Latasha wasn’t a Chitah, she wouldn’t know a lie from the truth. “A boy. I don’t know much else. She wrote me an email and invited me to come see her so we could catch up, but then I found out she moved and isn’t working here anymore. That’s why I thought she went back with her ex. You know how a baby can change people. I’m sure it’s not easy being a single mom and trying to hold down a job, especially when it’s next to impossible to find nannies.”
Latasha rolled her eyes and nodded. “Someone could make a lot of money opening a daycare. More women these days are doing it alone, and I’ve seen a couple of girls turn to prostitution. Breed employers don’t like it when you have to take off work because you can’t find a babysitter. That doesn’t fly, and we don’t have laws to protect our rights.”
So true. What little Gem knew of the human world was that employers had to go through a process to fire someone. And even then, people could collect unemployment. In the Breed world, you could simply roll your eyes at the boss and you’d be out on the street with no income.
Latasha touched her crimson hair, making sure everything was in place. There were short corkscrew curls like loose coils twisting and pointing in every direction. “I remember Jenny talking to some guy a few times right before she was fired. It sticks out because I was new on the job, and she got in trouble for ignoring her station when it happened a second time. I don’t know if that helps any.”