Page 20 of The Broker

Angry and upset, Edwin moved out of the château and disappeared. It wasn’t until about a month ago, when Chase first came toLa Maison, that Matteo learned the truth about Edwin’s treachery. It was during this interaction that Matteo discovered the little shit had stolen loads of client information and was selling it to the highest bidder.

Matteo had never felt so angry and betrayed.

“Remind me again what it is that I’m looking for?” Jared asked, flipping yet another page of the journal before running his hand across his freshly buzzed hair.

There was something about the texture of his short hair against his skin that calmed him.

Matteo looked up from his laptop.

“We are trying to find any entries that suggest the individual is participating in heinous activities.”

“Heinous? Half the people in here are having affairs, stealing money from their bosses, or hiding illegitimate children across the globe,” Jared replied, glancing up from the pages.

“No. I don’t care about any of that information. Look for activities that suggest the person is a danger to society. That they have committed a serious crime, like a murder, or are running a human trafficking ring.”

As it turned out, once Edwin had stolen the information from Matteo’s files, he began his own in-depth investigation and uncovered certain unspeakable crimes committed by, or connected to, some of the members ofLa Maison de M. It was these heinous crimes that Matteo was most concerned about.

In order to be accepted as a member ofLa Maison de M, applicants must go through an extensive credit and background check. A team of investigators digs through the applicant’s background, trying to identify any red flags or warnings indicating that the applicant may be a danger to the club or any of Matteo’s dancers.

According to Matteo, while no system is perfect, what concerned him the most was how these warning signs had gone unnoticed. Some of these crimes were committed after Matteo’s team had vetted the applicant, so there was no blame to be placed there, but some of these acts appeared to have occurred well before Matteo’s team conducted the due diligence.

So, one of the first things Matteo had done right after learning of Edwin’s deception, was to fire his existing investigative team. He didn’t trust that they were digging deep enough and began questioning whether their previous investigations could be trusted at all. Which made sense in Jared’s eyes. Why keep around people who can’t do their jobs right?

For now, Matteo was working with Marc Bodin—Chase’s boss—to conduct background searches on any new applicants received. Apparently, there was a security firm that Marc trusted that could conduct thorough investigations to suit Matteo’s needs. Matteo would have to decide how best to deal with his existing clientele at a later date.

For now, their priority was to locate any guests who posed an immediate threat. Hence, Jared’s afternoon party with his boss in his drafty medieval office.

“And once we find these guys, we give them to Chase to take out? Kind of like how we did with Peabody last month?” Jared asked.

Matteo nodded.

Chase had discovered that one of their clients had been secretly kidnapping people and holding them hostage as part of some sick role-play, fantasy game of his. Chase was a private investigator hired by Marc to hunt down and “dispose of” the monsters contained in the journal.

“Except, hopefully, this time, no one will get stabbed,” Matteo added, referring to injuries Isaac and a few others had sustained during their rescue of Levi and takedown of Peabody.

Jared resumed flipping through the journal and read page after page of human weakness, sin, and debauchery. People were disgusting. They lied, cheated, stole, and even fucked each other over, all in the pursuit of money, power, or control.

When Jared had been stationed overseas in Iraq, he had seen first-hand the misery and hatred humans could inflict on one another. It was that horrifying experience that stayed with Jared. It controlled him. It was like a presence lurking in the shadows, waiting for him to let down his guard or close his eyes and sleep. It was in those vulnerable moments when the memories of death and destruction took hold of his mind. Five years may have passed, but the effects of those days still held fast.

Before meeting Matteo, Jared couldn’t hold down a job. Employers were not sensitive to those days when he could barely function as a human being. Those days when the memories were so severe, he found it almost impossible to get himself out of bed.

Here, Matteo was always there for him. He provided Jared with a safe and calming environment, one in which he was able to face his own demons and not have to worry about making it to work on time or having to reach a quota for the day. On those difficult and challenging days, Matteo insisted that Jared take care of himself—relaxing in the comfort of his own bed while having his doctor on speed dial in case he wanted to have a quick session with her to calm his nerves.

Matteo never argued or expected anything in return. He just wanted to make sure that Jared had everything he needed and that he was always taken care of.

He really did owe his life and sanity to the blue-eyed Italian sitting across from him.

“Jesus. How fucked up is this?” Jared said, sickened by what he had just read. “This guy here, Mr. Sawyer, works as a lawyer arranging fake adoptions for people.”

Matteo glanced up from his laptop.

“What do you mean by fake?”

“Well, apparently, this gangster who calls himselfThe Night Basherkidnaps women, has them raped, then gives their babies to this lawyer to sell nine months later. How fucked up is that?!”

Jared watched as Matteo’s grip on the arm of his chair tightened. He felt just as disgusted and angry. How was a monster like that still breathing?

“Wait. What did you say the gangster’s name was?” Matteo asked, his voice suddenly curious as opposed to angry.

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