Not Another Diva

31 - Shady Business

"What the hell is going on?" I practically growl the words out as Brianna and I follow Clinton into the green room. Elle and Colleen startle as the group of us enter. Brianna is shaking so I've got my arms around her as we walk, causing both Elle and Colleen to rise from their seats in worry.

"Let's all take a seat and I can explain." Clinton closes the door as Brianna and I sit on the couch. The air in the room seems to crackle with tension, most of it coming from me. I'm about ten seconds away from losing my shit if we don't get answers immediately.

Clinton makes his way to our side of the room, all ears open and waiting for him to offer details. "Let me start from the beginning," he says as he pulls a chair over and takes a seat. Before he can start, however, the door opens and Char charges in, eyes wide and totally out of breath.

"Okay, I'm here." She plops down next to Brianna, which prompts me to pull Brianna just a bit closer. I'm still not clear about what went down and who's involved, so I'm feeling really protective.

"I think we've waited long enough." I grind my teeth after speaking. It's the only physical reaction I can make to relieve the tension I feel.

"Everything can be explained," Char begins, "but it's a big mess so I don't even know where to start." She looks over to Clinton who's got a serious expression, still in cop mode.

He turns towards us and starts speaking. "Even before you left town with Brianna, before the break-in, I had some intel that led me to Rachel."

I make a fist with my free hand. "You already knew? Dammit man, why didn't you say anything?" My heart is pounding with frustration and I'm having a hard time taking a deep breath.

"Because the FBI had already gotten involved and our role was just to go along with their investigation."

What? I shake my head. "Keep talking."

Clinton looks at Char. "This goes way back. Char needs to explain that."  Char takes a deep breath and looks at Brianna.

"I wasn't just learning the ropes of management back when we were with Logan." She fidgets as she turns to look at Brianna more closely. "When you got that first letter, and Logan talked you out of going to the police, I started putting things together, things that hadn't made sense until then. I had been checking his client billing records, taking notes for the future when I would have to run the show, and I saw that on some records he had made a notation about a security fee. I started to realize that Logan was basically stealing client money for a phony security company."

I suck in a breath, because I have a feeling I know where this is going. "Are you saying...did Logan send those letters himself?"

Char shakes her head, "No. But he did have them sent."

"So...I don't have a stalker?" Brianna's voice is shaking as she asks.

Char's eyes dart to her friend. "No, babe. There was never a real threat."

Brianna shoots to her feet, letting go of my hand, and starts pacing the floor. "So I've been scared out of my mind for nothing? And no one said a damn word?" Her voice is strained. She's clearly pissed. I get up from my seat and grab on to her, forcing her to look me in the eyes.

"Let's hear what she has to say, Bree. Deep breaths." I'm looking into her eyes, breathing along with her. We're both worked up, confused. But we won't get answers if we don't listen. She finally nods but doesn't return to her seat. The two of us stand in the middle of the room, huddled together, trying to make sense of what Char says next.

"He had to target one client at a time, over several months, to make them think they needed stronger security. Then he would convince them that the media would make it worse if word got out that they needed increased protection, so he would suggest this specialized company."