Bitter Sweet Read Online Free Page A

it was like an app such as Runtastic or something similar for tracking kids’ phones.
    ‘Remember the cop I went out with?’ I asked.
    ‘I thought you said that had fizzled out?’
    ‘Not quite,’ I said, watching Mike as he took various bits of electronic devices out of a bag. ‘He hasn’t given up. Asked me out for dinner again.’
    ‘Did you go?’ Mike asked, not looking up.
    ‘I did.’
    ‘And?’
    ‘He’s sweet and kind of cute.’ Mike didn’t react; he was busy with the bits and pieces now spread out on the table. ‘We went out for dinner.’ I shifted on the sofa. ‘It was a nice evening, although he did give me a scare. We’d been talking about cop-business – how he wants to make detective. Then he started talking about a rumour going around the station. At the mention of the sex industry, I froze.’
    Mike looked up and grunted.
    ‘Acted mildly curious,’ I continued, ‘despite the rapid increase in my heart rate. He’d heard that some ranking detective was about to start a razzia on the trade. I think he was just making small talk, and was curious for a woman’s, any woman’s reaction.’
    ‘What did you tell him?’
    ‘Didn’t really. Tried to see if he knew why the sudden crackdown. He didn’t know. But,’ I looked down at my new gemstone nail-art stickers, ‘Martha said that some detective has been taking backhanders, nothing big. Just the usual, if someone strays into an area of the city where they shouldn’t, rather than the heat coming down this detective will for a consideration tell the person where they can operate.’
    ‘Did Martha mention a name?’ Mike asked his hands now still.
    ‘Sorry, she didn’t. Just said he is an old hand. The payoffs go back years.’
    ‘Interesting,’ Mike said, looking at his watch. ‘We’ll have to get a move on.’ He li fted what looked like two white telephone cables. ‘First we need to get these installed. One in Ivonne’s corridor?’
    ‘That’s right,’ I giggled. ‘Bedroom would be better.’
    Mike laughed. ‘We can sit here and watch the action.’ He placed one cable back on the table. ‘And this one,’ he again looked at his watch, ‘is the tricky one, it’s for the passageway outside.’
    I watched Mike as he gently laid the cable besi de the other one. My anxiety was beginning to take root. His hand moved to the memory stick. The nervousness bloomed. I grabbed hold of my phone and started flicking through the list of escorts on the Escort England website.
    ‘ Nina,’ Mike said. ‘Are you sure you can do this?’
    I swallowed. ‘Yes, I’m okay.’
    ‘Can you do it?’ Mike asked, insistently.
    I threw the phone down on to the sofa. ‘Yes.’ I looked at Mike. ‘The waiting is getting to me.’
    ‘It’s going to get worse,’ Mike said, toying with the memory stick. ‘You’re running a greater risk than Ivonne.’
    ‘I know,’ I said.
    ‘Let’s go through the back-up plan if it all goes wrong?’
    ‘Okay. The main thing will be to play dumb. The story being; I’d fallen asleep in Ivonne’s spare bedroom. I’m to look as if I’ve just woken up.’
    ‘What if the guy becomes nasty?’
    ‘Look, I’m nervous enough without having to think about it.’
    ‘No,’ Mike said, ‘on the contrary. If you know what to do, then you’ll do it and won’t be thinking black thoughts.’
    ‘All right. But, the thing is we don’t know how he’ll react, or how fast – if we’re caught out.’
    ‘True, that’s the only weak spot. You choose your moment, do it quickly and straight back into the spare bedroom. Now,’ Mike set the memory chip down, ‘let’s get these cameras set up.’
    We went outside to the passageway; Mike carrying a set of steps and a toolkit, I held the mini-surveillance camera; the lens was no bigger than the rubber on the end of a pencil. The spot for the camera had already been chosen – it was close to the door of my apartment, just around a corner, so the building’s CCTV