Matt made a few stops on the way back to the apartment. His credit card still worked – the one connected to his account, not Elektra’s. He didn’t know if he could ever touch that money. He bought himself silk sheets because Fisk’s guest sheets were wearing on him and he didn’t want to be further in his debt. He also purchased earplugs and noise-cancelling headphones. Stick thought they were a needless extravagance that would make him weak, but there were just some things in the apartment above him that he didn’t want to hear.
Also, accidentally listening in on their every conversation seemed a bit rude.
Wondering when he started caring what Fisk thought was rude – it had to be about Vanessa – Matt returned in time for dinner. Sunday meant restaurants were crowded with families and tourists, so the Fisks (he supposed he could refer to them as that, as they were engaged) were staying in again. They mostly talked among themselves at dinner because Matt didn’t engage in the conversation. He was too distracted.
“Matthew?” Vanessa asked, sounding about as innocent as Vanessa Marianna could ever sound. “Is something wrong?”
Their body language had shifted without him noticing. They must have read his expression. He was a little angry, but not for the reasons they were expecting. He debating saying nothing, but it was hard to pass up an opportunity to taunt Fisk. “I take it you own the building.”
“Yes,” Fisk replied.
“So you know your neighbors.”
“Not personally. I prefer my privacy. But they were screened.”
Matt nodded casually and paused between bites of his arugula salad. “Two floors down, the hedge fund manager? His ‘wife’ is sixteen. He bought her through a mail-order dating service in Thailand. He hurts her, but she doesn’t speak enough English to be able to communicate with anyone.” He added, “He just hit her again. For crying that he hit her too hard.” He took another bite. “Is this the Hell’s Kitchen you wanted?”
Fisk came close to stammering but quieted his response, probably due to the fact that Vanessa was sitting across from him and he didn’t want to get angry in front of her. Eventually he said, “Do you expect me to do anything about it?”
“You said you wanted to make this city a better place,” Matt said. “Theoretically, we’re after the same thing. But that’s just theory, isn’t it?”
Fisk was pissed at him, and really having trouble not showing it. In fact, Matt as pretty sure that the only reason Fisk hadn’t reached across the table and throttled him was because of Vanessa’s presence. “And what would you do?” Fisk spat at him. “Put on a Halloween costume and beat him up?”
“I am trained in the law,” Matt replied. “I would call the office of Children and Family Services first and report a trafficking victim. Call them a second time when they didn’t follow-up fast enough. But somehow I don’t think they would get past your building’s security. You’re a private person and this place is a fortress. He would use that to his advantage. But maybe it would work, with enough anonymous tips and enough pressure on advocacy agencies involved. Maybe he would go to jail and she would end up in a shelter and get help applying for a green card. I know people who would help her do it. Experts.”
“And if that failed ... if you didn’t reach the rosy end of that rainbow?”
Matt was prepared for this. “I don’t think it would be in my best interest to say what might happen next. But I’m not in shape to do much of anything, and you have camera on me all the time. So it’s really up to you.”
“Me?”
Matt intentionally turned his head in Vanessa’s direction before facing Fisk again. “You control everything that happens in this building to some extent. You said yourself you screen everyone. And now you know someone’s dirty secret. You know that while you sit here, eating a special delivery from one of New York’s best restaurants, you’re two elevator stops away from someone getting raped.”
Fisk squirmed and Matt loved it. “What if you’re wrong?”
“I’m not.”
Fisk was no doubt getting a hell of a stare down from Vanessa. He acted differently when she was looking at him. Matt hadn’t meant to take so much pleasure from this dinner, not precisely, but he figured he might as well enjoy it while he can, because he really was in no shape to follow that guy to work and kick the shit out of him.
“I suppose I could ... call security,” Fisk said, in his own sort of agony over being forced into doing something so blatantly good, even if it amounted to nothing.
“You call security, the police, and I’ll call the sex trafficking hotline,” Matt said. “She won’t press charges. She doesn’t have the language skills to communicate anything and she’s scared. But if your security people see something and report it, and he gets arrested, the social worker will talk to her when she’s alone. It’s New York. There’s probably someone who works at an agency who speaks Thai.” He added, “It would take ten minutes of research. On my phone.”
Fisk got up and stormed out of the room, but it was partially because he didn’t like doing “distasteful” things in front of Vanessa.
“Why must you insist on testing him?” she asked Matt, amusement in her voice despite the subject matter. She was probably hardened to these things.
With a grin he answered, “Do you really have to ask?”
[Fill] Fisk Pities Matt (9/?)
Also, accidentally listening in on their every conversation seemed a bit rude.
Wondering when he started caring what Fisk thought was rude – it had to be about Vanessa – Matt returned in time for dinner. Sunday meant restaurants were crowded with families and tourists, so the Fisks (he supposed he could refer to them as that, as they were engaged) were staying in again. They mostly talked among themselves at dinner because Matt didn’t engage in the conversation. He was too distracted.
“Matthew?” Vanessa asked, sounding about as innocent as Vanessa Marianna could ever sound. “Is something wrong?”
Their body language had shifted without him noticing. They must have read his expression. He was a little angry, but not for the reasons they were expecting. He debating saying nothing, but it was hard to pass up an opportunity to taunt Fisk. “I take it you own the building.”
“Yes,” Fisk replied.
“So you know your neighbors.”
“Not personally. I prefer my privacy. But they were screened.”
Matt nodded casually and paused between bites of his arugula salad. “Two floors down, the hedge fund manager? His ‘wife’ is sixteen. He bought her through a mail-order dating service in Thailand. He hurts her, but she doesn’t speak enough English to be able to communicate with anyone.” He added, “He just hit her again. For crying that he hit her too hard.” He took another bite. “Is this the Hell’s Kitchen you wanted?”
Fisk came close to stammering but quieted his response, probably due to the fact that Vanessa was sitting across from him and he didn’t want to get angry in front of her. Eventually he said, “Do you expect me to do anything about it?”
“You said you wanted to make this city a better place,” Matt said. “Theoretically, we’re after the same thing. But that’s just theory, isn’t it?”
Fisk was pissed at him, and really having trouble not showing it. In fact, Matt as pretty sure that the only reason Fisk hadn’t reached across the table and throttled him was because of Vanessa’s presence. “And what would you do?” Fisk spat at him. “Put on a Halloween costume and beat him up?”
“I am trained in the law,” Matt replied. “I would call the office of Children and Family Services first and report a trafficking victim. Call them a second time when they didn’t follow-up fast enough. But somehow I don’t think they would get past your building’s security. You’re a private person and this place is a fortress. He would use that to his advantage. But maybe it would work, with enough anonymous tips and enough pressure on advocacy agencies involved. Maybe he would go to jail and she would end up in a shelter and get help applying for a green card. I know people who would help her do it. Experts.”
“And if that failed ... if you didn’t reach the rosy end of that rainbow?”
Matt was prepared for this. “I don’t think it would be in my best interest to say what might happen next. But I’m not in shape to do much of anything, and you have camera on me all the time. So it’s really up to you.”
“Me?”
Matt intentionally turned his head in Vanessa’s direction before facing Fisk again. “You control everything that happens in this building to some extent. You said yourself you screen everyone. And now you know someone’s dirty secret. You know that while you sit here, eating a special delivery from one of New York’s best restaurants, you’re two elevator stops away from someone getting raped.”
Fisk squirmed and Matt loved it. “What if you’re wrong?”
“I’m not.”
Fisk was no doubt getting a hell of a stare down from Vanessa. He acted differently when she was looking at him. Matt hadn’t meant to take so much pleasure from this dinner, not precisely, but he figured he might as well enjoy it while he can, because he really was in no shape to follow that guy to work and kick the shit out of him.
“I suppose I could ... call security,” Fisk said, in his own sort of agony over being forced into doing something so blatantly good, even if it amounted to nothing.
“You call security, the police, and I’ll call the sex trafficking hotline,” Matt said. “She won’t press charges. She doesn’t have the language skills to communicate anything and she’s scared. But if your security people see something and report it, and he gets arrested, the social worker will talk to her when she’s alone. It’s New York. There’s probably someone who works at an agency who speaks Thai.” He added, “It would take ten minutes of research. On my phone.”
Fisk got up and stormed out of the room, but it was partially because he didn’t like doing “distasteful” things in front of Vanessa.
“Why must you insist on testing him?” she asked Matt, amusement in her voice despite the subject matter. She was probably hardened to these things.
With a grin he answered, “Do you really have to ask?”