by Lia Ellison
Ryker immediately went to talk with some men, probably so he wouldn’t appear suspicious once he approached Zavarelli’s cousin.
I held up a glass of champagne and took a sip.
Yuck.
It wasn’t as taste as I’d expected, so I set the glass down.
A few moments later, Ryker made his way toward Zavarelli’s cousin.
I focused on the wife, who stepped away from them with a smile on her face. Before anyone could approach her, I made my way toward her.
“The champagne is awful,” I said to her, and she looked at me with surprise in her eyes. “What are you drinking?” I pointed at the glass in her hand.
As she went on to explain, I fumbled with my purse. Careful not to be seen, I slipped the gun out of it.
Hiding the gun behind the purse, I waited for the right moment. When Ryker and Zavarelli’s cousin looked in my direction, I pushed the gun toward the wife with a small smile on my face as I scanned the room to make sure no one was looking at me.
Although, I didn’t think anyone would expect I’d have a gun here, or that I was so casually pointing it at someone.
The cousin immediately went pale, his eyes bulging.
“You know, I totally forgot what you just said.” I turned to the wife an apologetic smile. “Can you please come with me to the bar and help me get one of these?” I pointed at her glass.
“Yes, of course. It has a complicated name. But I assure you it’s delicious. You’ll see,” she said with a smile, and I quickly tucked my gun in my purse.
Zavarelli’s cousin wouldn’t be able to see us, so it was better for him to tell Ryker everything he wanted to know if he wished to see his wife again.
“Thank you so much,” I said when the wife handed me a glass with reddish liquid in it, and I took a sip. “Mmm, yes. It’s amazing. You were right!”
“Babe, there you are,” Ryker said behind my back. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“You have to try this. It’s awesome.” I pushed the glass toward him.
“We should go. I have an urgent matter to attend to.”
“Oh right. Sure. Let’s go.” I took another gulp of the drink and set the glass down. “Thanks again. See you around.” I waved at the wife, and then Ryker and I were striding away from there.
“What happened? Did he tell you anything?” I asked.
“He did, and I hope he’s going to keep his mouth shut and won’t warn Zavarelli that we’re on to him.”
“If he’s worried about his and his wife’s safety, then he won’t.”
“Yeah, that’s what I think too. Good job, by the way. He nearly pissed his pants.”
I grinned at him. “It was my pleasure.”
No one had died.
No one had gotten hurt.
That was a win in my book, even if one semi-criminal had gotten a bit traumatized.
Chapter 23
“I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE he’ll be, but I don’t think I can get to him.” Ryker shook his head, slamming his fist against the desk. “That son of a bitch always manages to escape me.”
“What do you mean? Didn’t his cousin tell you anything useful? And how come you can’t get him if you know where he’s going to be?” I cocked my head at him. “Don’t tell me he’s going to visit someone in prison or something like that.”
I couldn’t really come up with any places where Ryker might not be able to go, but maybe I wasn’t thinking hard enough about it.
“He’s going to an auction. A very special auction with tons of security.”
My eyebrows shot up. “What kind of an auction? Can’t you go there too?”
“No. Because everyone knows the Scarlet Cobras aren’t into sex trafficking. They’d figure me out and they’d never give me an invitation. Besides, there’s too much security, and if I got in there, I wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on Zavarelli.”
“Whoa, slow down.” I raised my hand. “What do you mean sex trafficking? Is Zavarelli going to a sex slave auction?”
Ryker nodded. “That’s what his cousin said.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think he was into that kind of thing, but I can’t say it surprises me.”
“That’s so fucked up. Can’t you send the cops there? Tip them off anonymously about the location? Or can’t you use some of your... um, contacts?”
“Not with this. The auction is way out of my territory, and Zavarelli has very good connections, just like all the people who will be at that auction. Do you really think they’d all risk going there if they didn’t think they were safe?”
“I guess not.” I rubbed my arms. “But there has to be something we can do. If there are people who need to be saved, then this is bigger than just Zavarelli. But what can we do?”
“Nothing. That’s the problem. Maybe if someone could sneak in a bug or a small camera... But we can’t even get invited, so what’s the point?”
I stared at him for a few moments, trying to come up with a solution to our problem. “What if there’s a way for me to get invited?”
“What?” His surprised eyes turned toward me. “How?”
“I own an underground pleasure club. A lot of people who work for me don’t have any papers and I don’t even ask for them. All I care about is that they’re willing to work and that they’re healthy. I could pretend that I own sex slaves too. How would they know? I have guards everywhere. Sure, it’s for my workers’ safety, but it might as well be to keep the slaves in check and inside.”
I didn’t think anyone would have the time to check, and why would they?
“Even if that works, what are you going to do? If I show up instead of you, Zavarelli and the rest will figure it out.”
“You don’t have to go with me. I can go alone.”
“No, absolutely not!” Ryker narrowed his eyes at me.
“Why the hell not? You said there was plenty of security. I should be safe. Yes, I’m a woman, but I’m also a club owner, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem. No one will mistake me for one of the slaves. It would be an embarrassment for them, wouldn’t it?”
“You can’t just walk into a den full of the worst criminals ever.”
“Maybe I can. If that’s what it takes to destroy them. If I can save just one of the people who need it, it will be worth it.”
“Lexi, I know you want to help people, but you can’t do it alone. And you shouldn’t put your life at risk because of it. If they find out you have a bug on you or if Zavarelli figures out you’re my girlfriend, very bad things could happen to you.”
“Then I’ll make sure I’m very, very careful.”
“Dammit, Lexi. Listen to me, for once. This isn’t a game. It’s nothing like going to that hotel and pretending to threaten someone. It’s not like spying on a bad guy’s wife and tricking your way into her home. This is serious, and it’s more dangerous than you can possibly imagine.”
“But if you could get an invite, you’d go right away.”
“It’s different. This is my mess.”
“And I just made it mine, so no, Ryker, you can’t stop me. If I can get an invitation, I’m going to do this. At least I can try. I promise I won’t get myself in trouble. But if there’s something I can do, I’m going to do it.” I pulled out my phone.
“You’re not going to get the invitation. They’ll think the cops sent you.”
“We’ll see about that.” I dialed Nia’s number.
“Hey, girl. What’s up?” Nia said.
“Hey. I need you to do something for me. There’s going to be an illegal auction, and I need you to find a way to get me invited. As the owner of Hidden Pleasures.”
“What kind of an auction?” Suspicion laced Nia’s voice.
“Sex slaves,” I said.
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. “What?!”
“I know. It’s horrible, and I want to stop those bastards. The only way I can do it is if I pretend I�
��m one of them. Do you think you can arrange that?”
“I have some contacts who might be able to do what you’re asking of me, but do you really want to do something like that? I want to save those slaves as much as you do, but if you get yourself killed, it won’t help anyone.”
“Yeah, I know. Ryker already made that loud and clear to me, but I have to try.”
“Please tell me you’re not doing this for him.”
“It’s not really for him. But yeah, one of the guys Ryker is looking for is going to be there, but that doesn’t matter. Two birds, one stone.”
She let out a sigh. “Okay. But I hope you know what you’re doing. I’ll call you as soon as I have something.”
“Great. Thanks.” I ended the call. “She’s going to try,” I said to Ryker.
“If I said I was hoping she’d succeed, I’d be lying.” His gaze was hard on mine.
“I know you’re worried about me, but it’s going to be fine. I can do this.”
He closed the distance between us and pulled me into his arms. “If anything happens to you, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“Nothing will happen to me. Promise.”
I just hoped that I could keep it.
Chapter 24
I HELD MY BREATH AS mean-looking dudes were checking me for any weapons or anything else that wasn’t permitted to bring to the auction.
The worst part was that I had two of those forbidden things on me, but they were carefully hidden in my bra, and I really hoped these guys couldn’t figure any of that out.
Of course, it hadn’t been a problem for Nia to get me the invitation.
Actually, I’d heard that the host was thrilled that I’d be coming because he’d heard of my club. I didn’t know if I was glad about that or if it made me sick. Probably the latter, because I didn’t want any of these people anywhere near me.
Although, it was highly possible some of the people who came to my club were involved in things sex trafficking, but I’d always assumed they wouldn’t need to do it because they had their own sex slaves.
I’d already come up with an excuse for not buying any slaves too. It was my first time here anyway, provided that I managed to get inside, and I could always claim that I was looking for someone specific or more exotic, or whatever thing people here cared about.
Even though most people I’d seen here were men, I’d seen some women too, so I wasn’t going to stand out too much in the crowd.
But damn, why the hell were so many people here? I hadn’t expected so many sick fucks in one place. It was no wonder that sex trafficking rings were thriving.
The guards finally stepped aside, letting me go through. I forced my lips into a small smile and made my way forward.
As I went through the door, I breathed out a sigh of relief, hoping no one had seen just how tense I’d been the whole time.
But the tension was back almost instantly when I looked around the room. It was a real auction room, with many people already seated in their chairs.
There was a big stage and everyone was looking at it. I tried to spot Zavarelli in the crowd, but there were just too many faces.
I noticed someone who might look like him, and then I took a seat in the chair in the row behind him, right next to the wall. The man was whispering something to the guy next to him, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying because there was too much chatter.
Some were glancing my way, probably because they didn’t know me. I did my best to stay calm and keep my face expressionless.
When the room suddenly went dark, I almost ran for cover.
But then the lights came on above the stage.
Oh, this was good. I’d be able to get the bugs I had hidden on me without anyone being able to stare at me too much.
I’d still have to be careful because of the people around me, but if they were focused on the stage, there was no reason for them to look at me.
I glanced at some of the women in the crowd.
Were they here as assistants or representatives for someone? Maybe one or two of them, but the woman to my right looked like she knew exactly what she was looking for.
Somehow, I had no doubt she was selling slaves herself.
Or maybe my impression of her was wrong.
When the announcer showed up, I reached under my shirt to get the bugs.
I still wasn’t sure if the man in front of me was Zavarelli or not, but it didn’t matter right now.
As I fumbled with the tiny hidden pocket on my bra, I couldn’t focus on anything else. The two tiny devices finally fell into my hand, and I closed my fingers around them.
When I looked up toward the stage, I thought I was going to be sick.
A naked woman was standing in the middle of the stage, tears streaming down her face, bruises marring the body. The announcer was joking about her being a wild one, and then people started to place their bids.
Breathe, Lexi. You can’t do anything to help her.
Why wasn’t I super-rich? Then I’d just buy all the slaves and release them all.
But then the traffickers would have enough money to get some more.
Ugh.
I twirled the small camera between my fingers, and when no one was looking, I lifted my hand as if I was about to bid, and I attached the camera to the wall.
When I lowered my hand, I hoped that the camera could record everything in the room, especially once the light came back on. Hopefully, whatever Nia had done to it would make sure that she received all the footage before anyone could figure it out.
But now I had another task. I still had the bug in my hand, and it was the one that I was supposed to slip on Zavarelli.
Ryker had wanted me to take a tracker with me and place one on Zavarelli, but Nia had insisted that it would be discovered, unlike the camera and the bug that she had helped design.
Maybe a bug wasn’t going to help Ryker catch Zavarelli as he hoped, but it might lead to something.
The man in front didn’t turn, and it was too dark to see. His suit pocket was just in my sight, but I didn’t know how to make sure no one saw me.
I pulled out a tissue and pretended to drop it. It fell right next to my feet, so I leaned forward, and when I was sure no one was glancing my way, I reached between the chairs and slid the bug into the man’s pocket.
Before I could do anything, he turned around.
His gaze narrowed at me as I picked up the tissue. My heart was thudding loudly in my chest.
It was him.
It was really Zavarelli.
Something flashed through his eyes, and I had a bad feeling about this.
He knew who I was, didn’t he?
Oh shit.
I craned my neck, pretending he was obstructing my view of the stage. Was he going to fall for that? I had no idea, but he turned away from me.
If I ran now, he was going to be sure. No. I had to stay here. I couldn’t let anyone become suspicious of me. And I had to be careful to stay as far away as possible from Zavarelli and the men who were with him.
As another slave was dragged onto the stage, naked and kicking, I had no idea how I was going to survive this.
But I had to do it.
I had to do it to save those women.
There was no other way.
Chapter 25
“YES! YES! THAT’S AMAZING!” I said after Nia told me that she had the footage from the auction, and that it was possible to identify a lot of the people who had been there.
I’d had no idea how I’d survived there until the end, but I had.
One of the people had even asked me why I hadn’t made a purchase, and somehow, I’d managed to lie about it and say that I was looking for something more exotic than what they’d been offering.
Zavarelli hadn’t had the chance to get to me because I’d stormed out of there and hid myself in the crowd.
As soon as I was out of there and I was safe, I’d burst into tears and I hadn’t stopped crying until
Ryker wrapped his arms around me.
“I know exactly who I’m going to send this to. After what happened with you and Ryker, I don’t want anyone to get away with it like he did, so I’m sending this straight to the feds with all the info.”
I grimaced.
It was a good thing the charges against Ryker had been dropped, or he wouldn’t be here with me now.
It was so damn weird too, but I was getting used to it. And if I could use his resources, along with Nia’s help, to bring more criminals down, I was all for it.
“Great,” I said. “Let me know how it goes. I hope they find those slaves and free them.”
“Me too. Okay. I’m off to work. The bug is still working. You know you have a direct link to it, right? Zavarelli’s face wasn’t captured on camera, so it’ll be hard proving that he was there too, but maybe the bug helps your boyfriend hunt him down. I honestly don’t care if the cops or the Cobras get him. That guy is just... It’s better if I don’t tell you what I think about him. What I read about him is just disgusting.”
“And I’m sure there’s plenty more of that.” I didn’t think there was a record on what Zavarelli had done to Ryker. “Well, good luck with that and keep me posted.”
“Will do.” She ended the call.
I turned toward Ryker, who was watching me with serious look on his face, his arms crossed in front of him, the muscles in his arms bulging. “She’s going to send everything to the feds. I hope those assholes from the auction don’t have connections everywhere. They need to go down for everything they’ve done and are still doing.”
“I’m glad you got out of there alive,” he said, but I could see it in his eyes that he wasn’t happy.
He wanted to be, but he couldn’t bring himself to be.
“It’s Zavarelli, isn’t it? You’re upset because you think he recognized me and found the bug.”
“No, I—” He groaned. “Okay, fine. Yeah. I’m upset that he’s going to get away again.”
“But the bug is still working. There’s a chance he didn’t figure it out. It’s really tiny, and his men were probably expecting I’d place a tracker on him. Besides, it’s new technology. Nia tweaked it. Maybe his men didn’t detect it.”
