Agent Undone

by Cassidy Reyne

  “Yep, I’m all done here. I hope to hell Konrad hasn’t got any surprises up his sleeve when it comes to metal detectors or scanning for listening devices. Otherwise, we’re screwed. There’s only so much she can do without being hard wired into their security systems and that’s not gonna happen.”

  Nate sighed. “Fuck yes, I have no desire to get a bullet between my eyes the moment I step inside that damned club. Because that’s what will happen if that cocksucker so much as dreams about us betraying him. He’s so fucking paranoid as it is.”

  “Yeah, but I’m not sure there’s anything else we can do. We’ve planned the whole thing down to the smallest detail, or at least as far as possible. There’s no way of anticipating every single scenario, but we’ve done as much as we can, and this isn’t exactly our first rodeo. If anything unexpected crops up we will improvise, same as we always do.” Carter slung his jacket overs shoulder and left the office. He threw a final glance back at the spacious corner suite that had been his home during work hours for the last four months. If everything went as planned, he wouldn’t be back here. He was going to miss the luxurious surroundings, but not the paperwork and most definitely not the noose around his neck or the straitjacket he’d been made to wear.

  Carter and Nathan were the first to arrive at Overdrive, but the other agents weren’t far behind. Cars had been arranged for all of them and soon there was a steady stream of black limos with men in tuxedos spilling out of each one. Konrad Peeters stood outside the large doors of the club and Carter saw the color drain from his face at the sheer number of bodyguards accompanying each ‘client’ but calmed down as they stayed back, having scanned the surrounding areas for any visible threats. They were all quickly ushered through the doors by Peeters, who was by now all smiles and acting the perfect host. It made Carter sick to his stomach to see, but at least it was all nearly over. Inside the VIP lounge everything was ready for them. The tables were laden with wine coolers and chilled bottles of champagne. Trays of canapés were spread out and on large tables placed around the room were big bowls on ice with caviar, crabs, lobsters and oysters. It seemed a repeat of what Carter had arranged for the parties at their house and it made him wonder if they used the same caterer. Carter chuckled at the thought. How ironic would it be if a drug dealer and the DEA used the same people for their events; one who sold drugs and the other who stopped them from being sold.

  As he walked around the room, speaking to the other agents in their guises as businessmen, he kept an eye out for Madison, but she was nowhere to be seen.

  “Gentlemen, I hope you are all comfortable and have a glass of champagne in your hands? I just wanted to wish you all welcome to Overdrive and I hope this will be the first of many pleasant evenings for you here. So, relax, order anything you like from the bar, enjoy the refreshments, and I will be bringing out the evening’s entertainment in just a few minutes. Thank you.”

  “You heard our host. Eat and drink to your hearts’ content and enjoy everything we have planned for tonight.” A big, fake smile was plastered on Carter’s face as he held up his glass in a toast and was joined by the other men. He knew they were all on the same side, but somehow it felt all too real. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Konrad give a signal to one of his assistants who immediately scurried away while talking on a cell phone.

  Carter steeled himself. This was what they’d all been working towards for the past five months. At the far end of the lounge, a door opened and two men carrying several boxes entered and set up on a vacant table. Packets, cartons, bags and bottles were all set out, together with any equipment needed. The agents all edged closer and made appropriate noises of appreciation and feigned delight. Just as the two men had finished, another door opened and around twenty five girls walked in behind another couple of large men. They were all wearing sparkly dresses that barely covered their ass cheeks and breasts, and had heavy makeup plastered over their faces. They all looked terrified. The youngest seemed about fourteen years old and the oldest no more than twenty one. They were all lined up by the wall so the men could get a good look at them, but all Carter could feel — and he knew all his fellow agents would be feeling the same — was rage and disgust. These girls were all still kids. Even the oldest ones were still young enough to be in college. In that moment he truly hated Peeters for what he was doing and couldn’t wait to slap a set of handcuffs on him. What he really wanted to do was beat the bastard’s face to a pulp, but his boss wouldn’t be happy with him if he did.

  He watched quietly as the girls were ordered to pick up trays of drinks and walk around the tables to serve the men sitting there. Glasses and bottles were already on the low tables but that didn’t seem to matter to Peeters. He was clearly wanting to show off the girls and all the things he could offer Mr Henderson and his guests and was, no doubt, counting the money that would be rolling in if everything went to plan. His plan, anyway.

  Carter still hadn’t seen even a glimpse of Madison and wondered if Peeters had her stashed away in his office, or worse. Suddenly, it occurred to him that he might have really pissed off Peeters by helping Madison when she stumbled a few nights ago. If he was as jealous and possessive as his bio suggested Carter might have sentenced her to something far worse than having to stand behind the man’s chair and do his bidding. He needed to think. How was he going to find Maddie if she wasn’t on Overdrive’s premises? Stop! He berated himself. He didn’t need to find her specifically. They needed to find all the women Konrad had stashed away. They still had no idea where the fuck they were being held when they were not in the club and time was running out. Carter made his way over to the bar and leaned his back against the counter as he surveilled the room. He still couldn’t help a trickle of fear skitter down his back at the thought of not finding her, but only because he needed answers, dammit!

  “She’s not here.” A voice said behind him. Gary, the bartender had poured Carter’s usual scotch over ice and handed the glass to him.

  “Who do you mean?” Carter furrowed his brow. He still hadn’t worked out if the barman was a friend or foe. There was something very familiar about the way he expressed himself and a certain look in his eyes when he thought no one was watching.

  “Vanessa, of course. Peeters was furious after she took that little stumble and had her sent back to the holding cells. After he’d punished her, naturally. I told you, he doesn’t tolerate anyone so much as looking in her direction. You’ll have to go straight to his warehouse as soon as you’re done here.” Gary kept polishing the glasses and kept his head down as he spoke.

  “Is she in the same place as the other girls?”

  “Yes, he keeps them all in the same location.”

  “Address?”

  “On the napkin under your glass but if you don’t hurry, the building will be cleared out before you get there. Konrad sends a message every hour to Hugo and if he doesn't get that message, he knows to pack everything and everyone up in some trucks and get the hell out of there.”

  “You seem to know a hell of a lot for a barman.” Carter narrowed his eyes at him.

  “Part of my job, being observant.” Gary cast a meaningful glance at Carter before moving away.

  Carter’s stomach clenched at the words ‘holding cells’. It conjured up images of cages in a row with young girls and women crowded inside with no hope of getting out, except to be taken advantage of and abused. The anger rose in him which made his blood pressure spike and his breathing difficult. Since Madison was part of Peeters’ operation, and helped get hold of girls for him, she deserved everything she got. He felt like an idiot for having been taken in by her sweet demeanor and gentle manners. He’d enjoyed her company for weeks and even fantasized about taking her to bed. Maybe it was just as well he hadn’t. That didn’t stop the tightening in his pants and he nearly groaned out loud. There had to be something seriously wrong with him if he could go hard just thinking about Madison, especially under the current circumstances.

  The
fact she’d been with Peeters’ every time they’d met at the club proved that she wasn’t part of his merchandise and she clearly wasn’t on offer this evening at the party. Her smile when she walked out behind Peeters from his office hadn’t been one of a woman afraid or coerced into doing things against her will. To Carter that only meant one thing — she was with Peeters willingly and worked for him.

  Still, there was something that didn’t quite add up, but he’d be damned if he could put his finger on it. Maybe it was just his dick talking, it clearly hadn’t got the message that Madison was not who he’d thought she was. Carter knew one thing, though; he wasn’t leaving Seattle without having spoken to her. The noise and glam in the room had faded from his attention as he got lost in his thoughts, but the sound of a glass smashing on the floor jolted him back and he refocused on the scene in front of him. He cursed himself for losing concentration. It was a rookie mistake and he had to remind himself the mission came first, always.

  Carter turned his attention back to the room and saw all the agents being entertained by the girls and drugs were all laid out on the tables in the seating areas where some of the men were looking at the packets and appearing to have a discussion about the virtues of the different drugs. He glanced at his watch and calculated they needed to give it another fifteen minutes before giving the signal to the men outside to come in and round everyone up. Caroline was running Comms and had hacked the security system in the club. She’d disabled the metal detectors hidden in the door frames whilst also taking control of all the cameras both outside and inside. It had enabled all of them to be armed and each agent had an earbud allowing them to hear Caroline who would be sending the signal to the breach team as soon as Carter gave the ok.

  Carter carefully studied the movements of the nightclub’s security guards to gauge their level of alertness and soon noticed their attention wavered whenever the girls were nearby or one of them danced in front of the men sitting in the comfortable chairs around the low tables. There were ten guards in the room and another two just outside the main doors. He figured there were probably a couple more in the back keeping an eye on the drugs and maybe someone covering the back door. All in all, there were probably fifteen security guards present in the building. Carter also noticed Peeters at a table with Nate and a couple of the other guys. All his other minions were spread out around the room to ensure the guests were enjoying themselves. Carter counted eight, not including Peeters. Hopefully that meant there were only a few men left wherever the girls were being held. They’d had no way of verifying the number of women imprisoned by Peeters but any more than forty would be difficult to manage. His main worry was that Hugo, the big meathead on steroids, was not there. According to the barman, he was back at whatever warehouse the girls were held at. At least now he had an address, thanks to Gary. He still hadn’t worked out why the guy was helping them, but he had his suspicions.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  It had been Nathan’s job as Kyle Townsend to get Konrad Peeters to believe he was the one to speak to regarding business arrangements. Part of the plan for the evening was for Nate to get Peeters to drink heavily by keeping his glass filled up. He would indicate it would be proof that Konrad and his nightclub were up to the task of entertaining their clients and giving personal service.

  “Cheers, Konrad! To a happy and satisfying arrangement.” Nate held his shot glass up and clinked it against Peeters’ tumbler. His words were slightly slurred, and a smirk played across his lips at his use of words.

  “I’m sure each of my girls will make it very satisfying for you. At least, if they know what’s best for them.”

  “I might just try one or two of them out later. I assume the private rooms are set up and ready to be used?”

  “Of course, they’ve been fully stocked with everything you could ask for. Don’t hesitate to make use of it. We’ve tried to cater for every wish and need you could possibly have. Including the more, shall we say, unusual?” Konrad winked and sniggered at his own cleverness.

  “You’ve really tried to think of everything, haven’t you?” Nate felt a bit sick at the thought of what could happen in those private rooms if Peeters’ wasn’t stopped tonight.

  “Just trying to keep my customers happy. If they’re happy they spend more money and that makes me happy, so it’s good for everyone.”

  “Tell me, where do you get your girls from? They’re all gorgeous, so you clearly take a lot of care when selecting them.” Nate leaned forward and lowered his voice. Konrad studied him for a long minute as if he was debating whether to give up his secrets or not. A smile ghosted across his mouth as if flattered by Nate’s words. He emptied his glass, slammed it down on the table in front of him and waved for one of the girls to fill it up to the brim again. Then he leaned forward as well, slightly swaying in his seat.

  “I have some people across the country who keep an eye out for me and I also send a few guys from here to some of the larger cities whenever I need to restock. Hugo, my right-hand man, is particularly good at finding some real gems.”

  “So, how do you do it? I mean, these girls are stunning and could easily be runway models. And how do you get to the young ones? Won’t they be missed by their parents? Amber alerts and all that crap?”

  “It’s all about knowing where to go. Hugo likes keeping an eye out on the entrances to free clinics, especially the women’s clinics, as a lot of runaways and homeless kids go there. And then there are the women who go there for free treatments they don’t want anyone to know about. He’s good at spotting those who no one will miss. Occasionally, he’ll hang around in a couple of bars and entice one or two of them to go with him. He’s even been known to pretend to be a hotshot movie producer or fashion photographer. It’s amazing what these sluts will do for a promise of fame and fortune. Stupid bitches! None of them should ever be let out without a man to keep an eye on them.” Konrad leaned back. The sneer returned and Nate could see the contempt and hatred he held for women darken his face. He fought to control his own feelings and not smash his fist in the fucker’s face. Instead, he raised his glass once more in mock agreement with the loathsome man’s remarks.

  “More drinks! These bottles are nearly empty. Get me some more vodka! You there, what the fuck have I told you about keeping me and my guests happy? Lazy cow!” Even in the noisy lounge the sound of a hand hitting flesh reverberated loudly. Nate got a murderous look in his eyes at the poor girl’s fearful eyes and the red hand-shaped bloom on her cheek. He clamped his jaw down tight and gritted his teeth so hard he almost thought he’d have to spit out the pieces on the floor. Carter shot him a glance to tell him to get a grip before he ruined the op. Nate just tipped his chin briefly to let Carter know he was in control. With a stiff back he stayed in his chair and waited for the young woman, who couldn’t be more than seventeen, to return with more alcohol. From where he sat, he could see the barman whisper something to the girl as he gave her the bottles. She looked up at him and jerked her head up and down in reply. Whatever the bartender had said seemed to give her a small amount of comfort. She gathered the bottles on a tray and scurried back to their table.

  “Anymore laziness or disrespect and you will be punished. Is that clear?” Peeters gripped her wrist and twisted until tears filled her eyes and a whimper escaped her lips. He let her go with a slight shove and she stumbled into one of the older girls, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders and ushered her away. Konrad didn’t seem to notice as he opened another bottle of vodka and splashed a generous amount in his glass over some ice. He held it up to Nate with an expectant look, but Nate shook his head and just gestured to his already full glass. Konrad shrugged and set the bottle on the table within close reach of his hand. Peeters never noticed that Nate’s shots always came out of the same bottle and a different one was used for Konrad’s vodka. Nate had been drinking water all evening but was pretty good at acting drunk. Peeters, on the other hand, was talking loudly and waving his hands about as someone
who’d had more than a little to drink.

  For the next hour, Nate and Carter both kept up the game of throwing back the shots, making sure Peeters kept up with each one, and pretending to get more and more drunk. Their words were slurred, gestures became larger and laughter more raucous. All around them, the other agents did the same, nursing only one drink each. They couldn’t risk someone discovering they only drank water, so they were under instructions to stick to just the one as far as possible. They were all at different tables with only Peeters’ men hovering nearby, so the chance of being discovered was small. The girls sitting with them were unlikely to say anything, but although they felt reasonably safe, they weren’t taking any chances. As the evening progressed, Konrad emptied his glass faster each time but the alcohol didn’t seem to have a corresponding effect, except for making him more aggressive and physical towards any of the women who happened to come within arm’s length. Carter kept up his pretense of drinking and occasionally pulled one of the girls onto his lap, only to let her go and then do it again a few minutes later. He was careful not to hurt or scare them too much. They seemed relieved not to have to feel his hands all over their bodies except for the light grip on an arm as he pulled them towards him and even gave him grateful smiles. He wished he could tell them not to worry but being gentle had to be enough for now.

  Carter caught Nate’s eye and gave him a nod to get things started. Nate was going to tell several of the girls to dance in the free space between the tables to distract Peeters and the guards, while Carter gave the signal to Caroline to bring in the team from outside. He watched as Nate stood up and loudly ordered about half of the older girls to start dancing in front of them. For a second, Carter worried they would refuse unless Peeters gave the ok, but the man just waved them forward and told one of his men to turn the music up.