“Who are you?” he asked softly.
“Ploutos,” I mumbled. I didn’t know the word, but it was there, in my mind.
And it absolutely blew Reid’s. He gasped and stepped back, clutching his hand to his heart. “Does Lady Hades know?”
I laughed. “You know?”
“Yes, my Lord,” he said, holding out his arm.
I expected to see bruises.
Instead, I saw the same tattoo that Vance had on his wrist. I staggered back. “What the fuck…”
“The mark of Elysium.”
My legs gave out and I hit the floor. “Vance…”
Reid ran around the counter and helped me into the chair there. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I didn’t mean to shock you like that. You’ve seen this before?”
“My PA…well, I guess former assistant, had one just like that. In black, not blue.”
“Mmm,” Reid said, standing up. “Dark Elysian.”
I was having trouble breathing. “What is going on?”
“I can’t tell you—”
“I’ve heard that too often…”
“Honestly because I don’t know. Lady Hades hasn’t seen fit to tell me much. I didn’t expect a Lord of Sin to appear.”
“A…Lord…oh.” I blew out my breath and dropped my head into my hands. “Please, please, don’t call me that? Just call me Lincoln?”
“I can do that,” Reid said, entirely too chipper. “So, you can see that this guy was a rapist, and what about the other two?”
“Just nasty sons of bitches,” I answered. “A murderer, and an abuser.”
“Noted, I’ll talk to the detective about them.” He walked back around the counter. “Need a drink?”
“Only if it’s bourbon.”
“Sorry, just water.”
“Sold,” I said, taking in a deep breath. “So, what are you?”
“An ahura.” He stopped and looked at me. “You don’t recognize me?”
I shook my head. “We only just found out about Lily.”
“Ah.” He handed me the glass of water. “My John Does aren’t who you’re looking for, then?”
“You jump topics like a bullfrog on a hot plate,” I grumbled.
“Yeah, more than one person has complained about that over the millennia.”
I groaned, “Too much.”
He laughed. “More than one person…”
Swiping a hand down my face, I took a minute to drain my drink. “All right. I have at least ten more hospitals to hit today.”
“Hey, I’m in contact with all the hospitals and the precincts, leave me your name and number and the name of the guy and I’ll call you if I hear anything. I know that Detective Haden is always busy.”
I took a deep breath. “Yes. That would be very helpful.” I pulled out my wallet and pulled out one of my business cards. I grabbed the pen and wrote Sebastian’s name on the back.
Reid came back and gathered up the pictures and tapped the back into the folder neatly.
“Thank you, Doctor,” I said, and handed him the card. “I hope you don’t call.”
“Me too,” he answered, and I turned and headed for the door.
My hand hit the handle on the door, and Reid’s voice snapped through the space.
“Lincoln.”
I turned back, and the happy-go-lucky chatty man who had been talking with me was gone. Instead, Reid looked serious and dark. I was shocked, but I waited for him to speak.
“You’re looking for Sebastian Mederos.”
“We are.”
He stared at my card and then back up at me. “I know where he is.” He dug into the cargo pants he was wearing, and pulled out one of his own business cards and walked to the counter one more time. I walked back as well. “Come here, tonight. Bring the woman that he’s always talking about. But just the two of you. No one else. Tell no one. And destroy this card after you memorize the address. Understood?”
“Yes,” I said, with a nod. “Is he safe?”
“He’s as safe as he can be, and no one knows it’s him.”
“Good. Keep it that way until we’re there. This involves sex trafficking. It’s dangerous.”
Reid lifted an eyebrow. “Trafficking?”
“He has a patient who may know something about the Pipeline.”
Running a hand down his face, he let out a breath. “Anything to shut that down.”
“Anything.”
Wren was as confused as I was as to where we were going. Google showed nothing but a simple office building and attached factory at the address. We both decided to dress professionally, since we had no idea what we were going to find.
Fischer, Miriam, and Laxmi weren’t pleased about this plan. The three of them were still trying to talk us out of going alone right up until we walked out the door to the car.
“You have got to trust us,” she said, slamming the door and lowering the window. “If he knows where Bastian is, we need to know that. We need to find out what’s going on, and get Ben back. I want this over.”
“Yeah, but wouldn’t we be better off if there were more of us going to see this guy?” Fischer asked. He tapped at the name Reid had written on the back of the card. Master Black.
“No, for the love,” I said. “Let me and Wren handle this. I’m…sure we can trust this Reid guy. And if he asked us to show up alone, then we’re going to show up alone.”
“You’re being unreasonable.”
“He’s building trust,” Wren said. “We’ll be fine.”
“Did you bring your gun?” Fischer blurted out.
“Yes. I have my gun, under my jacket. Holstered. I’m not planning on pulling it, either. The only reason I have it is because you asked me to bring it. It’s for your peace of mind.” She grabbed Fischer’s collar, and yanked him close. “Relax. We’re going to be fine.” She kissed him hard. “Go put the twins to bed.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he whispered.
Laxmi looked like she wanted to say something else to dissuade us from going, but I just stared her down. “You’re not changing our minds, so forget it.”
She stuck her middle finger up as I put the car in drive and pulled down the driveway. We didn’t know what this was all about.
“Do you really have your gun?”
“Of course,” she said, grinning. “I wouldn’t dream of doing this without my weapon on me. I frankly don’t care what kind of magic and powers we have, a gun is a gun and will do the job just as well as a flameblade.” Clearing her throat, Wren picked at a fingernail to get the dirt out from under it. “I’ve been wearing it when I have the twins with me, after that guy tried to get the twins and killed Andy…”
I grabbed her hand. “I know you liked him.”
“He was a friend and he gave his life for those kids. If there really is an After, that guy better have the best accommodations ever.”
The silence hung in the car, but not uncomfortably. We both had a lot on our minds, and we really didn’t know what was going on with this address that Reid had given me.
“So, what haven’t you told us about him?” Wren asked, halfway through the trek to the address.
“About Reid?” I glanced over to see her nod. “He’s some kind of demon.”
I saw her close her eyes and pinch her nose a second later. “Damn it, Linc. Why didn’t you say something to us while Laxmi and Miriam were there with us? We could have—”
“For some reason, I don’t think he wants me to share too much with you. Or, at least, them. He’s on our side, I’m sure of it. He’s friends with Lily.” I paused. “He realized who I was when I looked at the John Doe photos. Wren, I could see their crimes. Not just their sins, but their crimes.”
She let out a breath. “I wish we could remember. I wish we had more information to go on. I wish people would talk to us.”
“I’m starting to think this is a giant jigsaw, and we’re not allowed to see the picture,” I said. “Like, we’re not actually a
llowed to see the picture because if we do, we’ll screw up and lose the pieces in our rush to finish.”
“Why though?”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure. But Reid called me a Lord of Sin, and was shocked that I was standing there. I think this has to do with the fact that we can’t remember any of this.”
“I asked Lily to take me to see my brother.”
“As you should,” I stated. “He’s your brother.”
“You’re as freaked out about that as I am,” she said.
“Uh, yes?” I chuckled. “And you shaking the air the other day? That scared the shit out of me. The flameblades? The wings? The twins being part of this? Yeah, it all kind of freaks me out. But…I get the feeling that at the end of this—”
“We’re going to right a wrong that should have been righted ages ago.”
I tapped my nose. “Bingo.”
Again, we were quiet a minute.
Wren cleared her throat. “You know I scared the shit out of myself with that space wiggle the other day.”
“Damn, I hope so!” I said. “You grabbed life by the Higgs-Boson and shook it like a can of Reddi-Wip.”
She choked on her laughter, and I chuckled right along with her.
Her hand dropped onto my thigh. “Thank you, Linc. I needed that laugh. Everything can get so serious when you’re dealing with…whatever the fuck this is.”
“Demons? Devils? Angels—hey. We haven’t really met any of those yet.”
“Considering how bad the demons have been, I don’t know if I want to meet an angel! They’re all vengeance of God-ish and I just can’t handle that right now.” Wren pointed to the right. “The address is coming up.”
I cruised the SUV by at a decent, non-suspicious pace, and we saw nothing but a double front door and a ring of high-set windows around the office area. As we passed, though, a side door opened, and two figures were ushered into the building.
“That’s where we need to enter,” I said.
“Agreed.” Wren nodded. “Park in the garage we saw two blocks back. That will at least make sure we still have a vehicle when we get out.”
Ten minutes later, we walked up to the side door on the factory and knocked. I had the card Reid gave me the address on, and I planned to hand it back to him to let him destroy it.
The top of the Dutch door swung open, and someone who was…well, not ashamed of their body at all was standing there. In some leather floss and some pasties with tassels.
“Can I help you?”
“We’re here to see…” I flipped the card over. “Master Black?”
The woman stared at the card in my hand, but never asked to see it. She blinked a few times, then swung the bottom half of the door open.
After we walked in, she smartly shut the door behind us and pointed us into a little office. She slapped two short contracts on the table in front of us.
“NDA?” Wren whispered.
“What you see here does not leave here,” she snapped. “Your kink is not my kink, and there is absolutely no shaming. Everything you see is consensual. If you suspect that something might not be, you will go to one of the activity directors, and tell them. Do not attempt to save anyone in here from what you perceive as may be wrong.”
What the hell were we getting into?
She put two pens on the table. “You will sign these just like every other person in here. You will not speak about this place in direct terms. You will not reveal its location unless giving explicit permission to do so. You are only permitted in here because I see you holding one of Master Black’s business cards. But if you betray the trust of this place, in anyway, you will regret it.”
Oh, yay a threat. I grabbed the pen and wrote my name very clearly on the top of the paper and signed neatly on the bottom. It was far more aggressive to do that than to scribble. Wren did the same.
“Thank you.” She grabbed the two pieces of paper and dropped them in a scanner, hitting the scan button immediately. “You can go down the stairs. Master Black is at his usual table.”
“Where is that?”
“Just ask the directors—the people with the UV light triskelion patches on their jackets.”
Wren nodded and headed out of the room. I followed, with a sinking feeling in my stomach. I leaned over to her as we headed down. “What the hell is a triskelion patch? A drug?”
She chuckled. “Maybe for some people. No, it’s a symbol in the lifestyle signifying that you’re a dominant.” Glancing at me, she must have seen how confused I was. She pulled us to a stop. “A triskelion is worn by a dominant BDSM master or mistress. Not all of them wear one—”
“Wait. Are we in a dungeon?”
Nodding slowly, Wren raised her eyebrows. “You didn’t realize that? The mostly naked woman wearing a choker with a lock gave it away. She’s a submissive and she’s in a committed relationship.”
“We’re seriously in a BDSM dungeon.”
“This is more shocking to you than sleeping with Lucifer’s twin sister?”
“Yes, actually,” I mumbled.
She laughed and patted my cheek. “You’re such a precious creature. This is going to be a shock for us, but I’m more curious as to why Bastian would be here.”
“My guess? To get his rocks off.”
Her laugh was uninhibited. “No, no, Lincoln. That’s not what this is about. There are probably private rooms and orgy rooms, but it’s not just and only about getting one’s rocks off. It’s about exploring and playing with things the rest of the world still considers verboten.” She leaned in. “Fifty Shades of Grey ain’t got nothing on the real thing.”
I swallowed hard, and followed her down the stairs to where we could see the strobe lights flashing.
As soon as we cleared the doorway, stepping onto the main dance floor, I knew I was not ready for this. Not even remotely.
Wren
Lincoln gasped loudly.
For someone who had been a self-proclaimed playboy, I found it hard to believe he had never messed around in the lifestyle. Even I had when I was younger. I’d had a lot of fun, but I was way too independent to stay. And a bit too vanilla.
Said the woman sleeping with two men.
…and attracted to a third.
This was bullshit. My brain needed to connect to the libido and tell it to shut the fuck up. Though, to be fair, I didn’t ever remember not being attracted to Sebastian.
I shook off the thoughts and looked over to Lincoln. He was gawping at all that was going on around him. I’d been in places like this before, so I wasn’t as shocked.
His eyes were glued to a couple against the wall. He leaned close to me. “Are they fucking?”
“Yes, they are.” I nodded. “They are probably getting off on the exhibitionism.”
“I’d say she’s getting off on his dick, personally.”
I flicked my hand on his arm. “It’s another level of sexuality. They like being watched, and in here the eyes are anonymous. And willing.”
“You can say that again,” he mumbled.
“Hey. Keep your bisexual penis in your pants. You’ll give me a complex,” I teased.
He coughed and adjusted himself. “This isn’t affecting you?”
“Where did I say that?” I tossed him a look. “I just don’t have anything that points it out. This is supposed to be titillating, Linc. That’s the idea. The other idea is that you’re completely in control of everything at all times. Even if you have a raging hard-on, it doesn’t control you.”
His side-eye was epic. “You know too much.”
“Why do you think we have bindings and toys?”
“Fuck,” he whispered.
I leaned in close to him this time. “See if you can avoid coming in your pants, Linc.”
“That’s actually a challenge.”
I chuckled, and would have loved to keep teasing him, but we were here for a reason. I headed over to one of the activity directors who were sporting jackets and the
triskelion. They’d managed to put the symbol in something that would glow in the UV lights.
“Excuse me, could you tell us where Master Black is?”
The woman turned and looked me up and down, and glanced at Lincoln next to me. “Is there a reason you’re looking for him?”
“He invited us,” I said.
I watched as her eyes traveled the length of Linc’s body and I felt myself getting riled up by her undisguised perusal. She finally looked back at me. “He’s unmarked. He yours?”
“Yeah, he is, so get your mind off my man, sister. Master Black. Where? Let’s go. We’re not here for fun times.”
“His usual table,” she said, and started to walk away.
“Hey!” I snapped. “Clearly we’re guests. And respect is one of the tenets. So, show some and kindly direct us to the table where Master Black usually keeps audience.”
She narrowed her eyes. This bitch was going to need a real attitude adjustment.
“Far wall, next to the private entrances.” She gestured vaguely to the other side of the room and started to walk away.
I grabbed her arms, and looked across the room. I saw the table where this Master Black was ensconced and saw him and several others sitting and chatting. I let her arm go, but leaned in.
“Lose the attitude,” I snapped. “You’ll get further.”
She flipped me the bird and stalked off.
“Damn, little bird, that was hot.”
“In your pants, Linc.” I tossed a look at him. “And wait until someone makes a pass at me. You’ll understand better.”
He growled, and I rolled my eyes. Grabbing his elbow, I muscled our way through the packed dance floor, through the people grinding and groping and fucking in the crowd. I was amazed that these people had this much stamina on a Wednesday night.
All I wanted was to go home and sleep. I’d spent the entire day interviewing and processing the kids rescued from the stable they’d busted. It was grueling to be on the whole day, and then have to come to a dungeon to continue looking for Bastian.
The booth Master Black was seated in was an optical illusion. It wasn’t a booth, not the way the others were. There were actual cushioned seats and spaces between, where there was a recessed secondary wall, making all of the seats accessible easily. And the spaces between the actual seats could be use by flipping out a spare jump seat from the backs of the chairs.
Filthy Page 14
