“Are you fucking kidding me?” I said angrily, shoving my chair back as I stood. “You’re selling women and it’s okay because they’ve made bad life choices? What about Shyla? Is that why you had her in that room? You wanted to show off your merchandise to those sick fucks? Were you just planning on letting her get carted off to be some sex slave all in the name of justice?”
“I never had any intention of letting her get wrapped up in this. Remember, she asked for more money. I didn’t recruit her to do this.”
“You also didn’t tell her what she was getting involved in, asshole.”
“Let’s calm down.”
Cap directed that at me, but I could read on his face that he wasn’t through with this yet. Cap was always strategizing, always trying to find the benefit for him and his company. Right now, he was trying to figure out how to help take down this ring and keep Shyla safe. I didn’t have to tell him about her. He could tell by my outburst that she wasn’t just some random woman to me. Even if I wasn’t sure exactly what that was yet.
“What exactly are you looking for from us?”
Chief directed his gaze back at Cap and got back to business. “I have a guy coming to the club in a couple of weeks. He’s one of the higher ups in this ring. From what I gather, he checks out the merchandise and contacts buyers when he’s found women that meet their specific needs. Blonde, brunette, curvy, skinny, long hair, pouty lips, innocent or sex kitten; the list goes on and on. When he’s found someone that meets the criteria for a buyer, if that woman comes from my club, he has a pickup scheduled. This time is different though. He’s not looking for specific women. He’s after one large shipment of women.”
“Do you know why?” Cap asked. “What’s changed that he’s not cherry picking women anymore?”
“I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I get the feeling that he’s moving locations. I don’t know if he suspects that the government is onto him or if he just doesn’t stay in one place too long. Either way, he’s never taken this many women at once.”
“Do you have files on the previous women?” I asked.
“No, I have a list of who they are, but these are just strippers. There’s nothing special about these women. He doesn’t ever ask about their personal lives or worry about who would come after him. It’s all about tits and ass with him.”
“So, he’s taking a large shipment of women this time. Is he coming to check out the women beforehand?” Cap asked.
Chief shook his head. “I think that’s why he’s coming in two weeks. He hasn’t said specifically, but he’s told me he needs all the women at the club that night. I’m guessing he’s going to pick out the women he thinks will bring him the most money. None of them are going to specific buyers this time. I have no idea where they’ll be going, actually.”
“So, you’re going to allow him to walk into your club and take his pick of the women he wants?” I asked incredulously. “Don’t you care about your employees at all?”
“I get it,” he said angrily. “I don’t like this either, but if he’s really moving out, it’ll take a long time for someone to track down the next location he moves on to. Once he’s gone, my part in this is over. I can’t follow wherever he goes because it would tip him off. We can’t afford for this guy to go underground.”
“We have access to some of the best technology,” Cap said. “I have a great team that could gather intel on him when he comes. Why not try to take him out when this guy comes and use him to get information on the guy running all this?”
“It won’t matter. My handler said that they’ve already tried that. The guy was taken out before they could get anything out of him. He was replaced within a day. Whoever’s running this doesn’t have any loyalty to his employees. All the guys that were at my poker game have an important role in this operation, but they’re just a group in a long list I’ve dealt with over the past three years.”
Cap looked to me and I shook my head slightly. I couldn’t go along with this. To let him sell women off was insane.
“Jeremy, step outside while I discuss this with Chance.”
Chief looked mad that he was being kicked out, but stood anyway and left when Cap unlocked the door.
“Cap, I know what they’re trying to do here, but there’s no fucking way I can help him sell off women to be sex slaves.”
“I agree. I don’t believe in sacrificing for the bigger picture either. Those women are innocent, but now we know what’s going on and we can’t just walk away.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“I think we should tell Chief we’ll help him out, but have our own plans in place. If he can’t get the information he needs by the time they come back to do the pickup, we snatch this middle man and save the girls. Fuck Chief and his operation. If this guy really is moving on, we don’t need to give him any more women to sell.”
I nodded in approval. It was the best we could do at the moment. Cap hit the button for his receptionist.
“Colleen, please send Mr. Wick back in.”
“Right away, sir.”
The door opened and Chief walked back in, taking his seat beside me.
“Alright, we’re on board. I’ll need to know the minute you do about when the girls will be taken. I’d also like to set up a crew the night he comes in to check out the girls. Any information we can gather on him beforehand will help us the night of the sale. I won’t take any risks with my men because we aren’t fully prepared.”
“Fine.” He stood and held out his hand to Cap. “I’ll be in touch.”
Cap shook his head and Chief gave me a nod before walking out the door.
CHAPTER TEN
Morgan
I STEPPED INTO the dressing room and was a little surprised at how many girls were working tonight. There had to be at least five girls more than needed. I shoved my stuff in my locker and ignored the other girls. I didn’t really get along with any of them, not that I had tried much. When I first started here, I had started asking around about the club and things that happened here. The girls seemed nice enough, but the minute I mentioned Wes, they all clammed up and refused to speak to me anymore.
“Shyla.”
I turned to see Jeremy standing in the doorway of the club. It was odd for him to come down to the dressing room. He normally called us to the office if he needed something. I glanced around, wondering if the other girls knew something I didn’t, as I made my way over to him.
“Hey,” I said uncertainly when I got to the door.
“I have some special guests today. That’s why so many people are here today. I’m going to have some of the ladies in the private rooms and then I have a few extra girls on the floor tonight.”
“Okay, where do you want me?”
He looked uncomfortable, which made me nervous. “I’ve had a special request for you.”
My stomach churned. The only person I could think of that would request me and made him nervous was that asshole from the poker game. There was no way I could be alone with him again.
“It’s a man that met you at the club one night a few weeks ago. He wants a private dance.”
“Is it the guy-”
“No,” he said quickly. “His name is Wes.”
I didn’t hear the rest of what he said. So many things were rushing through my head that I completely spaced out. Wes was the man that was coming into town that Jeremy had been so worked up over. Maybe he was just an important client, but I had to look into anyone that garnered that much attention around here. I took a deep breath and steeled myself, tuning back into Jeremy.
“So, are you okay with this?”
“Of course,” I said quickly, completely ignoring the fact that I hadn’t heard all he said. I would do whatever this guy wanted if it could get me even a scrap of information.
“Good. He’s waiting for you in room three. He’s paid for the whole night with you.”
I nodded quickly, but Jeremy still seemed a little hesitant to hav
e me do this.
“What? Is something wrong?”
“This guy seems a little infatuated with you. Are you sure you want to do this? I can’t put anyone outside your room with this special group coming in.”
“I’m sure. Don’t worry about me. I can handle this.”
“Okay. Finish getting ready and head over there.”
He left and I hurried along getting ready. I made myself look like a bombshell tonight. If I wanted to secure my chances of him helping me, I needed to look my best. Men didn’t come here for innocent women. They came here to have their fantasies fulfilled.
A hand grabbed me right when I was about to enter the room. It was Storm. He dragged me down the hallway and shoved me into a small room.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he spat.
“There’s a client that’s paying for my entertainment.”
“Yeah, for the fucking night. What the hell are you thinking agreeing to that?”
“This is my job. What do you expect me to do?”
“This isn’t like you. You don’t like to go in those rooms. You never have, so why are you doing it now?”
“Because he might be able to help me.”
“With what? If you’re horny, find someone else. This guy is bad news. Whenever he comes to the club, someone always ends up leaving here in tears.”
“I have to do this. I have to take that risk.”
“Why? Just tell me. You know I’ll do anything to help you.”
I knew I could trust Storm and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to let someone else know in case something happened to me. If this went bad, maybe he would take over the search for my daughter. I decided to trust him.
“This isn’t my normal job.”
“No shit,” he said irritatedly.
“I came to work here because my daughter went missing a little over six months ago. The investigation pretty much stopped after three months when the trail went dead. I took things into my own hands and it led me here, to a man named The Broker. I haven’t even come close to finding him, but Jeremy made it sound like the guy in room three is a powerful man. He might be able to help me.”
Storm had a look of pity on his face, but still didn’t look convinced that I should do this.
“Don’t try and stop me. I need to do this.”
He let out a harsh breath and clenched his jaw. “What are you going to do if he rapes you or worse, you end up dead? Who’s going to help your daughter then?”
He had a point. I took a deep breath and did something I hadn’t done in three months. I said her name out loud. “Her name is Payton. Payton James. My name is Morgan.”
He shook his head and his eyes went wild. “No. Hell fucking no. I am not getting involved in this shit. I did my time and-”
“Please,” I begged with tears in my eyes. “Please, I have to get my daughter back. I can’t let her down. If something happens to me, you have to continue looking for her. There was a guy in here a few times. He’s friends with Jeremy. He works for a security company.” I searched my memory for the name of the company. He had only said it in passing. “It’s something with an R. I looked it up once and it’s located about an hour west of here. Reed, that’s it! Reed Security. The guy that was here had the name Sniper. I never caught his real name, but you can go to him and see if he’ll help you.”
“Sweet pea, this is bullshit. Don’t do this.”
“I have to. If it was your daughter, would you walk away because it was dangerous?”
His shoulders sagged and he nodded slightly. “Fine, but if you think things are going south, get out of there. Scream and fight until someone hears you. Understand?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I went back to the room and took a deep breath before I entered. There he was, sitting in a chair, lounging with a bottle of scotch. He was just as handsome and evil looking as I remembered. But his name wasn’t Wes. This was Steven.
“Do I have the wrong room? I’m looking for Wes.”
“That’s me.”
“But…you told me your name was Steven.”
An evil smirk spread across his face. “Glad you remembered me, sweetheart.”
The endearment was anything but sweet. The way he said it make me shiver uncontrollably. His dark hair fell in a slight wave over his forehead and those dark eyes trailed over my body in appreciation. When he stood, I could see the muscles under his dress shirt rippling, stretching the fabric on his upper arms. He walked toward me like a lion stalking his prey. For a moment, my heart stuttered to a stop, but then I remembered my objective for tonight.
“I’m sorry, but I’m supposed to meet Wes. I’m sure one of the other girls will be in to see you.”
“I am Wes.” One side of his mouth quirked up.
“Then why did you tell me your name was Steven?”
“My name is Wes, but I don’t like to hand it out. Too many people hear my name and assume that I have something they want. They assume they can swindle me, but they don’t realize that I know everything and everyone. If anyone fucks with me, I fuck them back twice as hard until there’s no one left in their family. There aren’t many people that fuck with me and live to tell about it. If you want to be one of those people, I suggest you don’t piss me off.”
I gulped and jerked my head up and down. “Of course.”
He grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me over to the chair. He pulled me onto his lap as he sat down and rested his hands on my hips. “Dance for me.” I tried to stand, but he gripped me tighter. “Right where you are.”
I did my best to move my body as I straddled his lap. There wasn’t much room for movement and I had never actually given a lap dance before. I was pretty sure that staying like this wasn’t all I was supposed to do though. I swirled my hips and ran my hands under my hair, lifting it off my neck, shoving my breasts in his face.
I shivered in revulsion when I felt his tongue lick my nipple. It didn’t matter how handsome he was. Everything about this man made me feel sick to my stomach, but I had to remember that this man might be able to help me.
“So, why did you come looking for me?”
I stopped moving and he glared at me. I continued moving, but he held my hips down right against him. His dick grew against my body.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I could see it in your eyes the minute you walked through the door. There’s something you need and you think I can give it to you.”
I couldn’t lie to him. If he had seen my intentions as soon as I walked into the room, I wouldn’t be able to fib my way through this.
“I’m looking for my daughter. She disappeared six months ago.”
His mouth moved down the center of my chest and back up, licking and nipping at my flesh. “And you thought I could find her?”
“I thought you might have information. I heard that you’re a powerful man and powerful men have a lot of resources at their disposal.”
“And what are you going to give me in return?”
His fingers moved down to my thong, slipping inside. I forced myself to stay relaxed, even though I hated the feel of his fingers on me again.
“Whatever you want.”
“Anything?” I nodded. There was no question that I would do anything to get my little girl back. “I want you to come home with me.”
He studied my face, trying to see if I was serious. I kissed him hard, slipping my tongue inside his mouth, kissing him with the desperation I felt. When I pulled back, I slipped off his lap.
“Let me grab my stuff.”
He smirked at me as he adjusted himself. I slipped out the door and shuddered, thinking about what I would have to do to get information from him. I reminded myself the entire walk to the dressing room that this was for Payton, and again on the way back to the room.
“Ready?”
He walked with a certain air that made him both sexy and dangerous. For me, it was more dangerous. He t
ook my hand and lead me to the front door. Storm glared at Wes and grabbed my arm as I passed. I shook my head slightly at him, but those damn brown eyes of his pleaded with me not to go. When Wes came back to my side and raised an eyebrow at Storm, he finally released me. I could feel Storm’s eyes on me the whole way to the vehicle that was waiting for Wes.
I sank into the backseat of the black Audi and felt ridiculously out of place. The leather against my skin felt completely wrong since I had just been in a thong and grinding against Wes in the back room of a strip club. Wes climbed in the other side and gave the driver an address that I didn’t recognize. Pittsburgh was big so that wasn’t unusual.
“Where are we going?”
Wes smiled as he stared at me. He hit a button and the privacy window went up, blocking the driver from us. “I’m taking you to find your daughter. But in order to do that, I need you to do something.”
“Anything,” I said eagerly.
He took something out of his pocket and then opened his hand. Laying in his palm was a pill of some kind. “What is that?”
“The price for finding your daughter.”
My heart thudded in my chest. It was one thing to go with him and sleep with him, knowing exactly what I was doing, but to take a pill that I knew nothing about was completely different. Anything could happen and I’d heard enough stories about women being drugged to know that this wasn’t a good idea.
“I guess you don’t want to get your daughter back.”
He closed his palm and started to put it away. “I’ll take it!”
His head slowly turned to mine as he held his hand back out in front of me. I slowly took the pill, swallowing the thick coat of saliva in my throat. He handed me a bottle of water and I uncapped it and swallowed the pill. I had done it and there was no turning back now. I just had to hope that I got what I needed out of this.
We drove in silence for a while and slowly, the scenery outside my window started to swirl and blur as we drove. My head felt heavy and I was no longer able to hold my eyes open. I felt my head flop back against the seat and then Wes unbuckle me and lay me down on the seat. His fingers brushed across my face, but I was too out of it to protest. This was my choice and I had to live with it now.
Sniper Page 7
