by Kells, India
As she expected, Gabrielle immediately reacted to the name. “You sure about it?”
Kai touched her shoulder to make her look at him. “What is The Gallery?”
A quick scan around the room told Isabel that nobody had heard about it. Before she could explain, Lucas came into the room. “All clear! Whoa, this looks like an intense meeting.”
Zoe nodded. “Yeah, kind of. Can you take care of Julia for a couple more minutes?”
The teenager quickly understood the situation and took the dozing baby from Liam’s arms before disappearing into his room.
Isabel squared her shoulders and started talking. “I had been seriously thinking about quitting the industry for a year when I was invited to a party in New York. Normally, Los Angeles is the hub for things like that, but I like New York and decided to make the trip. The party was supposed to be fundraising for orphans and single mothers and it struck a chord in me, so I packed my bag and flew there. At the party, I saw many people I knew, especially a couple of young starlets on the rise, who were wide-eyed and seriously naive. The industry is certainly not about coaching young recruits, but as I had experience with how things were, I always offered advice.
“During the evening, one of the organizers approached to ask if I would be interested in an after-hours party hosted by The Gallery. I was intrigued, but didn’t have any real intention of going until I saw my young friends being offered the same invitation and jumping around, excited to go. I know I shouldn’t but I felt responsible for them, so I decided to tag along. If the fundraising was filled by posh people, the party by The Gallery was over the top. I’ve been around money, but this was ridiculous. It was as if The Great Gatsby had exploded in the room. I’ll admit I was dazzled, until I started noticing strange things.”
“What things?” All three brothers spoke at the same time.
“There were a lot of kids there. It was three in the morning, and I saw boys and girls running around, dressed for a fine party. It was troubling. At some point, I completely lost sight of my two young friends. After a while, the mood of the party changed. It became more sultry, sensual. The music slowed down too. Men started surrounding me. My head was swimming with lust and that wasn’t common for me. I worked in the sex industry and it took more than just music and alcohol to get me going. On edge, I excused myself and went to search for the bathroom. It was so hard to focus, I knew I had been drugged at some point. I don’t know how I got there, but I found a hallway leading to some makeshift offices. I avoided a guard and then saw it. A wall was covered with screens, and on it were pictures of children. All the children at the party.”
She took a deep breath before continuing. “My mind blanked, I didn’t know what it was, but it felt like a meat market, and I realized that maybe I was the naive one after all. All I could think about was all those kids.
“I made my way back undetected, as if I had not seen anything, and started to discreetly search for some of the kids I had seen earlier but couldn’t find them. My mind was racing at high speed and I didn’t know what to do. I was alone with only a dreaded feeling. The more the night passed, the more I saw people lose their inhibitions. Some disappeared and reappeared, and it was clear what had happened wherever it was they went. But the kids never came back. I knew I needed to go back and have a look for myself.”
Her mouth went dry, and she avoided Kai’s stare at the moment as images of what happened sped through her mind. “I was surrounded by potential suitors who knew me so finding a way back in was easy. I don’t know how they did it, but the back was like an open space filled with small, square pods for privacy. A temporary setting, but efficient. As I was where I wanted to be, I tried to stay as long as I could. It was faint, but I heard children crying.”
A horrified silence descended upon them at her words. And she continued to choose them carefully. “It was pure luck that I was able to leave the pod undetected. I don’t know if there were guards or security … probably, I guess. It was difficult to know where the voices and cries were coming from, but when I saw a man dragging a small boy into a pod, I knew I had to act fast. I don’t know what came over me, but I charged the man and punched him so hard in the face, he fell on the ground. I broke two of my fingers in the process but didn’t care. I grabbed the frightened kid and I started running. When I saw a door, I thought I had finally found a way out, but it was locked. People were running in our direction, so I started trying to open the locked door like a mad woman, praying it would open somehow. A foolish thought, I know, but my wish was granted when the door flung open and I tumbled out, the boy in my arms. On the other side was Gabrielle and her team from Purgatory.”
Gabrielle came by her side “Purgatory had been solicited for a major rescue mission as the city of New York couldn’t act. In fact, there were many prominent politicians and businessmen there, and only the Army and Navy had agreed to take care of this as other government agencies had their hands tied. Even for the Army, it was tricky and they needed an outside organization to do the dirty work.”
“So The Gallery was like an escort service?” Archer suggestion wasn’t far from the truth.
Gabrielle sighed but Isabel felt compelled to answer. “No, the women, including myself, were only a façade. It was to hide something much more serious. A pedophile ring. Kids were taken from the streets, washed, drugged, and pushed in there. When they were done, every one of them was thrown back out. Think about it like a pop-up store. A temporary setup that exists for a day only to disappear the day after. That was why it was difficult to find. It took us weeks to even get a clue where the next party would be”
Liam cursed, rubbing his face. “But at least you took it down.”
Isabel glanced at Gabrielle who appeared grim. “Only that particular event. When we prepared to attack the heart of it, our orders were rescinded. We fought to return, and even decided to take the matter into our own hands, but by that time it was too late. All the leads had disappeared.”
Kai was strangely silent by her side. Zoe hugged her husband even tighter. “Are you serious? I can’t even say the words out loud. But do you believe that Finch is…?”
A deep rumble voice came from the hallways. “I’ll say them for you. Jamieson Finch is a pedophile.”
A man silently came into their circle, his complexion a bit darker than Lazarus. He had a handsome but rugged face with eyes that shone like silver. Isabel had never seen the man, but she knew it was Sam Sarkhan, the elusive last bastard brother. That explained why Archer had given him the building’s access code.
Lazarus nodded at him, and there was a silent acknowledgment that passed between the brothers. Sam encompassed the room before he returned his attention to Isabel and Gabrielle. “You’ve uncovered something I prayed was just a bad dream.”
Gabrielle took a step forward. “You knew about The Gallery? About Finch’s possible connection to it.”
Isabel watched as the tall man seemed lost in his own thoughts for a moment. She had seen that look before and her body moved forward, pulled into action, as she had done years ago.
She didn’t know Sam Sarkhan, but she knew he was Kai’s brother and that was enough for her. Isabel touched his forearm and the surprise in him was undeniable.
“No.” It was all she could say.
The silver eyes filled with pain fixed on her. “I know firsthand what Finch is capable of and that he must be stopped at all costs.”
Sam sidestepped her to go to Lazarus. “I got your call. If you need me for security duty I’m available for as long as you need.”
Lazarus nodded. “I’ll get you up to date. With what Isabel has just revealed, things may have changed. We may have found what we need to bring him down.”
Isabel saw them group around Oz, but she needed a moment for herself, to gather her thoughts. Zoe came by her side as she was grabbing her now cold coffee mug. She went to the coffee pot in the kitchen to refill it.
“I can’t believe what is happening.”
It was a mild statement, but Isabel agreed.
“That’s why I came in here. It was like someone had robbed me of air.”
Zoe pushed the cream and sugar in her direction. “Me too. And I don’t know what impact it will have on the brothers. You couldn’t see, but the look on their face when Sam said…”
It was easy to understand why Zoe couldn’t say such a vile word.
Isabel almost burned her tongue on her next sip. “Where are my clothes?”
“Downstairs. Same for Kai.”
She smiled at Zoe’s kindness. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Any time. Now, I need to hold my baby girl in my arms for a while and hug my brother even if he whines about it. If you need anything, let me know.” Zoe kissed her cheek and disappeared.
People still talked in the living room as she sipped her coffee. Time passed and they needed to leave for the office. Her head hurt thinking about what had happened in the last twelve hours and how she would now act in front of Finch. Or how he would behave toward her.
Isabel detailed the lines of the wooden floor at her feet, letting her mind wander until a set of feet came into her line of vision.
Kai took her mug and put it on the counter. His face was set in stone, but she knew it was just a mask and hiding how he really felt. When he took her in his arms, Isabel almost lost her breath. His muscles were hard as stone with tension, and she could feel the fast beat of his heart against her ear.
It was clear he was reluctant to let her go but took a deep breath before opening his arms again.
She wanted to ask him how he was, but the answer was clear as day on his face. He kissed her brow and buried his nose in her hair one last time. She saw their small group lurking nearby. Gabrielle took another step and when they locked gazes, Isabel knew what she silently suggested.
Kai lifted his head before touching her brow with his lips.
With one last touch to his hand, Isabel braced herself. “Let me guess, you want to find a way into The Gallery and your friendly neighborhood former porn star is your best bet so far.”
She enjoyed seeing the men so uncomfortable, but she knew Gabrielle’s train of thought and her friend wasn’t thinking about her own work as a porn star and Isabel knew it. “The porn industry is just a step away from fully-fledged paid sex. It’s not unknown for to actors get side jobs, and if they bomb as actors, they just change career.”
Liam took a step in her direction. “I can check within the department files, try to find a link, but if so many important people are involved as you say, it will be slim pickings. Isabel, do you still have connections that may be useful? Someone that may know about The Gallery?”
Isabel winced. It seemed that no stone of her life would remain unturned. “Possibly. I would have to check. Maybe one of my employees knows something.”
Lazarus shook his head. “At the agency? I knew they were good but that’s borderline mind reading. Or magic.”
Taking a deep breath, she peeked at Kai before turning her attention to Lazarus again. “My team is exceptional, but I agree. They aren’t miracle workers. I wasn’t talking about them. I have other employees. Long story short, after working so many years and never seeing anything made for women, I decided to create a production company of my own—Mercury Productions.”
“You are one busy lady, Isabel.” Archer’s tone was admiring.
Kai scoffed. “How do you find the time to take care of that?”
“My mother is in charge of running it and all the day-to-day stuff. I’m there for the creative meetings only, or if I need to take specific actions. I don’t often go, because when I do, I go as Mercury with the hair and makeup and to be honest, it’s a hassle. I’ll check with Mom who our best bet would be.”
Lazarus nodded. “Okay. Get ready, we’re leaving. Kai will continue to act as your bodyguard and Sam will be your chauffeur and act as extra protection. The rest of us will keep out of sight, but act as watchdogs. Whoever attacked you last night might do it again, and we’re not leaving anything to chance. Archer, you and Aleksei need to up the protection of your women. Let’s put extra layers on everybody until we know where the threat is coming from.”
Everyone disappeared, leaving her alone with Kai. Once more, she didn’t know what he thought about this new revelation. He crossed his arms, a wall of man before her, ominous, assessing.
“So … is there anything else I should know about you? Any more surprise revelations that might surface? A love child? An adopted dog? You are the only human being who can burn water?”
“To answer your questions: no, no and I might be.” Isabel sighed. “I won’t excuse myself for the choices I’ve made, Kai. And I won’t turn my back on them either.”
The man’s demeanor changed instantly and instead of answering, he just swooped her in his arms and gathered her close, kissing her senseless. “Don’t change, babe. If you can accept me with all my flaws you don’t know about right now, I will embrace all of you.”
Chapter Twenty
A new day saw a new challenge and it started for Isabel with Finch barging into her office and taking her into a mighty bear hug before she could avoid it. Kai stood near the door but didn’t leave the room.
“I wish I could have been there to protect you, Isabel.”
Mentally bracing herself, Isabel returned his hug and infused as much warmth in her voice as she could. “Well, it was a close call. I can’t believe someone would come after me like that. I don’t understand, Jamieson.”
He stepped back but didn’t completely let go of her. “I don’t understand either. I’m just infinitely grateful you are fine.”
“Mr. Keaton literally saved my life.”
Finch smiled, but Isabel noticed that it didn’t reach his eyes. He turned to Kai and extended his hand. “You deserve a reward, son. You put your life on the line to protect someone very important to me.”
Kai took his hand and shook it, a very professional mask on his face. “Sir, that’s my job and I take it very seriously.”
Finch nodded before refocusing all his attention on Isabel and smiled. “I have a business trip I can’t miss. It’s only for one night. Why don’t you come with me? For my peace of mind.” He caressed her jaw with his knuckles and traced her bottom lip with his finger. Her training and experience were all that prevented her from flinching away. Fighting against everything inside her, Isabel pushed herself closer, even if she knew what it would mean.
As she expected, Finch didn’t disappoint and kissed her. It was hard and demanding, but in a way that showed his selfishness. Her stomach rebelled against the act, but she got herself under control and even found the strength to cup his cheeks. It was wrong in so many ways even if she knew she was only playing a part. Despite her best efforts, Isabel found it impossible to forget that Kai was in the room, and that was the most painful part of all.
Before the kiss could get out of hand, she stumbled back. “I’m sorry, Jamieson, that was so inappropriate. Please forgive me.”
Jamieson had a conqueror’s smile on his face. “No, no. Don’t apologize. I’ve been thinking of you too, Isabel. About this. But the setting was inappropriate. Would you consider that trip with me? Please.”
“I can’t. I have too much to do, and you would … distract me.”
That smile brought uncomfortable shivers down her spine. “I want your security increased. Now. And if you can’t find more people, I expect you to tell me. I have contacts. What about we plan for that dinner, just the two of us, when I come back? Do you think you can find time for me?”
“For you? Of course.”
Jamieson took her hand and kissed it, his eyes never leaving hers. When he finally left her office with one last look at Kai for good measure, Isabel felt as if she had swallowed live worms and was desperate for hard liquor, or at least mouth wash, but Shelby came into her office before she could do anything about it.
Quickly overwhelmed by work, Isabel had to wait until
noon for Shelby to get something to eat before finally having a moment for herself. At that time, her thoughts, as well as her stomach, had settled enough for her to have her brain under control again. Only then did she take out her personal cell phone. “Hey, Mom, how are you?”
“Isabel, darling girl. How are you?”
It was a tricky question, and she couldn’t share the truth with her mother at the moment. As if on cue, Kai returned to her office and closed her door. Isabel frowned as he took out a small device and seemed to scan the room.
“I’m fine, Mom. I was wondering if you would be at the office later this afternoon.”
“It was my plan. As you know I need to meet with that new director at three. And I wanted to stay around after. You know we have a couple of newbies and despite their talent, I have my concerns about them. Are you alright, darling? You don’t sound right.”
Kai showed her his cell phone screen where he had typed that her office was free of bugs. At least good news still came around and she gave him a thumb’s up.
“It’s a bit complicated and it would be better if I talked to you in person. I’ll finish early here and drop by my house before coming to see you.”
“You’re worrying me. Is everything alright?”
“I’m safe and everything is fine. But I have a problem and I need to bounce some ideas off you.” That answer seemed to satisfy her mother for now. Understanding each other and reading between the lines had always been one of their main strengths and Isabel was grateful for it, relying on it even now.
“I’m here for you, sweetheart.”
“Love you, Mom.”
“Me too.”
As she exhaled and put her phone back on her desk, Isabel didn’t have time to say a word before Kai pulled her from her chair with such force, she yelped in surprise. As she gasped, he blocked her air intake by possessing her mouth and sliding his tongue between her lips with newfound brutality.
