“Fuckers,” muttered Joey. “Why didn’t you hit your beacon? The team would have come for you.”
“Why? This is why! You, here, acting like a madman. Plus, I was embarrassed. I am embarrassed. Anyway, we were on that boat for four days. But it wasn’t just the usual group. This time they were bringing others in every day by smaller boats. These guys were different. They were professionals.
“When it was all done, I owed them three-hundred thousand. I couldn’t ask mom and dad. I just couldn’t. Now they say I have to strip to pay back the money. I had to leave school, leave my master’s program and I’m barely making enough to eat. My bank account is drained.”
“Why didn’t your parents see that?” asked Joey.
“I-I changed the bank I use. I guess they didn’t look, thank goodness.” Joey just nodded, staring at his friends. “Please, Joey, I have to go back there or they’re going to kill me, or worse.”
“No. No way. We’re going to figure out what the hell is going on and get you out of this,” he said pushing her hair from her face.
“Joey, they’ll hurt me. They’ll hurt you. They’ve hurt other girls, I know they have. Some of them have disappeared. They won’t stop until they have their money.”
“Marissa, I don’t know you honey, but it sounds to me like these guys were playing a scam all along and your roommates were part of it. I’m going to guess that they owed him money and you were their payment.”
She stared at him open-mouthed, shaking her head. Then the other men nodded. Turning she looked at Joey, sobbing, falling into his arms.
“We’re going to figure this out,” he said, “but I can’t let you go back there.”
“He’ll find me, Joey. He’s found me before. I tried to go home. I tried to get on a plane and come home. I knew they wouldn’t find me there. What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to stay here. I’m going to protect you. We will protect you,” he said staring at his teammates. They all nodded, knowing they wouldn’t desert him.
“What if they find us?”
“You forget who we are, Marissa. If they want to come and find me, I’m happy to oblige.”
CHAPTER FIVE
With Marissa sound asleep on the sofa, Joey stood in his small kitchen, staring at her beautiful face.
“She’s the one, isn’t she?” smirked Bo.
“Yeah. She’s always been the one but she doesn’t know that. Seeing her on that stage, fuck me, it gutted me.”
“Brother, you know these guys were pulling a scam. Sounds like they hit up girls at the expensive schools, drew them in, and then didn’t give them an option for anything else,” said Bullett. “The question I want answered is what’s their game in the end. Are they forcing these women into prostitution? Are they selling them?”
“I can’t even think about that,” muttered Joey.
“Is she really a Jordan oftheJordans?” asked Red.
“Yep. Her father is Christopher, grandfather is Wes, and great-grandfather is Angel. Her brothers are Mitchell and Brooks. They’re going to blow a fucking gasket over this.”
“You’re going to tell them?” frowned Bullett.
“I have to, brother. This is family. We don’t keep secrets.” He stared at her sleeping body and walked into the living room, tossing the blanket over her. “Keep an eye on her. I’m just going to step outside for a minute.”
They nodded at their teammate as he walked out onto the breezeway of his apartment. Staring at his phone he ran through what to say, then realized it had to be direct.
“Hello?” whispered the sleepy voice.
“Christopher? It’s Joey Dougall.”
“Joey? Are you alright, son? Is something wrong?”
“I’m fine. I mean, sort of. I have to tell you a story.”
For twenty minutes Joey talked while Christopher listened. At one point, he heard him moving around the room, clothing rustling and then him texting others.
