Page 20 of Brutal Truths

Silas shoves his hands into his pockets and tilts his head back. “It’s done. Everything is set and ready.”

“Good.” He turns his back without waiting to see if we follow. “My office. You two can help me clean up the mess I was called here to sort out.”

With a burst of energy, Silas jumps on that. “What kind of problem?”

I motion for Cort to go first, then follow in behind him, taking up the rear so I have eyes on my surroundings.

The decor doesn’t surprise me. It’s excessive, polished to perfection. Meant to impress. I’ve never been inside a brothel, but I doubt most are this nice.

One-hundred-fifty grand a year buys a lot of illusions.

Makes me wonder if that helps the members with the guilt they should feel taking advantage of the women here. I doubt it, though. They aren’t the guilt-prone type. They lost that skill ages ago and now feel entitled to this.

Cunts.

On our way to Trent’s office, we pass through a room where three men sit at a table, deep in a poker game. Each one has a beautiful woman on his lap. The ladies are dressed in cocktail dresses that barely cover them.

At first glance, they don’t appear unhappy to be here.

That illusion doesn’t last.

The more I study them, the more I see what others choose to ignore. One girl has a faded bruise on her wrist, half hidden beneath a bracelet doing a piss-poor job of covering it. Another glances up for the briefest second. Her smile is there, but it’s empty. Dead behind the eyes.

The last one, though…

I do a double take. My chest tightens, something sharp cutting through me before I can stop it.

For a split second, I think it’s Isabel.

It’s not.

The resemblance hits too close. Same long, dark hair falls down her back. Same build. And damn near close to the same age. She doesn’t look as young as the others, in her mid-to late twenties. The other two… I don’t even want to think about it. Hard to tell under all that makeup. Not that anyone here gives a damn.

All they care about is that each one is here and available.

If I give it too much thought, I’ll pull out my gun and shoot the two bastards holding them like they own them.

According to Silas, the women are only here for short stints to keep things fresh. The favorites stay longer. Members often pay more to keep them around. Sometimes there are even auctions. The highest bidder gets first dibs, exclusive access for however long they’re willing to pay for.

My stomach turns.

Did the arsehole gripping her so tight pay extra for her time?

She’s beautiful. It makes me sick to think that these pricks are who she’s forced to spend her days with. She deserves so much more.

That thought drags me back to Isabel.

Are those fuckers treating her the same way? I swear, if they so much as lay a hand on her, I’ll kill them. Slowly. Painfully. Chop off body parts and watch them bleed out.

“You planning to join us, Aiden? Or would you rather try your luck winning Merial from Granger? I bet he’d play a round, but it’ll cost you ten monkeys just to start the bidding.”

The grating sound of his voice pulls my attention back to where it should be.

“Fuck off. There’s only one woman who holds my interest.” I glance at Merial briefly. “No offense, miss.”

“None taken,” Merial says, sliding off Granger’s lap and walking toward us. “Nice to meet someone with morals. She’s a lucky woman.”

“Watch it, Mer,” the man at the table warns. “Remember what happened last time.”