Page 31 of Recovering Ivy

“He gives you money for what? Conversation? You give good advice or some shit?”

She was back to being silent.

“You’re willing to go down on a solicitation charge, yet you don’t sell him sex. Is that because you’re protecting him or yourself? You must know prostitution is a lesser crime than distribution or trafficking, depending on how much Forester is giving you.”

“What?”

Yeah. That got her attention.

“The drugs, Amy. How much does he give you during your meetings?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Cut the shit. You’re a bad liar. How much and what kind?” She said nothing. “You should take my advice and make this easier on yourself. Hurry and cut a deal before you end up like her.” I slid the picture of Joanna Long across the table, showing her dead on the floor of her bedroom in Forester’s house. “You remember her? Forester’s live-in piece of ass.” It felt wrong talking about Ivy’s sister like that. I was thankful she wasn’t here to witness me degrading Joanna that way. “He was done with her and ready to trade her in for a new live-in.”

“Joey was a nice girl. She had a rough life and didn’t deserve that. Every time she tried to get clean, he’d give her more,” Amy told me. “She wanted out.”

Shit. That piece of information would kill Ivy.

“Why didn’t someone help her?” I asked.

“Her sister tried. But anytime Joey talked to her, Forester would threaten Ivy and tell Joey if she didn’t keep her mouth shut, he’d make Ivy one of his whores.”

“Come again? Forester knew about Ivy?”

“Yeah. He knows everything. He only picks women who have something to protect. Something he can exploit. That’s how he controls us.”

Fuck it to hell. My mind was racing through a thousand different scenarios, none of them good. Forester knew who Ivy was and played her.

I took my phone out of my pocket, unlocked it, and called Leo.

“Yeah,” he greeted.

“Where’s Ivy?”

“She bailed about ten minutes ago; said she was going home.”

“Fuck!” I roared, my heart pounding in my chest, angry I hadn’t told the guys not to let her leave the building.

“Get to her place now and sit on it. If she tries to leave, stop her. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Copy that.” He disconnected.

“What’s his racket, Amy?” I impatiently asked. She remained quiet. I was done fucking around. “Check this, anything happens to my woman because you’re protecting his ass I will personally see to it you never see the light of day. By the time I’m done with you, it will make what he did to Joanna mild in comparison. You feel me?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Good. My man Declan is gonna come in here now and you’re gonna tell him every last fucking thing you know. And if I feel like you’re telling the truth, I’ll see about setting you up someplace new.”

“I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about my daughter.”

“Fuck.”

“He has his men watching her.”

“We’ll sort that out, too.”

I didn’t wait for her response and I didn’t pay attention to the tears now streaming down her face. I needed to get to Ivy. My phone was already at my ear when Declan passed me to enter the interrogation room to talk to Amy. Linc fell in step beside me when the call connected.