Page 6 of Locked and Loaded

Suddenly, Lennox couldn’t breathe. “What do you mean?”

“She was like me. Someone liked her. She didn’t go with the rest of the girls.” Katya drank some champagne.

“Where did she go?” Lennox asked, hardly daring to hope.

Katya shrugged again. “No idea. But your sister, she is like me. She is someone’s wife or mistress somewhere.”

Lennox swallowed but remained silent. She had no idea what to say to that.

“You should be happy. Is much better. Trust me. The other girls they⁠—”

“Do you know who?” Lennox cut Katya off. She knew what usually happened, and it didn’t bear thinking about. She didn’t want to hear Katya’s version of it.

“I do not know.” Katya shrugged. “We were dressed for a party. Your sister cried a lot, but they threatened her. They tell her to go downstairs to the party, but she refused. They take her away. Later I saw her get into a helicopter with some men.”

Lennox felt nauseous. “Then how do you know she was a gift? How do you know they weren’t taking her with the other girls?”

“Please,” Katya snorted. “The other girls were drugged and taken away in a van. I saw it. Your sister, she flew out with a man. Surrounded by security, so a rich man.”

“And you have no idea who?” Lennox asked one more time.

Katya shook her head. “No. Italian man, I think. I heard others talking. They said something about the Italian having specific tastes and your sister being perfect.”

Lennox frowned. “Can you remember anything else? Anything at all?”

Katya started to shake her head and then stopped. “The helicopter, it was headed for somewhere in Italy. One of the men said something about a storm, and they needed to get to Italy before it hit, or it wouldn’t be good.” Katya took another sip of her champagne. “That’s it. That’s all I know. You must go now.”

“Do you know a name?”

Katya shook her head.

“Can you tell me what he looks like?” Lennox half begged.

“He looked Italian,” she said. “Average height, dark hair. You know the type.”

“Is there⁠—”

“You must go now,” Katya snarled suddenly. “I have said too much. Go and never come back.”

“Yes,” Lennox agreed. She got to her feet and then hesitated. “Do you want to come with me? Do you want me to help you get out?”

Katya threw her head back and laughed. “Are you crazy? Why would I leave this?” She gestured around her. “I was living on the beach in Ibiza. I had no money for food or a place to stay. I was already,” she said what Lennox assumed was a Bulgarian word. “Prostitutka. I had snuck into the party when I was grabbed. This is a much better life.”

Lennox was speechless, so she just bobbed her head. She had a lead. An honest-to-God lead. Her mind was swirling. It had been three months since she’d discovered her sister had disappeared. Three long months, and now she was finally making real progress.

She started to gather the bags but then turned back to Katya and lowered her voice. “Your maid is not just a maid. She’s paying close attention. I think she is keeping an eye on you.”

Katya’s eyes narrowed. Then she gave an abrupt nod. “I think so. She is watching me, but I’m not sure if it’s for Nikolai or…something else.” A small tremor went through Katya’s hand, causing the champagne in her glass to slosh. “Go now.”

“The Lock and Key Society?” Lennox blurted out. It was a shot in the dark, but Lennox figured there was no harm in trying. Pablo had said he’d heard that name thrown around a few times when he was delivering girls. It was said in hushed tones and no one ever asked any questions about it, but he thought it was the name of the organization that ran the human trafficking racket in Ibiza. He’d heard that they ran it worldwide, and that they killed anyone who asked about it.

And then a packet had shown up at the post office box Lennox had been using to stay in contact with her former life. It had detailed what the Lock and Key Society was into. Supposed proof that they were behind the human trafficking ring. Pictures of men with girls. And the contact information for a reporter at the Chronicle. The whole thing made her sick, but Lennox had been around long enough to know no one handed over something like this without a reason. They had an ulterior motive, and Lennox wasn’t about to move forward until she found out who gave her the information and what they wanted.

Katya frowned. “What is this Lock and Key Society? I have heard the name, but I do not know about them. Nikolai is not a member, but he wants to be, I think.”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it. Do you think the group that took you, do you think they are keeping an eye on you?”

Katya glanced toward the doorway. “I think they watch both me and Nikolai. I tell him that, but he thinks I’m crazy. I’m not crazy.”