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His brow bunched a little, giving Rael a darker edge and I nearly chickened out.
“You need to shoot straight with me, kitten. I don’t have time for games.”
“Something’s happened to Naomi.” His expression changed and became more alert. “My sister. Trixie,” I blurted with frustration. “She disappeared from the hospital and I haven’t been able to find her. Her cellphone number is disconnected not that I expected her to keep it. I don’t,” my voice faltered. “I don’t know what to do. The police won’t help.”
“Shit.” He brushed a finger over my cheek. “We’ll figure this out.”
“How?”
“I’ll look into it.”
What did that mean?
“Do you know if she left on her own or if someone was with her?”
I never thought to ask, and the detective didn’t say. I assumed she left by herself but maybe her attacker returned the moment she was left unsupervised. “I think she was alone.” My head fell forward as my arms slid around his waist. “I’m pretty sure she ran away.”
Rael held me as I sniffled, fighting back tears. He tilted my chin up, pressing another of those soft, controlled kisses against my lips. “We’ll find her.”
We. An important distinction. One that made all the difference.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure, kitten.”
Those hazel orbs held me spellbound and I didn’t doubt that Rael left a trail of broken hearts behind him wherever he went. He was such a contradiction. One moment sensual, sexy, tender, and sweet. The next, rough, cold, and all Royal Bastards biker. I didn’t know how it all came together but with him it worked. He was reaching into my heart and demanding space and I knew that I would fall in love with him before long. We might come from two different worlds, but our bodies didn’t seem to get the message.
“There’s more,” I whispered as he stiffened slightly.
“Tell me.”
“My friend Bethany is a nurse at Mt. Grant. We used to work together until I decided to find something here in Tonopah and quit that terrible commute. I start with Central Nevada Regional Care in two weeks.” He nodded, listening closely to every word. “Anyway, she called me this afternoon. They had another trauma victim enter the ER.”
Rael’s jaw clenched. “Go on.”
“The girl was recognized as one of the ones that went missing nearly three weeks ago. She was burned so badly they couldn’t positively I.D. her without more medical records but Bethany seemed pretty certain.”
“She was trafficked.”
“Yes, that’s the logical conclusion.”
“And you think it’s related to Trixie, right?”
“How can it not be?” I asked, searching his eyes. “They’re close to the same age and build, similar height, and both involved in drugs. I remember the story from the news. The drugs have to be a gateway. It’s how the girls become addicted and desperate. Maybe they’re lulled into a false sense of security and then taken against their will.”
/> “It makes sense,” he agreed.
“There’s a pattern. Girls have gone missing in both Tonopah and Hawthorne and a few others in the cities located between Reno and Las Vegas. It’s a hunting ground.”
His grip on my body tightened. “This is dangerous knowledge, Nylah. Who else have you told?”
“No one,” I answered honestly. “I hadn’t put it all together yet when I visited the police station. Bethany and I didn’t speak for long but she’s drawing her own conclusions based on the same information. Neither of us are stupid.”
“No, certainly not.”
“I don’t want my sister to die, Rael.” My voice broke as he hugged my body close. “We have to find her before they do.”
“Agreed. That’s why you’re gonna leave and let me handle this.”
