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“That much I know, Zeke. What don’t I know?” I ask, exasperated.
“He’s a collector. Chances are he’s collecting young ladies to be sold as sex slaves,” Zeke says.
“What the fuck!” Caleb exclaims.
I see red, fury in my soul. The chair falls to the floor as I jump to my feet and pound my fist on the desk. Other officers are glaring toward the office and probably wondering if they should intervene, but they don’t dare move.
“Get a handle on it,” Caleb orders, quietly but firmly.
“Let’s see if you’d say that if someone you loved was being set up to be a sex slave,” I snap, pacing around the room.
“We have a name. We have a number. And we have the dick wad in holding,” Caleb says. “We’ll shake it out of him and, with any luck, bring down a whole ring of sex traffickers. That way, we’re protecting Sabrina and thousands of other women who may have suffered the same fate.”
There’s a moment of silence before Zeke speaks up. “I think Caleb and Damian should question this guy Henry. You won’t have the patience to wait it out and get the most out of him.”
I hate to admit it, but he’s right. “I can’t sit here twiddling my thumbs.”
“I have a better idea,” Zeke says with a mischievous grin. “Let’s see if we can convince Mr. Black to let you come to the auction to bid. We can set up a profile, and by the time Damian and Caleb are done, we may have a way in. Once we’re there, the whole outfit will crumble.”
“It’s a solid plan,” Caleb says to Zeke. He turns to me. “Are you in?”
“I’m in,” I say. “I want these fuckers shut down, and I want them to pay. I want Henry on record that Cameron was part of this. I want him in for life.”
Caleb nods and leaves the room.
“Time to make a back story for a Latin millionaire who can afford to be at this elite auction.”
If anyone can come up with a nonexistent millionaire, that would be Zeke. “Mr. Black, huh?” I sigh. “I guess he couldn’t think of anything more original.” Or, I’m thinking, his heart is black, to complement his dark soul. No real man needs to buy a woman. Especially not like this. They take young women away from their families and their future to become a possession, and most of them are treated so violently, they don’t survive.
SEVENTEEN
Tell Me about It, Stud
ALEX
It’s midafternoon before Henry falls apart and tells all. Cameron convinced him that taking Sabrina and delivering her to Mr. Black would amount to a hundred thousand dollars, split down the middle. Cameron arranged it all from prison, and since Henry was being released and needed cash, he agreed. The fact that he’s a junkie and needs his next hit like he needs air was his incentive.
“Cameron was crazy. He wanted to get back at this chickso bad.He was going to put a hit out on her, but when another cellmate joked about selling her to the highest bidder and making her pay for life, he was all over that.” Henry keeps blathering. He’s in deep and hoping to cut a deal.
“Who else is involved?” Caleb asks. When Henry hesitates, he says, “You gotta tell us everything if you want a deal. Not settling for less than the whole story.”
“They’ll kill me, man. I go back in and I’m as good as dead.” He sits on the edge of his seat.
“I’ll have a chat with the district attorney and have you moved to a different state. Far, far away. You can even start over in a brand-new place when you get out,” Caleb says, sweetening the deal. However, even with a deal, Henry is still an accomplice to kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon. No telling when he’s getting out.
“I want it in writing,” he pleads, his eyes begging for the deal. He understands this is his best shot.
Much later, Henry provides a list of inmates who were involved and several others who had connections on the outside. Zeke’s already running the last-known addresses of these men, and Caleb’s on the line with the warden. I can hear the guy cursing on the other end. Caleb pointed out that to have such a wide reach into the outside world, Henry must have a guard on the take. That makes the man even angrier, but he agrees.
With all that we can do for the day done, the rest is up to Zeke. I offer to stay while Damian heads out and hangs with Chloe and Sabrina.
“Nah, I got this. I’m sure Bri will want to know that this is almost over. You two need a chill night,” Zeke says.
“I owe you.”
“This is what we do for one another, right? It’s all good.” He grins and goes back to the keyboard, tapping faster than I ever could.
* * *
