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Placing my ear closer to the wall, I hold my breath, but it leaves in a rush when I hear what he’s saying. “Yes, his name is Ryan and he’s perfect. The right amount of innocence and seduction. The men will go crazy for him. The other two don’t have that spark that will sell.” He’s silent for a moment, then he laughs. “No, he suspects nothing. I’ll get him to my room and have Tom tranq him. We’ll have him back in Thunder Coast in a few hours and the new warehouse will be soundproofed by then.” Again he goes silent, then laughs a manic laugh that has me squirming and ready to bolt. Something holds me in place though. Probably stupidity. “No, the shipping yard will be shut down permanently by next week. No one will know what that warehouse is used for. With the new rooms we installed, we can have clients meet us there so there’s no chance for those whores to escape. He won’t know where he is and the men can use his holes until he’s worn out. Set the room up in the front and I’ll get a photo for you to use on the website. I’ll have a go at him first, break him in. I want a taste of his ass before it’s fucked out from all the cocks he’ll take.” He lets out another laugh that makes me want to vomit.
I’ve heard enough. As quietly as I can, I inch out of the bathroom and speed walk to the front of the hotel. I have my keys out of my pocket before I remember Courtney and Nabi. I can’t leave them. If I disappear—as the intended target—one of them can be taken. Blowing out a frustrated breath, I duck to the side of the entrance and pull out my phone. I call Cara and hope she’s still awake. She answers on the fourth ring.
“Hey, babe. You safe?”
“No, Cara. They’re fucking traffickers!” I whisper-shout into the phone. I probably should have called one of the bodyguards she keeps around, but I don’t want anyone to get hurt. We just need to leave and I need to call the cops to go to that fucking warehouse. Thunder Coast is about three hours from where we are, but I think I know where it is. There aren’t many shipping yards that will be closed in that area.
“What?” I hear flapping in the background, like she’s climbing out of bed. “How do you know that?”
“I’ll tell you later. Right now, I need you to call Courtney and Nabi and tell them to get the fuck out of there. We’ve been pretending like we don’t know each other all evening, so if I suddenly walk up to them whispering, it’ll look suspicious.” At least I think it will. I’m not well versed in how to deal with this situation. “And I don’t have their numbers to call them. Please, Cara. Call them now and tell them to leave. Tell them to excuse themselves to the restroom and go the fuck home!” My voice doesn’t get any louder, but it does get more urgent. I need them to leave before I can, to ensure I’m not putting them in a situation where they end up in Thunder Coast against their wills.
My breathing is uneven and I close my eyes to get myself under control. Cara is quiet on the other end and I thought she hung up until she says, “I just texted them. It’s not your job but keep an eye out to make sure they leave. Then I’m sending Jax and Brad to come get you.”
“No, I’ll be fine. I’m going to leave as soon as they do. Look, I’m heading back in just in case they head out of a side door. When they’re no longer in the building, I’ll leave as well. I’ll give you all the information I heard when I see you next.”
I hear sniffles over the line and I hate that she’s this worried. This situation is very serious and I want us out of danger as quickly as possible. “Okay, babe. Call me when you’re home. We can figure out next steps from there, yeah?”
“Yeah.” I hang up and stroll back inside as calmly as I can, though I’m screaming inside to turn the fuck around and away from danger.
Stepping back into the room, I see no sign of Nabi and Courtney bumps into me when he’s walking out. He smiles a light smile at me and says, “Excuse me, sir. Where’s the restroom?”
Keeping up with the charade, I point in the direction of the front entrance and say, “Make this left and go straight. You can’t miss it.” Code for: that’s the way to the exit, get the fuck out of here.
Courtney nods his thanks and walks smoothly down the hall, making a left out of sight. Taking that as my cue, I turn from the door and smack right into a chest and catch a whiff of familiar cologne.Fuck. Andler.
He reaches his hands out to steady me and I stiffen. Andler narrows his eyes and I grin to play it off. “Sorry, you scared me.” I roll my shoulders and he drops his hands with a stiff smile.
“I apologize,” he says, not sounding sorry at all. “Hey, looks like they’re starting to wind things down. What do you say we go back to my room for a bit of … private fun?”
Dread fills my gut. I look up into his eyes and try not to recoil. Fucking fuck! Why did Cara take this contract? I banish that thought quickly. She couldn’t have known they were traffickers. He really does look like a nice guy with his round cheeks, and open smile. Oh, but those eyes tell it all. At least to me. To anyone else, they would have thought Andler was a normal client wanting a normal date.
Before I can turn him down, he takes my arm in a firm grip and pulls me close to him. “Listen to me, you whore.” I flinch and my eyes go wide. “I paid good money for you. I own you tonight.”
I look at him, stunned and afraid. I wonder where my fight is. The fire that’s usually just under the surface, waiting for someone to try me. But looking into Andler’s cold eyes and no long friendly face and it’s like I’m doused with cold water, my fire extinguished.
Before I can pull away or gather my courage to make a scene, he shoves me into an elevator that just opened. I try to make eye contact with the man that just exited, to convey that I need help, but he has his head down, scrolling through his phone. When I open my mouth to speak, to beg or plead, Andler grips my arm painfully and I turn my head to look at him quickly, then realize I missed my opportunity. Fuck!
I watch the man’s back as Andler presses the button to the fourteenth floor. “If you make a fucking sound,” he growls in my ear, “I will end you. Do you understand?”
Tears brimming my eyes, I reluctantly nod. My mind is racing, trying to think of a way out of this. No one gets on the elevator, so there’s no hope of asking for help. When the doors open on his floor, Andler yanks me out and pushes me in front of him. He marches me down the hall, sticking close to my back. I look around without moving my head, looking for a means of escape if I get the chance.
We stop two doors down from the fire exit stairs and I’m thankful. If I can get away, I won’t have far to run. Just in case I get away to report Andler, I try to find the room number, but I don’t see it. The door tag is made of some reflective shit and the light glints off of it harshly and I can only make up the number four. I’m not sure if it’s in the middle of the door number or the beginning. I want to cry.
Dammit, how am I going to get out of this? I recall the training I got while in high school back in BC. My best friend dragged me to some classes after a few people got attacked and robbed while walking their dogs at night. She said it would come in handy one day, even though neither of us had any dogs to walk and didn’t spend a lot of time outside. I try to remember that training and think I can do enough to get away. Depending on what moves he and whoever the other guy he talked about make, I can try to break their attack and run away.
At least I hope I can.
His body pressed to my back, Andler slides the key card into the door. He releases my arm as the door opens and light spills inside. Darting my eyes around quickly, I spot the tip of a shoe barely visible behind the wall opposite me and I know this is it. I need to try to get the fuck out of here.
I don’t think. I step back into Andler and knock my head back into his nose as hard as I can, headbutting him. He roars and tries to grab at me, but I duck and push him into the room. I turn around in time to get a brief glance of the man that was waiting behind the wall. He tries to hop over Andler and grab at me, but Andler tries to stand up at the same time and they collide in a tangle of arms and legs. Instead of just running away, I pull the door shut, hoping that will slow them down for a few seconds so I can get the fuck away.
Charging through the door that leads to the stairs, I pound down them, taking some three at a time and slipping a time or two. I hear the door above me open when I’m on the second floor and I put on a burst of speed, skipping the last four stairs when I see the door to the outside exit and push through it. Behind me, I hear alarms blaring, but I ignore them, running to the lot where I parked my car. I snatch my keys from my pocket before I’m even in sight of my car.
When I get behind the wheel, I don’t fuss with my seatbelt. I just start the car and peel out. Looking in my rearview mirror, I don’t see anyone behind me, on foot or driving. I’m breathing heavily and I have a stitch in my side, but I keep my foot on the gas pedal, sweat pouring down my brow. After I put a few miles between me and the hotel, I slow my speed down so I’m not pulled over.
Feeling like I’m out of immediate danger, I pick up the phone and call Cara. She answers when the phone barely rang once. “Are you safe, babe?”
Immediately, I start crying. The tears come hard and fast and I have to pull over into a well-lit parking lot to avoid running off the road. “Cara, they almost took me. I barely got away. Oh fuck, Cara. What am I going to do? What if they find me? What if they try again? I’m fucking scared.”
