Chapter 46 NANCY
“SO, THE CASE FELL THROUGH?” Ayesha asked Dale as Evelyn and Rohan listened intently by the beach bar.
“Unfortunately, yes. The Met ran a clumsy operation from start to finish, and the lack of solid evidence scuppered the trial, but there’s no doubt in my professional opinion that he’s head of the ring.”
“If he’s released, won’t he bury himself further underground?” Rohan looked grim.
“Very likely, and it’ll be the women who suffer. There’s no way he’s letting go of the reins of his ‘business’ empire.”
“What are you talking about?” I walked over from the conservatory to their small circle.
“Nancy, did you know Dale is a KC?” Ayesha said. “Their stories are like Law and Order London.”
“Sadly, the reality tends to be much grimmer and less exciting.” Dale gulped back their punch.
“What case was this?”
“A ring of sex traffickers working between London and Paris. We were close to nailing the London operator, but the trial fell apart this week.”
“So, the guy’s still out there?” My skin prickled.
“Yep, the brute got off scot-free,” Dale said bitterly.
“Who is he?”
They hesitated and looked down at their glass, murmuring, “Quand on parle du loup.”
I looked at Evelyn.
“Speak of the wolf and he appears,” she translated.
Dale rose to my gaze. “He was a bouncer at a strip club.
The owner ran a sex ring on the side for those patrons who wanted the illegal extras.
The women were mostly Vietnamese, Malaysian, some Eastern European, trafficked over on the pretence of finding jobs in wealthy homes as cleaners and au pairs, but when they arrived, he confiscated their passports and forced them into sex work.
“One night, the owner gets greedy and asks for a bigger cut of the profits from the cartel he works with. When things turn nasty, our brute enters from the sidelines, takes out a knife, and, rather than defending his boss, slits his throat right in front of the gang. The head of the cartel decides our brute is exactly the sort of ruthless, ambitious thug he needs running the club, so he offers it to him. He happily agrees, accepting the original fee and has run it ever since. That was eight years ago. Now he’s one of the most notorious sex traffickers in London. ”
“You said he was a bouncer?” I asked quietly.
“He was.” Dale leaned in. “They call him ‘Cross’ on the street due to the many crucifixes he got tattooed after a stint inside. Although it’s safe to say his reading of the Bible is abhorrent.
” Their amber eyes flickered darkly. “You see, he views women as both The Virgin and The Whore. That’s why the coward preys upon the young and innocent.
He believes all women are deceivers who must be punished, so he brands a little x onto every girl he—”
“Dale! This is definitely not a conversation for a garden party,” Evelyn scolded, seeing the fear on my face. “You’ve had one too many rum punches this evening, dearest.”
“What? They should know there’s a beast like that on the streets. Don’t you think?” Dale argued.
“Definitely!” Ayesha exclaimed. “I’m running a mile if I see that psychopath.”
“I doubt we move in the same circles.” Rohan squeezed her hand.
“Sadly, that’s unlikely. From what we’ve uncovered—”
“Dale!” Evelyn barked.
“I’m just going to see where Alex’s got to,” I mumbled, backing away to the conservatory. I rounded the corner in a daze, heart thumping, sweat snaking down my back, and vomited.