Chapter 21 Nick
Nick
“Scroll in. Well, well, well, this motherfucker has some explaining to do.” Son of a bitch. I slam my coffee mug down on the table.
Ethan zooms in, making the image on the screen a little blurry but I can’t mistake that ugly, pock-marked face. “Friend of yours?”
It took him a couple days but he finally hacked into the gas station security cameras from where Marcus picked up Mommy Dearest and two trafficked females.
I glare at him. “No, but I’m working a pro bono case for him.” Fucking bastard. He’s going down—six feet down, lying parallel to the ground in an eternal slumber.
“Why?” He gives me an incredulous look.
“Not because he is a human trafficker, that’s for damn sure. Because he’s from Whiskey Rivers, and I wanted the lowdown on the girl’s family.”
“When are you going to stop referring to her as ‘the girl’? She has a name.” He shovels a bite of egg in his mouth.
“When you learn to mind your business.” I pour myself another cup of coffee.
He clenches his jaw but doesn’t make another comment. He really has a soft spot for her.
“What are you going to do about him?” He points to Kaleb’s pic on the screen.
That’s a good question. I shift in my seat, trying to get into a comfortable thinking position.
One, I could take him hostage and torture the information out of him.
I like that idea the best, especially since he previously took advantage of my newest employee.
Or two, I could manipulate him into talking about Madam LaBell.
Two is going to be the best option. I don’t want him to see us coming and be able to notify the traffickers that we’re on to them if he gets away. I plan to take down that whole fucking ring, and everyone involved in it, not just Madam LaBell.
“I am going to call him back into my office for a meeting. He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s going to lead me to Madam LaBell.”
I wonder if the girl knows what her little friend is up to. From the way she reacted yesterday, I doubt it.
The thought of her pretty mouth around his dick makes me sick to my stomach. As soon as I take down that trafficking ring, I’m smashing his ugly ass face in the ground.
I don’t know how she was able to go down on someone who looks like a walking STD—like the 1% of germs Lysol won’t kill and still be clean. I had her tested for everything when she was in the hospital.
“Call Emma and have her take the girl for some eveningwear. Tonight we are going to Sapphire to break the news to her about her new job. Also, since Marcus is still in town, have him meet us there. He’s going to be her self-defense trainer.”
“10-4. On it.” Ethan shuts the laptop down and I head to work.
“Sasha, Call Kaleb Cherry and tell him I need to meet with him this afternoon,” I call into the intercom.
A moment later, she comes waltzing into my office and sits on the side of my desk.
“You’ve haven’t needed any of my extra services for months, but you call and ask me to train some niece of yours to be feminine and a stripper?
Why do you want your niece to be a stripper? That’s pretty sick, even for you.”
“I’ll give you one opportunity to get on your knees and tell me how sorry you are for assuming things that are not. I have a job for her to do, and I need someone I halfway trust to train her on sex appeal. She needs to learn how to walk, talk, and dress the part.” My temper flares at her audacity.
She gets down on her knees, her blue eyes pleading with mine. “Please, Nick. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to assume. You just haven’t touched me in months and that’s not like you.”
“We aren’t a couple. You are my secretary, and occasionally, we fuck. If you can’t keep our encounters strictly business, you’re free to apply for another position within the firm—or quit. I don’t do attachments, and I certainly don’t reciprocate emotional feelings.”
“I’m so sorry, it won’t happen again. I don’t want to quit. I’ll help you.” She bows her head in defeat. I’m glad she didn’t choose to quit, I need her help.
“Good. Now get back to work.”
Two hours later, Kaleb Cherry comes tweaking in the door all methed-out.
“I thought I told you to clean up your act and get off the drugs.” I give him a scrutinizing look. His appearance is atrocious and he doesn’t look like he’s slept in days. Probably hasn’t.
“I was trying then some dude chased after me at a gas station and got me all stressed out.” He immediately starts scanning my room like someone is going to jump out of my bookshelf and arrest him.
“Why did they do that?” Because you’re a sorry excuse for a human being. I slow my breathing and calm myself down.
He squirms in his chair, the drugs keeping him from sitting still. “I don’t know, man, I was riding with some girls I guess he wanted them hoes to themselves. But hey man, I did get a job. I was able to piss clean, and they hired me, so I’m gonna get sober again before I start.”
I flex my fingers in response. They’re aching to hold his head under water until he tells me the truth.
“Where are you working?” I make note of his tattoos in case we need to trace anything back to him in the future.
There are various tribal designs and a handful of cartoon characters on both arms. One tattoo in particular stands out though. He has a rabbit holding cards with a royal flush draw with the caption, “Luck is on Your Side.” He will fit right in at The Lucky Rabbit with that.
“The Lucky Rabbit, I got a job as a poker dealer. I guess all those nights at The Buckit Club paid off. They ain’t gonna have to barely train me.”
I guess they’ve lifted their hiring freeze. I’ll have to let Vade know. This might also throw a wrench in our plans, as Kaleb might be able to recognize the girl, even with the recent weight she’s put on.
“How did you get hired there when you have charges for illegal gambling pending against you?” Something isn’t adding up. Unless, whoever is in charge of hiring is involved with the trafficking ring. Still, employment has to pass through human resources and the gaming commission.
“I haven’t been charged yet—innocent until proven guilty, right? Plus I told them you was my lawyer and was gonna get my charges dropped since it was a misunderstanding.” He holds his hands up in a no big deal motion.
My body tenses and I flex my fingers. I fight the urge to crack my fist against his jaw.
“Have you ever heard of a Madam LaBell who does business there?” I eye him closely, watching his body language as he prepares to lie to me.
“Heard the name. Think she handles some of the strippers at Cottontails.”
I hide my surprise at his admission. I suspected this and am glad to finally have some confirmation. “This is going to sound random, but if I just so happened to be looking for a guy named Tito from Whiskey Rivers, would you know how I could find him?”
Might as well keep going if he’s so willing to talk.
He gives me a curious look. “Man, Tito been gone a hot minute. He stole a bunch of money from some folks at The Buckit Club and skipped town over a year ago. Hadn’t been heard from since. Why?”
“I want to have a little chat with him.” The same chat I’m going to have with you before long.
“Well, I ain’t sure what to tell you, my guy. Like I said, he been gone. So when is my court date?” He runs his hands through his greasy hair, making me cringe. Who knows when the last time he showered was.
“I tell you what, Kaleb, I’ll ask for a six-month extension on the court date, and if you can stay clean and give me information about Madam LaBell, I’ll have a chat with the judge and see if I can get the charges dropped before it even goes to court.
” If I can get the information from him, it might not even be necessary to send the girl in.
“You’d do that for me man?” he says hopefully. He just doesn’t know how far I’m willing to go to bring them all down.
“Yes. I’m very busy with high profile cases and this is just minor stuff. Shouldn’t be an issue to have it taken care of, but if you fail to give me the information I need, I’ll revoke that favor and you’ll rot in jail.”
He gulps and squirms in his chair. Good. I hope I make him nervous.
“I’ll get it, I promise. You ain’t gotta worry. Thank you so much, man, I owe you big.” There are specks of who knows what on the chair he was sitting on when he gets up to leave.
I send a text to Judge Vernon, the justice court judge, telling him that I need a six-month extension on the Kaleb Cherry case. He sends a quick “done” reply back.
My office is going to need to be cleaned again.
Sasha is waiting for me by the VIP parking area, dressed in a slinky silver dress and platform heels. She looks like a walking felony but my desire for her is long gone. I take her arm in mine and swipe my card for access to the top level of the Diamond Aces Casino where Sapphire is located.
When we get to Vade’s private lounge, he’s sitting in a booth with a cigar hanging out of his mouth. Neither Marcus, Ethan, nor the girl are here yet. I check my phone and see a text from Ethan.
7:06 p.m. - Be there soon. Someone kept refusing to leave the house dressed like she is and insisted on changing.
My curiosity piques. I wonder what she picked out to wear that she didn’t want to leave the house in. I’m sure whatever Emma helped her with will suffice, unless it’s jeans and a T-shirt.
Marcus arrives shortly after me, taking the seat to my right.
The waitress comes by with our first round of drinks.
By the time we are on our second one, Sasha won’t get off my coat and my annoyance starts to flare.
It’s 7:45 p.m., where the hell are Ethan and the girl? I’m ready to get this meeting started.
I pick up my phone to call Ethan.
“Goddamn, is that who I’m giving undercover operations and self-defense lessons to?” Marcus’ voice causes me to look his way instead. I follow his line of sight, and my eyes nearly bug out of my head at the sight of the girl walking in the lounge on Ethan’s arm.