11. Chapter 11
After a week with a very agitated Patrick, I’m picked up by the same security guy for my second Tuesday night fight, but he doesn’t escort me past the elevator this time.
Artur answers the door, ushering me into cocktail hour immediately.
One young girl attaches herself to me as soon as I enter.
I don’t know why she chose me out of everyone here, but she looped her arm through mine and won’t let go.
I allow it, if only to give her a safe place to be.
Unfortunately, they separate her from me at dinner and place her between two handsy men. All the girls are new tonight, I think.
As I'm waiting in the locker room before my fight, the guy in green shorts takes a seat beside me. "Hey man, I'm George."
"Nick," I nod.
"So how'd you get involved in these fights?"
I raise a brow but don't talk.
He leans closer. "Just be careful. The man you replaced was a good fighter, but he had a big mouth. Told us he was in with an FBI agent who attended these fights and was helping them bring down the organization. We never saw him again," he whispers.
Nodding I heard him; he stands and walks away.
Well, damn. Is there really an FBI informant here, or is Artur smart enough to test his fighters?
It could be either, but my money's on Artur.
Fuck my life. Whatever Patrick is planning may be my only option to end this mess.
Artur and Fitzgerald are too smart for me to deal with on my own without getting fucked over.
I could've never imagined the kind of nightmare I was walking into all those months ago. I still would've come here, but shit…
I'm in the second fight again tonight, and I win.
It was close, but I enjoyed myself. After my fight, the same girl from earlier runs out of one of the rooms upstairs as I'm walking by and loops her arm through mine again, not saying a word, and follows me into the room with Artur.
I pass her a bottle of water before grabbing one myself, and then we sit down to watch the final match.
Artur comes over after talking with a client and asks her to go back to her room, but the girl doesn’t even acknowledge him.
Her eyes are chips of ice as she stares intently at the cage.
I tell him she's cute, and I don’t mind her company, but Artur shakes his head at me before taking the girl’s arm and pulling her up. “Hey, easy there,” I say.
“This does not concern you, Nicholas,” he replies before leaning closer to whisper. “You wouldn’t want to endanger Summer or Gabrielle.”
Fucking prick. I feel helpless as he walks her away.
A woman dressed in a shimmering blue gown takes the vacant seat. She’s younger than most here, maybe late 20s. I noticed her with a much older man earlier tonight. “You were spectacular tonight, Nick,” she purrs, leaning against my side as much as she can from the next seat.
I nod my head while keeping my eyes on the fight below.
She trails her long red nails down my arm, stopping at my wrist. “I find these events tedious, but they’re necessary. The fights are the only tolerable part of the evening.”
Interesting. “What line of work are you in?” I ask. Maybe I’ll get some information out of this one.
“International investment banking. It’s a family business, you see. I inherited it recently from my late mother.”
“Sorry for your loss.”
She waves me off. “She lived a full life. Now it’s just me and my useless father.”
“Is that who you are here with?”
The lady tuts at me. “Curiosity killed the cat, Nick. Be careful around here, but no, that’s my husband.”
Nodding, I decide not to ask any more questions.
“However, if you are curious and find me alluring, we can make arrangements. We have an agreement of sorts, my husband and I. I can use others to meet my needs. At his age, he finds it difficult to keep up with my voracious appetite,” she tells me as her hand goes from my wrist to my crotch.
Jumping up, I scowl at her. “I’m sure you’re aware of the rules, ma’am. Excuse me.”
She pouts as I walk away. Fuck my life.
Artur joins me at the buffet. “Problem?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Natasha often needs reminders of our rules.”
“I believe that.”
He walks away to chat with another couple as I grab another bottle of water.
I wish I could help that young girl. Shortie would probably kick my ass for letting her go tonight, but it’s a complex situation.
Since I haven’t heard from the FBI, I’m not sure what to do other than to make notes of names and faces.
If I tried to do something tonight, I’d get the shit kicked out of me as the best case scenario.
At worst, she or Gabs would disappear into the sex trafficking ring I'm pretty confident is happening.
Bringing Mr. Fitzgerald and Artur down is the only way to ensure the situation ends permanently.
With a little luck, this will all be over soon.
I'll reach out to Fawx and let him know my suspicions when I update him later tonight.
After another week of dealing with a pissed off Patrick and my third Tuesday fight, I stroll a lot slower to my usual room to observe the other open rooms upstairs. The first seems to be just business discussions, and the second room has people playing poker.
I bypass my usual room so I can glimpse the other rooms. Three men are using the naked, tied-up woman in blue from last week on a movable cross. That’s a sight I wish I could erase from my mind.
Continuing on, I pass a few curtained off rooms, another open room with two men and a woman sitting at a table in heated discussions.
A couple of empty rooms are next, followed by a room with two men watching a naked teen dance for them.
The last room is open and empty. I only saw two girls from dinner earlier in the rooms, the two who were here last week.
I wonder where the rest of the girls are?
There were 8 total tonight. Most of the dinner guests are here, but not all.
Maybe there's another area I haven't seen yet?
That completes the circle and leaves me back where I started, so I grab my usual cold bottle of water to watch the fights in my room. Artur isn’t inside, but a few people are talking and drinking. So we have drugs, human trafficking, sex, and illegal fighting so far. Quite the enterprise.