Chapter 2 #2
“That makes you a hero.”
My compliment garnered me another slight smile.
“What happens at this club?”
She wiped tears from her eyes, finally looking directly into mine. “They sell the girls to the highest bidder.”
“If they don’t comply?”
Additional tears slipped past Denise’s lashes and she held up her arms as if I hadn’t noticed her bruises. “They beat you. They hurt you. They laugh. They drink. They put you in a cage. They allow their guests to… To…” Her chest heaved and she fisted her small hands.
“Then what happens?” With slow and calculated moves, I headed to my credenza, retrieving a tissue. Her fingers were tentative in accepting it.
“I… I don’t know.”
“They’re never seen again,” Jackie interjected.
Denise was unable to hold in her emotions, her chest heaving from racking sobs.
Exhaling, I reached behind me, picking up my desk phone and contacting Misty.
“Hey, Misty. I have a guest who needs some water. Do you think you can show her to the guest lounge?” It was a code I’d established with my employee.
Misty was an expert at calming victims. With her degree in psychology and her calming voice, she was better than any court-appointed psychologist I’d ever worked with.
Jackie appeared beaten, the case wearing heavily on her.
Misty appeared in my doorway seconds later, her smile brighter than the sun, which was exactly what Denise needed.
“Denise. Misty is going to take you to get something to drink. Do you think you can do that?”
She slowly turned her head, studying Misty, immediately relaxing. My assistant deserved a fucking raise.
Misty lifted her eyebrows after seeing the girl’s full condition, sighing just before closing the door. All I could keep thinking about was just how often the bad guys won.
“What the fuck is going on, Jackie?”
“Have you ever heard of the Privileged?”
“Almost any millionaire in this city considers themselves privileged.”
“No, they are a secret society as Denise mentioned. They’ve been on my radar for two years.”
She handed me the file in her hand, allowing me time to look through what she had. Most of it was circumstantial at best. “Give me the cliff notes on what you know.”
“As Denise mentioned, they are very powerful, influential, mostly men who have an appetite for certain sadistic proclivities. From what I’ve been able to piece together, they are all extremely wealthy and have friends in all the right places.”
Which meant in law enforcement as well. No wonder she was doing this on the down-low. “A sex slave ring?”
“Yes, for the lack of a better term. At this point, I haven’t been able to ascertain if any of the girls have been sold overseas, but I feel like if they haven’t, it’s only a matter of time.
From what little I know, the appetites of the members constantly change.
Auctions this month. Orgies the next. Even primal play with actual hunts.
Of human beings. Can you believe that shit?
” Jackie leaned her head against the wall.
“These are some dangerous men, Kendrick. Not only in how they hunt and secure the girls, but also in their acts and how protected they are of each other. Modeling is only one method they use.”
“Which they change often as well.”
“You bet. No one talks. If they do, there aren’t just tossed out of the organization. They are eliminated.”
She allowed the information to hang, studying me with a hard look on her face.
“You know this for certain about the ostracized members or are you guessing?”
Her sigh indicated most of the information was conjecture, certainly not admissible in a court of law.
“If you dig deep enough, you can put the pieces together like a carefully crafted puzzle. What I can tell you with certainty is that the club is so private that even what you hear on the dark web is limited. More like an elaborate fabrication of ghost stories.”
Some ghost stories. More like nightmares. “People are afraid of what these men can and will do to keep their proclivities a secret.”
“Exactly.”
I glanced at Denise’s case, flipping through the pages of limited information. “Then I take it that she came forward willingly.”
“Yes, one of two who made it out.”
“What happened to the other?”
Jackie was a tough girl, brought up in foster care and raped when she was fifteen. That’s why this case bothered her as much as it did. Seeing her face now reminded me we were both officers of the law no matter our differences. “She was hunted down and killed. Against all odds, Denise escaped.”
Jesus Christ.
I also knew why she’d brought the case to me. Personal tragedies existed in every family.
After studying Denise’s account of what she’d endured, my gut told me there wasn’t enough to bring the case in front of a grand jury. Denise hadn’t been able to identify a single man involved.
According to the victim, the people involved had all worn masks during the auctions and during the few times she’d been in a room with other women.
Except for one man. A token, which meant he had no identity.
Clever. I’d seen and read a hell of lot of terrible things during my career, but even in its limitations, Denise’s account of the atrocities burned deep within.
“How in the hell did Denise escape?”
“Apparently, she was clever and very observant. After being won in an auction, her owner stuffed her into a vehicle blindfolded and with her hands tied. After roughing her up. She had no clue about the man and had yet to see him without his mask. She could tell he was driving through traffic, maybe stopping at a red light. She caused a distraction and managed to jump from the car. From what she said, she’d been slowly working her wrists free from the rope. ”
“Did she see anything around her?”
Jackie shook her head. “No real landmarks. She was too scared. However, she did mention it seemed to be a desolate part of town, more commercial than anything. Even though he chased her, she hid behind a dumpster for hours then found someone on the street who called the police. I assure you if they find her, they will kill her.”
What Jackie had just told me weighed heavily. We all had our reasons for choosing law enforcement as a profession. Mine was far too personal to discuss with anyone, but every time a case like this was presented to me, it took me back to a portion of my past I never wanted to revisit.
“There’s not enough here for the grand jury. But you already knew that.”
Jackie was silent for a full thirty seconds before nodding.
“I know you, Kendrick. We might not see eye to eye all the time, but you’re a damn good prosecutor and you never let anything go when you know it’s wrong.
This organization believes themselves to be bigger than the law because they’re rich.
They use girls as their playthings, hunting them, exploiting them.
Some are runaways, others potential models.
From what Denise told me, others are promised huge sums of money for being willing participants.
My God, imagine what these girls go through.
If anyone can bring some justice to these girls, you can. ”
What she was asking couldn’t be done in a court of law.
Not with as little information as had been provided.
Even a shitty defense attorney would blast holes in any case.
While I should simply send Jackie on her way, she was right that once I learned a heinous organization or criminal had been allowed to run free and clear to perform additional despicable acts, I fought for justice tooth and nail.
But this was different.
“Is there any truth to this teacher searching for her sister?” I asked.
Jackie shrugged. “Denise mentioned she believed her name was Reese, but also all the girls are given fake names so at this point, that’s not anything you can go on.
Since the girl was her roommate in a cell, she did provide a detailed description for a sketch artist. It’s in the back of the folder and just before I came here, I put it through the national database.
If we’re lucky, I’ll find something within twenty-four hours.
So far, I haven’t been able to identify her.
Maybe because she’s not from Miami or simply doesn’t have a record. ”
Shifting through the paperwork, I found the sketch, exhaling as soon as I did. Even in black and white, the girl was beautiful.
And her eyes called out to me.
Begging me for help.