Chapter 4 Lincoln
“Ineed to find out who she is, J.C. Like now.”
“I’m working on it, fuck.”
I paced the room as my sister typed stabbed at her keyboard, trying to pull anything out of the information I had dragged out of Benny.
Benny wasn’t exactly forthcoming, but when I threatened to chop off his fingers, he seemed to suddenly remember whom he had purchased Laynie from. He gave me a number, but it ended up being a burner, of course. The only name he knew was Alek, no last name. He met him at a party at a nightclub downtown. I was having J.C. look up the owner and any information about the nightclub she could find. It never interested me until now, but I had my suspicions that he was into trafficking and I planned on paying him a little visit. It was better if I blended in as one of those sick fuckers and not someone who wanted to burn the world down for one of his girls.
After 30 minutes of digging, J.C. presented me with enough information to make my trip worthwhile. The owner was Alek Kozlov. He was in his sixties and came from Russian money. His dad was a Russian Oligarch, but he died 20 years ago. This meant Alek came from money and power. He was married with 3 adult daughters, but it was all a cover. Men like him built these picturesque lives, while in their free time, they were fucking monsters who were murdering and raping women and children.
I tried to stay out of other illegal businesses. I wasn’t here to save the world and, being one of the city’s biggest suppliers, I contributed to the problem enough. That thought caused a pang in my chest. Were they using my drugs to sedate these women into compliance? Was Laynie drugged with my stuff? I felt sick thinking about it, but that’s why I had no desire to be involved in day-to-day operations. Because I didn’t see the effects of the drugs, the users and the dealers, it made my ability to sleep at night pretty damn good. I arranged shipments and made sure operations performed and I had thought many times of getting out of the game. I should plan a slow exit soon, as I no longer needed the money from the operations anymore. Sixty investment properties and business investments in hundreds of other things kept me afloat. Some of my operations to wash money ended up being more lucrative than I thought. I had enough to walk away, but sometimes greed and power seemed to outweigh my moral compass.
“Do you want me to come?” J.C. asked, while tying up her blonde hair.
“No, but be on call.. I can’t wear a wire, so I will have to text.”
She nodded. My little sister used to be a computer engineer for the government, before she got fired for hacking into databases and exposing corruption. Now she works for me and keeps my trails clean and both of us out of jail. We didn’t grow up together, but we both have the same sadistic father and, unfortunately, J.C. got the brunt of his abuse. Being 6 years older, I always carried guilt for what she went through, so we take care of each other now and I would murder any fucking body who harmed her.
“What is it about this girl, Linc? You’ve seen plenty of this shit before.”
“I don’t know, J.” I rubbed a hand through my hair. “I can’t explain it. I just know I have to help her.”
“Alright, well, don’t get caught up in this shit. These people are powerful and fucking scary, honestly.” She slurped on her slushie while twisting back in the chair to stare at her screen.
She was right.
I arrived at the club after midnight and gained access to VIP because J.C. hacked into their system and added my name to the list. The room was smokey and dim with around 100 people in the room. I entered, attracting no attention. Although I knew it was unlikely, I hoped to see Laynie in the room and felt disappointed when I scanned all the faces, and did not see hers among them. I know I had only just met her, but she captivated me, and I had this insatiable desire to save her from the fate they destined her to have. I knew nothing about her, but I wanted to know everything. J.C. was already digging into missing persons’ reports over the last few years to compile a list of faces and names. Is Laynie her real name or simply an assigned identity? It’s unlikely for her to go missing in the same town where she’s being held, but I was willing to try anything.
My eyes found the owner. He was easy to spot. His suit, well-trimmed beard, and mannerisms stood out against the crowd. He had three girls surrounding him and he stroked one on her back, while another sat on the floor between his legs. When I noticed one of them left his side, it left a spot open on the couch, so I moved forward to sit down, but a large man with jet black hair stopped me.
He shoved his forearm in my chest and tried to move me back, but I didn’t budge and fought the urge to take my knife out and carve his face. Instead, I lifted my hands in the air in a surrender.
“I’m not here to cause problems,” I lied.
“Let him through.” Alek’s thick Russian accent silenced the room for a moment.
I shoved the bodyguard out of my way and he gave me a disgusted look, but walked back to his perch.
“You don’t look familiar.” He studied me with his black eyes.
I sat next to him on the couch. “Benny told me you have the girls,” I said.
“I have lots of girls.” He winked at me and turned and grabbed the chin of the girl on his right and shoved his tongue down her throat.
I looked away but kept talking. “I’m looking for the other kind. A bit more unwilling.”
Pausing, he chuckled manically, “Yeah, so are the feds.”
I clenched my fists. “I’m not the feds.”
He leaned back, studying me. “I know, because they work for me. What’s your name?”
I didn’t want to give him my real name, but I figured it would be more useful to do so. “Linc.”
“Okay Linc, tell me why I should trust you.”
“I think we can make a business deal.” I opened my jacket with a block of cocaine tucked inside.
He didn’t respond, but I could tell I had piqued his interest.
“I’m looking for a girl. A specific girl. Benny had her last week, and I want her.”
Alek snapped his fingers, and the two men walked over. “Who did Benny have last week?”
Without hesitation, one of them pulled out his phone and revealed a picture to him. “Oh, you want my little lamb?” He sucked on his teeth in thought. “For how long?”
“Forever.”
He laughed the same manic laugh and pushed the girl from between his legs away and leaned close to me. “She’s not for sale.” His voice was menacing.
I felt my lip curl. “How much time can I buy then?” I asked. Maybe I could think of a plan and, in the meantime, get her out of hell.
He looked me up and down and waved his hand, motioning for me to open my blazer again. I complied, giving him a clearer view of the cocaine.
“48 hours.”
I scoffed. “A week. Or I take my drugs and leave.” I stood up.
He paused, studying me. “Fine, one week. Send me your address and I’ll have her delivered. If you fuck with me or try any funny shit, I’ll murder you, your family, and anyone you’ve ever even thought about.”
I tossed the coke on his lap and walked out.