Chapter Eighty-Three
TYLER
She doesn’t know where the rest are, which means it’s up to me to figure out. However, I do know where Mitchell is. And we’re about to have some fucking words.
He’s trying to test me. Because with a little coaxing and research, she gave me her full name, to which I researched and learned she’s the daughter of the man we are trying to sever these bastards from.
His name is Adam Lannister, owner of Lannister Land Investing.
She was kidnapped and sold into the skin trade. And now, Mitchell had her at my door. She’s his token. His prize for a trade. We give her back to Adam, he gives us these men we’re trying to contract. It’s vile. It’s wrong. But fuck, he’s good.
Marching down the hall with the woman, who I learned is named Katerina Lannister, I kick in Mitchell’s door. The rage inside me is blinding.
“This is what you fucking do? This is what you do on your goddamn business trips?” I yell as I hold the woman by her upper arm. She’s stumbling over her own feet.
Mitchell takes a sip of his bourbon as he eyes Katerina with no remorse. Not even a reaction comes from him as I burst into his room.
“And?” he asks.
“You’re participating in the sex and skin trade. These are people, Mitchell, fucking people,” I say, sitting the drugged woman down. “You know who she is and you’re using her instead of saving her.”
“Do you tell yourself that when you complete your hits, Tyler? Did you tell yourself that when you killed the four men who tried to drug your sister? When you do your own hits based on personal vengeance? When you do things for the woman you claim to love but didn’t even know her previous legal name? ”
I remain silent. How the fuck he knew that, about Sam’s predators, I have no clue. About Sunny…
“Don’t act holier than thou, Tyler. You may not do what I do, but you still do fucked up shit. We are not that different. Just enjoy the girl. Then return her to her father. Your girl is leaving anyway.” He sets his glass down.
“We are not the same. I’d never hurt a woman. I am not you,” I growl. “Do fucking better, Mitchell. Do better!” I grab Katerina by the arm to bring her back to my room. I need to book a few rooms for her and the rest so they can sober up.
“Where are the rest?” I demand.
God knows who those other girls may be with. Women of higher status can become higher targets. People will pay big money for them to be able to connect bloodlines. It makes me think about those men who tried to drug Sam and take advantage of her.
My gut drops thinking about if Sunny were one of these girls. Sam… Mace..
“Guess you’ll have to find out. Happy hunting.” Mitchell turns his back to me.
I hate myself. I hate that I care. I hate that I’ve created these morals to live by. I hate that I couldn’t finish my texting session with Sunny. I hate that I’ve been too busy to even check the cameras in my home and make sure she’s safe.
I now sit in my hotel room, trying to hack the hotel system so I can find what rooms these men are in. I also booked rooms for the girls, too.
Katerina is now in the room next to mine so I can keep close watch with my men standing outside her door. Mitchell always has a purpose behind everything he does. And I learned that shit quickly tonight. All my life, really. But little does he know where he has purpose, I have a plan.
My phone buzzes with Cole on the other end.
“Anything?” I ask him upon answering. But then I pull up the information of the rooms each bastard is in. “Wait, I got it.”
“Okay, I was going to say facial recognition picked up their faces in the hotel. So you got the rooms?” Cole asks.
“Yes, I do,” I say, typing on my computer, writing down each room. “How is Sunny?”
She’s staying at my place while I'm gone. It makes me feel safer since I have cameras in every corner imaginable in my home.
“Sleeping soundly in your bed,” Cole says.
My heart pummels in my chest. Knowing she fell asleep without so much as a response from me, but my hands are quite literally full right now.
Now that I know the purpose of this trip, I can get it done and move on. Any time away is less time for me to focus on her.
“Okay, you let me know when to send our guys to the rooms. Send me the information as soon as you can,” Cole says.
“I will. How the hell am I going to do this without pissing off all these guys? They’re supposed to be contracted with us.” I rub a hand over my face. “I mean, sure, Katerina is the key to the contracts, but I can’t just let the other girls stay. And she refuses to leave without them.”
“We will figure it out. It just shows them they can’t fuck with the Caddell Company.”
“Okay, I just emailed you the rooms.”
“Alright, on your command, boss.”
“Send them over,” I tell him.
“They should be there in ten minutes.”
“Perfect. I’ll be waiting.”
Then our call goes dead. I pull my phone to the thread of messages where Sunny’s text is left unanswered.
You better have listened to me. No one touches what’s mine except for me. Not even you. Sleep well, little fire. I love you.