by Claire Adams
“So, what’s the plan?” Roxanne asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“I don’t know. It’s going to be impossible to get into Stephano’s house, assuming that’s even where Ana is. I thought of a few ideas last night, but nothing seemed like a sure shot and that makes me nervous.”
“Maybe we should call the local authorities and give them what we have?”
Roxanne didn’t strike me as the type of woman who would easily agree to contacting the local police department. It showed that she also understood the gravity of the situation for Ana and that we had to figure out something very soon or Ana wasn’t going to be around any longer to rescue.
“I thought about trying to buy Ana myself. Do you think Stephano would sell her to me?”
She thought about it for a while before answering. The look on her face seemed strained with anguish and it didn’t look like Roxanne thought my plan was a very good one. I understood her thinking. I didn’t think the plan was good, either. I just wanted to see what her thoughts were, but the look on her face reaffirmed my thought. It wasn’t a good plan.
“You could try it. But I think he’s got a relationship with some overseas buyers and I don’t think he’ll want to ruin that. Plus, if he tells them there is a higher bid, it’s likely that the international buyer will just continue to outbid you. These girls are worth a lot of money to them.”
“I think I could convince him to sell her to me. But the real issue is if he has seen my face or not. Obviously, if he knows I was the one over at your house or in that private room, then he’s not going to believe that I want to buy Ana.”
“We had you dressed up like a nerd in the club. Remember, you had that damn sweater vest on and glasses. I don’t know if he would really be able to tell it was you. But it’s probably not the best idea. You know he’ll kill you first and then ask questions later. He doesn’t need to know it was you. Stephano just needs to feel like something is off and he will shoot you.”
Roxanne’s lack of confidence in my idea did make me a little nervous. But I honestly believed that money talked and if I walked into Stephano’s with $250,000 and an offer to buy a girl that I described as Ana, perhaps he would consider it.
“How much do the girls go for?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe one hundred thousand dollars.”
“So, you don’t think if I offered $250,000 he would sell her to me?”
“Jackson, if you walked in and offered that kind of money, he would think you were trying to pull something over on him. He doesn’t know you and has never heard of you in that world before. He’s going to think you are with the police.”
I hated that Roxanne was right. There was no way my plan was going to work without some serious help. If I was going to try and buy Ana, I would need someone on the inside who could vouch for me and say that I was looking for a new supplier. Maybe make me out to be a guy who has purchased girls before from Stephano’s competition. Although, I had no idea who his competition was.
I moved over to her side of the tub and pushed her forward so I could slide behind her. Roxanne was starting to feel like home and as much as that scared me, I actually liked it a lot.
“Where did you grow up?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around her.
“Oh, we are talking personal now?” She laughed.
I could tell the question instantly made her nervous, and I regretted asking it while we were in such an exposed environment. But I did want to know more about her. I knew almost nothing about her, while she knew a lot about me.
“You mean where was I before I became a stripper?” she said with a touch of sarcasm in her voice.
“No, I just wondered if you grew up around here or if you came to Miami?”
“I came to Miami when I turned eighteen. Stephano gave me a job in his club right away and a place to stay. Back then, he had an apartment where we girls could stay. He didn’t even make us pay him rent. I thought I had found the best new life in the world.”
“Something changed?”
“Sure, I didn’t understand just how hard a life dancing was. I was exhausted all the time. I lived with five other women and there were constant fights. I felt like Stephano was watching all the time. It was hard to set boundaries back then. But last year, I moved to my own place. I felt a little better, but still had the watchful eye of him all the time. It made me think about my future, though, and I started planning to leave.”
I heard the sadness in Roxanne’s voice and I wanted to change the subject, but I also really liked hearing about her life. We all have pasts. There was no reason for her to be ashamed by hers. I had killed dozens of people while in the military and not all of them were bad guys. There were things I was ashamed about in my past. We all had those things.
“I’m glad our paths crossed,” I said as I kissed her on the back of the neck and climbed out of the tub.
I felt her eyes on my ass as I stood and dried off. Then, I turned around and wrapped the towel around me as I looked at her beautiful body in the water. She was such a gorgeous woman, both inside and out. It was sad that her life had led her to Stephano. I was positive she had the brains to do absolutely anything she wanted to.
“So, what did you decide for the plan?” Roxanne asked as she climbed out of the tub.
To be a gentleman, I turned around and handed her a towel. I wasn’t exactly sure what had come over me. I had already kissed almost every inch of her body. But I had a deep feeling that Roxanne was used to being taken advantage of and I didn’t want to be just another guy who did those same things to her. She deserved more than that.
“I’m going to try and set up a meeting with a friend who knows this industry. Maybe I can get an inside track to be a buyer.”
Roxanne didn’t seem pleased by my idea, but she didn’t object, either. I could tell there was something else on her mind. I knew it wasn’t the best plan, but it was the only one we had at that point and we needed to move forward. Ana was going to be sold soon and if we didn’t get her before then, we would never find her.
Once the girls were sold overseas, they were often kept in their man’s home. It would be impossible to find out who had purchased her or even which country she went to. No. We needed to move forward with any plan we had.
“I’m going to get dressed and then we can eat and discuss it more. How does that sound?” she asked.
“Perfect.”
While Roxanne went to the bathroom to get dressed, I called my friend PJ Robb. The CIA had a unit that specialized in human trafficking and Ana was the perfect case of what was going on throughout the world. I knew that PJ would be able to give me a heads up on what to do and say if I was going to convince Stephano to let me buy Ana.
“PJ, it’s Jackson Foster. How the hell are you?”
“Jackson, what do you need?”
“Do I have to need something to call you?” I joked.
“Yes.”
“I’m in Miami looking for a trafficked girl. She’s twenty-two years old, blonde, thin, model frame. I think Stephano Copal has her.”
“Then you’re probably not getting her back. He sells to high rollers in the Middle East. She’s probably not even in Miami anymore.”
“I think she is, and I want to buy her first. Any chance I could make that deal happen?”
“No. If she is still in Miami, it’s not likely you can do it. I’m in Orlando, where are you at? I’ll come down and we can discuss this some more. I sure would love to get Stephano Copal under my belt.”
“Sure thing! I’d love to have you join forces with us. I need all the help I can get. We could meet you anywhere you’d like. Just call me when you get to town.”
“We?”
“Yes, I have a local Stephano insider who I’m working with.”
“Be careful, Jackson. Those girls cannot be trusted.”
Just then, Roxanne came out of the bathroom and I knew I couldn’t talk freely anymore. I did think I could trust her, though. She ha
d risked her life with Stephano to come and help us. Even if she was doing it for the money. It was still an awful lot to risk.
“We are good here. Just head on down and we can talk about it. I’m going to put some feelers out. Is there someone local I could get my name in with?”
“Yes, Victor. He works out of the port authority office. You’ll need to go down there, alone, and ask for him. Tell him what you’re looking for and give him your burner phone number. He’ll get in touch. Tell him you’re willing to pay top dollar.”
“Thanks, PJ, I’ll see you soon.”
“Remember, Jackson, be careful of Stephano’s people. They know how to switch sides quickly.”
“Will do.”
As I hung up the phone, I felt a new uneasiness around Roxanne. Certainly, she was trustworthy. I had watched her be strangled by Stephano’s man. But PJ had managed to instill a small bit of doubt in Roxanne’s ability to be trusted.
Chapter Twelve
ROXANNE
“Jackson, I just don’t think it’s a good idea to try and buy Ana. Stephano isn’t stupid. He’s going to know something is up.”
“I know, Roxanne. I’m working on something that will help that. Let me shave and get dressed and we can talk about it more.”
I didn’t know what exactly Jackson was up to, but it didn’t feel like he understood just how dangerous Stephano was. Stephano wouldn’t wait to see who Jackson was. He would kill him the second something felt wrong. I needed to call Chase and warn him.
Jackson didn’t understand how Stephano’s world worked. If a new guy wanted to buy a girl, he wasn’t going to automatically trust him and just sell a girl to him. He certainly wouldn’t sell someone like Ana who he already had a buyer for. He would think that Jackson worked for the police and was trying to set him up. He would kill Jackson, and I feared Jackson didn’t understand what he was getting himself into.
“Hey, Jackson. What’s up?” Chase said as I dialed his number.
“It’s Roxanne. Jackson is planning to try and buy Ana. He’s going to get himself killed.”
“Where is he?”
“He’s getting ready. I don’t think I can talk him out of this, Chase. Can you come down here? We are at the Motor Inn across from the Hyatt.”
“Yes, try to stall him for a few hours. I’ll be down by noon.”
Chase hung up the phone and I placed Jackson’s cell right back where it had been. By this time, I was pretty sure that Stephano knew something was up with me. He had his guys follow me to the hotel, where Jackson had beaten them up. Stephano would be on high alert. There was no way in hell he would fall for Jackson showing up and trying to buy Ana.
There had to be a better plan. As much as Stephano liked money, he liked his freedom even more. If he thought for a tiny second that Jackson was a police officer, Stephano would close the deal down at the very least and we would have no more contact or opportunity to get Ana. At the very worst, Stephano would just kill Jackson.
I felt so frustrated as I waited for Jackson to get out of the bathroom. I knew he was the one with the training, but I was the one who knew Stephano.
As Jackson came out of the bathroom, I tried to hide my concern and put on a smile for him. I really hoped Chase got down to Miami quickly and could convince Jackson to stop his ridiculous plan.
“Ready to eat?”
“Yes, I’m starved,” I said as I gathered my jacket. “You know, I’m starting to like this little hotel better than our other one.”
“It’s very comfortable for a side street motel.”
“Oh, I forgot something, just a second,” I said as I went back to the room.
I hadn’t really forgotten a thing; it was the only way I could stall him. If I took a few extra minutes in the room, a few extra minutes ordering, I would hopefully be able to stall until Chase arrived.
When I finished stalling, we finally made our way to the little diner next door to grab some breakfast and hopefully figure out what to do next. I needed to convince Jackson that he couldn’t go into meet Stephano alone. There was too much risk involved in that. Jackson might be trained to kill people with his hands, but Stephano was trained to just shoot people and not wait for the hand-to-hand combat.
“Maybe we should call Chase and have him come down and help you with this? It might be helpful to have another man go with you to met Stephano.”
“No need. I’ve got things covered. I have an old co-worker that’s with the CIA coming into town. PJ is highly skilled in trafficking cases and will get us the connections we need.”
“Oh, does this PJ know how dangerous Stephano is?” I asked, highly suspicious that anyone with the CIA knew a damn thing about Stephano.
“Yes, apparently the human trafficking division has had their eyes on Stephano for years. I think they are excited at the opportunity to catch him.”
Jackson was so naive when it came to Stephano. Sure, I believed that Jackson had probably dealt with a lot of bad guys when he was in the military. But even those guys followed some basic rules of combat. Stephano didn’t follow any rules.
“So, when is this person coming? Are they going to go with you to meet Stephano?”
“Why so many questions?” Jackson asked.
He seemed to be getting agitated with me, and I knew I needed to back off. I didn’t want him to think I was against his plan. I just wanted him to be safe. In the end, any plan that ended up getting Ana away from Stephano was a good plan and I was willing to look at everything. Unfortunately, I didn’t think Jackson was willing to consider any other plan than the one he was currently fixated on.
“You know I’m just trying to help. What can I do?”
Jackson thought about it for a moment and seemed to be pondering many different ideas as he tried to decide. I didn’t want to just be along for the ride. I knew Stephano well and I had a lot to offer the situation. I just wished that Jackson could see my worth and let me participate a little.
“I don’t know if we should use you much anymore. You are compromised now. Stephano knows something is up. His guys were in the hotel room.”
“Like I said, they just thought I was fucking you. They don’t know anything more than that. Don’t take me off the case. I really need this money.”
I felt the panic set in at the thought of not being able to finish the case with Jackson. I had thrown away my livelihood with Stephano. I needed the money that Chase had promised me if I was going to start a new life. I needed to help save Ana and get my $250,000; there was no way in hell I was going to go back to stripping and I certainly couldn’t go back to Stephano.
“It’s all right. I’ll tell Chase you finished the job,” Jackson said as he dismissed my worries.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I had just called Chase to bring him down to Miami. He was going to know for sure that I hadn’t done anything to help the case at all. In fact, my stupid actions had jeopardized the case. I felt sick to my stomach. I needed the money that had been promised to me. I had to figure out something so I could make good on the job.
I sat quietly and ate my breakfast while I contemplated what I could possibly do. I couldn’t let Jackson do everything, then I wouldn’t get any of the money. It was about more than just helping Ana – it was about helping save my own life. I couldn’t live the life I had before, I wanted so much more now.
“I’m going to go and meet with the CIA contact in a little bit. You will need to stay back at the motel. Do you understand?”
I hated what he was saying. Yes, I understood that he didn’t want to risk the job by letting me be involved anymore. I got exactly what he was saying. But I had to finish the job. I needed the money, and quite frankly, I thought that Jackson needed me in order to get the job done without getting himself killed.
“Sure,” I said to appease him.
I felt the life I had dreamed about slipping away from me. Jackson wasn’t going to let me be involved and Chase was going to be there soon and would see that I hadn’t done
a damn thing to help save Ana. Sure, I had been strangled and they would feel bad about that, but I hadn’t felt like I had made a real contribution to the effort.
“It’s all right, Roxanne. I’m coming back,” Jackson said as he reached across the table and grabbed my hand.
My gut spun with his touch, and I instantly wanted to be back in bed with him. But maybe that was why he didn’t want me to help with things anymore. Our relationship had been very physical in the last couple of days. I should have had better willpower, but it was so hard around him.
“Is it because we made out? Is that why you don’t want me to help?”
He started to laugh, and I had no idea what was going on. What had I said that was so funny?
“No, I liked that.”
“Then what is it? Why don’t you want me to help?”
He still chuckled a little as he held onto my hand and looked me in the eyes. His face seemed relaxed and calm. I really couldn’t read him, at all. Nothing seemed to get him worked up. The more chaos and danger around, the calmer Jackson seemed to be. I wished I could behave like that when craziness was going on around me.
“There is no reason, Roxanne. I just think it would be better if I went without you.”
“Well, that’s a reason, isn’t it?”
I felt tears start to well up in my eyes. But there was no way I was letting Jackson see me cry again. I was tired of being the weak girl who couldn’t take care of herself around him. That wasn’t me. That had never been me. I knew how to take care of myself better than any girl my age. I didn’t need a man to do it for me.
For the last five years, I had successfully avoided crying around any man. Now in the span of only a few days, I had broken down twice in front of Jackson. I didn’t know what was going on with my emotions, but I couldn’t risk it and tried damn hard to put my emotional wall back up and stop crying.
“Come on, now. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Can I have the room key, please?” I said as I felt the tears welling up in my eyes.