Copping an Attitude

by Morticia Knight

  “Yeah, I heard.”

  Perfect.

  “So, you guys are out looking for him, right?”

  “Right now I’m at the information gathering stage. He’s only one of about a dozen who we need to locate before it’s too late. If you can think of anything else…”

  “Wait. What did you mean by ‘target’?”

  “We have two main pimps in town. There’s that ass wipe Julio Estevez who’s been around for years, then there’s Alexei Gromov who is our most recent addition. As we explained at the station, they’ve been warring over territory. Apparently, one of Alexei’s top girls was sent out on a ‘date’ and never returned. One of her fingers was sent to Alexei with a bow wrapped around it and a note that threatened more retaliation if Alexei didn’t get his Cossak ass, along with his skanky Russian whores, out of town.”

  Parker hissed. “Not good. But why would the Russians want to go after Slade in particular?”

  There was silence at the other end. Parker checked to see if the call had dropped then put it back to his ear.

  “Hello?”

  “I’m here. You remember his name, huh?”

  Heat rose to Parker’s face. He was relieved that they weren’t conversing in person. “Yeah, uh, I mean, it’s unusual.”

  “Right.” Beau sighed. “This kid we’re looking for, the one that might be Slade, he’s on a list that Julio gave to some of our undercover guys who are posing as agents for overseas buyers. Apparently, Julio’s been shopping around with different buyers, including some very nasty Eastern European ones we’d like to take out.”

  “Buyers?”

  “Yeah. People who buy sex slaves.”

  “Jesus.” Parker’s stomach turned at the thought.

  “So he’s obviously one of Julio’s top workers. He’d be a likely target if Gromov wanted to get revenge for his girl.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah. Lots of shit. Okay, let me know if you can think of anything else.”

  “Of course.”

  After he’d laid the phone back on the dresser, he turned to see Brett returning from the bathroom with a couple of hand towels. He was naked, wiping at his abdomen as he approached Parker. He handed him one of the dampened cloths.

  “Thanks. Sorry, it was work.”

  “No problem. Come sit with me?”

  Parker’s mind was still absorbed with the conversation he’d just had with Beau, so he didn’t notice how Brett had intertwined their fingers together until they were seated on the bed. Parker frowned as he watched Brett caress the back of Parker’s hand with his thumb.

  Is he about to…?

  He glanced up and saw the wistful smile on Brett’s face, his eyes all lit up as he stared at Parker.

  “Umm…”

  “Let me say something first, Parker.”

  “I…”

  “I’m thinking about putting in a transfer to Vegas so that I can be here full-time.”

  “Oh. Why?”

  Parker might as well have hauled off and slapped Brett. His expression changed in an instant from peaceful and happy to one of hurt.

  “Why?” Brett untangled their fingers, yanking his hand away. “Why do you think?”

  Parker sucked in a breath. “Hey, Brett, I didn’t mean it to come out like that.” Parker laid a gentle hand on his arm. “You caught me by surprise, that’s all.”

  Brett had furrowed his brow, his lips pressed in a hard line. “I didn’t think it would be that big of a surprise. I mean, we’ve been seeing each other pretty regularly and I stay over a lot. It seemed like things were… You know… Progressing.”

  Parker drew his hand back. Brett was right. Even if neither one of them had overtly come out and said anything about advancing their relationship, Parker had certainly never done or said anything to discourage it either.

  “I’m sorry, Brett. You’re right. I can see how it would’ve come across that way to you.”

  Brett grunted. “Came across to me. Right.”

  He dropped his gaze and Parker felt like a first-class piece of shit. There wasn’t a thing Brett had ever done to deserve being unfairly led on.

  “God, Brett, I really am sorry. You’re a great guy—nice, fun, hot as hell. It’s just that I—”

  “Don’t.” Brett grabbed Parker’s wrist. “Really. You don’t have to. I get it.” He finally raised his eyes. “I shouldn’t have assumed. I could’ve talked about things, but I didn’t want to pressure you.” He gave Parker a lopsided smirk. “Maybe I could sense it.”

  “Brett, I—”

  “A hug before I go?”

  “Please stay. We can still grab a bite, maybe catch a film. You don’t have to go.”

  Brett chuckled and shook his head. “Parker, I’m in love with you and you don’t feel that way about me. I can’t ‘hang out’. I’m not mad at you—well, maybe a little—but I really just need to be alone right now.”

  Parker lowered his head. Brett rose from the bed and began to pull his clothes on and get his things together. Feeling like an idiot, Parker got dressed as well. He walked Brett to the door. It seemed as if Brett was about to leave without the hug he’d requested and Parker couldn’t stand it.

  “Hey, come here.”

  Parker wrapped his arm around Brett’s shoulder then pulled him in a tight embrace. He whispered next to his ear.

  “You’re an amazing man, I fucking mean that. I’ve loved the time we’ve spent together.”

  Brett stepped back, giving him a tight smile. He nodded slightly, lingered for a few seconds gazing at Parker, then turned and left. After Parker shut the door, the weight of it all descended on him. His gut was all twisted up. He needed a shower. Maybe a run.

  Shit.

  He couldn’t settle his mind, so he went for the first most logical thing and got into the shower. The heated water soothed his body even if his thoughts were still reeling. After he’d shut off the water and dried up, he headed back into the bedroom to check his cell. If Brett had changed his mind and didn’t want to be alone after all, Parker wanted to be there for him. There was a missed call and Parker checked to see if it was from Brett.

  Beau.

  Parker tapped the phone icon to return the detective’s call.

  “Sorry again, Parker, but I thought of something else. Did that kid mention anything about a young woman at all? One of our sources who thought the name ‘Slade’ sounded familiar said he and this woman would buddy up, cover for each other around Julio. We’re trying to get a name on her because she’s a potential target also.”

  Parker rubbed his forehead in frustration. He was of no help to anyone.

  “I’m sorry, Beau. We honestly spoke no more than a few minutes and I was the one who did most of the talking. He wasn’t feeling very conversational, if you know what I mean.”

  “I figured. I just needed to make sure.”

  Once Parker had disconnected the call, he dropped onto the edge of his bed. His relaxing evening at home had not worked out at all. Once again, he was back to wondering if Slade would be okay. If he was okay. Beau had said they were only at the information gathering stage. So what did that mean if Slade was in danger at that moment? It might be too late before Beau or his associates could find and protect him.

  God damn it.

  He had the sensation that he was about to crawl out of his skin and he couldn’t stay in his apartment one second longer all alone with his troubling thoughts. What he really needed was to get out of there. He grabbed his keys and cell phone before hurrying out of the door.

  Maybe Beau isn’t ready to look for Slade, but I am.

  Chapter Four

  The first area Parker checked was near where he’d last seen Slade before he’d gotten away. Even though he’d almost been arrested there, hustlers tended to stick to certain locations where they knew they could find regular tricks. Either that or his pimp might have sent him to that area. It was unlikely he would have confessed to almost getting arrested, especially i
f he really did work for Julio.

  Parker’s stomach clenched at the thought of Slade being in that evil bastard’s clutches. Julio was notorious for his violence and had been even prior to the situation with the Russians. Vice had been trying to take him down for years, but he’d proved to be too wily so far.

  Driving around aimlessly was irritating him, so Parker attempted to think what he would’ve done had he run from the cops still cuffed. The manager at Bally’s said he’d trespassed the kid before and Beau didn’t know where he was—so obviously Slade hadn’t been caught and brought in.

  He must’ve run somewhere nearby. Somewhere where he knew he could get help.

  Parker pulled into one of the casino lots. It was time to do some walking, maybe talk to some of the sex workers out on the street. See if they might know something. After locking his car, Parker headed to Koval Lane again. He checked his surroundings carefully to see if there was anywhere that seemed a likely place for a rent boy to run to who was frantic and scared.

  He spotted three scantily clad women smoking and chatting over by one of the bus benches. The streetlamp cast enough of a glow that he could make out their features fairly well. One of them was known to him—he and Darren had brought her in at least a couple of times. Strolling casually their way, he hoped that the one woman wouldn’t recognize him. She’d only ever seen him in uniform, so she probably wouldn’t realize he was a cop. When he was within ten feet of her, her eyes widened and she appeared to be about to bolt.

  “Sharla, wait! I’m not here officially. I’m trying to help someone.”

  All three of them regarded him with suspicion and he tensed, worried that she might take off before he had a chance to speak with her.

  “I ain’t doing nothing wrong. I’m just having a nice friendly conversation with my girls, that’s it.”

  Her two friends nodded, but didn’t speak.

  Parker drew closer. “That’s fine. I don’t care what you’re doing, I promise. I’m looking for a young man who might be in serious danger, and I thought maybe you could give me an idea where I might find him.”

  “Why the hell do you think I would know about some young dude, and even if I did, why the fuck do you think I’d snitch on him?”

  She tossed her cigarette on the sidewalk and stamped it out with the very pointy toe of her stilettos.

  “I understand why you might not be inclined to help me, but I’m not the one who needs it. Slade does.”

  He noted her immediate reaction when he’d said Slade’s name.

  “What’s the matter with Slade?” Her voice was tinged with worry.

  “I don’t know, that’s the problem. I need to find him to make sure he’s okay.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You mean so you can make an arrest. Show off to your superiors or whatever they’re called.”

  Parker held up his hands. “I have no interest in arresting him. I’m not a detective, I’m a patrol officer. I’m not on duty right now, and my superiors haven’t the slightest idea what I’m doing.” He tried to conjure up what would be the magic words that would get her to understand, but all he had was the simple truth. “Please. I’m very worried about him.”

  Sharla looked between both her friends as if she couldn’t believe her ears. They both shrugged their shoulders. She turned back to Parker.

  “Okay. But you ain’t never heard nothing from me.”

  Parker held his breath, anxious that he not do something to make her change her mind.

  “Julio rents some rooms on a continuous basis over at the Deuces Wild Motel off of Flamingo Road. Slade’s is number seven.”

  He exhaled, almost giddy with relief. “Thank you so much, Sharla. And don’t worry, I didn’t hear anything from you.”

  As he turned to head back to his car, he heard Sharla call out, “Don’t let nothing happen to him! He’s always been really nice to everyone, he’s a good kid.”

  He twisted his head toward her and gave a thumbs up. Armed with the newly discovered info, he was anxious to get to his car and head over there. He jogged most of the way and once he was in his vehicle and driving, he made it to the dumpy motel in less than five minutes. He parked across from the building then shut his headlights off.

  Glancing around, he tried to get a feel for the surroundings. There wasn’t anyone lurking about that he could see. He hadn’t the slightest idea how Julio kept track of his workers. Someone of his level wouldn’t likely be watching them personally, would they? The workers would have to know that it would be an instant death sentence to screw Julio over.

  Parker was out of his element. He didn’t think it would be the best idea to barge up to Slade’s room then start banging on the door. Slade could be in the middle of a date. Parker bit his knuckle as a wave of nausea passed over him. His heart sped up a bit and he had to resist the urge to break down the door to number seven. It bothered him more than he’d thought it would to be faced with the reality of what Slade might be doing that very minute. What he’d had to do to survive.

  The light went on in the room Slade supposedly occupied. Parker checked his watch. It was only ten o’clock—early for the sex trade still.

  Maybe he is resting up for the night. He might not have anyone in there.

  As soon as he’d completed the thought, Parker’s heart fell at the sight of an older, gray-haired man leaving Slade’s place. He swallowed down the sadness he felt over Slade’s situation. He could dwell on all of that later—first he had to make sure Slade would be safe.

  As soon as Slade’s customer drove away, Parker slid out of his car. He had to get to the young man quickly in case Slade had another date right away. As he approached the motel, he did another quick survey of the area, just to be sure. Raising his hand, he had a moment of trepidation over what he was doing. He knew it was impulsive, emotional. But it also seemed like the right thing to do. Something about Slade had really gotten to him.

  He knocked lightly, not wanting to startle him. The door opened almost immediately, Slade speaking before it was even completely ajar.

  “You’re early, Valeena, I’m not quite…”

  Slade’s jaw hung open as he locked eyes with Parker’s. He looked absolutely terrified.

  “Slade, don’t be scared. I’m not here to arrest you. I’m not on duty right now.”

  He continued to stare at Parker, speechless.

  “May I come in? I only want to talk.”

  Slade tilted his head, his hand still on the doorknob. He squinted slightly.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “Excuse me?” Parker was lost.

  “You want a date, is that it?”

  Parker tensed. “No!” He regained his composure. “No, Slade, that’s not why I’m here.”

  Slade appeared to be processing everything Parker had said so far. “This a setup, right? ’Cause I didn’t agree to anything, nothing’s been exchanged between us.”

  Parker couldn’t hold back a frown, frustration over Slade’s situation eating at him.

  “No, honey. It’s not a setup. I’m only here because I’m concerned about your safety. I was thinking…”

  What the hell was I thinking?

  “I can get you help. Get you away from Julio.”

  Slade wrapped his arms around himself. It had the effect of making him appear smaller. Parker was reminded of how vulnerable and scared he’d seemed when Parker had tried to arrest him.

  “I don’t understand why you’re doing this, especially after the whole, you know, what I did to you.” He appeared shameful then furrowed his brow. “Why do you care? There must be something else you want.”

  Parker was completely thrown by the question. He had to admit it was a good one—one he would have likely asked had he been in Slade’s shoes.

  “The only thing I really want is to make sure you’re okay.” It sounded silly to his own ears even as he said it out loud. He ran his hand over the top of his head. “Look. I don’t know you and you certainly d
on’t know me. I guess… Oh, Jesus. I’m going to sound like a weirdo.” He’d half mumbled it to himself.

  Slade laughed. It wasn’t loud or robust, but it was such a wonderful sound to hear from him. It gave Parker a glimpse at the real man underneath all the pain and misery.

  Parker chuckled. “It’s nice to hear you laugh.” Bizarrely, a flush of heat rose up his neck and into his cheeks. He cleared his throat. “For whatever reason, Slade, I see something in you that tells me you don’t belong here, that you really want out. I might be completely crazy, but I get the impression you’ve been dealt a shit hand and that maybe all it would take is someone giving you a chance without expecting something in return. Maybe all you need is a break.”

  Slade chewed on one side of his lip, conflicting emotions playing across his face. Parker had the sense that somewhere inside Slade he believed what Parker was telling him, that he didn’t think that Parker wanted to take advantage of him. But there was something else there that Parker couldn’t quite interpret. It was like hope. Slade seemed hopeful.

  Does that mean he wants to accept my help?

  Right then a car pulled up and Slade’s expression changed. Parker whipped his head around, half expecting Julio and his goons to be right there. Instead, he saw a petite young woman with short hair waving out of the passenger window of a black sedan with tinted windows.

  “Slade, come on! We gotta get going.”

  Parker was filled with an odd panic. He was afraid that if Slade went off with whoever was in the car he might not see him again. But he was even more afraid that it might be the thing that carried Slade to whatever awful fate awaited him. He grabbed Slade’s arm without thinking and the young man tensed.

  “Don’t go. Julio’s a very dangerous man.”

  Slade’s jaw went slack again. “How do you…?”

  “I’m a cop, remember? I hear things. Come with me. I’ll get you into a program that can help you. It’s too risky for you out here right now.”