by Diane Capri
Briefly, he considered gassing them again. But he didn’t. Two doses of that gas in less than twelve hours might be fatal to the tiny women for all he knew. Rossi would be furious.
He’d come this far. He didn’t want to screw up now.
Sydney flipped the intercoms closed again. He didn’t care what they were talking about. He only needed to offload them in one piece.
After that, the inventory was Rossi’s problem.
Sydney took the familiar route from the expressway exit through the open desert. A few miles later, he reached the turn onto Flume Road, so named because the content in the eight warehouses fed out to all of Rossi’s enterprises, one way or another.
The warehouses were set back off Flume Road, four on each side. The metal buildings all looked the same on the outside. Gray metal siding and darker gray metal roofs. Steel entrance doors in the front without windows, also gray. Loading docks around back.
They had high ceilings and seven of them were the same size. About half the square footage of a typical big box store. Some had shelving installed inside to increase storage capacity, depending on the product.
Newer warehouses were bigger and fancier with more attractive exteriors. But Rossi said the Flume Road real estate was already the most valuable he owned. He had no desire to improve it.
The eight buildings were spaced about one hundred feet apart. The space was divided in half, granting fifty feet to each warehouse. One side of the warehouses was devoted to driveways and the other side was parking.
Floodlights illuminated the lots and chased the shadows. The lights could be shut off with a single switch when Rossi didn’t want to risk certain activities being discovered.
Sydney drove the black SUV limo along the wide pavement to the safe house, which was the last warehouse on the northwest corner.
The eighth warehouse was smaller than the others and set apart. It also had an attached multi-level garage around back.
Like the others, this one was surrounded on all sides by an electrified ten-foot chain link fence. But beyond the fence were several acres of empty desert.
He pulled up to the gate, lowered the window, and waited for a voice from a speaker mounted on a pole.
“Who is it?” the disembodied male voice asked.
Sydney supplied the name of Rossi’s mother, Rosalina, who had always been and was likely to always be the love of his life. Rossi often said Italian men were all the same in that respect. Maybe they were. Sydney wouldn’t know. He was Irish.
“What did you bring?” the voice asked.
The second question had been added to the routine when Rossi read about increasing cyber security using two-factor identification in one of his daily newspapers. He said it was safer to require two passwords.
“Lager,” Sydney replied.
Sydney raised the window and waited for the wheeled gate to slide open. When the space was wide enough to accommodate the SUV, he rolled slowly into the lot and drove around the north side toward the back.
In addition to being Rossi’s safe house, this property also housed his vehicle collections. His taste was eclectic since he didn’t drive and rarely went anywhere. Mostly, the collection consisted of vehicles he’d won when gamblers lost big bets in his casino.
Which meant everything from boats, RVs, and vans, to Ferraris and antiques. Sydney had no idea what he used them for or even how many were parked here. Maybe fifty were spaced apart on the two floors of the garage. Give or take.
He pulled into the garage beside the safe house and parked in the covered loading zone on the first floor, close to the side entrance. It rarely rained here, but the cover prevented satellite and drone imagery from spying on visitors to the safe house, Rossi said.
Joey Prime asked, “Think she’s dead yet? The civilian we left at McInnis Canyon?”
“If we’re lucky.” Sydney shrugged. “I hope we never hear another word about her.”
Joey nodded and climbed out of the cabin. He stood, stretching his arms and legs like an athlete preparing for battle.
He pointed across the driving lane to a perpendicular row of luxury cars attached to charging stations on the first floor. “Rossi into electrics now?”
“Won them off some guy who couldn’t pay his debts, would be my guess.” Sydney shrugged.
Joey grinned. “Must be two million bucks’ worth of wheels parked right there.”
“At least,” Sydney replied, attention focused on other things. “You take the cargo inside. Little Tony and Big Tony will help you get them settled.”
“After that, want me to drive the van over to the storage lot? Get it cleaned up?” Joey Prime asked.
By cleaned up, he meant sanitized of all possible forensic evidence. It was a standard precaution after transporting human cargo. Rossi was an exceedingly careful man.
“Yeah. Good idea.” Sydney nodded. “I’ll drop off this limo, report to Rossi, and meet you back here.”
“Better you than me.” Joey Prime grinned. “You might want to tell him on the phone. Showing up in person could be hazardous. The Elephant’s a surprisingly good shot, I hear.”
CHAPTER 36
Wednesday, May 18
Las Vegas, Nevada
6:45 p.m.
Jade walked docilely with the others when the trio of scary men brought them inside the warehouse from the SUV. She scanned the layout.
The interior had been built out as living quarters, like a spacious modern home in a cosmopolitan city. The front half was an open floor plan with several common areas organized into usable spaces.
The metal walls were bare, but large windows had been installed near the ceiling. During daylight hours, the space would be bright and probably hot as hell without sufficient air conditioning.
Otherwise, various lighting elements had been placed to eliminate the cavernous shadows after sunset.
Bright rugs splashed the painted concrete floors like pools of color in asymmetrical shapes. Upholstery and fabric dividers added more visual interest and some sound absorption.
Perhaps as many as twenty or thirty people could comfortably fit here in the kitchen, eating, and sitting areas. A huge television was mounted on the wall in one corner. Images were playing on the screen, but the sound was muted.
“Who are you?” Jade asked one of the men politely.
“Little Tony,” he said and then pointed to the others. “That’s my cousin, Big Tony. This here’s my other cousin, Joey Prime.”
“Where are my employees?” Eleanor demanded, jerking her bicep from Big Tony’s easy grip.
“Relax, Mrs. Duncan. No need to get your panties in a wad,” Little Tony replied from the kitchen, where he’d leaned against the countertop while opening a cold beer he’d pulled from the fridge. “Everybody’s fine. They’re getting washed up. We’re cooking food.”
Jade saw the one called Joey Prime leading Jade’s sister, GiGi, and the women from Jade’s escort business down the hallway on the north side of the kitchen.
“Where are they going?”
“He’s showing them to their rooms. We have one ready for you, too,” Little Tony replied.
Big Tony grabbed a beer from the fridge and walked over to stretch out in an oversized leather recliner across from the TV. He released the mute and turned the audio volume up, which meant the sound reverberated off the metal walls and ceiling like being inside a tin can.
Little Tony seemed to be the leader of the three-man crew. He gestured toward two chairs at the dining table, suggesting Jade and Eleanor sit.
Eleanor demanded, “Who are you? Why have you brought us here? And where the hell are we, anyway?”
Little Tony ignored her questions. In his thick New York accent, he replied, “Mrs. Duncan, Ms. Chen, please sit down. I’ll get you some water.”
His tone made it clear that he wasn’t offering a choice.
Jade lowered herself into one of the chairs, but Eleanor remained standing, stretching her limbs as if she might break into a quick sp
rint out the front door at any moment.
Which was a preposterous idea.
Even if Eleanor could open the door and get out before one of the thugs tackled her, the building was surrounded by an electrified fence with barbed wire on top. She’d seen the fence on the way in.
Eleanor should have seen it, too. She could run no farther than a few yards in any direction, and she’d be stupid to try.
Little Tony shook his head but otherwise ignored Eleanor’s defiance while he retrieved two water bottles from the refrigerator.
Jade took the water and drank greedily. Eleanor didn’t. Jade sent her a pleading glance, but Eleanor shook her head firmly, just once.
“Can’t have you dehydrated, Mrs. Duncan. I’d rather not force you,” Little Tony said. “But I will.”
Jade cleared her throat. “How do you know our names?”
Little Tony shrugged. “Don’t matter.”
“Who are you working for?” Eleanor demanded.
“That don’t matter neither. You’re here now. It’s temporary. You’ll be going somewhere else soon enough,” Little Tony replied, raising his eyebrows and flashing a meaningful glare at Eleanor. “I wanna deliver you unharmed. But we don’t gotta do it that way. You know what I mean?”
Jade sent a beseeching glance toward Eleanor. “How long will we be here?”
Little Tony shrugged. “Long as it takes.”
“They’re locked in,” Joey Prime said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder as he returned to the open room from the long hallway. “I gotta go clean up the van. You be okay here without me?”
Little Tony nodded. “Oven’s heating up dinner. Hurry back.”
“Want me to bring anything else?” Joey Prime said, already walking toward the exit to the garage.
“Nah, we’re good,” Big Tony said as he returned to the kitchen. “The fridge is stocked. These girls won’t eat much. We’ll get more stuff later if we end up staying longer.”
Jade cocked her head and studied both Tonys in the brighter kitchen light.
She nodded slowly. She recognized them. She was sure.
And she remembered exactly where she’d seen them.
At her brother’s boxing match in the basement of the Snake Eyes Casino in Vegas. They’d been guarding Amarin, keeping fans and gamblers away, as well as his sister.
Which meant these two, and Joey Prime and the guy who drove the limo that brought them here, all worked for Rossi. Just like Amarin did.
So Rossi was the one who had abducted them.
He was probably responsible for the fire at Eleanor’s bistro, too.
But why? Was all of this Jade’s fault?
She nodded. Of course, it was her fault. Somehow.
Because she’d wanted to see her brother?
Or because Amarin had tossed Rossi’s fixer over the Hoover Dam bridge?
She spent the next few seconds trying to avoid the obvious.
Gangsters were all about an eye for an eye, weren’t they? Abducting eighteen women because of one dead fixer seemed extreme. Even for Rossi. Didn’t it?
And what did he plan to do with them, anyway?
Something else must be going on here.
Jade had simply wanted to see her brother again. Why would Rossi object to that?
She didn’t know.
And she didn’t want to make the situation even worse.
Perhaps she could offer herself to Rossi in exchange for the freedom of all the others. She knew he liked women.
She needed to talk to Eleanor. Alone.
Jade flashed Eleanor a warning glance, willing her not to object.
She turned her gaze to Little Tony. “We’d like to go to our room now. We need to freshen up. Before we eat.”
Little Tony narrowed his eyes and studied her for a moment before he nodded.
“Right this way,” he said as if he was a doorman at Rossi’s casino hotel, and she was a high roller, entitled to extra courtesies.
CHAPTER 37
Wednesday, May 18
Las Vegas, Nevada
7:00 p.m.
Jade followed along as Little Tony led them down the hallway to the closest room. He opened the door and stood aside as they entered. “I’m gonna lock the door. But if you wanna come out, just knock. You’re not prisoners here. You’re our guests. Understand?”
Jade nodded and said nothing. But they were most definitely prisoners. Before he left, she inhaled deeply to steady her nerves. “My sister is in the other room. Can she join us here?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll bring her in. What’s her name?”
“GiGi.”
Little Tony closed and locked the door. Jade waited until she heard the echo of his footsteps headed down the hallway and then two sets of footsteps returning.
The door opened and GiGi rushed inside. Little Tony closed and locked the door again. Jade heard his heavy shoes returning to the kitchen.
Jade hugged her sister and waited until Little Tony was far enough away.
“What the hell are you thinking?” Eleanor fumed, speaking Thai, pacing the floor, both hands on her head. “Now we’re locked in here instead of having a chance to get away from out there.”
Jade took Eleanor’s arm and led her over to sit on one of the beds. Also speaking in Thai, she whispered, “They may be listening.”
“So what if they are?” Eleanor replied, still outraged, although she did lower the volume.
Jade leaned her head close to Eleanor’s ear and spoke softly. “I’ve seen these men before.”
Eleanor’s eyes widened. “What? Where?”
“They work for Roberto Rossi. He’s a Muay Thai boxing promoter,” Jade replied, trying to explain but not knowing where to begin or how much more to say about her brother.
Eleanor already knew Jade and GiGi were in trouble. Eleanor didn’t need to know more.
Her eyes grew even wider. Her nostrils flared and her face flushed and she looked truly terrified. Her voice quivered. “Rossi? Are you sure?”
Jade took one of Eleanor’s hands and felt the pulse in her wrist pounding hard and fast.
Eleanor raised the water to her lips and drank. Jade waited for her to find her voice again.
“My husband did business with Rossi back in Nebraska.” Eleanor’s voice was low and quiet now, as she confessed the whole truth she’d partially revealed to Jade earlier.
GiGi gasped and her hand flew to cover her mouth.
Eleanor blinked a couple of times and then looked into GiGi’s eyes. “Rossi is one of the men who paid to bring you here from Thailand. The other men are dead now. Rossi probably thinks I stole you from them. He’s right. I did.”
GiGi placed her palms on her flushed cheeks. Her heart was pounding hard now, too. Her breath came in short gasps. “Are you sure?”
“My husband did a lot of business with Rossi and the others over the years. I didn’t know exactly what the business was at the time. But Rossi was a ruthless killer, even then,” Eleanor nodded, eyes wide, like a deer in headlights.
Jade gathered her sister in her arms. She felt GiGi’s heart pounding. Her hands shook. They were overwhelmed. She couldn’t take it all in.
Rossi.
Jade searched her memories for any mention of Rossi’s name before she’d found Amarin again at that Vegas boxing match. She was sure she’d never heard the name before.
She shook her head because she didn’t want to accept that what Eleanor said made sense.
The Thai handler who had facilitated their passage to America. A longtime friend of her father’s. Her father believed him to be a good man. He’d said Amarin was the one the promoter wanted. For boxing.
Rossi’s name had never been mentioned, but even if she’d heard it at the time, the name would have meant nothing to her.
Rossi wanted only Amarin, but her father had insisted his whole family be allowed safe passage to America as well. He loved his family. He believed they would thrive and prosper away from the poverty
of rural Thailand.
Her father had never realized he’d actually sold them into a life of slavery. How could he have known? They were all too naïve. Too trusting.
As they were loaded into the shipping containers, they surrendered their passports and identification and what little money they’d saved.
From that moment, they were trafficking victims, even though they didn’t know the fate that awaited them for many days.
Not until Jade, GiGi, and the others had arrived in Nebraska that cold night seven years ago had she partially understood the truth.
Amarin and the other men had already been taken away. The women and girls were separated and alone and destined for terrible, short lives to follow.
Eleanor and her friends in Nebraska had saved them.
Now Jade knew that she and GiGi and Mika and the other women were more fortunate than the men. They were alone, with no money, barely speaking English. They had no idea where they were or what to do next. Those who had homes to return to had no idea how to get back there.
The only thing they could do was make the best of where they’d ended up.
Since Eleanor Duncan had first rescued them, Jade and GiGi and the others had slowly come to realize the destiny that otherwise awaited.
As she walked her mind through these old realities, Jade’s racing heart slowed and her reason returned.
She’d been a victim back then. But she’d moved beyond her fate long ago. She wasn’t that helpless girl anymore.
Rossi might believe he had bought her and owned her, but he did not. He never had. And he never would. Never.
Eleanor cleared her throat. “We have to get away from here. As quickly as we can. Rossi will kill me. And what he will do to all of you…I don’t even want to imagine.”
Jade nodded, her throat tight, holding back tears. She leaned in toward Eleanor. “We need Reacher. Where is he?”
“I haven’t seen him since he left the bistro.” Eleanor shook her head, naked fear in her eyes. “I asked him to watch over you. He said he would.”
GiGi whispered. “Is he a man of his word?”