The disgust written on her face said she believed me. “What do you think?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve always played it safe—been the good girl. It hasn’t really worked out that well for me.”
Melinda exhaled and shook her head. “Don’t let that fool tell you what’s going to make you feel good. Trust me, an hour alone with Jared will be more rewarding for you than being a third wheel in your friend’s fantasy.” She crossed her arms. “Men can’t be trusted. You have to make decisions for yourself.”
“Some men are good. My father passed away, but he was a good man. My sister is married to a nice guy,” I said.
She smacked her lips. “No, Serenity. They were turds like the rest of them. It just wasn’t revealed to you.”
Melinda’s narrowed eyes gave no room for argument. She really was a man hater. Add in Fannie’s claim that men came every four years to steal girls away from their homes it wasn’t surprising the way Melinda felt. The fact that she had left a busy night of arranging paid sex hookups to talk to me was strange, though. I got the feeling that she pitied me.
I’d play along. “So, if I do spend time with Jared, does it have to be physical?” I didn’t have to feign embarrassment. My cheeks flushed naturally at what we were discussing. “It would be nice to sit and talk to a guy without having to feel like something more was expected.”
Melinda smiled a little and patted my knee. “Oh, honey. You can do whatever you want with Jared for your hour. If talking is your thing, he’ll accommodate that, although he might be disappointed.” She winked. “Men come here all the time simply to be held by a pretty woman. Sometimes their wife has died, or she shows no affection at all.” She sat back, placing her forearms on the arm rests. “This building isn’t just about sex. Sometimes it’s intimacy and love that people are looking for.”
“I can’t imagine being one of your workers. What if a woman doesn’t want to have sex with a particular guy?”
Melinda cocked her head. “My girls pick their customers, and they negotiate their own rates with them. Just because one of the men back in the greeting room wants to spend time with a girl doesn’t mean he’s going to get to.” As an afterthought, she added, “There’s competition around here, so there’s always a girl willing to tolerate any man. That’s just the way it is.”
“Have you ever been one of the call girls?” I asked the question in a wary way, not just because it was kind of rude, but because I didn’t want Melinda to grow suspicious about me. “It might be best for me to put myself into that kind of mindset with Jared. Maybe then I’ll be able to open up and have some fun.”
Melinda raised her eyes to the ceiling and pursed her lips. “Yes, I started out the same as the other girls. It’s not horrible, especially if you have an imagination and can change things up in your head. Girls make a lot of money in this business. They keep half of their earnings. The rest goes towards rent, food, transportation. I make sure their medical needs are taken care of and provide weekly STD tests. I like the management side of things and knew right away that I wouldn’t remain in the bedroom for long. I worked my way up into this office about eight years ago.”
“You’re in charge of everything?” I asked, trying to sound naïve.
“Nothing happens in this brothel without me knowing about it or signing off on it. I run a tight ship, you could say.”
I was about to delve into where the women came from when there was a knock at the door. Melinda rose gracefully and went straight to the door. I heard something about an upset man and she was needed right away.
Melinda turned back to me. “One of our guests wants a particular girl, but she’s already booked.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m glad we had this little chat. I’ll sign you up for visit with Jared in his room at nine o’clock. Second floor, first door on the right. Try to enjoy yourself. And remember, this is for you, no one else. You call all the shots.” She was about to leave but stopped herself and faced me again. “Regrets aren’t fun. You’re not completely divorced. If it doesn’t feel right, my advice is not to do anything you can’t live with tomorrow.”
She left me alone in the office with the door open. The high of pretending to be someone I wasn’t quickly faded, leaving a wave of emotional exhaustion behind. This is going to be harder than I thought.
13
Jared sat on the bed. I sat in the chair. If I wasn’t working an investigation where a woman had died and several others likely kidnapped in some fashion to work the sex trade, I would have laughed out loud. Jared was full of himself. Honestly, he had reason to be. Between the accent, abs, and puppy-dog eyes, he could easily put a smile on about any hot-blooded female’s face—except mine. I had my own handsome playboy waiting at home and I could easily imagine how fast Jared would lose the seductive sneer if he knew I was a sheriff.
“Melinda said you only want to talk.” He looked pouty. “Is that true?”
I let some of the shy crap slip away. “Don’t take it personal.” I spread my hands wide. “All of this is a lot to take in.”
“You don’t strike me as the chatty type, Serenity.” Jared crossed his legs and rested his right elbow on a plump pillow.
The room was small and windowless, but what it lacked in size, it made up for in bright splashes of color and an ungodly number of throw pillows. “Is this your personal room?”
“Actually, it is. You’re one of the few lucky ones who get to see it. I don’t have much one-on-one action, and when I do, I like to use one of the standard rooms.” A fresh smile crept on his lips.
“Why let me in?” I had more important questions to get to, but I was intrigued with the Aussie’s crush.
“There are two types of women who come in here.” He held up a finger. “The first kind are down-on-their-luck types. They’re either abused or have an addiction problem. Some are simply in economic straits. A few of them have a past they’re running from, and a couple are downright insane.” He lifted a second finger. “The other, smaller group are the clients. They’re looking for a good time, are demanding, and don’t have a care for other people’s feelings.” Jared paused, gliding his gaze over me. “You’re none of the above, which makes you intriguing.”
“When I talked to your boss earlier, she made it sound like the women who work here have a good gig. They set their prices and pick their clients. Your take on them is a lot darker.” I leaned forward and clasped my hands. “Is the money really good enough to draw women—or men—into this line of work?”
Jared grunted and his frown disappeared. His face lost its brightness and he looked almost sad. “The pay is more than adequate. I was hired on as a bartender after an American girl broke my heart and my bank account.” He shook his head gently and stared at the carpeted floor. “I wasn’t ready to go home in the love-battered state I was in. My confidence was low, and I was depressed. The brothel’s light-hearted and loose atmosphere appealed to me. It wasn’t long before I started turning tricks now and again. Melinda liked that I handled job flexibility well.” He lifted his brow suggestively.
I ignored the flirty look and glanced around the room. “This seems comfortable. Is it pretty safe?”
Jared’s mouth thinned and his forehead knitted. I swallowed and took a shallow breath. I’d just made a mistake.
“You aren’t interested in the kind of talk I thought you wanted, are you?” He tapped his lips. “Hmm. I’ll play along. Yes. We have enough armed guards on site to protect us from the rowdy types. Melinda spends as much time interviewing the bouncers as she does the prostitutes and the cleaning ladies.”
Since I feared Jared was on to me, I decided to push it a little further. “The sumo wrestler looking dude at the door is impressive. Is there a turnaround in security or are most of those guys here for the long haul?”
Jared dropped his head back. “Like the girls, some are regular fixtures, others grace us with their presence for only a
short sojourn. Ronnie, who is head of security, has been with the company for over twenty years. He used to be Melinda’s boss, and now she’s his.”
“I always wondered about Nevada’s brothels. It’s such a foreign concept in the rest of the country, especially in Indiana where I’m from. How do people even apply for jobs at places like this?”
“Are you a reporter?” Jared asked.
A rush of adrenaline made me feel giddy. At least he hadn’t pegged me for a cop. I closed my eyes and made a humming noise. I thought quickly. When I opened them up, Jared was waiting for my answer. “Actually, I’m writing a book about prostitution, legal and otherwise. There’s only so much information you can gather online. I needed experiential knowledge, if you know what I mean.” I dropped my head. “I’m sorry to mislead you. I didn’t think anyone would talk to me if I told the truth.”
Jared perked right up. “You’re an author, then?”
I hated to plant lies on top of lies. If I was lucky, I’d find out what I needed to know, and Jared would never be the wiser that he’d been played twice. “An aspiring one.”
“Good on you! I’ve thought about writing a book about my life in America. Every time I begin, my enthusiasm withers away by page ten.” He made a zipping motion with his fingers over his mouth. “No worries. I won’t tell a soul.” He gave a shake of his blond head. “If you go at any of the girls in such a straightforward manner, they’ll see through your ruse immediately.”
“You’re okay answering some questions then?” I couldn’t believe my good luck and wondered why I hadn’t thought of the writer route earlier.
“I’ll help you out, mate.” He pointed at the wall clock. “We’re down twenty minutes already. Melinda keeps tight tabs on the time we spend with clients, so be quick about it. And I’ll be charging you the same price.”
I wished I had my little notebook with me. “How do women find out about job openings?” I streamlined my previous question.
“There are online sites where some brothels advertise. More likely, it’s word of mouth. Someone tells someone else, and so on. Melinda has been known to send out recruiters to larger cities. Nightclubs are rich places to discover new talent. Occasionally, a girl shows up in desperate need of a job and Melinda takes pity on her.”
“You keep referring to the employees as girls. How young can they be?”
“Ah, that’s a figure of speech. You have to show documentation that you’re at least eighteen to work at the Wild Colt. No worries about underage girls here.” The set of Jared’s jaw and his unwavering gaze made me think he was telling the truth or at least believed he was.
“It’s still difficult to grasp that anyone would willingly become a prostitute. Sure, you gave me a bunch of reasons why, but have you considered if coercion plays a part for some of the women?”
“Like being forced into it?” When I nodded, he blew out a breath. “If Melinda finds out you’re asking things like that, you’ll be thrown out the front door.” He looked away and back again as he fidgeted with his hands. “You’re not going to mention the Wild Colt or me, are you?”
“Of course not. Anything you tell me is completely confidential. My book is purely fictional,” I lied with a straight face.
“I’ve worked here for a little over four years and there’s been a few times where I thought the girls who came in weren’t too happy to be here. One girl was a heroin addict. She took the job to keep a steady supply of her fix coming in. Sadly, she ended up in the ER one night and Melinda fired her.”
“Have any of the younger women told you they came from Indiana by chance?” I held my breath.
His brows shot up in surprise. “Now that you mention it, we have a handful of women from your state working at the ranch. Melinda is at the top of that list.”
There was a shout and then a thud against the wall. Jared leapt off the bed and flung the door open. I was one step behind him.
I quickly digested the scene. An overweight, soft looking middle-aged man had his arms wrapped around a petite brunette in her bra and panties. A constant stream of cuss words flew out of the woman’s mouth, while the man repeatedly told her to shut up.
Several other women and a couple of befuddled looking men stepped into the hallway at the same time we did. Melinda walked with purpose towards the scuffle.
“Benny, let go of Ashley or you’ll be banned from the ranch,” Melinda called out.
I was certain Benny was never making it past security again, regardless of Melinda’s calming tactics. He didn’t have a weapon, but his arms were large enough to do significant damage to the tiny woman. Jared held his hands out and approached the burly man and his captive slowly, saying encouraging things, and talking like the two men were old friends.
“Come on, mate. You’re ruining a good time. Why don’t we go down to the bar to talk about it—”
“I want to see Lizzie. She’s my girl and the one I’m paying for!”
The situation was about as messed up as it got. For all of Melinda’s tight ship policies, crap like this probably occurred on a regular basis. The sumo wrestler and the stern-faced man appeared behind Melinda. Benny’s attention was on them. He occasionally glanced Jared’s way.
“Everything all right, Serenity?” Toby’s voice snuck up behind me. I didn’t turn his way or answer him.
“Benny, we already talked about this. Lizzie doesn’t want to be your girl anymore, but Ashley does. Why don’t you give her a chance,” Melinda said as she inched closer to Benny.
I inwardly cringed at Melinda’s words. It was the wrong thing to say to a man having a manic episode. He wanted Lizzie, and the only thing that might have settled him down enough to separate him from Ashley was the belief that he’d be with her again. It didn’t matter if it was true or not, as long as he thought it would happen. Now that Melinda had shot the possibility to hell, Benny had become more dangerous.
Benny screamed, “I don’t want Ashley!”
His shifted his arm, bringing one of them around Ashley’s neck and immediately began to squeeze. Ashly’s face turned pink and she couldn’t speak anymore. A quick jerk and he could have kill her.
Benny didn’t even know I existed in that moment as I was slightly behind him and only about six feet away. I focused on the side of the man’s burly neck as I sprang forward. A strike downward with a one-handed knuckle punch was all I needed to hit Benny’s vagus nerve. The man let go, wobbled in place, and then went down. Ashley ran into Melinda’s outstretched arms, coughing. Her color returned to normal and I figured she would be okay.
The security guys knelt over Benny. Sumo wrestler guy checked his pulse. “Benny’s unconscious but breathing. He looked up at me. “Nice technique. Where’d you learn that?”
Toby had stepped up to my side by that time. “Serenity has a black belt in karate, isn’t that so?” He eyed me and I nodded back.
“Yep. It’s good to finally use a bit of the training.”
Sumo wrestler guy snorted. “They never taught me that in the dojo.”
Melinda passed Ashley off to one of the other women. “Party’s over, kids. Go on back to your rooms and get back to having some private fun.” She made a shooing noise. Just as I turned to go back to Jared’s room, she stopped me. “Not you, Serenity and Toby. Can you both meet me in my office? Please and thank you.”
Her no-nonsense tone was unmistakable. Melinda King was pissed.
I glanced at Jared’s wide eyes and quickly looked away. The Johns wanted to get back to business and the women gawkers lingered in the hallway. Melinda’s sharp rebukes sent everyone hustling away.
Once we stepped into the elevator and the doors closed behind us, Toby found his voice. “Dammit, Serenity. Did you have to play hero?”
“You saw what just played out. That woman could have been seriously injured,” I snapped.
“That�
�s what the security guards are for. They know how to handle situations like that.”
I sighed. My heart rate hadn’t even sped up during the entire episode. Toby was probably right. Sumo wrestler guy would have taken out Benny before Ashley was too damaged.
The elevator doors opened with a ding-ding and we stepped out. “Look, I know. I guess if you were ever choked out, you’d take it as personally as I did.” I shook my head. “When I saw his arm tighten on that woman’s neck, I kind of lost it. Brought back bad memories.”
The night I’d rescued Charity and Harlow from the sex traffic ring, an enormous man had nearly choked me to death. If backup hadn’t arrived just in the nick of time, I wouldn’t here. Sometimes, I’d return to that little white shed of a house in the woods in my nightmares, but during the day, I kept the bad memories at bay. The incident with Dexter and Amos in the greenhouse didn’t help either. I was sick of being put into situations where I had no control. This time, I had the power to stop the man, and I did.
Toby patted my shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it. You did the right thing.”
“It blew our cover,” I said pointedly.
He shrugged as he turned into Melinda’s office. “I managed to get some information before all the hoopla. Toby shut the door behind us. “Do you think there’s a mic in here?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me.” I closed the distance and tucked my hair behind my ear. He understood and bent close to whisper.
“Star quit the very same day she was killed. It sounds like she had a thing going on with Andre. He helped her get away from the ranch, and then things went sour between them.”
That made perfect sense. “I’m willing to bet that Andre and George came here to get a security job. There’s a quick turnaround and I doubt Melinda would care too much about background checks on the guys she wants to do her dirty work.” Toby made a hmm noise. “It’s a great place to hide out. Who’s going to look for fugitives from Chicago in a brothel in Nevada?”
“Any info on where George is?”
Wicked Legacy (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 10) Page 9