He studied Chey’s face. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Chey sighed. “I’d rather you talk with Lotus and decide for yourself.”
“Tell me.”
“When she was found with the phone, she bloodied Maly’s nose and pulled out chunks of her hair. Security had a hard time subduing her. I’m not sure we’ll be able to trust her, sir.”
He pressed his lips together and went to look out at the lights of the Space Needle from the sliding glass door. He’d hate to destroy such valuable property, and he actually admired Lotus’s spirit. Her determination and resolve reminded him a bit of Olivia, not that he’d ever entertained strong feelings for Lotus. Only one woman had ever evoked that.
“And Bailey? Any sign of her yet?”
“Yes, sir. It appears your hunch was correct. She’s at Cedar Cabin and has been in contact with the FBI.”
This bump in the road didn’t mean anything. He’d eliminate the threat, then get back to business as usual.
Chapter 24
Lance put the last nail in the deck while he waited for Bailey to return from town, then he climbed down and went to get coffee. He had to explain before he just took off. He couldn’t sit back and wait for the traffickers to show up here, not with Ava out there. Close, so close. If it took prowling through every seedy neighborhood in the state, he was prepared to do it.
Bailey entered the cabin with her cat in her arms. Her dark-purple hair was a tangle around her face, and her cheeks were pink from the cold. Sheba’s big ears flickered when she saw Lance, and she squirmed to be put down. Bailey set her on the floor, and the cat pounced on Lance’s shoestrings. She untied them in seconds.
“Crazy cat.” He scratched her big ears, and her loud purr started. “I’m all done here for now.”
“I noticed the deck. It looks great.”
“But the chinking will take longer than I have. You’ll have to find a bonafide carpenter for that. I’ve had some unexpected news.”
“Oh? You sound excited. You found the traffickers?”
“Not just yet.” He told her about his sister’s phone call and the subsequent discovery of the abandoned brothel. “I know she’s alive.” The knowledge kept shocking him all over again.
“Lance, that’s wonderful!” She hugged him and didn’t let go. “Were you upset about your sister when I saw you on the dock Monday?”
She fit perfectly in his arms. “Yes, it was her twenty-first birthday, and I realized she was probably dead. But she’s alive!” He caught a whiff of the scent of her hair, something with vanilla and cinnamon. Though common sense told him to release her and step back, he couldn’t make himself do it. It felt good to have someone to celebrate this news with, someone who seemed to really get how important this was to him. And he liked her, genuinely liked her. It didn’t hurt she was gorgeous, but even more than that, she had such a sweet, caring soul.
He liked how forthright she was. He never had to wonder what she was thinking. When he was dating Kim, she often gave him the cold shoulder when he had no idea what he’d done. He could already tell Bailey didn’t play those games.
She lifted her head off his chest, and he dropped his arms. She stepped back. “Sorry, I’ll bet that’s not standard FBI protocol. I was too excited to think straight.”
“It helped to have someone to talk to. I haven’t quite known how to take it. Ava wanted me to know she was alive, so that must mean she’s still actively trying to get away.”
She frowned. “Of course she is. Why wouldn’t she?”
“Some of the women resign themselves to the life and work their way up the system. They eventually become supervisors over other girls.”
Her green eyes did a slow blink. “I can’t even imagine that.”
“They’ve spent so long hearing they are of no value that they come to believe everything their captors tell them. Ava was always spunky and courageous. I didn’t think she’d give up, but those are pretty intense situations.”
Bailey took off her jacket, revealing slim-fitting jeans and a snug sweater that hugged her curves. “So what’s next?”
“I start scouring the bad neighborhoods for any sign of a brothel.”
“I figured you’d already been doing that.”
“We have been, but you can’t find all the lowlifes.” He shook his head. “Most of the brothels are populated by women who chose to be there. The ones with innocents are harder to find. Until now I had no proof she was even still alive.”
She went to the tiny kitchen and got fresh water for Sheba, who sauntered over to splash in the bowl. “I heard something interesting from Lily yesterday.” She pivoted, twisting her hair into a knot and securing it with a pencil. “She says she met a rock star who was a friend of my mother’s.”
He frowned and tried to make sense of it. “Kyle was there?”
“That’s what it sounds like. She didn’t know his name, but the only rock star who would even know my mom’s name would be Kyle. Before I could ask more questions, Lily drifted into the fog again and called him the devil’s spawn.”
Kyle had owned this place, and Ava had been here along with the dead girls. It made sense to see what he knew. “We’re planning to talk to Kyle soon. If he’s part of the trafficking ring, he may know where Ava is.”
She frowned and tucked a purple strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s hard for me to believe he’d be involved in something like that.”
He raised a brow. She was defending Kyle after what he’d done?
“I see the look on your face. I’m not defending him, but he’s got the world at his fingertips. Why would he be involved in something so seedy and shameful? It’s not like he’s hurting for money.”
“Why did he do what he did to you? He has no respect for women and thinks he’s entitled to anything he wants. That’s exactly the kind of person who’d be involved with this.”
She kicked off her shoes and padded in bare feet over to drop on the sofa and pull an afghan over her legs. “When you put it like that, I see your point. Have you thought any more about letting me talk to him with a wire?”
“It might be worth the risk if I can make sure you stay safe.” Now that he knew Ava was alive, he was ready to consider any option. “Let me look online at his schedule and see what time he’s performing tomorrow.” He searched on his phone and found the information. “He’s playing at eight in Seattle. Let me call his booking agent.” He placed the call but had to bully the man a bit before he talked. Lance jotted down the information. “He’s due in tonight. He’s got a tour bus, but he’s also booked a room at the Four Seasons. I’ll text Daniel and have him stake out the hotel.”
“Kyle’s going to be livid the FBI is poking into his business.”
“Good. Maybe we can poke him enough he’ll spill what we want to know.” Lance was itching to find out what Kyle knew. “Do you really think he’ll meet with you again?”
“I want to help find your sister. I’m sure he won’t tell me no.”
“Let’s not risk it. I’ll find out which room he’s staying in, and you can just show up. The shock might shake some truth loose.”
He locked gazes with her and saw the goodness in her soul. Kyle Bearcroft should be shot for taking advantage of her trust and naivety. If he was involved in this whole sordid mess, he’d wish he’d never been born.
Bailey wiped sweaty palms on her jeans and stared at herself in the hotel mirror. Her hair was in an updo with tendrils of purple trailing against her cheeks. The lacy black top showed just enough cleavage to entice Kyle but covered enough that she didn’t feel like a trollop. She wished it had sleeves though. She didn’t like showing that much skin. The four-inch heels took some getting used to, but they gave her extra height.
The tiny microphone tucked in her bra gave her confidence. If Kyle tried anything, Lance and his men would bust into the room. The FBI had managed to find out Kyle was in the presidential suite on the tenth floor. He was there now, but he might
not be for long. He was a bottom dweller, and he’d be out trolling for women tonight. She was sure of that.
She slicked on pink gloss and pinched her cheeks to bring a bit of color to them. Her hands trembled as she hooked hoop earrings into her ears, then put on a dainty cross necklace her mother had given her for her eighteenth birthday. It would bring her courage and remind her that God was with her. She had right on her side. Kyle needed to be brought to justice.
“I’m going in now.” While Lance couldn’t speak back to her, they’d tested the mic and she knew he heard her.
Her heels clattered on the marble floors as she held her head high and exited the room to find the elevator. She rode it to the top floor with a woman dressed in a suit and pearls who looked at her with an inquisitive gaze. Did she think she was a hooker? Bailey felt a bit like one. Skinny jeans and lace tops were not her style.
With a perfunctory smile, she got off on the tenth floor and found the suite. She took a deep breath and exhaled. You got this. She knocked on the door. Music blared from inside, and she recognized Kyle’s distinctive smoky voice. He might be practicing or a CD could be playing. She pounded on the door again.
“Coming.”
At the sound of his voice, her pulse stuttered and her breathing hitched. Breathe, in and out. The door opened and Kyle, clad in a white terry cloth robe, stood in the doorway. Slack-jawed, his gaze slid from her purple hair to the stilettos. He stepped out of the doorway and gestured her inside.
She kept a smile plastered on her face as she shut the door. “Surprised to see me?”
He ran his hand down the length of her bare arm. “Floored. And you’re stunning.”
She barely restrained the shudder at his touch. “Thanks.” She moved away to look around the suite, and her heels sank into the plush carpeting. “This is spectacular.” The cologne he wore made her queasy.
The space was huge, with white sofas facing each other, and two red leather chairs, all situated around a fireplace. Beautiful art hung on the walls, and the dining table would seat six.
His gaze never left her, and she could almost see him salivating. He would be disappointed he wouldn’t be allowed to sample the goods. The thought of even kissing him turned her stomach. He’d already taken much more than he had any right to. Even being in his presence made her feel dirty and ashamed.
“How’d you find me?”
“It wasn’t hard. When I discovered you were singing here, I knew you liked the best. I’d say this qualifies.” Please don’t ask me how I found out the room number. She couldn’t lie, not even for Lance.
His mouth eased into a bemused smile. “Last time we met you said you never wanted to see me again, yet here you are. Can’t stay away, can you, baby?” He took a step closer to her.
She wanted to run from this suite as fast as she could, but she forced herself to stand her ground. “I guess not. Did you hear someone killed my mother?”
His smile vanished, and he moved to pour himself a drink from the bar. “I heard that sad news. I’m really sorry.”
“Thank you. Then someone tried to kill me, too, so I ran off. The funny thing is, I got to remembering how Mom was so opposed to me seeing you at first. Remember that? What did you say to her that made her change her mind?”
He shrugged. “I have a way with women of all ages. She couldn’t resist my charm.”
“Did you threaten her somehow, Kyle?”
“Did you only come here to grill me?”
She wished she could smack his face, but she continued to smile at him. Who knew she could be such a good actress? “I wanted to see you.”
The wariness left his face, and he grinned. “I’ve missed you, babe. You look good in purple hair.” He stepped close enough to stroke his fingers through the strands touching her cheeks. “I might not have recognized you if I hadn’t seen those emerald eyes. They’re one of a kind.”
“Thanks.”
His hand dropped and he scowled. “I-I need you to sign that deed to the cabin back over to me.”
“What? Why? I like the place.”
“You’re living there?”
Too late she realized she’d let her location slip. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
He shook his head. “I really need for you to go with me to the attorney and get that taken care of.”
“I’ll be glad to do it if you answer me about Mom. How’d you bring her around? I’ll know if you’re lying to me, Kyle.”
His gaze searched her face, then he nodded. “No skin off my nose, I guess. A, uh, friend called her. He made a few threats and she caved.”
“What kind of threats?”
He shrugged. “The kind that make a mom run scared when they’re levied against a really beautiful daughter.”
“He threatened to take me and put me in a brothel?”
He blinked. “Whoa, where’d that come from? I didn’t say that.”
The alarm in his voice told her otherwise. She ran for the door, but he yanked her back by the arm. “You’re not leaving, not now that I’ve found you again.”
She swung around and smacked him upside the head with her purse, then yanked open the door and made her escape.
Chapter 25
Ava shivered as she looked out the large window into the forest backlit by the setting sun. Frost limned the trees, and this new place held on to the cold. She clutched the blanket around her shoulders, but she still shivered. They were never allowed to open windows in case they cried out for help, so this large window was unusual.
Jessica lay curled up, napping under a comforter. At least while she was sleeping Jessica had the chance of a pleasant dream that would let her forget her circumstances. Her blonde hair spread out on the pillow, and she wore a smile. Ava knew there’d be no smiling when she awakened.
Jessica groaned and threw her arm across her eyes. “I don’t want to be awake,” she muttered.
So far Jessica hadn’t been touched. For now. Tonight or tomorrow could be the day their captors decided she needed to earn her keep.
Ava touched the lump on her head Maly had caused when she’d been found with the phone. When she’d seen Maly’s angry face, Ava had been sure she’d be the next one buried in a shallow grave, but she’d fought hard to live, to see her brother again. Had anyone found the picture of Lance she’d left? Maybe the bodies hadn’t even been discovered yet, so her effort to hide it might have been worthless.
And she missed the picture. Somehow she’d managed to hide it from her captors all this time. They didn’t like the girls to have any personal effects, nothing that reminded them of their previous lives that would inspire them to escape.
Jessica, her blonde hair in disarray, sat up and stretched. The strain came back to her mouth as she looked around the room. “I was hoping it was a nightmare.”
“It is a nightmare, but it’s also real. They’ll be unlocking the door soon so we can go down for dinner. You hungry?”
“Not hungry, but coffee sounds good.”
The keys clicked in the lock and the door opened, but it wasn’t one of Maly’s underlings here to escort them to dinner but Maly herself. The woman had probably been beautiful once with her black hair and chiseled features, but her life’s work had taken its toll. Myriad lines creased her mouth and eyes, hard lines that spoke of disappointment, cruelty, and drugs. Ava had always wondered how Maly became the betrayer of the women here, but she’d never had the courage to ask her.
She was thin—too thin—and her flowing muumuu hid the ridges of bone Ava had seen in her other clothing. It was probably the meth she’d done over the years. She carried nothing, which was a good sign. The bad sign was that she was here.
She shut the door behind her and smiled, displaying stained teeth from meth. “No work today. Vacation coming for few weeks.” Her Khmer accent and broken English were harder to understand since she’d lost a couple more teeth.
Once upon a time Ava had tried to speak Khmer to her, hoping to create a bond, but the woma
n just stared at her with her dark, soulless eyes.
Ava put her hands behind her and backed away a few feet. She didn’t trust Maly’s genial manner. “What’s going on?”
“Nice trip overseas.” Her gaze slid to Jessica. “Boss want the merchandise fresh so he not making you work. And you.” She gestured to Ava. “You are too much trouble, but Boss moving you to new place when ready, far from here. Shanghai. All costumes lost so we make new. Photographer come take pictures. You wear dress in closet. Put on makeup, do hair. Pictures must be perfect or you punished.” She pinned Ava in place with a narrowed gaze.
Ava’s chest squeezed. This couldn’t be happening. Jessica still looked uncomprehending, but Ava knew what this meant for her new friend. Sold to the highest bidder, either an Arab who had other wives or to someone in China. Beatings were common, and so was death. Poor Jessica would disappear into a landscape that would swallow her whole. Ava would be moved far away to a land where she couldn’t communicate. How long before she was sold to a “husband” herself? Lance would never be able to find her.
Somehow Ava managed to nod. Somehow she managed not to scream. But inside, her head whipped from side to side. She would find a way out of here or die trying. She had to, especially now that she’d heard her brother’s voice and knew he was still searching for her.
“Dinner now, but you come back, do as I said.” Maly exited the room and shut the door behind her.
“I-I don’t understand,” Jessica said.
Ava’s lips felt numb. “You’re about to be paraded around as if on the auction block. Slaves. The buyer will take you to his country and do whatever he likes with you. I’ll be forced to dance like always but in Shanghai, until they decide to sell me too.” While she knew the truth was terrible to hear, she had often wished she’d known what to expect.
Jessica went white. “They can’t do that.”
“They do it all the time.”
Tears filled her eyes as Ava rushed for the door and stepped into the dreary hallway carpeted with a fraying brown rug. Lance, please find me.
Secrets at Cedar Cabin Page 16