Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 83800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
"That info was excellent."
I snap my eyes up to Bandera as he walks into the conference room.
I feel a spark of joy knowing I was able to help him yesterday evening. He's been tracking one of the women he met on the strip and lost her in the crowd. Thankfully, the little information he did have was enough to find a home address.
"Not in danger then?" I ask. Most women and girls who the guys come into contact with wouldn't have a permanent residence. More than half have been moved from place to place so often it's nearly impossible to even identify them.
He pulls in a deep breath before responding. "I don't know of a single person in Vegas who isn't in some sort of danger, but she isn't being trafficked. So I guess that's a good thing."
"So you're moving on to the next job?"
He tilts his head, his attention not on me, and I don't have to follow his eyes to know exactly what he's looking at. I don't give him any reaction. At least I try not to, but I feel like the guy almost getting busted jacking off by a college dormmate.
For the record, I did not have my hands anywhere near my dick but, full disclosure, my body has had a very primal and visceral reaction to watching Morgan in the hot tub.
"You don't find that a little creepy?" he asks, pointing to the monitor.
"I'm in the hot tub with her," I say by way of explanation.
"And that?" he says, pointing to a different monitor.
I look, hoping he's asking about the code I have running to try and track Henry, but shame settles inside of my gut when I look at the second monitor.
"I'm just making sure she's safe," I say, finding it difficult to pull my eyes away from the sight of her sitting in one of the plush chairs in the den, reading a book.
"She's here," he says with a scoff. "Of course, she's safe."
"You don't know Henry," I argue, clicking a few keys and making both screens that had her on them turn black.
Silence fills the space between us, and although I can feel his eyes burning a hole in the side of my face, I keep my eyes locked on the computer monitors. I hate that my brother seems hell-bent on destroying any happiness I may find.
Henry is the reason I've never spent much time or invested much energy into anything real in life.
I haven't heard from him or been an unwilling participant in one of his stupid games in several years. Part of me hoped that he'd gotten jailed or killed so that I wouldn't have to deal with him any longer. Of course, those thoughts also brought a wave of unbearable guilt and shame because we're supposed to love family no matter what, right?
I hated the relief I also felt when Morgan accused me of being the man who she'd had brief sexual encounters with. It meant my brother wasn't hurt, and that meant there was still a chance he could be saved from the darkness he surrounds himself in.
I don't know that I'll ever be able to give up hope that the man could be rehabilitated. In a perfect world, we'd both be working for Cerberus.
Who am I kidding? If Henry hadn't chosen the dark path in life, he would be sitting here, not me.
"Do you think he knows where she is?"
"Yes," I answer without hesitation.
There isn't a chance that my brother doesn't know where she is. I have no doubt Henry knew before we even showed up and walked through the front door at this address that this was where Cerberus would be.
I doubt there is a move I've made in the years that I haven't heard from him that he hasn’t been tracking me. The psychological damage of not knowing if he was alive or dead for years would've been part of his game. The man lives to torture me.
"So not only is she in danger, but that also puts Kaylee and all of us in danger."
I shake my head.
"I would argue that Henry isn't a violent person. That's not how he gets his thrills, but his current behavior is... new. He isn't the type to kick in the front door and do something terrible. That being said, the man knows he's outnumbered if he comes here. He'd be more likely to pull something when she's more vulnerable."
"Like outside?" he asks, pointing to the blank monitor that showed her in the hot tub.
"Possibly, or when she leaves the villa."
Bandera seems to work this information through his mind as if already trying to strategize how to keep her safe.
"I'll be honest…" I begin. The words that are coming already bring an acrid taste to my mouth because it feels like a betrayal to my brother. "He could probably press a button and shut all this down."