“I DON’T SEE why we can’t just—”
“Ire’s rules,” Dasha said. “Stop whining, Darla.”
All night the blondes on the office chesterfield sniped at each other. One thing, then another. They weren’t good at being idle. Was anyone? Working at his desk, she didn’t make as good a view as Connel. Still, small mercies, at least they had their clothes on.
From memory, she was putting together a timeline and a list of questions in the notepad Dasha brought with the rest of the supplies earlier. Together, they’d written a list of needs and she’d stayed put while the beauties went shopping. Being a step removed was frustrating. The situation better damn well resolve itself soon or she’d be a prisoner in Stag for the rest of her days.
Strat sat at the end of the desk. Arms folded. Trapped in her vortex. Sucked into the foreverness that was Evander Manzani’s obsession. Her friend definitely had better ways to spend his time.
“What time is it?” Darla asked.
She checked her phone. “Just after eleven.”
“If we went down to the—”
“We can’t!” Dasha asserted, bouncing on the couch. “We’re not allowed.”
Darla whined. “Why are we not allowed? If Ire doesn’t need us—”
“It’s Ser’s rules,” Dasha said. “Ire said we’re to stay with her. She’s in charge.”
“He did?” she asked as her phone rang.
“Ire?” Dasha asked, perking up.
“No,” she said, answering the phone, getting to her feet. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Lachlan said. “It’s late. What you doing answering the phone this late?”
“You called me,” she said, passing Strat to go through the curtain and up the stairs. “I always answer my phone. What if you have a hot tip for me?”
“Told you a million times, I won’t be your source.”
“Yeah, that’s what Imogen’s for,” she said, curling her legs under her as she sat on the couch. “I can’t complain. She sucked your dick for like three years. The woman’s paid her dues. Poor thing.”
“Thanks,” he said. “Listen, when was the last time you heard anything about Vex?”
“Oh…” she said, drawing it out. “So you’re not my source, but I’m yours? What’s going on?”
“You have a strange fetish for him and his lifestyle.”
“Trust me, you’re way off base.”
Though, glancing around, substituting one name for another, he wouldn’t be so far from the mark.
“Can I take that to mean you haven’t heard from him?”
Hiding anything from the brother she loved was difficult. It was easiest to tell the truth as much as possible.
“I spoke to him yesterday,” she said. “Why?”
“You spoke to him? Are you fucking kidding me? Ser, why would you—”
“You want me to be honest with you?” she asked. “What happened to the ‘I’ll never get mad at the truth’ rule we had when I was a kid?”
“You shouldn’t be hanging out with guys like him.” His voice was heavy. “You should know better by now.”
“I wasn’t hanging out with him. We… came across each other.” Which only one of them had known would happen in advance. “You want me to lie? Say I haven’t seen him?” And there was always the chance her brother was testing her. Could he know more than he was letting on? “Think whatever you want, Lach.”
“No, I’m sorry,” he said on an exhale. “There’s a lot of… strain around here tonight.”
“If you’re calling me for information, you’re desperate,” she said. “He part of your case?”
“We got word he might be responsible for a shipment coming in tonight,” he said, his volume low. “We have to intercept this one and—”
“Isn’t that more narcotics gig?” she asked. “If they dropped the ball—”
“It’s not a shipment of drugs,” he said. “We thought it was, at first, from the chatter on—”
“If not drugs, what…” A prickle of trepidation trickled up her spine. “Women… you’re talking about human trafficking.” Knowing her brother’s division, she should’ve got there sooner. “They’re bringing women in, probably sending them off to brothels all over the city.”
“And further,” he said. “They use the city as a hub and unless we can intercept them before—”
“Evander didn’t say anything about women. He wouldn’t talk to me about something like that.”
“No, I know, but… We’re watching his club. ‘Cept we just found out he’s not here. If he wants to be there while the women are coming in—”
“You want to know where he is,” she whispered, glancing toward the bedroom.
“Like I said, with your weird fetish—you’ve done a lot of research on the family. And although you won’t reveal them, you have sources who might know…”
Licking her lips, she needed more time. Except if the cops descended when Connel was there…
She squeezed her eyes closed. “He’s at the Grand… Platinum Suite.”
“How the fuck do you know that?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Why not?”
“You’re my brother.”
“Oh, God, Ser, please don’t tell me you’re …”
“There? No,” she said. “But you better be quick if you don’t want to test that.”
“Shit,” he said. “Okay. We are not done talking about this.”
He hung up. Damnit. What had she just done?
Pouncing off the couch, she ran back to the office. The blondes. Right.
“You want to go downstairs?” she asked them, aiming for breezy.
“Da!” Darla exclaimed. “I need to dance!”
“You should,” she said, smiling. “You totally should. Both of you.”
“Really?” Dasha asked, hesitant although she stood. “Ire said we should stay with you.”
“I’m fine. Go. Have fun.”
Darla grabbed Dasha and, ignoring the latter’s reluctance, ran from the room.
The second they were gone, Strat was on his feet. “What’s going on?”
Her cheer cleared in a panicked instant. “Have you got Connel’s number?”
“No, Niall’s.”
“Good,” she said, struck by relief. “The cops are on their way to the hotel.”
“Shit,” he said, scrambling for his phone. “What did you do?”
Good question. Who the hell knew? “Should we leave?”
“Don’t think we want to fight our way out,” he said, dialing and raising the phone to his ear.
He turned his back as he spoke.
Connel may never speak to her ever again. If he did, she would get his number. Having information and no way to get it to him was too terrifying an experience to repeat.
Strat turned to her, his expression stony.
“What did he say?”
“You’re to stay put,” he said. “Upstairs.”
And she doubted the blondes would be joining them in bed.
Upstairs.
Did he want them alone or to cut off her escape routes?