Dani
I was busy for the rest of the week.
Marcus and Jett insisted that I move my clothes and belongings to Marcus’s condo just in case I got caught and needed to hide out after my meeting with Gregory Becker.
Actually, most of the orders were coming from Marcus, and over a space of several days, I found out how careful, cautious, and annoyingly anal he could be. I knew the fact that he was covering all of his bases came from his years of gathering intelligence for the CIA, but he wasn’t exactly subtle about what he wanted. When he “suggested,” what he actually meant was for me to move my ass and do whatever he wanted. Even though being bossed around grinded on me, I respected his experience, so I complied gratefully, wondering why I’d never thought about or planned for some of the things he mentioned.
Probably because I’ve never been a spy. I was sure Marcus’s life depended on him being anal about planning.
“Are you really ready for this, Dani?” Jett asked nervously as I stood in the living room of my condo Friday night, ready and dressed exactly the way Greg liked.
My brother and Marcus had come to the house as soon as it was dark, only entering after they’d verified that I wasn’t being watched.
Jett’s concerned tone made my heart ache. Even if I wasn’t ready to try to get information from Greg’s home, I wouldn’t let Jett know it. He’d been through way too much himself to worry about me. If I showed the slightest hint of hesitation, I knew my brother and Marcus would cancel the entire mission. “I’m fine. I think that Marcus more than covered any possibility,” I answered confidently, yanking on my tiny red skirt so it completely covered my ass.
“No, I didn’t,” Marcus said stoically. “Nobody can ever be ready for everything. But we’ve taken some measures to ensure that you’re safe.”
My cell phone rang in the tiny clutch I was holding, and I dug into the bag, worried that Greg was calling to cancel.
But it wasn’t Becker.
“It’s Ruby,” I told Marcus, turning away to answer the phone, stepping toward my bedroom where Ruby wouldn’t hear the two guys in my condo.
“Hey Rubes,” I answered cheerfully.
We’d spoken once earlier in the week, and she’d been safe. I’d called Marcus after the conversation, letting him know that I had to get Ruby out of the bad situation she’d fallen into.
“Dani,” she replied in a relieved voice. “It’s tonight. The auction is tonight. The people taking care of me just called. They told me to shower and to shave. Everywhere.”
My heart fell. I had been hoping I could swing by and get her out of her hotel tonight, right after my last encounter with Becker. That had been my plan. The moment I was finished gathering information to bust the bastard, I’d have no reason not to pick Ruby up and get her to a safe place.
“Where is it happening?” I asked breathlessly.
“I think it’s some kind of underground club right down the street, from what I could get from conversations. Dark Satisfactions is the name of it. I heard people talking here. That’s all I know. They’re coming to get me, and to make sure I’m completely shaved. I get why they’re doing it. I might be a virgin, but I’m not stupid. They cater to kink.”
I was more than certain that the club did indeed cater to unusual preferences, and they wanted Ruby to appear as young as possible.
Jesus! What in the hell was I going to do? I turned and looked at my brother and Marcus. As I remembered how much info Jett had been able to get on Becker, I was struck with an idea. “Jett!” I said urgently, holding the phone away from my mouth.
My brother broke off his conversation with Marcus to answer, “Yeah?”
“Did you see any information on Dark Satisfactions when you were looking for info? It’s an underground club.”
He nodded. “Connected to Becker, but in a convoluted way. It’s on the dark web.”
The club’s connection to Becker wasn’t really a surprise. I’d always suspected he was involved with Ruby’s plight in some way. I lifted the phone again to tell Ruby, “Don’t argue with anything they want. We got the location, and I’m sending somebody to help. Please trust me. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Can you believe that?”
The line was silent as Ruby seemed to contemplate what I said. Finally, she answered. “Right now, you’re all I have, Dani. You’re the only hope I’ve got unless I get a chance to escape.”
“Not a hope, sweetie,” I assured her. “I’m sending you a sure thing. But don’t make them hurt you by trying something crazy. Somebody is getting you out of the auction site safely.”
“Okay,” she answered, her voice reflecting a spark of faith.
I knew she had no real reason to believe in anyone, and she had no reason to trust. I had no way of showing her that not everybody wanted to exploit her, or hurt her, except by showing her that some people were worth putting her faith into.
I hung up and then approached Jett. “I need you to be a hero tonight,” I informed him. “Please. I need your help.”
He frowned at me. “I’m always willing to help you, but I’m nobody’s hero.”
“You will be tonight. I need you to work your way into Dark Satisfactions and help a friend. It’s not just a sex club. They’re human trafficking, Jett. At least in Ruby’s case.” I was fairly certain there were more, and we needed to close down those businesses completely.
I explained to my brother and Marcus quickly, knowing I was short on time.
“Jesus, I hate this prick even more than I did before,” Jett cursed. “I’m on it. I’ll get her out of her situation, and then we can go to the authorities.”
I put my hand gently on my brother’s arm. “She’s scared, Jett.”
I’d just told him about Ruby’s history, but I wanted him to understand that she might not trust him.
He nodded. “I doubt she’ll be threatened by me. I limp, and she could outrun me right now if she wanted to.”
I hugged him, so damn grateful that he had such a huge heart. “Be careful.”
He hugged me back and then looked at Marcus. “Take care of her,” he warned his friend.
“No worries about that,” Marcus affirmed.
Jett only took a moment to pull everything together and he was out the door.
“He’ll be fine,” Marcus assured me. “He’s probably one of the smartest guys I’ve ever worked with in any capacity.”
“But his injuries are still going to be a disadvantage,” I argued.
“Less than you think,” Marcus drawled. “He might limp, but he’s pretty damn strong. And sometimes brains are more important than brawn. I need you to focus on what we’re doing. Jett will be fine.”
I nodded. “I’m ready.”
“Not quite yet,” he denied, reaching his hand into his pocket to pull out a chain and a pendant.
I didn’t stop him when he went to drape the piece of jewelry over my neck and then pulled my hair from the gold chain.
“What’s this?” I asked uncertainly, fingering the cameo pendant.
Marcus flipped the pendant over. “Since Becker is a paranoid prick, I don’t doubt that he isn’t going to let you keep your cell phone for pictures. This is a backup.”
“Are you telling me this actually takes photos?” The pendant was relatively tiny.
He demonstrated how it flipped open, where the button to take photos was, and how to use the device, and then closed it again. “It takes very good photos as long as you do exactly what I told you to do.”
“How is that possible?” I questioned.
“I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,” he said in a mocking tone.
I shot him a tremulous smile. “Highly classified?” I asked.
“Actually, yes. And so is this.” He pulled something else out of his pocket.
“What?”
He slid a simple beaded bracelet over my wrist. It was plain, and like the pendant, it was nothing flashy. I was guessing it was supposed to be nondescript so as to not draw attention.
He adjusted the beads carefully as he said, “Touch the beads, but don’t twist them.”
I put my index finger carefully on the cool, artificial stones. “One of them is smooth,” I mused.
Marcus quickly explained how the pepper spray device worked. It was pretty simple. With a quick, powerful twist to the smooth stone, a high concentrate of pepper spray released into an assailant’s eyes if one’s aim was good.
“Aim well, and make sure you have an escape route,” he advised. “If you don’t move your ass, you’ll end up getting some of it yourself. Don’t do it in an enclosed area or if you can’t get away.”
I marveled at some of the nifty gadgets that Marcus had access to. “Got it,” I acknowledged. “What? No matching ring?”
“No, but I have earrings,” he mentioned casually, drawing a pair of plain black stones out of his other pocket.
I was wearing a pair of dangle earrings that matched my white shirt, but he motioned for me to take them off, and I ridded myself of them quickly.
“Do I want to know what these do?” I asked as I threaded both wires through my pierced holes.
“Press the inside button on either one of them and the signal comes directly to me,” he explained. “And you’d better use it at the first sign of trouble,” he grumbled.
“Panic buttons?” I asked.
“Don’t wait until you panic,” he advised. “Once you think he might be onto you, push the damn button. I’m going to be on your ass anyway, but I need you to signal me if there’s a problem.”
Nice as all these tiny tools might be, what really touched me was the fact that Marcus Colter looked worried.
“Hey,” I said softly. “I’ll be okay.”
His staunch expression didn’t soften as he snaked a hand around the back of my neck. “You better be. Don’t take any chances, Danica. Promise me.”
I glanced up at him, meeting his tumultuous gray eyes. My heart skittered as I saw the strain on his face. “I won’t. I promise.”
“I must be fucking crazy for helping you do this,” he rasped.
“I’m crazy,” I corrected. “You’re just watching out for me.”
“That seems to be a job I do well,” he said hoarsely as his head lowered to capture my mouth.
I couldn’t help but sink into his hard body, opening for him as he demanded my submission. I wrapped my arms around his neck, losing myself in his strength for a moment, allowing myself to feel.
I’d steel myself for my meeting with Becker as soon as Marcus let me go, but for just an instant, I needed to feel protected, and the only one who could make me feel less alone was the man who was holding me like he never wanted to let me go.