Nickie watched him leave and told herself no way was she meeting him, but she knew she would. How many times was she likely to get to spend time with the president of a one-percenter bike club. He wasn’t likely to tell her much since he knew she was a journalist, but people gave away all kinds of things without realizing.

She pulled her phone from her bra and saw a text message from the private investigator telling her to check her email, which meant it would be lengthy. His email told her Bud was the president of the Atlanta chapter of the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club, and then included a number of links. The first was to a newspaper article about several of the men from his chapter going to jail for a short time for rescuing a woman from a brutal rape. They’d brutalized the men who’d been raping her, and the law doesn’t like vigilantes.

Other articles were about the various charities they helped, along with fundraisers for veteran’s causes and the support they gave the local women’s shelter.

The journalist in her saw a story — either the men got a bad rap for being bikers, or the bad-boy bikers tried to make themselves look better with charity work. Hell, they might even be laundering all their ill-gotten funds through the charities they helped, for all she knew. Either story would sell, though the latter would sell a lot more.

Her immediate question was why Bud was in Mexico at a high-dollar resort dressed as a respectable and seemingly wealthy businessman. Was he trafficking drugs? Guns? Humans? Her stomach turned over at the thoughts of him involved in human trafficking.

The server hadn’t returned with her box yet, but she’d eaten most of the good parts of her meal so she stood and went to her room to get dressed for the pool.

She needed to know more about Donald ‘Bud’ Wright, the biker.

He’d had a five-minute head start on her, and it took her twenty minutes to walk to her room, and then she’d put five bathing suits on before deciding on a one-piece electric blue asymmetric beauty she’d picked up in Italy. It covered her ass but plunged low to showcase her cleavage, and was cut to show off her waist. She slid into low-heeled sandals and donned a loose, gauzy dress as a cover-up — both the same shade of electric blue. Her room card slid under one breast and a stainless pocketknife went under the other, and that’d be all the defense she’d have. She texted her security guy to let him know she wasn’t carrying her phone to the pool, and let him know which pool she’d be at. She’d hadn’t kept him up to date on her movements since she’d arrived, but felt the need for the extra info since she was meeting Bud.

It was a good ten or fifteen minute walk to the pool, and she stayed aware of her surroundings as she traversed the grounds along well-lit pathways. Nicole always trusted her gut, and when something didn’t feel right, she stepped off the pathway and behind a little statue to watch the people who’d been behind her.

Her blood went cold when she recognized one of the human trafficker’s muscle – the one she’d nicknamed Evil Shrek. Rage slashed through her psyche as she remembered helplessly watching this man kill four girls because he’d rather they die than be returned to their families.

He looked around as he realized he’d lost her, and she stepped out of his view and into the shadows behind the statue. Her heart raced, but she concentrated on taking deep, slow breaths as she took her dress and shoes off, and folded the shoes into her dress. She’d had her hair in a ponytail to swim, and she pulled it down before looking to see where he was. His back was to her, facing away from the direction of the pool, so she quickly stepped back onto the pathway and close to a couple.

“Excuse me? Is this the way to the pool? The one with the bar?”

Evil Shrek would be looking for a woman alone in heels, dress, and with a ponytail. Hopefully he wouldn’t recognize her barefoot, in just her bathing suit, and with people. Her suit was the same color as the dress though, so she had to hope it wouldn’t catch his attention.

She didn’t even look for Bud when she entered the pool area, but went straight to an employee and asked them to get security. The waitress motioned to a man and woman in bathing suits who looked like a couple, but who addressed her by name. “Miss Blackthorn, what can we help you with?”

“At least one of the men after me is here. I need a heavily armed escort to my room and twenty-four hour guard until we can implement an exit plan. I don’t have my phone, please ask your boss to let my security guy know what’s happening. I’ll also need to notify my FBI contacts as soon as possible.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

She hadn’t heard Bud step behind her, and her heart sped as she rotated to face him. “No. Security can keep me safe until I can get out of here, but the fact this man knows the pen name I used to reserve the room is troubling.”

“You’re sure the man you saw is one of the men after you?”

The security guy asked his question at the same time Bud said, “Tell me what happened when you saw him.”

Nicole chose to answer Bud, as it was the smarter question. She explained how she’d felt as if something weren’t right so she’d hidden just after turning a corner, and watched him come into sight and slow as he looked for her. Bud smiled when she got to the part about sliding out and talking to the couple, and the security guy frowned at him.

“Who are you?”

“A friend. Nicole and I met when we checked in.” He looked at Nickie. “Let’s get you to my room, where no one will know to look for you. What’s your exit plan?”

The female security guard had stepped away to make a phone call, and she moved back towards them to say, “My boss is calling your people, ma’am. He’s getting you another suite under a different name. We’ll get you moved and he’ll assign someone to you until you take your leave. He’s hopeful you can get an early morning flight.”

“You had this man’s picture and were supposed to alert my security team should he arrive on the premises. He’s very distinctive and you have a hole in your security.”

Nickie’s fear turned to anger, but these two hadn’t been responsible and she’d get nowhere taking it out on them. “I’ll let your boss know I’m unhappy with the service he’s provided, though I’m pleased the two of you have jumped into action to help.” She looked to Bud. “I won’t ask you to get involved if you don’t wish to, but if you’re willing then I’ll appreciate the company while I get moved.”

It was possible he was part of the trafficking ring and had hoodwinked her, but it was also possible the traffickers paid the head of security more than she’d paid him, and he was available to the highest bidder. She’d have to go off her gut before deciding whether to stick with Bud or the resort’s security team, but she needed her phone to check in with Tyler and see how soon he could get her home.

Tyler hadn’t wanted her to travel without a bodyguard, but she’d insisted she needed time alone. She hadn’t thought the traffickers would be able to find her other names, and had been certain she was safe in Mexico since they didn’t appear to operate here.

The two security people dressed in bathing suits walked her to her room, and Bud said he’d follow behind and keep an eye on anyone who might be watching them.

“I named him Evil Shrek,” she told Bud. “He’s big. I had the names the leaders were using, though they dropped those identities and we can’t find them now. Evil Shrek seemed to just be muscle though, and I never caught the name he used.”

“You’re safe with me watching over you. Walk with them and follow instructions. You might not see me, but I’ll see you.”

Bud caught up with them while they waited on the elevator, and the four rode up together. “Do you have someone watching video around her room?” Bud asked the two security people.

“Our boss is making those decisions,” said the woman.

Bud nodded and looked to Nickie. “We’ll let these two watch from outside the door while we get you packed. I’ll stay between you and the balcony entrance, just to be safe.”

“You trust him?” asked the female security guard.

Not really, but she didn’t trust the resort’s security at this point, either. Evil Shrek stood out, and someone should’ve recognized him. She was told all security personnel had seen the pictures she’d provided and would notify her the moment any of them came onto the property.

“I’ll be happy to have his help as well as yours until my personal security team can make better arrangements.”

“If you need me to step out onto the balcony while you speak with your security guy, it won’t hurt my feelings,” said Bud.

Nickie didn’t think the security people were happy about being left outside her room, but she pretended not to notice.

“Do you have a picture of Evil Shrek?” Bud asked her once they were inside.

“I can get one off my cloud, along with pictures of the others.” She opened her suitcase and her stomach fell. “Someone’s been here.”