CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Seth
“Where were you last night?”
“Gorgeous, let a man have his secrets.”
I rolled my eyes at the two love birds. “Are you two done?”
Joss pushed the button to call the elevator, then looked at her husband. “I’m talking to my best friend about his night for the few minutes we have left of our normal life.”
“You act like we’re never getting it back.”
All three of us stepped into the elevator of the Aria. After I watched my heart drive away in a taxi again, I walked down Las Vegas Boulevard and checked into a suite under my undercover name, Michael Wade. I went by the name on Facebook, but it had no real ties to me. I did it so crooks couldn’t find out who I really was, where I lived, who I was dating, etcetera. There were also a lot of other Michael Wade’s on social media, so if Tony wanted to investigate me, he wouldn’t find anything out.
After slipping my key into the slot of the elevator, I pressed the button to the sixty-first floor. “If you must know, I did get lucky. I had a very nice weekend fucking just like I’m assuming both of you did too.”
Paul smirked. Of course they did. They were newlyweds, and Paul used to fuck for a living even if he swears he wasn’t paid for that.
“All right. So we’re clear on the plan?” Joss asked, changing the subject.
“Clear as day!” Paul boomed. “I get to go all James Bond—”
“No,” Joss interrupted him. “You get to look pretty by Seth’s side.”
“And kick some ass if need be.” Paul proceeded to punch the air like an idiot.
Had to admit, this dude was growing on me. As far as the meeting, Bryce was meeting us in my suite. I’d texted the number Joss gave me using a phone the FBI had provided me for the mission and told him when and where. A key would be waiting at the front desk for him so he could take the elevators up to the floor. The FBI was putting me up in a suite in one of the nicest hotels in Vegas as my cover. I was playing a rich, business man who was looking to expand his company.
Not bad, not bad at all.
Once Bryce arrived, we’d go through the plan with him. He was going to tell Tony that he had a guy from Vancouver who was interested in partnering up to get women into Canada. In the meeting he and Tony had, Bryce would bring me to a location where the girls were ready for me to assess. Tony would think that I was scouting the meat to make sure it was good enough for my liking. If they were—which they would be because I wasn’t going to walk away from any woman put in that situation—Bryce would tell Tony, and then I would meet with him to pay for the girls. Except the meeting wouldn’t be me paying him at all. It would be me arresting every single pimp and hooker in that location. Joss would be waiting for my signal, and then the FBI would move in. When I told Cat it would take two weeks, I didn’t mean it. Our plan shouldn’t take more than a few days since Joss had been working this case for months. I was just the last one in—the one to make the final bust.
The three of us walked out of the elevator, and once we found the correct room number, we entered heaven. It was two stories, large white pillars along a huge floor to ceiling window that wrapped around the first level.
Paul whistled. “Damn! Maybe I want to go to Quantico if the FBI puts people up in paradise.”
“This isn’t standard, sexy.”
Thank you, Jesus, I was staying in a hotel for this case. I’d heard Joss call Paul sexy one too many times. Though, during the operation, Paul was supposed to stay with Gabe and not with Joss. We all needed to break ties after this meeting, except when Paul was hired as my bodyguard. Then we’d have meetings.
“So? It happens apparently,” Paul stated.
“Let’s see how the Army shaped you, man. Then I might recommend you to the academy in D.C.”
“D.C.?” he questioned. “I’m not moving to D.C.”
I looked to Joss.
“I’m staying. I decided to transfer.”
I smiled. “I understand, but I’ll miss you, kid.”
“I’ll miss you too, but it’s not only because of Paul that I’m moving here for good. Once all of this is over, Bryce will spend time in jail. I want to be in the same city as my brother. And then, when he gets out, I want a relationship with him.”
“Totally get that too.”
All three of us were looking out the window at the sun setting behind the mountains when the elevator dinged. I turned, and a man in a suit stepped onto the second-floor landing. A man who looked just like his sister. He walked down the stairs, and Joss moved to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. I didn’t fully know what to expect when Bryce would walk in. A part of me thought he might set us up—get us killed, or not show up at all and be on the lam. But he showed—alone—and I felt as though I was seeing a ghost. I never thought I’d see that little boy again.
The two broke apart, and Joss turned. “Bryce, this is my husband, Paul.” The men shook hands, and then she turned to me. “And not sure if you remember—”
Bryce smiled. “I remember very little, but what I do remember is you used to let me play Grand Theft Auto.” He stuck his hand out, and I took it.
“I did. Little did I know that was practice for you.”
“Seth!” Joss snapped.
I held up my hands in defense. “I’m kidding.”
“It’s cool,” Bryce said, looking at Joss. “It kinda was practice. Though in real life, I can’t kick a hooker out of my car until she pays me. Not the other way around.”
Who would have thought that I’d be standing in a room with an FBI agent, myself, a prior gigolo, and a current pimp? My mind was officially blown.
“By the way, sis, your wedding was beautiful.”
All three of us balked at his admission.
“You were there?” Joss asked.
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
“How did you know where?”
Bryce smiled. “Andi’s one of my girls, and I have tabs on all my girls, Jossie.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
He chuckled. “Because I’m not the only one with eyes in this town.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Tony’s a powerful man.”
“What do you mean he’s powerful?”
Bryce moved and sat on one of the couches. “Fear goes a long way. So does money. Combine those two, and you have everyone in the business wanting to kiss your ass.”
“So if that’s the case, won’t he know who we are?” Paul asked.
“He’ll know everything about you, Paul. He’ll even know you got married—”
“To me then,” Joss stated.
“Only when you file your marriage license,” Bryce corrected.
“So we wait.” Paul looked to Joss. “Right?”
She nodded. “Yeah. It’s not like we can go to the recorder’s office while we’re working this case anyway. Not enough time.”
“Okay,” I jumped in. “So you tell him that you have a guy who wants to get in on the business. I’ll hire a bodyguard. And it will look legit because Paul needs a job now that he’s not fuckin’ around.”
“Seth!” Joss snapped.
“Oh come on, Jossie. You’ve been working as an escort too.”
“I’m not sleeping with my clients.”
“To be fair, I haven’t slept with a single one since you stormed into my house.” Paul smirked.
Bryce stood again. “You three don’t need me here to talk about your past—”
“Wait.” Joss grabbed his arm. “When’s the meeting for Seth?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s the thing. When I brought it up to Tony that I’d had someone interested in joining the business, he was all for it. Apparently, he wants to expand into Cuba, Russia, and Korea.”
“What does that mean?” Joss asked.
“He’s throwing a party.”
“A party?” I questioned.
“We have a warehouse near the airport that we keep girls in that are being sent to Mexico. Recently Tony’s been collecting tourists and selling them.”
“Tourists?” Joss asked.
“He pays cab drivers to drop them off at the warehouse instead of the airport.”
“What does that have to do with other countries?” I asked.
“He’s found buyers on the dark web and invited them to come check out the merchandise.”
“How many girls?” Joss inquired.
Bryce shrugged. “A couple hundred. Maybe more.”
“A couple hundred!” she yelled. “How long has this been going on?”
“A few months.”
I shook my head in disbelief as Joss began to pace. Paul scrubbed his hands down his face and muttered, “fuck” under his breath.
“This was worse than I’d thought,” she said.
“So what’s this party like? We go in, the girls prance around, and then we tell him how many we want to buy?” I had no clue how they even planned to get all the girls across various borders. But what I knew about criminals was they’d find a way.
“Not exactly. There will be more than just the ones we have. The girls will be waiting for someone to ask for a test drive if you know what I mean.”
“Why would any of them agree to go have sex with these strangers?” Joss asked.
“Fear.”
“Fear?” I asked though I knew what he meant.
“Tony’s been starving them. If they don’t do what they’re told, they get a nice belt across their skin.”
“Oh, God,” Joss whispered. “We’re going to need more than just the four of us.” Joss continued to shake her head in disbelief.
“I agree,” I stated.
“When’s the party?” Paul asked.
“Tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow night? I can’t get a team ready in less than twenty-four hours.”
I turned to Joss. “You’re gonna have to. Not only can we take down Tony, but we can also get three other traffickers.”
She sighed. “I’ll make a call.”