Chapter Nine
Moon
I don’t allow my desperation to show. It’s a cloying weight sitting on my chest, making it nearly impossible to breathe. Madison has been in that man’s hands for over twenty-four hours.
“Hold on, baby,” I say inside my head. “Just hold on.”
Dax and his man Duke arrived a few minutes ago. Austin arrived two hours before and brought Melina along with ten men. Melina is now entrenched with the women sorting information in the control room, which they’ve taken over.
Dax’s news is minimal. “All we have are rumors, nothing solid,” he says into the quiet conference room.
My fists are clenched and I’m about to lose it. Never in my life have I felt this desperate.
“Go on,” Alex prompts. He knows me well and he fully understands I’m not coping with the situation.
“The rumor is about two escorts that never returned from a call. They disappeared a week apart. Are you familiar with Miles Cartwright?”
Alex straightens in his chair and I pull my thoughts away from what’s happening to Mak at this very moment. “We know him,” I answer.
“It’s two of his girls. The ladies who work for him are nervous, and the ones we talked to have drug habits and won’t notify law enforcement because apparently Miles supplies their needs.”
I glance at Dax’s goon because it looks like he wants to add something. “If you have something to share, spit it out,” I say impatiently.
He shakes his head, which only pisses me off. “Spill it,” I say between clenched teeth. I have no idea why his silence bothers me so much other than I’m on edge and everything bothers me.
Dax answers. “He’s mute. He can write down your answer, but we need paper.”
I give Duke a once-over. Huge doesn’t do a good job at describing him. I cast a quick glance at Alex, whose lips are twitching. He doesn’t want to take on this goliath any more than I do and here I was pushing a fight with a man who doesn’t speak.
I manage to clip out the word “paper” and Alex leaves the room. He returns a minute later with paper and pen and slips it in front of Duke. The large man turns the paper slightly and starts writing. When he’s finished, he slides the page to Dax. He reads it and then slides it to me. Without having use of words, Duke has captured the fine art of script writing; the lettering flows in an almost artistic way.
No one should hurt women.
When you pay a visit to Cartwright, I wish to attend.
I pass the note to Alex, who nods at Duke and then passes it on to Austin.
Dax steeples his fingers. “I say the five of us pay him a visit.”
Austin speaks for the first time since entering the room. “I know this place is a fortress, but I’m not leaving Melina here alone.”
He’s right. Fernandez wants Melina and she’s in danger as long as he’s alive.
“That works. Get your men settled in the pool house. Gabriella will help.”
Alex snorts. Gabriella is a lifesaver and a challenge. She’s at her best when she’s busy, and feeding ten additional men plus Austin and Melina will help her stay out of our hair.
Before we’ve finalized our plan, one of my men knocks and enters the room. It’s Juan. He’s holding a box, similar to the one containing Cori’s finger, and my stomach drops.
“Who delivered it?” Alex asks.
“Courier. They had no information. Said a man walked up to him after he delivered a business package and paid him a hundred dollars to drop this here. He was on a bike.”
That actually makes the guy a badass because there are two kinds of people you don’t mess with during the summer in Phoenix—anyone with car windows rolled down and anyone crazy enough to ride a bike for a living.
I take the box and rest it on the table. Without waiting for Alex to open it, I peel off the tape and lift the lid. Another of Cori’s fingers is inside, but there’s more. A DVD rests sideways in the box. I stand, and Alex tries to follow me when I leave the room, but I stop him with a shake of my head. I take the disc into my office and pop it into my computer’s disc drive.
The screen fills with a bed. Twenty seconds later, Madison is dragged into the room with a knife at her throat and tossed on that bed. There is no sound, but it isn’t needed. I watch as Fernandez rapes my wife. She fights him and he strikes her repeatedly. Finally, she lays still and I don’t know if she’s unconscious until her head turns and I can see the hopelessness in her expression. My hand goes through the monitor, hitting it repeatedly until it’s in pieces. When that isn’t enough, I push it to the floor and kick it across the room.
“Fuck,” I say and drop my face into my hands. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
I don’t realize Alex has come into the room until he crouches down beside me. I can’t get the words out to tell Alex what’s on the disc.
“Is she alive?” he asks.
“Yes.”
He studies me and I look away not wanting him to read my thoughts. Guilt is eating me alive. Madison should never have worked at the service. She’d be safe if she were here at the house all day. Hell, she’d be safe if she weren’t part of my life.
“He’s dead, Boss.”
“Yes, he’s dead,” I say without conviction. I need him dead before he kills Madison.
∞∞∞
The escort service Cartwright runs is in the older Encanto area of Phoenix known for its lower rent, shady dealings, and dead bodies. The location goes hand-in-hand with his workforce of women. They would probably do better standing on a street corner. He provides services for a less discerning clientele than what Elegant Escorts has. If you want to get laid cheaply by women with drug habits and missing teeth, Cartwright is your man.
The office is in a strip plaza off the main road. The four of us enter with Alex in the lead, me next, then Dax with Duke last. I’ve figured out what was bugging me about Duke. His eyes and ears take in everything. He’s smart and alert, but his unusual quietness gives off a strange vibe. But with his size and dislike of men who hurt women, I’m glad he’s on our side.
The older dark-haired woman at the front desk looks up and quickly hits a button on her desk phone. “Moon, Gomez, and friends are here to see you and I don’t think it’s a pleasure call,” she says in a bitchy tone.
Cartwright coughs nervously over the speaker. “Send them back.”
We don’t wait for the woman to escort us. Alex leads the way when we walk the long hallway to Cartwright’s office at the end of the hall. Alex gives me a signal to wait when he enters the office. Our dealings with Miles haven’t always been pleasant, especially when it comes to Alex. If Miles has a death wish, he’ll meet us with a gun in hand. So far we haven’t gotten that lucky, but there’s always a first time and it could be today. I only need him alive long enough to ask a few questions.
Alex stops in front of a large wooden desk. From where I’m standing, I can’t see Cartwright until I enter. Dax and Duke follow close behind. When Miles sees me, he stands and walks around his desk ignoring Alex, which is his first mistake.
I don’t put my hand out when Miles offers his. “We want to know about the two missing women who worked for you.”
His sleazy expression twists and before he speaks I already know he’ll lie. “My girls are all accounted for. Sorry you’ve wasted your time.” He places his hands palms up and gives a nervous laugh.
The punch Alex delivers to his kidneys turns the laugh to a moan and he drops to his knees. Alex leans over him. “Don’t fuck with me, Cartwright. You’ll find yourself six feet under and in a whole world of hurt before you get there.”
Cartwright places one hand on the floor and tries to stand. Alex has other ideas and steps on his hand. “I… I… fuck,” Cartwright swears when Alex doesn’t remove the pressure.
“The two women?” I prompt.
He whimpers and his eyes plead for mercy. “Two of my bitches left their employment without notice,” he groans as Alex adds more pressure. “It’s… nothing to worry about.”
Duke steps forward and Dax taps my shoulder. I glance at Dax and he nods me to the side so Duke can step in front of me. Alex raises his foot and watches Duke with a half-smile. The giant leans down, grabs Miles beneath the armpits and lifts him.
Duke doesn’t stop lifting until he’s holding Miles completely off the ground with about a foot of air beneath him. The man has some wicked power in those arms.
Dax gives Cartwright a pleasant smile. “Duke doesn’t like men who hurt women. You could say it’s a line that, when crossed, has him committing murder. He just got out of prison for the second time. He’ll have no problem pretending your head is a pumpkin and leaving it in pieces before we go.”
Miles’s face turns the color of boiling lobster. “I can’t breathe,” he gasps in a strangled voice. You would think Duke had him by the throat.
“Good,” Dax replies, his smile still in place. “Your smashed head won’t hurt so bad if you pass out first. Knowing Duke here, though, he’ll wake you up before he caves in your skull.”
“Please.” His eyes scramble around the room looking for help that isn’t there. “They never came back. Went on a call and never returned.”
“Was it the same client?” I ask.
Now his face turns purple. “Yes, but he doesn’t know what happened to them either.”
“Did you ask him?”
His eyes jerk around again because he’s looking for a lie that will get him out of this. “I asked him after the first bitch disappeared. He said she was fine when she left. Said he tipped her good and she’s probably in a drug haze somewhere.” He coughs and sputters like an idiot while Duke’s powerful grip holds him in place.
Even I’m impressed with Dax’s new bodyguard. “How much did this man pay you after that bit of news?” I nod at Duke. “Give him a breather,” I say because Cartwright’s eyes are rolling back in his head.
Duke loosens his hold slightly without allowing Cartwright’s feet to touch the ground.
“No money.”
Duke tightens his fingers again and Cartwright squeals like a pig. “10K,” he wheezes when he’s able to speak.
“He paid you ten grand after telling you he didn’t know what happened to the woman and then you sent another woman in her place?” I’m losing my cool, which is evident in my raised voice. I’m all about control, but with Madison in danger, that control is a very thin thread.
Duke gives him a violent shake that rattles his teeth. “I’m not sending more women his way, and he hasn’t requested anyone this week.” Sweat drips down his face, rolls onto Duke’s hands, and drips to the floor.
“Name and address.”
“Mary has the address out front. Guy’s name is Diego.”
That’s Fernandez’s first name. I nod at Duke. He tosses Miles a full two feet and he lands against the wall, where he hits his head on a picture frame. It crashes to the floor on top of him and Cartwright doesn’t move.
Mary hands me a white slip of paper with an address on it after we walk to the front. “Your boss will need a little recuperation time,” Alex tells her.
“Yes, sir,” Mary mumbles and casts furtive glances down the hallway.
The four of us walk outside into the heat. The SUV is still running with the air on high, making the interior comfortable. You learn to have two car keys in Phoenix just for this purpose; one to keep the car running and the other to lock it so it isn’t stolen. Duke holds Dax’s door for him and closes it before walking around to the other side. I glance at Dax and he shrugs. Duke is quite the bodyguard.
I glance at the blue sky before sliding into my seat. I’m coming Madison, hang on.