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I wracked my exhausted brain for the answer. “Yes! She’s an investor for the club.”
“You might want to sit down for this,” Pierce said.
I frowned. What the fuck could be worse than what had already happened?
Chapter Seventeen
I glanced at the three eager faces that were staring at me intently.
“I’m sitting,” I said to Pierce.
“Elaine Winsor isn’t her real name. It’s Laura Hansen.”
“That’s odd. Why would someone use a fake name in business?” My brain started spitting out lots of reasons why, and none of them were legal.
“Holden, she’s about to be arrested for sex trafficking. She’s been using your club as a poaching ground.” Pierce’s tone was clipped.
“What!” My cell clattered to the wood floor. “Goddammit.” I snatched it back up. “Sorry. Pierce, don’t tell me that you think …” I couldn’t force the words out of my mouth. “Please don’t tell me that introducing River to 4 Play … that I’m the reason she’s missing.” Guilt exploded inside me, ripping me to shreds in its wake. It was my fault that River had been taken.
“You can’t go there, Holden. You’re not responsible for another person’s choices. We think that whoever Laura is working for kidnapped River. This is one of the largest international sex trafficking rings that the FBI is aware of. They auction the girls to wealthy men, hire them out at parties, and force them into prostitution. It’s screwed up. They’ve been after them for years without a break … until now.”
“They took her to sell her to some monster?” I shouted, my chest squeezing tight as my heart hammered in my ears.
“As soon as the arrest goes down, the FBI will search the premises.”
“When is that supposed to happen, and where?” My body trembled violently.
“I can’t tell you where, but it will take place in the next few hours. Holden, if River is there, then you’ll see her in the morning.”
“If not?” Bile churned in my stomach. Tim was trying to stop River from being auctioned off to the highest bidder, but was his threat enough to save her?
Pierce cleared his throat. “Then we keep looking. We’re closer. Tim is still in Oregon, too. He’s clear of the trafficking, but if this raid is successful, the FBI is going after Tim and his partners. Shit’s about to blow wide open.”
Rage, blinding and terrifying, shook me. Tim could have told me where River was. He could have helped me, but instead, he ordered Laura to let her go unharmed and walked away from the situation. In my eyes, he was just as fucking guilty. Complicit. A monster.
“I’ll reach out the minute I know something. Brian is great about keeping me in the loop when we’re working a case.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll keep my phone charged and be ready if it’s good news.”
“Same. Hang tight. I’ll talk to you later.” Pierce disconnected the call, and I focused on my white and red Adidas tennis shoes.
“Holden?” Brynn tensed, and her brows furled together.
“There’s an investor in 4 Play that is about to get arrested for sex trafficking. Pierce and the FBI think she took River to … sell her.” Black clouds rolled into my mind. What if the FBI is too late? What if River was sold earlier today? The air thickened and closed in, smothering me in the small space of the room. I headed for the front door, desperate to be outside in the open.
Chance was hot on my heels. “Talk to me, man.” He folded his arms across his chest as we stood on the porch and stared into the thick, inky darkness.
“The FBI is planning to arrest Laura tonight. They’ll sweep the property, and if River is there …” I paused, unable to say the words. “What happens if River doesn’t make it home?” I breathed out my fear along with my question. “What if it’s too late and she’s already been auctioned off to some disgusting pig?” My voice cracked with my heartache.
“I refuse to think that. Shit, River is probably giving them hell. Not only is she trying to make it back to you, but she’s protecting your baby. Mama Bear at her best.” Chance leaned against the wall of the house; his expression grim.
“Tim better hide where I can’t wrap my hands around his fucking throat. He knows who has River and what Laura is planning, but he chose to walk away instead of making a simple phone call to tell me the truth. He’s wrapped up in all of this too.” My fists curled as white-hot fury swirled beneath my skin like I was a possessed man. Scrubbing my palms down my face, I ignored the churning in my gut that told me I was still missing something.
“What do you need me to do?”
I glanced at him. “Keep me occupied. Help me figure out what to do about 4 Play. Do I rebuild it or not? What if other sick fucks use my business for trafficking? I can’t be responsible for that shit.” I laced my fingers behind my head, my stomach knotting.
“Let’s brainstorm. Hell, maybe there’s a solution and you can still have the club if that’s what you want.”
