“Jesus, human trafficking?” Shooter whispered.
She nodded. “I never knew the inside workings. I got out the minute it clicked. He kept his partners quiet.”
“An operation like that is going to be talked about. Shit. Where you at the club?”
She swallowed. “T-the last day I walked out and never looked back. Before I always thought multiple partners were just some fetish he had, an extracurricular activity he practiced behind closed doors. Then he started talking about Room 801. I’ve heard of BDSM clubs, so I wasn’t shocked he frequented a local one. Then he brought me there and I realized just who he was and what he was capable of.”
“What did you see?”
“I saw one of his exes. Her eyes were dull and haunted. I knew her from school. She was a sweet girl. There was no reason she’d end up that way if it weren’t for Peter. Imaging myself in her place terrified me more than the thought of what he’d do to me if I left. I walked out, changed my cell phone number, the locks on my house, told my friends and went to some counseling sessions.”
“Shit, baby.” He wrapped his arms around her, thinking about how close she’d come to becoming one of the nameless faceless women who got trapped in trafficking situations.
“You’re the only one who knows everything. I didn’t want to put the girls in danger, or let him know how bad it actually was.” She licked her lips. Fine tremors shook her and she held him tight.
“He’s not going to fucking touch you baby. Stay here and I’m going to talk to the boys. We do things differently around here. They’re holding the meeting for me right now. I have to go.”
“Okay.” She sank to the bed, looking small and lost. He wanted to rip Stant’s heart out and feed it to him. How many times had he done this same thing to other innocent women?
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and rushed to join the others. Clearing the door, he shut it behind him and moved to sit beside Moose.
“Since Shooter called this emergency meeting, he has the floor,” Moose said.
“Long story short—my old lady has a preppy, rich, pretty boy who doesn’t know how to take no for an answer. He left a fucked-up note on her window telling her he’s been watching her and now that she’s dating he’s going to take action.”
“So we go over tonight, rearrange his face and trash his ride.” Rocky popped his knuckles.
“I wish it were that simple. He’s not your average douche bag. He’s got some shady shit going on. A sex club called Room 801 where women are on the menu.” Shooter sneered. Money made the world go round. It pissed him off to no end. “He has a lot of money and power backing him.”
“He’s not exaggerating.” Specs lifted his head from the computer he’d set up. “According to the web he’s worth like ten million by himself. His father runs a prominent law firm and has his hands and money in quite a few judges and congressmen.”
“Did you find any link to the dirt he’s doing?” Tiny asked.
“Not yet.” Specs shook his head, fingers flying over the keyboard as he toggled through screens and ran more searches.
“Keep looking. No way this psycho bastard has clean hands,” Shooter said. “Juliette said he likes to date women, break them down and pimp them out.”
“This sounds like more than a case of unrequited love.” The inquiry in Tiny’s eyes made Shooter’s stomach hurt. He didn’t want to air all her dirty laundry. “Did he do that to her?”
“No But he’s a real sick fuck. I’m sure it was a matter of time. She was lucky to get away when she did.”
Understanding darkened Tiny’s eyes. “What do you want us to do?”
“I want her tailed and protected. If he gets ahold of her again, I honestly think he’ll kill her. You don’t trail someone for months and let them walk away.”
“Can your girl shoot?” Hawk asked.
“No,” Shooter said.
“She’d better learn quick. Give her one of our .38 Specials and lessons to go with it. Whatever you need to do, we’ll back you.”
“Thank you.”
“We take care of ours, Shooter, you know that.” Tiny turned to Specs. “I want you to keep digging, see what you can find to use against him. We’ll assign a few prospects to trail her discreetly in cars. I get the feeling the librarian wouldn’t appreciate the gesture.”
“You’d be right,” Shooter said in a droll voice. Laughter filled the space, chasing away the tension.
“Did you have something in mind?” Tiny asked Shooter.