“Not unless you can book us an Uber to the airport and the next flight to New York.” Sam bends over the bed and turns the screen to face her. Then, on hands and knees, she searches for a missing boot.
“I can. Who are the travelers?”
“Suds and Sam Sutcliff, Selena and Chrissy Bright.” My partner kisses my cheek and races into the other room while I balance precariously on one foot, trying to stick the other down my pants leg.
“You might want to turn around. I believe someone has a gun pointed at your back.” Believing the app’s observation, I turn with my hands in the air and face Veronica Parker.
“Shut off the computer.” The madam, Ronnie, waves her weapon at the laptop.
As I comply, I wonder if my wife is in the other room and stall. “Too late. The artificial intelligence has already called the police.”
“You think I give a flying fuck? You ruined everything. Put your hands up.”
I lift them to my shoulders, hoping to dive for my weapon.
“Higher.”
“Yes ma’am.” My palms reach to the ceiling.
“Outside.”
“How about you let me finish dressing?”
“Do it, then move.” She keeps her distance, gun aimed at my chest.
When done, as I meander to the door, curiosity gets the better of me, and I turn. “Why kill the college kid in Buffalo?”
“I didn’t. The sex-traffickers did. Once your wife shutdown the website, he had no value to them.”
“So, you had nothing to do with the prostitution ring?”
“I only asked to be assigned to the case so I could find Chrissy.”
“Selena never would’ve talked. This is all on you.”
Her laugh comes out bitter. “Of course, she wouldn’t. How do you think she got so damn rich?”
I shoot her a blank look and she punches the wall. “My God, you are fucking clueless. You have no idea what the woman is capable of. You should’ve let me kill her.”
“You had your chance, in front of my apartment.”
“Those blanks weren’t from me, you dumb hick. Those morons were hired by my father. He’s way too soft.”
Holy fuck. When the bedroom door cracks open, I expect it to be Sam but it’s my client and she’s got the barrel of her gun pointed at the other woman.
“Are you saying Selena is blackmailing your father?” I figure if I keep the one gal talking, the other will want to hear, and my wife will have time to shut this shit show down.
“That bitch would extort money from her own mother, if she could.” The escort’s cold smile sends a shiver down my back.
The Manhattan apartment, the brownstone in DC, the jewels, the clothes? Now, it all makes sense. She played us all. Never, in a million years, would I’ve guessed she was the puppet master.
“Why don’t you come in and join us?” As Ronnie turns, she pulls the trigger.
At the same instant, Selena fires.
While they fall, Sam and Chrissy run into the room.
Not wanting the teen to see her mother bleed out, I push them out the door. “Call nine-one-one.”
