The taste of him eclipsed all else.
My pet kidnapper had become my accepted hunter, and I would’ve run naked through the warehouse if he’d asked.
At last, he broke away.
“You’re good at that for a man who doesn’t kiss,” I breathed.
“You’re exceptional in every way I know.” Kane dropped his hold. “One hour,” he repeated.
Then he was gone.
Back inside the apartment, the women whooped and hollered. I flushed hot and wiped my lips, earning laughs.
Everly put her chin on her hands. “You are so cute together.”
“Weren’t you just telling us how you didn’t like being single?” Genevieve added.
Cassie quipped, “Sure it’s in the past? You have beard rash on your cheeks.”
I giggled and touched my face then pulled a guilty expression at Mila. “Sorry if this is weird.”
“Honestly, it’s not. I was just joking with what I said. We might be brother and sister, but I have no idea how to talk to him sometimes, or how to tease.” She smiled. “I’m glad you two are together. I’d say welcome to the family, but I really don’t think you want that association.”
Stripping my long-sleeved top, I donned my new detective agency one, straightening it with pride and tucking the rose into my bag. “On that sobering note, I’ll tell you about Dixie.”
I’d already shared the results over our message group but recapped the details.
“It’s probable she’s moved on,” I said once I’d reached the end.
“So close yet so far,” Cassie said. “We were just going over the details of Esther’s death, and it’s made me even more scared for Dixie.”
We’d already discussed a potential connection, and I dropped my gaze to the papers. “We have so much going on. So many threads to pull.”
Everly sat forward. “Is it okay to ask for a summary of where everyone’s head is at? My morning sickness meant I missed several discussions. There was one day I couldn’t even look at my phone. I could use a refresher.”
Mila nodded. “Good idea.”
I agreed. “I think we could all use that. Are you feeling better?”
“Hugely. Which means Connor has calmed down as well. He was losing his mind over not being able to help me, and from being the cause.”
She grinned, and we all laughed.
On the floor, Mila picked up a piece of paper and wrote, ‘Victim – Dixie’ across the top, matching the existing one for Esther. “Okay. We know Dixie was hurt a while back then went missing a month or two after. We’ve discovered her hidden identity of Darcy Marchant, my and Kane’s sibling. Though Darcy’s existence is now out there, few if any know she’s Dixie. Her role is important because she holds the casting vote on the future of the family business which has been on hold since my grandfather died.”
Everly pointed to the next victim sheet. “And before she vanished, another woman was hurt.”
Mila picked up the piece with Esther’s name at the top. “This time killed. Esther Eavis was a sex worker I knew from school. She helped me access an auction so I could get to the businessman I thought was influencing my grandmother. She hadn’t spoken to me since the funeral. The businessman is Rhys Jacobs, and he’s been missing for just as long. His business partner is a nasty piece of work named Salter who employed Esther. Both of them sold women for a living.”
Cassie flexed her red-painted fingertips. “Salter is currently rotting in a skeleton crew cell.”
I goggled at her. “He’s still alive?”
She inclined her head. “Wouldn’t say he’s in great shape, but Arran felt he could be useful in future.”
Mila took over. “Salter gave up information on a trafficking ring where Jacobs would sell some of the women for a premium and he took the rest. He was desperate to get their trade running again. But then comes the issue that neither of them could influence. The fact that Marchant Haulage had ground to a halt, and the importing of women stopped with it, leaving some poor souls trapped on our impounded boat.”
Her words dried up, her expression shifting to distraught.
