I straightened and plastered on my own smile, one I’d practiced to be nonthreatening and calm. “My Lamb and I are here for a special something.”
“Really?” His blue gaze flicked between us and his pouty mouth twisted. “And what’s that something special?”
River curled his arm around my waist but still managed to lean closer, keeping his voice low. “Come on, Derek, we know about the boys and girls you acquire to sell. We want one broken in as a sex slave. Our preference is male. Obviously.”
Derek’s eyes turned cold, and I stiffened, ready to fight my way out of whatever was about to happen. “I don’t know what you think you’ve heard, Mr. Demchenko, but I do not sell people in this establishment. I know the rules that keep the peace in New Gothenburg perfectly.”
“Come on,” River said, and I fisted the back of his suit jacket, warning him to tread carefully. There was no one to save our arses tonight. King had warned us of that. “We heard from a little birdie you did.”
“And who is this little birdie?” Derek gripped his hands in front of him, spreading his legs, and I knew a defensive stance when I saw one. I’d been trained to read body language, and Derek wasn’t happy with the direction of this conversation.
“His name is Pierre. He used to work for you.” River shrugged. “He said we could get a guy here.”
“Mr. Burgess has not worked here in nearly a year, and if he told you that you couldbuya person here he is wrong. If I were you, I would not be spreading these rumors.” He stepped in closer, and I slid myself between him and River. I held up my hand. Now was the time for truths because it was obvious that this man really did not have anything to do with the trafficking, not if his body language said anything.
“Jason Bolton is part of a trafficking ring, and we believe people are being bought out of here.”
“Who are you really?” Derek’s hand got closer to his chest where I didn’t doubt a gun was hidden, by the cut of his suit jacket.
“You know who I am. A cop, but I’m also a PI.” I kept my face neutral, my voice level. Getting angry or defensive would only make Derek react. “A sex trafficking ring is being run in New Gothenburg, and as River said, we believe people are being bought out of your casino. We need answers, that’s all.”
Derek’s shoulders relaxed and he crossed his arms. “Are you here on behalf of King?”
“Yes and no,” I said, even as River opened his mouth. “This was my investigation. We believe children as young as ten are being kidnapped, though again, a lot of this is hearsay. We need to put a stop to it. Do you honestly want that in your city?”
“I agreed with King in outlawing sex slavery in New Gothenburg. We keep clean of trafficking. So if it’s here, it’s not from me.”
“Not according to someone I’ve talked to, Derek,” River snapped, shoving me out of the way. “Even I’m being threatened.”
“Threatened? How?”
River threw his phone at him and Derek managed to catch it, nostrils flaring. He stared at the message and his jaw tightened.
“I think you need to tell me everything, Mr. Demchenko. Come with me.” Derek kept the phone as he turned on his heel, storming through the gambling people and toward yet another set of stairs. We followed, not quite sure if we were about to walk into our deaths or not. But we’d prepared, talked about how we might be killed by entering Derek’s kingdom. Even King had warned us about the dangers, and we’d accepted. If we died, it’s how it went.
Derek led us to a door where another two heavily armed guards waited and jerked it open. He whispered something to them, nodding at us as we trailed up the stairs. The guards let us through. We walked into a dark office, decorated in burgundy and black. The only part that had some color was a sofa shoved in the corner of the room, which was a bright crimson.
He waved at two chairs in front of his mahogany desk and settled elegantly into his own executive chair, immediately leaning back into it. We took the seats, and my gut roiled in anxiety and adrenaline, goose bumps rising on my skin.
“Now, tell me everything about this text message, Mr. Demchenko, and I mean everything.”
River gave me an apprehensive glance before he sighed and started from the beginning, telling Derek about his adventure locked to the bed and the pictures that were taken. He even mentioned Brickton, which seemed to interest Derek because he leaned forward on his desk and frowned. By the time River was finished, Derek was stroking his chin and his mouth was set in a thin line.
“By Brickton, you mean the lawyer, right?”
River nodded. “He has it out for me. Has since I headhunted one of his employees.”
Derek nodded and fell back against his chair again. “I’ve heard of him. My cousin Mitch uses him. And you say this Jason Bolton worked for our company, as well as the biker that King knows?”
“Yes,” River answered. “We believe this establishment is the connection.”
Derek shook his head. “I assure you I have nothing to do with sex slaves. It’s not in my interest to make money out of slavery. People are perfectly happy to throw it at me for no good reason.”
“Then can you tell us how this place is the connection?” I gritted my jaw. I hated how we were getting nowhere with this. “Because we’re not leaving until we have answers, and by the look on your face you know something.”
Derek smiled, and I wanted to knock out his straight white teeth. Fucking arsehole. “You’ve got your answer. You can assure King I am not involved.”
River sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose, and I knew he was ready to give up, but I wasn’t. I didn’t miss the way Derek had said ‘I.’
