This particular arrest was for assault, but the charges had been dismissed after the victim, a nineteen-year-old woman, hadn’t shown up to testify.
Was she a trafficking victim?
After I read the report, I decided it was possible. The assault had happened outside a fast-food restaurant. He’d started beating her up, and a few customers had intervened. He’d tried to drag her to the car, but a police cruiser had been driving by and stopped. Nixon was arrested and the victim was taken to the hospital.
If she’d been a trafficking victim, there were several reasons she might not have shown.
One, Nixon’s one phone call could have been to someone in the organization to let them know she’d been taken to a hospital, then someone had shown up at the ER to bring her “home.” Two, the police had put her in a domestic violence shelter, and she’d run, deciding her freedom was worth more to her than justice. Or three, they’d made sure she’d never testify against Nixon or anyone else by killing her.
I had a sinking feeling it was option three, but I hoped to God she’d run and was living a very different life.
I studied the man’s photo again. He looked like an asshole who’d earned a hard-ass reputation. Based on the evil look in his eyes, I wasn’t surprised he’d viciously beaten a woman in public. And if he beat a woman like that in public, he was capable of far worse in private.
Chapter 25
I took off my wig and pulled out all the pins, rubbing my fingertips over my scalp, then took my laptop to the bed, still dressed in case I needed to get to James in a hurry. I tried to stay up until he returned, but the last time I checked the clock, my drooping eyes read a little after four.
I woke to a brush of lips against my temple. When I opened my eyes, the sky was lightening in the windows and James was heading for the bathroom.
“Hey,” I called after him. “How’d it go?”
He stopped and turned back to me, then sat on the edge of the bed. He looked exhausted. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I was just relieved you were here.”
I squinted up at him in confusion. “You thought I’d take off?”
He leaned over and gave me a tender kiss. “I hadn’t seen you in hours, and Knox wants to get his hands on you. I was furious with Carter for lettin’ you come back here. He put you at risk of Knox findin’ you.”
I scooted upright, more awake. “It wasn’t Carter’s decision, James. I came back here on my own.”
“You left Little Rock with the girl. You should have stayed put.”
I shot him a scorching glare. “Why the hell would I stay out of Little Rock? We need to stay in town to bring down Knox and his operation.”
“You were alone!” he said, temper riding his words. “Anything could have happened to you!”
“I was wearing my wig. No one knew who I was. Not even Keith when he walked into the Brass Magnolia.”
He stared at me like I’d grown a second head, then he got off the bed. “You went to the Brass Magnolia?” he asked in a cold tone.
“I wasn’t about to come back here and watch Netflix while you were interrogating Buddy.” I paused. “Did you get anything useful from him?”
“That’s not important right now,” he said, fuming.
“It’s the only thing that’s important right now,” I countered. “What did you find out?”
“Why did you go to the Brass Magnolia?” he shot back.
“The same reason I went to the Velvet Room. To check in with my contacts.”
He looked stunned, then his voice rose. “You went to the Velvet Room?”
“Calm down, Malcolm,” I snapped. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m not some amateur sleuth. I used to be a fucking police detective!”
He turned away and began to pace.
“Why are you so upset?” I asked, getting to my feet. “You had a job and I had one too.”
He spun around to face me. “Your job was to get the girl away from the situation. Not traipse all over Little Rock!”
