“First of all, there’s no ‘us two’ about it,” I say firmly.“He just did me a favor, that’s all.Loaned me a hundred men for a situation in New York, then decided to go up there to watch.When a friend was kidnapped he gave me some information about it, and when it looked like she was taken to New Orleans, I came down here to find her.”
Kate’s face is carefully blank.“With Lucien Boudreaux.”
“Yes, that’s what I just said.”
“Lucien Boudreaux loaned you one hundred men and went to fight a war with you, then happened to have the information you needed, and then flew you down to New Orleans at the drop of a hat.Just being Johnny on the Spot.”
I stare at her for a beat, confused.“Evidently.”
Then I see her mouth twitch.“And he’s still sticking to the story that you two are just friends?”
“I wouldn’t even call it friends, honestly,” I snap, annoyed at this game.“He tried to lock me up in his house so he could do all the groundwork.”
Kate tries not to grin at this.She fails.“Lock you up in his house?You’re...staying at his house?”
At that point, I’ve finally had enough.“Kate, I don’t have time for you to play around.Lucien and I aren’t whatever you’re thinking.We’re barely anything.I haven’t even fucking talked to him in years.The only reason I’m at his house is that we’re working on this case together.Now how the fuck did you get here?”
She finally stops smirking and grows serious.“Made a mistake.Saw a girl getting roughed up outside a club and went to help her.Three guys were trying to grab her and her friends, and I wasn’t having it.But they had guns and knives and I was unarmed, so...”
“So they just took you too?”I gasp, surprised.This doesn’t sound like anything we have in our files, and it goes against the idea that they’re only taking girls from rich families.Kate’s mother is influential, sure, but she doesn’t exactly travel in high New Orleans society.
“Yep.Been here three days.”
Three days.If that’s true, she was here almost from the start of this group.
Which means we only have four days until this group is shipped out.
“Were there many other girls here when you arrived?”I ask quickly.
She looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.“Sure, they were down here having a big party.”
“Kate, I’m serious.This is important.”
She tips her head, but then sees that I’m serious.“Right.No, when I got here there were only a couple other girls.But it’s been filling up since then.”She pauses and watches my reaction, then bites her lip.“That’s not good news, is it?That means something bad.”
God, I don’t know how to tell her this without sounding dramatic.Then again, this is a dramatic situation.Maybe I shouldn’t sugarcoat it.“It just matches what we thought.We’re guessing this group brings girls in waves.Collects them for about a week, one or two at a time, and not only from New Orleans.They’re getting them in New York, Boston, Atlanta...”
“Why?”she breathes.“For what?”
I meet her eyes and grit my teeth.“They pass them out as escorts while they have them, then ship them somewhere.We don’t know where, yet.”
Kate closes her eyes and then nods.“Right.Of course they do.And there’s a timeline.”
“Exactly.”
When she opens her eyes again, they’re full of knowledge.And determination.“How much time do we have?”
Right.Moment of truth.“If you’ve been here three days?We have three days until the ship date.Four at the most.”
Her face goes even paler, but I don’t see any fear in her eyes.Instead, she gives me a sharp, brittle grin.“Then I guess we better find a way to bust the hell out of here and save these girls.That why you’re here?”
God, I want to hug her.“That’s exactly why we’re here.”
What I don’t tell her is that I’m here without a fucking plan, and without a team behind me.Sure, Lucien is above ground and will give me anything I need, but he might not know where the fuck I currently am—I don’t know if this tracking device even works—and I’m guessing he can’t get to me.And because I left without drawing up a plan with him, I’m essentially flying solo.
And for the first time in my life, I don’t have a backup plan.I’m trapped in an underground room with a bunch of very scared girls, and I don’t know if Lucien can track me.
I don’t know if he’s coming to save me.Or not.
