“I gave you a choice, Derek. Just remember that.”
“W-wait! WAIT! Fine, f-fine! I’ll tell you what I know, but you s-swear, swear you’ll help me?”
“I’ll protect you from him, I swear it.”
“OK, OK,” he repeats, relief written on his face as he watches where I stand in the corner.
“Fuck, man. You wouldn’t believe the shit week I’ve had.”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” I prod, taking a few steps forward.
“I-I have a debt from Andrei, h-he’s the boss.”
“How much are you in debt to him?”
“A hundred and fifty grand, man.”
“What the fuck are you doing with that kind of money, Derek? Gambling it away?”
He looks down sheepishly. “Yeah, man. I knew I just needed that lucky hand and I’d be able to pay it back tenfold. He just didn’t give me enoughtime.”
I fold my arms where I stand. “OK, so you weren’t able to pay back your debt. What happened then?”
“His men picked me up, brought me to his place. They beat me. He said I’d have to do this in order to pay my debt back. Take Dani. Take women. He said it was for his trades. Then he fucking branded me.”
Every hair on my body stands at attention. “What do you mean,he branded you?”
“Yeah, man. Took a fucking hot-as-shit rod and pushed it into my skin,” he replies, looking down at his chest. “He said he sells women, for others to enjoy. Said I’d make ten grand for each woman I brought him—thirty for Dani. Look man, if I knew he was into shit like that, I would have never borrowed money from him. You have to believe me.”
I growl at the very thought of another man getting his hands on her. I don’t fucking think so.
As I step forward, he continues, “But when I sent him the picture of Dani, he called me right away. Said she was a previouspurchase and rightfully his, but said he’d double the amount to sixty grand.”
Coming up to his position restrained in the chair, I rip open his button-down shirt to reveal a serpentine brand on his left pectoral.
“Hey, man, be careful. Shit’s still tender.”
Before I can continue questioning him, a text comes in from Franklin.
Franklin
We got it, man. I have everything. Andrei Wes. Russian. Known human and sex trafficker.
Me
Do you have access to his bank records?
Franklin
Yeah, man. I got it all.
Me
Was there a large withdrawal three years or so ago?
Franklin
Let me check.
