Vade’s sister, Charlie, was a victim of human trafficking, so it’s a cause neither one of us take lightly. It was fun letting her feed her captors to the group of wild hogs we trapped on my farm in Louisiana. Their screams drove the pigs into a huge feeding frenzy. It took them a long time to die. I’d say it was a fitting punishment.
Charlie now lives in New York City with Alex, her rescuer and now husband, where she spends her spare time running a safe house for trafficking victims.
I peer at the book of matches. The Lucky Rabbit Casino. “The shithole casino down the street? Anyone could be carrying these.”
“Open it.” Vade takes a sip of his drink.
I open the book and on the inside there’s a name written in curvy handwriting on the inside.Madam LaBell.
“Name sound familiar to you?” He’s watching me intently.
Honestly, no, not in the slightest. “Never heard of her. Why?”
“I have an inkling she’s connected to a trafficking ring and possibly connected to The Lucky Rabbit. Have you ever seen the strippers at Cottontails? Most of them look like they’ve been drugged beyond all comprehension.” Vade’s face is heavy with concern.
Cottontails is the strip club inside The Lucky Rabbit.
“Never been in there, but I suppose it’s possible. Have you asked Charlie and Alex if they know the name?” I turn the matchbook over in my hands a few times like a clue to who Madam LaBell is will just jump out at me. “It’s worth looking into. What do you suggest?”
Alex not only took down the ring that trafficked Charlie, he’s also the reason our black-market gun business is so successful. He’s a big city business tycoon with connections all over the world.
“I asked, they haven’t but said they would keep an ear out,” Vade says sullenly.
I understand how close to home stuff like this hits him. I’ll always have his back. He’s my brother, even if it’s not by blood.
“We could plant a spy in there. Can you think of someone who would be good for the job?” He pulls out a fat cigar, clips off the end, and uses the book of matches to light it.
I wrack my brain, there’s no shortage of beautiful women in this town who would do any favor I ask, but it also has to be someone trustworthy. “Sasha might be up for going undercover.”
Vade scratches his five-o’clock shadow, pondering for a moment. He’s familiar with her and her services too. “I don’t know, Nick. It would be too easy to trace her back to you.”
He’s right. Besides, I need my secretary and not just for her sexual favors. She also does a great job of keeping everything in the office running smoothly.
There are also the occasional formal gatherings where I just need the arm candy without expectations, and I can count on her to be no strings attached. She can always go home with someone else if she wants and sometimes does.
“I don’t think we need to ask anyone from around here, it’s too small of a town. Is there anyone else you can think of, possibly even from another state?” He leans forward, his elbows on his knees.
Wariness hits me, I know I shouldn’t but… “Actually, yes.” I take another sip of my whiskey and tell him about the girl I pulled from the river.
“Holy fuck, Nick, have you lost your fucking mind?” Vade laughs. “You jumped in the river to save a girl fromWhiskey fucking Rivers? That place is like a third-world country.” He gives me an incredulous look.
“Yeah, well, it gets worse. Turns out she’s the one they’re looking for in connection to the house that blew up that night.”
“Oh, this just keeps getting better and better.” He’s still looking at me with humor and disbelief.
“I don’t see any other options unless you have a better suggestion. I saved her life. She owes me.” I grab the book of matches and examine it. I hear a lot of things that go on in the streets, but a Madam LaBell is not one of them.
“How long until she would be ready to go undercover?” Skepticism lines his face but he obviously doesn’t have a better option. “We should check it out first.”
“Possibly a few weeks, but realistically a couple months. We could go or send in undercover men. Either way, she can’t go in blind. We do need to know what we’re working with.” I tip my glass back, letting the whiskey slide down my throat.
“She’s unknown around here. How are you going to ensure she won’t be abducted and sent somewhere else? We should just stick to planting a man in there.” His looks away from me as swirls the melting ice in his glass. No doubt concerned for her safety.
“It’s possible we’ll take them down before we have to send her in there, but I think we need to prep her for it anyway.” I glance at my watch, it’s getting late. “A man can’t always get information out of someone like a woman can. She won’t be unprotected, we’ll plant a guard and have Ethan hack their system and keep a monitor on her at all times.”
“Very well.”
I stand and shake his hand before heading home.
