The odor in the room gets stronger as I turn to my left and find the bathroom. Inside, there’s a dead girl in the bathtub, bloodied and beaten. She’s been dead so long her features are unrecognizable. What kind of sick fucks were these dudes?
I’m about to leave the room when I hear rustling near the closet. Carefully, I march over and swing the door open. On the floor of the empty closet is a man. Our eyes meet and I remember those eyes. He’s the one who shot Specter. I’m fucking positive.
He’s naked and trembling, his blond hair standing up on end. “What are you doing in here?”
The man doesn’t say a word but attempts to scoot back from me in the confined space.
“I asked you a fucking question.”
He rattles off words in a language I don’t understand, andjudging by his thick accent, I have to wonder if he speaks English. One way to find out.
I press the nozzle of my gun to his forehead. “Answer me,” I growl.
His eyes go wide as he mumbles more foreign words, but when I press the gun harder to his forehead, he makes a terrified noise.
“We are… erm… p-p-paid to…” His voice shakes as he attempts to speak in broken English.
“You were paid to take us out?”
He shakes his head, coughing to clear his throat. “Eng-lish hard.”
“Well you better fucking try.”
The man nods, scrubbing his hands over his face. “Not paid for you. Paid to get girls.”
“Girls? You bring girls from…?”
“Countries.”
“You bring foreign women to the United States for sex?”
He nods, eyes still wide. “We know…” He pauses, his brow creased in concentration. “My country.”
“You get women from your country to come here? You promise them husbands and a good life, yes?”
He nods, pulling his knees to his chest.
“What country?”
“Ukraine. Sometimes Russia.”
I knew it. “Who do you work for?”
His brow crinkles again as he concentrates. “Just the boss. I no…” He closes his eyes. “Name, no. Just Boss.”
“Who are these dead bodies?”
He looks surprised, like he somehow isn’t aware he’s in a room with two dead people. “Do not know. Not mine.”
“Well, I hate to be the one to break up the party.” I laugh, grabbing his arm and pulling him to his feet. He’s a skinny guy, and without a gun in his hand, he’s not so scary. “Just kidding.I’m delighted to break it up. Come along. Specter can decide your fate.”
He tries to resist me by digging his heels into the carpeted floor, but he’s no match for my strength. I maneuver him easily down the hall and the stairs to find the guys stacking bodies in the middle of the floor.
“Specter.”
He looks up at me, his face splattered with blood.
“This is the one who shot you. I remember his eyes.”
