any other photos this man might have taken of Britney.
Obviously, I haven’t seen her breasts up close and personal, but this isn’t the way I would have preferred to see them for the first time.
I’m kicking myself in my mind. First of all, Britney is not mine. Second of all, I have no business ever seeing her tits. I’m trying to save her life, not claim her. I need to remind myself of that often if I’m going to get through this without hurting her.
She’s so fucking sweet. She leans on me like she totally trusts me. How on earth has someone like her survived this long without… I can’t even think the rest of that sentence.
Lazinski taps the folder that contained the photo. “I have all her details in here. More pics. Address. Cell phone. You think you can find her?”
I sigh, pretending to consider his offer. “That’s a lot of money,” I state, pointing at the figure he wrote down. I should pretend to be leery. Fuck, I am leery. Of course, I’m going to take this job. It’s divine intervention he offered it to me. I certainly don’t want some other fucker running around town looking for Britney.
This actually couldn’t have worked out better. I can be the inside man. I’ll know what the hell is going on at all times. It’s the best way we could possibly gain access to the seller and the buyer. I doubt Lazinski is the actual seller, just like I doubt whoever was meeting him here was the actual buyer. They were both middlemen. Now they’re in a panic. Lazinski is awfully calm for a man who’s in as deep dog doo-doo as he is.
He shrugs. “Like I said, I take good care of my girls.”
I nod slowly and draw in a breath as I push myself to sitting more upright, hands on my knees. “Can’t promise anything, but I’ll give it a shot. How many people you got working on this?”
“A few of my bouncers. I want to keep this quiet. Don’t want the other girls worrying.” He waves a hand through the air. “My bouncers went to her place earlier, but they came back empty-handed. I also sent several texts and left messages. No answers. That’s why I’m even more concerned.”
Went by her place? That’s a joke. They tossed it.
“Time frame?” I ask.
“ASAP.”
Shit. That’s not enough information. I’d rather know exactly when the buyer is expecting Lazinski to deliver. I’m sure Lazinski is hoping the man never becomes aware his purchase was missing. I stand and reach for the folder. “I’ll do my best.”
He reaches into his desk, pulls out a folded stack of cash in a rubber band, and tosses it across the desk. “I’ll pay the rest upon completion,” he says.
“Understood.” What I understand is that this man is probably strapped for cash and needs Britney to get himself out of debt, in which case this is the sum total of the money I’ll ever see. Then a darker thought comes on its heels. He’s so afraid of the buyer that he’ll toss out good money on a gamble that I’ll find her. I wonder how many other girls he’s sold and shudder inside.
He hands me his card. “You can reach me here if you have any information. Please update me often.”
“Will do.”
How I manage to walk out of that office and down the stairs without steam coming out of my head is a miracle. I aim straight for Blade. “Let’s go.”
He rises without question and follows me outside.
“Meet you at the office in five.”
He nods and heads for his own car. We’re not having this conversation here in the parking lot. I’m certain Lazinski is watching me. I’ll fill Blade in when we get to a safe location, and it goes without saying that we’ll both make sure we are not followed.
Chapter 7
Britney
I wander around Davis’s house for a while, enjoying the silence. I’ve rarely enjoyed such silence in my life. A vast house with no one in it? Unheard of. Even my apartment isn’t quiet. The walls are thin. I can hear the specific words coming from my neighbors on both sides. The people above me must be running a dance studio too.
I don’t want to be nosey, so I don’t open any cabinets or drawers or even closed doors. Most of them are open though. I can see that he has a modern office with a glass desk and a state-of-the-art computer system. His