Unspeakable Read online

  “You’ve got the wrong idea,” Rusty said. The redhead might make her living on the street, but she was smart, and she wasn’t one to be easily deterred. “I’m not trying to take advantage of her. I’m trying to help her. She doesn’t know what the people she works for are planning.”

  The redhead’s gaze held his, searching, he knew, for some kind of verification that what he was saying was true. And in her green eyes he saw not only skepticism but also something that marked her as a survivor. “If I find out you’re lying—”

  “You won’t.” Rusty added protective to her list of attributes. He liked the redhead immediately. “Now where’d she go? She might not have a lot of time left.”

  The redhead pursed her lips, then nodded to her left. “She’s at Assets. She was with that dickhead with the accent. I don’t like that guy. He gives me the creeps. I’d have gone in and told that girl not to be in a place like that myself, but the bouncers won’t let me in.”

  Rusty glanced down the street where the neon sign for the strip club known as Assets flashed roughly two blocks away. Adrenaline surged in his veins.

  He turned back to the redhead and pushed the cash into her hand. “Thanks.” He also tugged a pen and a blank card from his inner pocket and jotted his cell number on the card, then handed it to the redhead as well. “You ever want to get off the street and get a real job, you give me a call. I’m hiring.”

  The redhead narrowed her eyes on the card, then on him. “What kind of job?”

  Definitely a survivor. Just like him. She simply needed someone to take a chance on her. “Wine. Lots and lots of really good wine.”

  Pulling out two more twenties, he turned and handed one to each of the other two women. “You all were a big help, ladies. I appreciate it.”

  He made it two steps down the sidewalk before the redhead called, “Hey! You’re not that guy all the girls have been talking about, are you? The one they call Ro—”

  “That guy?” Rusty winked. “Don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”

  He didn’t wait around to hear the redhead’s response. With the sound of the three women’s whispered voices at his back, he pulled a baseball cap out of his jacket pocket, pulled it on so the brim hid his face from any cameras that might be scanning the outside of the strip club, and moved quickly down the street. But he seriously hoped the redhead considered his offer and called him.

  Assets was just like the club he’d been in the other night. Dark, smoky, and reeking with desperation. As he stepped through the doors and moved into the club, his stomach churned as he scanned the patrons at small circular tables in front of the stage where girls in various stages of undress were wrapped around poles, gyrating in the flashing lights. A heavy dance beat pounded out of speakers and vibrated through the floor.

  He narrowed his gaze, checking each face for the one in the picture. None on the stage matched. He searched each of the waitresses in skimpy outfits, serving drinks and clearing empty glasses from tables, but still none fit the description. Growing desperate, he glanced toward the back of the club, where the VIP area was located behind a half wall. Seeing several shadows moving behind the wall, he headed in that direction, only to slow his steps when he spotted a door open off to his right.

  A bouncer was stationed outside the door with his arms crossed over his chest. As one of the dancers drew close, leading a man by the hand, the bouncer gave the man the once-over, then nodded and stepped to the side, allowing them to pass. Rusty only caught a glimpse of the hallway before the door closed behind them, but he instinctively knew that was where he needed to look next.

  A quick check of the VIP area told him he was right. The girl wasn’t there. Which meant the guarded door was his best bet. Only there was no way he was getting through that door alone. Scanning the room again, careful to keep his head tipped down so his face was shadowed by the brim of his cap, he zeroed in on the closest stripper looking to make a quick buck and headed her way.

  The brunette was dressed in a skimpy white bra, matching short skirt, and four-inch platform stilettos. Flirting with two guys at a back table nursing beers, she was clearly trying to get their attention so they would follow her to the VIP area. Both men—decked out in jeans and flannel shirts, sporting heavy beards—were too busy ogling the dancers on stage to pay the brunette much attention, though, which was perfect for Rusty.

  He touched her arm at the elbow. Her gaze swung his direction. And one look was all he needed to see she was stoned out of her mind.

  “Hey, handsome.” She stumbled his way with a crooked smile. “You lookin’ for a good time?”

  She all but fell into him, and as he reached out to make sure she didn’t take him down, he recognized the scents of cigarette smoke, gaudy perfume, and hairspray.

  She righted herself with a giggle, held on to his arms, and straightened. “Oh, you’re strong. And hard.”

  “Uh-huh.” She wasn’t particularly attractive—or all that young. Up close the lines on her face made her look closer to forty than the twenty he’d assumed from a distance, and her skin had that leathery, blemished quality from years of drug use.

  “Mmmm. I like dancing for strong men.” She pursed her lips and squeezed his biceps as she shimmied closer. “How ’bout you and I go back to the VIP area and I show you just how hard I can make you.”

  That definitely wasn’t going to happen. But he wasn’t opposed to using her to get what he wanted.

  Continuing to hold her up at the elbows so she wouldn’t fall, he nodded and glanced past the VIP area toward the dark hallway that led to the secret area of the club. “What if I want something more than just a dance?”

  Her gaze darted to the dark hallway, then slid back to Rusty, and when her eyes met his, he saw a spark of excitement. Only this excitement had nothing to do with attraction and everything to do with cold hard cash. “I don’t know what you mean, handsome.” She winked. “We only give dances here.”

  He leaned close, fighting back a wave of nausea when her smoke-filled hair brushed his cheek, and pressed a wad of bills into the palm of her hand. “I’m pretty sure you know exactly what I mean. And what I want.”

  The brunette sucked in a breath and carefully glanced down at the two hundred-dollar bills in her hand, keeping them out of sight from anyone else in the club.

  “You give me what I want,” Rusty whispered into her hair, “and there’s more where that came from.”

  Her gaze shifted from the cash to his worn Romeos, then slowly lifted to his jeans, gray T-shirt covered by a flannel shirt, denim jacket, and, finally, to his face. And oh yeah, there were definite dollar signs in her eyes now. “Hmm.” In a move that was anything but sexy, she rubbed her breasts against his chest and sighed. “Looks like tonight is your lucky night.”

  Rusty wasn’t convinced of that yet, but if she got him behind that door, he hoped it would be soon.

  Slipping the hundreds discreetly into her bra, the brunette dropped her hand to his and pulled him behind her toward the dark hallway. “Follow me, good lookin’. I’m about to rock your world.”

  The bouncer was a big guy, at least six five and close to three hundred pounds. As they drew close, Rusty knew he was memorizing every inch of Rusty’s face.

  “Heya, Jay,” the brunette said with a wink as they approached.

  The bouncer tensed, lifting his shoulders at least another inch. “Destiny. You ain’t supposed to be back here tonight. You’re not on the schedule.”

  The brunette only rolled her eyes. “Relax, would ya?” Tugging a twenty out of her bra, she slipped the bill in the bouncer’s front pants pocket and said, “No one has to know but us.”

  The bouncer’s jaw clenched, but as the brunette maneuvered around him and tugged Rusty with her, he didn’t try to stop them. Just turned after them and said, “I’m serious, Destiny. If the boss man finds out—”

  “He won’t,” she tossed over her shoulder. “Because you’re not going to tell him, are you,
Jay?”

  Jay frowned and shook his head. As he turned away from them, the brunette mouthed to Rusty, “Sphincter police. Ignore him.”

  Rusty wasn’t entirely sure what that was all about, but as soon as they made it past the bouncer, he didn’t care. The hallway curved to the left and then to the right, and they followed it like a maze through the building before it dropped to a set of stairs that led down a flight and finally opened to a wider hallway illuminated by an eerie red light.

  Doors were spaced every ten feet or so down the long corridor on both sides. Some kind of heavy metal echoed out of speakers hidden in the ceiling, drowning out noises coming from beyond the doors. But as the brunette led him through the hallway, checking each door she passed to see which one was unlocked, Rusty didn’t miss the unmistakable sounds of sex oozing around him—hinges squeaking, walls rattling, grunts, and groans, and even a high-pitched female scream now and then that sounded more practiced than pleasured and not the slightest bit arousing.

  Halfway down the hall, Destiny pushed a door open and pulled Rusty into the room after her. “Come on in this way, big boy.”

  Rusty was barely listening. His gaze was already fixed on the door at the end of the hall, the one that was partway open and through which he could just hear muffled voices.

  He itched to follow those voices, but he knew he’d never make it very far if he didn’t take care of the woman currently tugging on his arm first.

  Destiny closed the door at his back. The room was nothing special. A box with a cement floor, a bed covered by a shabby-looking red comforter, and bare walls but for one rectangular mirror opposite the mattress.

  “So.” Destiny let go of his hands and slinked closer, pressing her palms to his chest and rubbing her lower body against him. “What do ya like?”

  Definitely not that. But Rusty knew better than to push her away too quickly.

  Ignoring what she was attempting to do with all her rubbing, he leaned down until his face brushed her sprayed-stiff hair. The scents of cigarette smoke and cheap perfume filled his nose. “Where’s the camera?”

  She stopped her useless rubbing. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Yeah, you do,” he said so only she could hear him, not anyone else who might be listening outside in the hall. “I don’t care if your boss is a perv. I just want to make sure he doesn’t take a cut of your money.”

  That seemed to relax her. She turned her head his way, causing her hair to scrape his cheek, and smiled. “On the top of the mirror.”

  Rusty shifted his gaze that direction without moving his head and spotted the small camera on the upper right corner, likely unnoticed by most of the clients who ventured into this room. “How often does he check the feed?”

  “Only at the end of the night. He’s too busy out on the floor, making sure no one’s stealing from the dancers.”

  Perfect.

  Rusty peeled off his coat and dropped it on the bed, then tugged off the flannel button-down he’d worn over a gray tee and threw it in the direction of the mirror. The shirt hooked the right corner, covering the small surveillance camera.

  “Nice.” Destiny’s grin widened. “You’ve got talent.” She reached for the hem of her skimpy bra-top. “Now, why don’t you show me your other talents?”

  Before she could get it off, Rusty placed a hand on her arm, stopping her. “Thanks.” He kept his voice low. He was pretty sure there were no microphones in the room—sound was an extra surveillance piece he was sure her boss wouldn’t spring for in a joint like this—but he wasn’t about to be stupid, just in case. “But that’s not what I came for.”

  Destiny glanced at his waistband and shrugged. “It’s your money.”

  She started to drop to her knees, but Rusty grasped her by the arms, pulling her back up. “I’m not here for that either.” Confusion crossed her face as he let go of her and reached for the photo from his jacket pocket. “I just want information. I’m looking for this girl. Have you seen her in here tonight?”

  Destiny scowled. “You said you was gonna pay me.”

  Rusty glanced toward the camera to make sure it was still covered, then looked back down at her. “I will. The deal hasn’t changed. You tell me what I want to know and the money’s yours.”

  Skepticism filled her eyes. “Without any action?”

  “No action necessary. Just information.”

  She tipped her head and eyed him warily. “You gay or somethin’?”

  Rusty smirked. He’d been asked that before. “Not gay.”

  “So ya into virgins?” She nodded at the photo with a scowl. “Cuz I guarantee that one doesn’t know how to take care of a man.”

  She clearly felt threatened. “My reasons for looking for her are my own.” He held the photo higher so she was forced to look at it. “Focus if you want the cash. Have you seen her tonight?”

  Destiny snatched the picture from his hand and brought it super close to her eyes, squinting as if she had eyesight problems. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “Maybe?”

  Scowling, she shoved it back at him. “I saw her in the club earlier tonight.”

  “And?”

  She heaved a sigh and crossed her arms with a roll of her eyes.

  Rusty pulled out another hundred. “And?” he asked again.

  Her eyes locked on the cash. “And that prick they call Mihail brought her back here about a half hour ago.” She snatched the bill from his fingers and stuffed it in her bra with a self-satisfied smirk. “You want more, you gonna have to pay more.”

  “Do you know more?”

  “Course I know more. I pay attention. I ain’t stupid like some o’ the girls.”

  No, she wasn’t. She obviously knew her working days were coming to an end and was doing whatever she could to make a buck. He pulled out another hundred. When she reached for it, he tugged it away from her hand. “Not so fast. Tell me what else you know. Who’s Mihail, and what did he want with the girl?”

  “Besides the obvious?”

  Rusty didn’t answer. They both knew whoever this Mihail was, he wasn’t dragging the girl back here for sex. She wouldn’t have been advertised on that website for thousands of dollars if her handler was simply going to pimp her out in the back of a seedy club.

  The brunette sighed and glanced toward the hidden camera. Lowering her voice even more, she said, “Look, if I tell ya, it’s gonna cost ya way more than a measly hundred. I could get in serious trouble for giving this up.”

  “Giving up something you’re not supposed to know?”

  She smirked. “Yeah, that.”

  He tugged out two more hundreds. “Okay, spill.”

  Her eyes lit up. This was probably more money than she’d made in weeks. “I don’t know exactly who Mihail is, I just know he only shows up when the boss gets his hands on a really young girl. If she’s pretty, the boss man usually gets the girl to wait tables for a couple weeks, then Mihail shows up, he heads back here with the girl, then no one ever sees her again.”

  “Where does he take the girls? If they come back here, they have to leave somehow.”

  She rolled her eyes as if he were a complete moron. “The tunnels. Duh. There’s a set of stairs back here that run down there. The tunnels run all over under the city. Haven’t you ever taken one of those tours?”

  Shit. He hadn’t even considered the Shanghai Tunnels. Didn’t know they were still in use by anyone except tourists.

  “Pretty sure they get ’em out that way.”

  “How do they avoid being spotted by the tours?”

  “Beats me.” She eyed the money with a frown. “They proly don’t go where the tours go. Now look, I gave you the info you wanted. You gotta give me the money, or I’m calling Jay down here.”

  Rusty had no intention of running into Jay the bouncer again. And he definitely didn’t want Jay to know where he was heading next. He handed the brunette the hundreds, tugged on his coat, then pulled out one la
st hundred. “Stay here for at least fifteen minutes, make whatever kind of noises you make with a client, and then you can leave.”

  He pushed the money into her hand and turned for the door.

  “Hey,” she whispered at his back. “Where you goin’?”

  With one hand on the door handle, Rusty glanced over his shoulder. “Nowhere. And if anyone asks, we never met.”

  She stuffed the extra hundreds in her bra and flopped back on the bed. “Fine by me. I never seen ya in my life.”

  Rusty fixed the collar of his coat as he stepped out into the dimly lit hall. The sounds of sex echoed around him, but he ignored them, focusing only on the door at the end of the hall he’d spotted earlier.

  He had no idea if that door led to the tunnels or even if the girl from the picture was down there, but he’d come this far and he wasn’t leaving until he checked it out for himself. His adrenaline pulsed as he headed down the corridor, and in the back of his mind, he hoped he wasn’t too late.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Harper was pretty sure this night was going to end up as one giant bust.

  She’d covered twelve blocks downtown on foot, hitting most of the places where working girls tended to congregate. Not a single one had seen Melony Strauss in the last week, and none had shown any kind of reaction that led Harper to believe they even recognized the girl. She was cold and damp now, thanks to the light rain that had decided to fall in the last thirty minutes, and her feet hurt like a bitch. The next time she got the bright idea to hit the streets in search of information, she needed to remember to wear comfortable shoes instead of her trendy boots.

  Deciding this location would be it for the night, she crossed the wet, empty street and headed toward the trio of girls camped out near an alley. The blonde was leaning into a car parked against the curb, her ass all but hanging out of the short skirt. The brunette was walking back and forth in front of the alley, shouting at any guy in her line of sight. And the redhead was braced against the wall as if she were bored out of her mind.

  Not wanting to get in the way of a transaction, Harper ignored the blonde and headed toward the other two. “Good evening, ladies. I was hoping you could help me with something.”