Oh no. “What did you do?”
“Me? Nothing. Devon, on the other hand…well, he’s in control now.”
I can’t breathe. “No.”
He turns the phone to reveal a photograph of Caroline bound to a concrete wall with thick iron chains. She’s sitting on a cot, not exactly sitting, but leaning to the side against the wall. Her eye is black and blue, swollen shut. Her bottom lip is split. She’s naked. Dried blood stains her inner thighs.
“What did you do?” I almost yell, but at the last second swallow the panic.
“Like I said, nothing. Devon’s an old friend from when we were kids. He works for a different crew now.”
Bile rises in my throat.
“Who? Who does he work for?” Please let me be wrong. I want to be so wrong right now.
“A small family– the DeAngelos? Maybe you heard of them?” He swipes the photograph to a new one.
In this picture, Caroline’s head is being held up by a hand in her hair. There’s a red line around her neck, like a rope burn.
“He’s going to hold her until the end of the night. If everything goes well, he’ll let me give you a pickup spot. If things go bad––” He shrugs, putting his phone away. “Well, then she stays put in the pleasure house, and from the look of her, she’snot going to last another round with the heavy hitters they have playing there this week.”
“All this so you can win a poker game?”
He narrows his eyes. “Those pricks laughed at me. Acted like I’m so beneath them. Declan does that shit all the time, acts like I’m nothing more than the dirt on his boot. Well, fuck him, and fuck you and your little Russian boyfriend, too.”
“Kieran, don’t do this. She has nothing to do with anything.”
“Right now, she has everything to do with everything.” He shrugs with both shoulders. “So, here’s your problem. How are you going to solve it? You willing to let your friend spend another night in that dirty place? Tied to that wall, to be used and abused by the highest bidder?”
I’m going to vomit.
“The employee entrance is around the back, don’t bring your car, just walk. I’ll meet you at the entrance. It should be dark enough now that you won’t be seen, but if you’re caught on the camera’s they’ll send security down, so do whatever you have to do to slither around.”
He grins. “Don’t be leaving me out in the cold.”
“You swear, I get you in and in that game, and you’re going to get Caroline out of there for me?”
“Of course, love. Just don’t be getting your boyfriend involved until I’m clear out of this place, yeah?”
I nod. Keep Ivan out of it and get Caroline back.
“You heard the guard. Just go. And don’t bother trying to get back in.” I shove his shoulder for good measure, though he’s a big guy so I barely move him.
I flash Igor a smile as I pass him then head to the staircase that will bring me to the employee rooms of Obsidian.
“Vee!” Lulu calls my name as I make my way through the back halls to the door Kieran should be waiting at. “Are you coming out here?”
“I’ll be right there!” I wave her off. “Two seconds!”
She flashes a thumbs up, then heads off toward the lounge.
“Nearly poked my eye out climbing behind those bushes.” Kieran grouses as he passes me. I brush off a dead leaf stuck to his back.
“Whatever. You play two rounds, then you get out of here. Ivan is going to be down here in an hour. You need to be gone by then.”
“Sure, sure.” He nods. “Just need one last thing. I need to win those two rounds, so you’re going to have to help me.”
“What?” I freeze. “I’m not even in those rooms tonight. I can’t help you.”
