Page 51 of Matrix

Vapor punches him in the shoulder before continuing, “Lulu was an interesting woman. She was born in Selma, Alabama, but claimed to be from the West Indies. She was mixed race, which made it even harder for her to run a successful business, but she did. Her house was called Mahogany Hall, and it was big. Forty women worked there. There were five parlors for entertaining guests and fifteen private bedrooms upstairs. It was the only interracial brothel in New Orleans at that time, and it was high-class all the way. Lulu bought expensive shit like Tiffany-stained glass windows and French furniture. The works.”

“Were the girls there of their own free will?” Scar asks.

“As far as we know, yes. She hired both black and white prostitutes, which wasn’t done at the time. She thumbed her nose at racial segregation laws.”

“Did she ever run into trouble with cops?” Reaper asks.

“Many times. A woman after my own heart.” Vapor chuckles. “But eventually, she had financial problems, so she moved to California. Historians haven’t been able to trace her after that, and details aren’t very clear, but in her heyday, she was one of the only mixed-race self-made millionaires.”

“Why would the local cartel choose to name their place after her?”

“Who knows? Maybe they wanted to keep her memory alive. It’s unfortunate, though, because what they’re doing isn’t legal or ethical. She’d probably roll over in her grave if she knew they were using her name like this.” Vapor makes a fist. “Anyway, we know all about those fucks who hold girls there.”

“Who’s running the house?” Scar asks.

“A cartel. Los Serpientes de Cristal.”

“That’s the same group out of Denver.”

“They’re all over the US now, taking over the bigger cities. They fought a bloody turf war here a few years back, during which they forced out a Mexican cartel. Bodies lined the streets. The local cops made a big show of arresting some of the Cristal members, but as soon as the media moved onto a new story, they were released. I don’t have proof, but I suspect they’re giving local cops kickbacks to look the other way.”

“I hate that shit,” Reaper says.

“Agreed.” Diablo nods at his counterpart.

“We have reason to believe Daisy’s sister was taken by the cartel. It’s been months, but we have intel they took her to Lulu’s. How long do they keep the girls at the house?” Scar asks.

“Sometimes a few days. Sometimes years. Depends on the girl.” Fang types on his computer. A bookshelf drops to reveal a hidden television screen. It flicks on to display his computer screen. A chart with names and dates pops up.

“Cool,” I whisper.

“This is the local cartel’s organizational chart. We’ve spent years gathering data, and this is as far as we’ve gotten. We’ve got some names, but Blackstone was never mentioned. We didn’t realize he was involved in this trafficking ring until Scar called us. I know you guys want Blackstone to go to prison. We’d love to help you put him there.”

“First, we need to find out if Daisy’s sister, Angela, is still being held at the house,” I say. “Do you have any information on the girls?”

“We haven’t been able to get anything other than names and sometimes ages. They have armed guards with metal detectors at the door. We can’t bring guns or any type of recording device inside. Sometimes, they’ll pat you down too, so you can’t carry any weapons, even plastic ones.”

“That sucks,” Talon says.

“When was the last time you sent someone in?” I ask.

“It’s been a couple of weeks. Since the cartel is onto us, we only send in our prospects. The cartel knows who all our members are, and they’ve got orders to shoot us on sight. If you want to find out if Angela’s there, you’ll have to send one of your guys in. They don’t know you,” Vapor says.

“I’ll go,” I volunteer.

“No.” Scar shakes his head. “You’re too emotionally involved in the situation.”

“Are you saying I can’t be objective?”

“Not when it comes to Daisy’s sister. If she’s in there, we can’t just walk her out of a house like that. We need a plan. Whoever we send in will have to find a way to check all the girls, then report back without alerting Angela.”

“We can’t send Reaper. He’ll shoot up the place.”

“Yeah.” Reaper grins. “And I’d enjoy it too.”

“Guess that leaves Scar or me,” Talon says. “I’ll go.”

“Good. The objective is simple: get in, search for Angela, get out,” Scar says. “If she’s inside, then we’ll regroup and find a way to get her out.”

---