Page 11 of Stay Baby Stay

“Hollywood, it’s going to be fine.” There’s a glint of unease in her gaze when she turns to look at me. “I’ll go do this and meet you back here later. Right, Steph?”

Steph nods. “It shouldn’t take long.”

“Kenzie, please.” I refuse to let go of her hand. “I don’t think you should go.”

“I know you’re nervous,” Kenzie says. “Just grab a glass of champagne and park yourself in a chair. Let them come to you.”

Iamscared. But the fear isn’t for me. “No, Kenzie—”

“I’m doing this for us,” she says.

“And I’mbeggingyou not to.”

“I don’t have a choice,” she says through clenched teeth. She’s right. She knows this isn’t the smartest idea, but she’s been taking these kind of risks for years. It’s how we’ve survived. “I’ll be back, I promise.”

Her hand slips through my stiff fingers. The smile she flashes over her shoulder at me doesn’t reach her eyes. She ducks inside the SUV, and the driver shuts the door.

The windows are tinted, so I can’t even see her face as they drive away.

“She’ll be fine, hon.” Steph pats my back like a school nurse trying to reassure a kid with scraped knees. “This kind of thing happens all the time.”

Chapter Five

Caleb

Russell King stares me down from across his cherry-wood desk. “You’ve made a grave mistake, Detective Larkin. I think it’s fair to say that you are far outside your jurisdiction tonight.”

The leather chair I’m sitting in groans with the slightest shift of my weight. King’s home office is a lot like the man himself: shiny, wooden, and full of secrets. There’s a safe on the wall amidst locked bookcases containing what appear to be ledgers. His laptop is off, but I’d bet he’s got it locked down like Fort Knox. He’d be foolish not to, considering the sort of clientele he covets.

“You’re assuming I’m here in an official capacity,” I tell him. “Like the rest of your guests, I’m just here to have a good time.”

“Except you’re not a guest. This is a private function, and you are trespassing.”

“Oh, I’m sure my invitation just got lost in the mail.” I keep my face a mask of callous indifference, but on the inside I’m a frog who’s just realized he’s been swimming in a kettle.

I can’t stand the thought of Holly being out there unprotected. I came here to root out a devil in a serpent’s den; I didn’t count on getting blindsided by an angel. The moment she dropped into my lap, my heart stopped dead. I was done for. Finished. Then reborn a second later with a burning desire to draw her tight to me and never let go.

If King’s goons hadn’t quietly summoned me in here, using my real name, I’d still be out there, keeping an eye on my girl.

My girl.A premature notion, but one I very much like the sound of.

However, just as pressing is the fact that King apparently knows who I am. It’s possible his assistant tipped him off, but if that’s the case, I doubt I would’ve made it past the front door. I’ve seen things here that could spell a lot of trouble for a lot of very important people in this state.

“You’ve crossed a line by coming here,” Russell says.

“You want to talk lines and crossing ‘em,” I say. “How about all those underaged girls you’ve got working your living room?”

“It’s not illegal to host a multi-generational party, detective.”

“No, but it’s illegal to traffic teenagers out to your mansion for sex.” I lean forward, prompting his two oversized goons to take a step closer. “Let’s cut the bullshit, Russell. You and I both know what this party’s really about.”

“Sure, detective. And while we’re cutting the bullshit, let’s talk about why you’re really here.”

“Busting up your illegal sex ring ain’t reason enough?”

“Not quite.

” Russell sneers. “Nothing happens in this house that I don’t know about. And it may surprise you to learn that I’ve known about your investigation for some time. Unconnected homicides. Missing persons. Your obsession with the reverend, regardless of the fact that all your evidence is circumstantial.”

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