Page 10 of Promise of Hellfire

Seeing Ethan standing there covered in his bruises and cuts, I frowned and sauntered over to him. His shoulders were tense as though he expected me to yell at him for his foolishness the night before, but I was relieved to see him in one piece. I laid my hands on his shoulders and planted my mouth against his. He lost himself in my kiss for a few moments and when I pulled back, I gave him a soft smile. “You and Ignacio need to find out anything you can about the setup. See if he can get any more information for us before this evening. Try to find out where they’re keeping the girls. That’s our priority right now.”

He nodded his head, his eyes hazy as I walked towards Hunter. Straddling Hunter’s lap, I cradled his face between my hands before kissing him, slowly coaxing him to relax into me. Our mouths tangled with one another for several moments before I pulled back and watched him, slowly running my fingers through his dark hair. “Make sure you call Scott. Try to find anything that will be useful for us.” His lips touched mine softly, and he placed his hands on my hips. “Yesterday doesn’t define you,” I whispered to him before standing up straight.

Dominic pulled me against his chest and smirked. “Is it my turn?” he asked before weaving his fingers into my hair and pulling my head back, not waiting for my response. He crushed his mouth against mine and pressed us against the breakfast bar. Ethan let out a low whistle and chuckled while Hunter scoffed. I smiled against Dominic’s mouth, struggling not to laugh at the other two men. When he finally pulled away, his eyes were hooded and dark. “I’m going to call around and see if anyone has heard any rumors about the Rose that will help us. That is, unless there's something you would rather I do instead?” he questioned.

I shook my head at him as he stepped back, giving me space to breathe. “I think that sounds good.”

“Do I get a turn too?” Ignacio laughed, clutching his coffee. Ethan’s mouth twisted in amusement while Hunter shot daggers his way.

I snickered at him. “Not if you value your life,” I joked. “When should we plan our field trip to the Rose?”

Hunter stared at me from his seat. He was hesitant to respond. “I don’t like the idea of you coming with us,” he mumbled.

I raised my eyebrows at him. “Well, I don’t like the idea of you going without me. When?” I grabbed my coffee on the counter and looked at Dominic. He set his lips into a thin line and looked at Hunter.

“I don’t really like this either, sweetheart,” he said.

I bit my tongue and tried staying silent. They were just trying to keep me safe after everything that had happened. First a kidnapping, then Trace attempted to rape and kill me, and Libby jumped out of thin air with a knife. I knew they were speaking out of concern, but it was driving me crazy. “I’m going. This isn’t a negotiation,” I finally said.

The room fell silent and all their eyes were on me. “What are you going to do today?” Ethan asked, trying to break the tension.

I took another sip of my coffee. I had no clue. “The first thing I need to do is call Oliver and check in. He told me Nia is letting him out of the hospital today. I’m really hoping she decided to keep him, but he’s stubborn.”

“You realize that even if he is released, you aren’t off the hook yet? He’s still going to need you, even if he doesn’t admit it.”

I gave him a sad smile. “Yeah, I know. Call it a gut feeling, but I doubt I’ll ever be off the hook.”

After a quick shower and another cup of coffee, I pulled my phone out, ready to see how Oliver was. He answered the call, grumbling at someone in the background.Probably a nurse or Nia,I thought to myself. “Yeah?” he finally answered.

“Are you giving the nurses problems, Olly?” I teased.

He huffed on the other side of the line and muttered, “I want to let you know I am a model patient, Rayne. You can ask the good doctor yourself.”

I managed to stifle a laugh as I sat back on my bed. “I’m glad you seem to be in good spirits. Listen, I need some information if you have it. What do you know about the Ruby Rose? We found out a little more last night and the guys want to case the place tonight, see how security is. Maybe try to figure out where exactly they are keeping Lexi and the other girls.” I was secretly hoping we could smuggle the women out and leave unnoticed.

He was silent for a few moments. “I don’t know a lot about the place. They kept everything quiet. I mean, there were always rumors, firebug, but nothing I could prove.” I stood up and paced near the foot of the bed, listening carefully. “It’s the same thing we’ve all heard. The place was a front for prostitution and the employees weren’t taken care of. A lot of the girls are strung out. Things like that. The auctions must be fairly new and the clients tight-lipped, because I had no clue.”

I rubbed my face, a headache threatening behind my eyes as I took all the information in. “Have you ever been there? Do you know anything that might help us?”

“I wish I had information for you, but I don’t.” He paused for another moment. “Be careful when you go. Ayers already has a target painted on your back. You’ll raise suspicions. The Kings might get away with frequenting a sleazy strip club, but you won’t exactly blend in.” I doubted my guys would blend in either, given the area of town, but I held my tongue and stayed quiet.

“Fine, I’ll be careful.”

“Don’t get any good ideas either. You need to be patient. We want all of those girls to make it out alive, and if you rush your plans, I’m worried about the consequences.”

I swallowed hard, and the room swam around me. I hadn’t considered what would happen if we weren’t successful. Would they just move their base of operations somewhere else in the city or would they decide to “offload” their merchandise? The thought of both made me sick. “You’re right,” I replied quietly. “I’ll update you later when we have more information.”

I walked back into the kitchen after my call to refill my coffee cup and found Ignacio still sitting there talking with the guys. “I can’t believe you’re still with this guy. It has to be a new track record for him,” he grinned.

I playfully punched his shoulder. “I can’t believe you arrested him last night,” I said under my breath. “It’s your job, but was that really necessary?”

He shot me a look. “He didn’t tell you the entire story. I had to. There were two guys who were trying to murder him.”

I stared at Ethan in horror, and he gave me a sheepish smile while Ignacio laughed. “I found out what you needed. The girls, they’re hiding them in the basement. The door’s in the main hallway.”

My stomach churned at the thought as memories of being held against my will in a basement attempted to creep in. “What kind of basement? How many girls?” I asked before swallowing roughly, trying to keep the stomach acid rising in my throat at bay. “What kind of condition are they in?”

He shook his head at me. “No idea.”

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