Page 9 of Promise of Hellfire

I rubbed my hands down my face. “Pretty sure that’s the plan.”

He laid his head against the back of his seat. “I want in.”

“You should walk up and tell Rayne yourself. Do you know anyone on the inside? Someone who can tell us when the next auction is?”

“Let me see who I can find. Someone we can trust not to run their mouth.”

Chapter five

Rayne

Thenextmorning,Iwoke up, my alarm rudely blaring on the table beside me. Dominic was absent and the sheets on his side of the bed were cold. I rubbed my eyes and swiped the phone off of the table, trying to silence the noise. My eyebrows raised when I saw there was a voicemail. I missed the call last night while I was busy. Placing it on speakerphone, I stared at the ceiling as I listened.“I just needed to hear your voice, baby. Don’t worry about me; everything is alright. I’ll be home soon. I had to tell you I love you, just in case.”

Ethan.Just in case?My stomach sank at the words, but there was no use in worrying yet. Hopefully, he was home already and I could find out what his call was about.

I stumbled down the stairs to find two of the guys sitting around the breakfast bar talking in hushed tones. Dominic’s nostrils flared, and he sighed. He leaned in, listening carefully to whatever was being said, every once in a while working his jaw back and forth.

I shuffled to the coffeepot and the gentle ache between my legs reminded me of the night before. After I poured my coffee and added a healthy dose of creamer, I settled into a seat near them, tucking my legs under me. “How does everyone feel this morning?”

On the outside, Dominic looked fine. Neat, well dressed, free from the outward signs of distress from the past twenty-four hours. His tells gave him away. His jaw and posture. The excessive sighing. The events from yesterday coupled with his friends’ behavior got to him.

Hunter’s grimace didn’t exactly surprise me given the state he was in the night before. He kept his eyes cast down, head held in his hands, rubbing his temples.

When no one answered, I stood up, pulled a glass from the cabinet, and poured some water before setting it in front of Hunter with two pain relievers. “These might help.” His eyes briefly met mine before he looked away, picking up the pills and tossing them into his mouth.

“Has anyone heard from Ethan this morning?” I asked and was met with silence. They were broken, all three of them. Broken in different ways. I wished Hunter and Ethan spoke to me and told me exactly what they were thinking. The events from the previous day had shattered them further. “So, what have we been discussing?”

“Just wondering where he is. Probably locked up currently.” Dominic inhaled and flexed his fingers. “I suppose it’s been a while since he’s been this messed up.”

“It’s not like his relationship with his dad was great to begin with,” I interjected before sipping my coffee. “Now, let’s try this again. How are you feeling today?” I asked Hunter.

He kept his head down, not meeting my gaze when he replied. “Like garbage. And for more reasons than drinking too much. I shouldn’t have gotten wasted like that.” Pain flashed across his face so briefly I almost thought I imagined it. “Yesterday was a blow to me, but there’s too much going on to wallow and pity myself.” He finally glanced up and looked at me. “What if something had happened? I would have been completely useless.”

I shook my head at him and pursed my lips. “There’s no use having regrets now. What’s done is done,” I told him before clearing my throat.

The elevator door opened across the apartment and in strolled Ethan. Ignacio followed a few steps behind him, frowning.

Ethan’s appearance made me grimace as I tried not to linger too long on the injuries he had sustained the night before. He shrugged out of his jacket and winced as he laid it across the back of the couch. When he pulled his shirt off, I gasped. His perfect skin was marred by purple blooms across his ribs, his cheek was swollen, and a small cut decorated his throat.

“Where have you been?” Dominic asked. His mask of cool indifference was in place, but there was an edge to his words.

Ethan gave him a lazy grin and walked over to the couch slowly. He held out a cautious hand to Smudge, who was sitting there. She sniffed his hand before turning her head and jumping off. It was progress, but Ethan frowned before walking to the coffeemaker. “Down at the station.”

“What the fuck, man?” Hunter groaned.

Ethan didn’t respond as he pulled out two cups from the cabinet. Ignacio cleared his throat before speaking. “Don’t worry about the arrest. It’s not on his record. I’d be more concerned about the fact that the police chief threatened him. Well honestly him and Rayne.”

Ethan handed him a cup of coffee and both men settled around the breakfast bar. “Plus, we have new information on what’s happening with the women at the Ruby Rose.”

Dominic’s anger deflated as we listened to Ethan and Ignacio take turns filling us in on what they thought were the important parts of last night. He didn’t mention the fight, even though everyone knew where he’d gotten his injuries. “What’s important now is that we figure out the next steps,” Ethan finally said.

“I’ll contact Scott and have him dig into the police chief’s background. Maybe there’s something there other than his association with Ayers and Ethan’s father,” Hunter stated, tapping his finger against the side of his coffee mug, thinking. “What are you going to do about him?” he asked, glancing in Ethan’s direction.

Ethan gave him a half-hearted smile. “I haven’t decided yet. He’s always been a piece of shit.” He scoffed and stood up, running a hand through his messy blond waves. Frustration rolled off of him as he spoke. “What am I supposed to say? Dad, I have proof you’ve been holding girls against their will and selling them to the highest bidder. I’m sure that would go over well.”

Nothing he said was inaccurate. The one time I’d spoken to Michael Carter, he was cold, aloof, and dismissive.

“The first step is getting into the Rose. It’s a public strip club. Maybe in the next few days we could go and one of you could snoop around?” I suggested. “Obviously, we can’t make any moves yet, but we need more details. How much security is there? Is it lax? How many women are they keeping and where exactly do they have them hidden?”

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