Page 8 of Promise of Hellfire

Ignacio appeared beside me and wrapped a hand around my bicep, steadying me. “Let’s go,” he hissed, pursing his lips. “I’m going to try to get you out of trouble, but you need to make this look convincing. Given who your daddy is, I doubt any charges would stick anyway,” he said under his breath where no one else could hear.

My feet started moving toward the exit. “Don’t bet on that. My father is part of why I’m here tonight,” I mumbled, keeping my voice down.

He raised his voice so that his co-workers would hear. “Trust me, I know exactly who your dad is. All of you rich boys, always crying about your parents and how badly treated you are. I doubt you’ve ever struggled a day in your life.”

He was trying to treat me like we were strangers to hide the fact he knew me, but tonight his words cut me.You’d lose that bet. We all struggle. Some of us just in different ways.

He opened the back door of his car and I slid in.

The precinct was probably only fifteen minutes away. I closed my eyes as Ignacio started the engine, dreading the next few hours. Ignacio’s phone rang from the front seat and he answered. “What’s up?” He listened silently, glancing at me occasionally from the mirror hanging over the dash. When he ended the call, he muttered, “Never a dull moment with you.”

“Hey, can you call Rayne for me? I need her to know I’m alright.” Ignacio nodded and dialed the number I gave him, putting it on speakerphone. It rang several times before it went to voicemail and my heart deflated.

It took only a split second to decide to leave her a voicemail. “I just needed to hear your voice, baby. Don’t worry about me; everything is alright and I’ll be home soon.” I hesitated for a moment. “I had to tell you I love you, just in case.”

Ignacio cut the call and said nothing to me as we pulled up to the station. I waited for him as he opened my backdoor before escorting me into the building, walking past booking. “What’s going on?” I asked quietly, where no one else could hear.

The corner of his mouth lifted. “VIP treatment. Only the best for you.”

We entered a corridor and hung a sharp left. He opened a door and pushed me into a room with a two way mirror before uncuffing my hands from behind my back. I rubbed my wrists and sat in one of the seats, resting my heels on the side of the table. “What now?”

He tilted his head to the side. “You wait. I think someone wants to speak to you privately. Then you’ll be free to go, I assume. Two different people gave me specific instructions to make sure there was no record of this incident.” He looked over his shoulder towards the mirror before leaning in and whispering. “I’ll wait for you. My shift is almost over. In the meantime, I’m going to see what I can find out about the Rose for you.”He frowned before turning his back to me. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.”

I sat looking at the gray painted walls, staring at the lines the cinder blocks made for an eternity. Ignacio hadn’t ratted me out, and I wondered why he hadn't left. I thought he escaped… unless he discovered I’d been ambushed by the two jackasses behind me.

There wasn’t a clock in the room, and an eerie silence filled the space. I tapped my fingers on my knee impatiently, thinking of how to explain this to Dominic. There went my plan of drinking and then falling into bed with my girl.

Finally, the door creaked open and inside walked a severe-looking man wearing a suit. I’d seen him dozens of times in my childhood. He glared at me as he closed the door and leaned against the wall farthest from me, watching me carefully. I sneered at him, waiting for him to say something.

“Mr. Carter, this isn’t how I expected to spend my evening, especially so close to the new year.”

My recklessness knew no bounds, and I decided to see if he would slip up and give me information. I wiped all expression from my face. “Chief, let me guess. You thought you would spend the evening down at the Ruby Rose, cuddled up to one of the new girls. Tell me, how does that work? The whole auction thing.”

His eyes widened. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, son.” He approached me quickly and sat in the seat next to me. “You need to learn to keep your mouth shut about things you know nothing about. And for fuck’s sake, sit up like a normal person and take your feet off the table. You’re the heir to a multi-millionaire and wealthy in your own right, not a common thug like the rest of them out there.” His face grew red when my posture didn’t change, and I met his eyes in challenge.

“I promise I know more than you think, and I intend to find out every detail. You and my father have always been close. How long did the two of you think you could keep this under the radar?”

He grabbed the collar of my shirt and moved closer, his face inches from mine. “This is your final warning, Ethan. I know all about the sweet young woman you’re keeping in your ivory tower. Did you think Ayers is the only one who wants her gone? Not by a long shot. Keep your mouth shut and your nose out of our business and maybe I can convince him to let her live. Maybe.” He straightened my shirt before pulling my gun from his jacket pocket and handing it to me. “Put this away and don’t get any ideas. Even you can’t get away with shooting me inside the police station.” He stood up and walked to the door while I stared at his back. “You’re free to go now. Keep out of trouble for a few weeks, son.”

I waited until he disappeared before strolling out the door in complete disbelief. As I stepped out of the station, the frosty night air hit my face and I looked at the sky, trying to figure out how long I’d been trapped inside. The first rays of dawn were streaking the dark sky and suddenly I felt weary. My body ached from the hits I took and I wanted a nap.

Ignacio rounded the corner and broke the silence. “Sorry about earlier. We all have a part to play.”

We walked through the shadows to a dimly lit part of the lot on the side of the building, gravel crunching under our feet. “I know. It’s not a big deal.”

“How’s your face?” he asked me as we approached his sedan.

“I haven’t even thought about it.” It was a lie, but Ignacio said nothing. Honestly, it was throbbing. All I wanted was to jump into the shower or take a long soak in the tub.

We slid into the car, and Ignacio started the ignition, turning the radio down. He pulled out of the parking lot onto the main road. “I overheard what you said in the interrogation room to the chief. I won’t tell you that you’re playing a dangerous game, even though you are.” He blew out a long breath. “Hey, I did manage to scrounge up information about the auction, and I figured you’d want details.”

“And?”

“Here’s what I know. Once a month, they are selling girls off down there. Apparently, one guy was bragging about it a few weeks ago. The chief hand picks a few guys to stand guard on the night of the event. Gotta protect all the wealthy criminals. The highest bidder gets to do whatever he wants to the girl he wins. No limit.” He flipped on his turn signal and stopped at the red light. “Even if it’s murder. You know all of those bodies they keep finding of young women? The ones in alleyways and dumped on the roadside? The news keeps claiming they’re just prostitutes that met an unfortunate end, but I think it’s involving the Rose.”

I sat quietly for a moment as he turned into the parking garage of Jupiter Financial. “There’s no way to prove it, is there?”

Ignacio shook his head and turned to face me. “Pendejo, you know you’re my brother, but you need to be careful.” He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Are you going to take them down?”

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