Page 35 of Hostile Extraction

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The sun was rising, painting the sky with vivid pink and orange streaks when there was a tap on Asia’s door.

Dusty stuck his head in, then pushed the door open.

Asia prepared herself for another confrontation, but looked over Dusty’s shoulder to see Chris walk in with him.

“What’s going on?” she asked, scooting up on the bed.

Chris grabbed a chair and turned it around, taking a seat and resting his forearms on the ladder back. “Just want to fill you in on a few things.”

“More horrible lies about Nico?” she bit out.

Chris ignored her taunt. “I have a close contact in the FBI. When your brother first came to Dusty asking for help, and he asked me to find out anything I could on a Nico Amorosi. I have to admit, I wasn’t familiar with the name. What little I could find on the man was sketchy, almost as if it was a manufactured identity. So, I contacted my friend. To my surprise, he had a lot to say, and none of it good.”

Asia folded her arms, preparing for what other vile things they were going to accuse Nico of doing.

“Nico Amorosi has been on the FBI’s radar for a while now. They’ve got a file on him. He is suspected of running a white slavery ring—auctioning off virgins to wealthy businessmen who fly in from all over the world, all highly vetted, of course. The feds had been trying, unsuccessfully, to get a man on the inside to get some evidence on this guy. My contact thinks they may have a mole in their offices, someone on Nico’s payroll, feeding him information and tipping him off. My company, Tri Star, on the other hand, was an unknown to Amorosi. We weren’t on his radar. So, we were in a perfect position to get a man on the inside. With the feds' help, we were able to get Dusty an invitation to an auction.”

She wouldn’t meet his eyes. Instead, she fiddled with the fabric of the bedspread.

“Look at me, Asia,” Chris said. “Everything Dusty told you about Nico is true. All of it.”

She shook her head, her eyes filling. “No. He’s a good man.”

Chris sighed heavily and scrolled his thumb over his phone, then turned it to face her. “This is Mark with the FBI. Mark, fill her in.”

“Asia Fox? I’m glad you’re safe. You’re one of the lucky ones. Everything Nico Amorosi has told you is a lie. We were able to free a girl at an auction he held last night in the Bahamas. That’s where Amorosi was while you were waiting on his yacht; he was auctioning off more women. We were able to save one of the girls by disabling the jet of one of Amorosi’s clients, an Arab Sheik who was about to take his purchase off the island. The girl we saved also thought she was engaged to Nico. She told us they’d planned a September wedding. She was from Georgia. She met the same woman you did: Giselle Winstead. Giselle introduced her to Nico. He was instantly taken with her and pursued her relentlessly. Sound familiar?” Mark held up a huge diamond ring that looked much the same as the one Asia wore. “He gave her this. We’ve had it examined by an expert. It’s fake. He told her it was worth a fortune.”

Asia fiddled with her own ring.

“He gave you one like it, too, didn’t he? Let me see it.”

She held it up.

“Looks identical, Miss Fox. I’m sorry you were so deceived, but like I said before, you’re one of the lucky ones. It’s not the case for Jeanette from Lincoln, Nebraska, or Kelly from Atlanta, Georgia, or dozens more, maybe even hundreds more. With your help, we’re hoping to put his sick operation out of business and put him behind bars for the rest of his life.”

“My help?” she squeaked.

“I’m betting you know things that could help us. Am I right? You must have witnessed something.”

She fiddled, and he read her like a book.

“Tell me, Ms. Fox. What do you know?”

“I… I suppose I did overhear some things. Things that only make sense if everything you say is true.”

He nodded. “Let me talk to Chris again, please.”

Chris took the phone and left the room, saying over his shoulder, “Big Al cooked breakfast. It should be ready soon. You’ll join us in the dining room.” Then he glanced at Dusty. “Grady said Tinsley left some clothing here. There should be something in the closet that will fit her.”

Dusty lifted his chin in acknowledgement, and the door closed.

He folded his arms and stared down at her. “They’ll probably need you to testify.”

She swallowed and nodded, trying to fully accept all the evidence against Nico.

“Does he know you overheard those things? Does he know you’re a liability to him?”

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