Page 47 of Into the Woods

It was the rest of the world I didn’t.

CHAPTER 15

BEX

I couldn’t stop staring at Eric, but judging by the grins he kept flashing me and the hand resting on my thigh under the table, he didn’t know it was because I knew his dirty secret.

I went through dinner on autopilot. Thank God for all the mindless dinner parties and galas I’d attended growing up. I was practically a professional at smiling and nodding at the appropriate places. But the whole time, my mind was whirling with the newfound information.

Looking at each of the men I was sitting with, I kept wondering at what point they had decided people were commodities that could be traded and sold. Then again, my own father had gotten tangled up in this world, too.

When given the option, I declined dessert, even though I’d eaten barely a quarter of my dinner. Everything tasted like cardboard and dropped like lead into my belly. Not wanting to be sick again, I stuck with sipping water and refused to drink the wine paired with my meal.

Relief sank into my bones when Eric tossed his napkin onto his plate. He smiled at his friends. “Gents, it’s been a pleasure, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to spend some time alone with my lovely date.”

I forced a sweet smile onto my lips before neatly folding my own napkin and setting it on the table.

“Alone time, eh?” Colby teased while leaning into me. “You know, Bex, if you ever want a real man—”

“Enough, Colby.” The bark in Eric’s tone was jarring and not at all on par with the mild-mannered, almost timid guy I’d been dating for a week. And now, instead of plotting how to end this evening with a goodnight kiss, I was trying to figure out how to end things entirely.

So far, I’d surmised that Colby was a Grade-A asshole, Brent was a sniveling little bitch who hadn’t gotten over some high school bullshit, Geoffrey was a barely functioning addict/alcoholic, and Henry…

Well, Henry honestly kinda stumped me.

On the surface, he had the same sort of bloodlines and connections as the others, but the way they talked down to him didn’t sit right. Henry seemed to be the butt of the joke more often than not, and sometimes the teasing turned downright vicious before Eric called his friends off.

Then there was Eric, whom I was still having trouble wrapping my head around as the bad guy. It didn’t add up; he was kind, attentive, and even over-tipped the waitresses who’d dealt with us all night. He’d stopped Colby when Colby had intentionally dropped his fork so one of the waitresses would have to bend over and pick it up for him.

What kind of criminal mastermind who supported sex trafficking bothered to help a waitress?

But in my gut, I trusted Court.

Even if I wanted to strangle him, I knew he wouldn’t lie to me. Not about something this important. And I knew that if Phoenix thought there was a problem here, there was a freaking problem. The guys were too good at what they did to make baseless accusations.

Which meant that the guy escorting me from Paris’s premiere dining experience was a sociopath.

Not exactly comforting.

I jerked as hands landed on my waist and pulled me in. A moment later Eric feathered a soft kiss over my jaw.

“Thank you for tonight, love,” he murmured, his voice like warm honey. His eyes found mine, and he smiled. “You were spectacular.”

This was the part where I should be pulling away. No, running away. But instead, all I heard were Rook’s words.

They may cut their losses.

I wasn’t an idiot. I knew that people who trafficked other people didn’t “cut their losses” by making it a line item on their tax returns.

Court had said he’d been in Paris for a week now as he and his brothers tried to figure out where the auction would be held.

And I was currently on a date with someone who knew the details of said auction.

The wheels slowly cranked in my head, formulating an idea that was potentially a disaster… but worth a shot.

Sliding my hands up the front of Eric’s shirt, I wound my arms around his neck and tipped my head back with an apologetic smile. “I wouldn’t call this evening a total loss. Even if I am questioning your choice in friends.”

His grin gave him a boyish look. “They’re my oldest mates, you know how it is.”

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