“He’s found something?”
“A possible location, and he’s taken it to our contact on the force.”
“Why wasn’t I called?”
“Lewis needs access to the secure police files about human traffickers. He found a possible location, but it’s to a mansion owned by some kind of rich guy. There’s no concrete evidence that the man is involved in the trafficking, and it needs to be dealt with carefully.” Richard sat back.
“Lewis is going to lose his mind over this woman.”
“He’s not the only man in our club who is losing his mind over a woman.”
Russ stared at Richard without saying a word.
Richard didn’t say anything either.
They had a standoff, and Russ refused to be the one to speak first. He wasn’t the one invading another brother’s space. If Richard had something to say, then he could say it.
“You’ve not been around the club much,” Richard said, breaking his silence.
“I’ve not had much reason to come to the club. We scanned through all the devices, gave all of the evidence over to the cops, and Lewis was decoding the final laptop where he believes he’s found his informant.”
“Check your email,” Richard said. “Lewis sent you confirmation yesterday.”
Russ turned to his email, typing in his password, and bringing up his private mails. This was a secure server where he contacted members of the club. He opened up the email, and several documents downloaded.
The image of a woman, Mandy, came onto the screen. She was a beautiful woman, and as he looked over the files, he saw that she was indeed the woman whom they’d been searching for. A couple of months ago she had been admitted to hospital, where blood work had been drawn, and the documents were on file.
“He hacked into a government database.”
“Lewis is losing his mind, and his need to find this girl is getting stronger,” Richard said.
“The intel, this place, what do you know about it?”
“Some rich retired billionaire, believe it or not. It’s in his name, and there’s no record other than one company, which goes by the name Augustus, Limited.” Richard leaned back in his chair.
“What do you think it is?” he asked.
“I think after all these years, Lewis has found the girl he’s been searching for, but I also believe that it’s out of our hands. We can’t go in and save her, like Lewis wants. It’s overseas. The location you’re looking at is on some exotic island. Makes sense, girls are shipped over, trained, and sold. Big business.”
“I can’t believe we’re even having a discussion about women being big business.”
“It’s a hard topic to deal with, but it’s what we do.”
Russ agreed. “If he’s found her, and she’s brought back, Lewis may find some peace.”
“Or it can send him on a mission to help more like her.” Richard shrugged. “I just thought I’d come and make sure you were still alive.”
“You knew I was alive. I’ve kept in touch. I’ve just not been around the club.”
“This thing with Anna. Is it serious?”
“Yes.”
“How serious?” Richard asked.
“I made sure she lost her apartment, put her stuff into storage, and fucked her without wearing a condom. She’s not on any birth control either. That’s how serious I am right now.”
“Shit!”
“Yeah.”
“How did she take that?”
“Anna freaked when she realized I hadn’t used a condom. She shouted, and I stopped her from losing her shit, by fucking her against the wall near her room. Since then, she’s moved into my room, and I spend every chance I can, making sure I get her pregnant.”
“You’ve got issues.”
“I’m not giving her the chance to walk away. Call me a pussy all you want, but I know what I want.”
“It’s what has made you a great businessman. You’ve not spent time dawdling on a decision. You’ve always been precise.”
“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You should probably stick your head into the club to let them know what’s happening. Lewis wants to demand a church meeting tomorrow.”
“I’ll talk to Lewis when I stop by the club.”
Richard got to his feet. “For what it’s worth, I happen to like Anna. She’s a good woman, a fighter. You need a fighter in your life. Take care of her.”
“I intend to take care of her, and protect her, Richard.”
“I’d be careful of Tina. She’s grown attached to you, and seems to be under some kind of impression that she can win you over.”