No. Had to be the sex boss, back again. Or maybe more of his lackey cohorts. Most likely he’d dumped Alex off somewhere then returned here to deal with Hunter himself. The thugs had not done anything more to him other than tie him up. That usually signaled some kind of interrogation to come. Hunter tested his wrists again, found the ropes loose enough to slip off without much trouble, and bit back a sinister grin. After Alex’s abduction and God knew what else once that bastard had her all to himself, Hunter was going to enjoy beating the living shit out of that guy. It was divine justice for what he’d done to Alex and every other poor soul they’d taken and sold into sexual slavery through that disgusting club of his.
Sure enough, the thug with the ice pack got up and opened the door to the sex boss. He stomped in—short, squat, with fury in his beady little black eyes. The guy stalked right over to Hunter and kicked him hard in the shin, sending the chair he was tied to skittering back a few inches. “Who the fuck are you, huh? Who you fucking working for? Tell me now and I might let you die without torturing you first.”
As if to prove his point, the sex boss pulled out a wicked looking blade, slightly curved and razor-sharp—if the way the edge glinted in the overhead lights above was any indication.
Hunter, jaw tight against the pain throbbing through his ankle, didn’t respond.
The boss moved closer and yanked hard on Hunter’s short, buzz-cut hair, forcing his head back so his neck was exposed. The cold metal of the knife blade stung against his skin. “Ain’t so tough now are you, dumbass?” The guy snorted and glanced down at the SEAL tattoo on Hunter’s left bicep. “You’re ex-military, that much is obvious. Guess being a soldier don’t stop you from being a pussy too, huh?”
This drew a chuckle from the thug against the counter and Hunter made a mental note to break the fucker’s nose once he got out of this shit. Hard to laugh when your sinuses were filled with blood. Still, he just stared at the sex boss, meeting his gaze head on without so much as flinching. His only response was, “Fuck you.”
“Heh.” The boss pressed the blade tighter to Hunter’s neck and the knife bit into his skin. A warm drop of blood slowly trickled downward. “Shit for brains. Don’t have to be smart for them military guys to take you either, huh? Lucky you.”
No. Lucky you. If he wasn’t pretending to be tied up right now, he’d end this assclown so fast he wouldn’t know what hit him. But first he needed to find out where Alex was and what had happened to her, then he needed to find out about the slave drop that night. Was it off entirely? Would they stash the women elsewhere? And if so, where?
Apparently fed up with his lack of response, the sex boss cursed loudly then hauled off and backhanded Hunter hard across the face. The blow took the wind out of his sails for a second, but otherwise did no lasting damage. He didn’t let the boss know that though. Instead, he let his chin drop down to his chest, keeping his eyes closed, hoping that if they thought he was out cold, they might start talking.
It took all of about a minute. Not exactly a brain trust he was dealing with here.
“You hear from our trafficke
r?” the boss asked the thug in the kitchen.
“Just got a text,” the thug said. “He’s not happy about the switch.”
“Don’t give a shit if he likes it or not. Can’t have them sluts delivered here now. Place ain’t safe.” The boss hauled off and kicked Hunter again, this time in the opposite shin. Hunter bit back a nasty snarl of rage. When he got out of this chair he was going to kick this guy’s fucking ass into the next goddamned century.
“You deal with the blond or you need me to do anything?” Footsteps entered from the direction of the living room and though Hunter had his eyes closed, he recognized the voice of the thug he’d beaten earlier. “She still out in the trunk?”
“No.” There was a loud crash as glass smashed against the wall of the kitchen. The boss must’ve thrown a cup or plate or something from the sink, Hunter assumed. “She got away.”
“What?” the thug asked, his tone reflecting Hunter’s own surprise.
“She. Got. Away.” The boss bit off each word like a curse. “Are you deaf as well as stupid? Bitch got the trunk open and ran off while I was stopped at a light. I searched around trying to find her, but that El Pueblo place is swarming with fucking tourists today. Don’t worry about her. She’s dumber than a box of rocks and won’t get far on her own. Stupid twat doesn’t even have shoes on.”
Hunter’s heart both soared at the knowledge that Alex was free and sank at the knowledge that she was out there on her own, without any money or protection. She was smart, far smarter than anyone ever gave her credit for, and resourceful—given her quick knack for disguises and the way she’d concocted their master-slave plan from the start. She’d be okay. She’d be fine, because the alternative was unacceptable.
As the boss and thugs argued amongst themselves, Hunter squinted one eye open and hazarded a glance out into the living room again. Once he freed himself, he’d need to make quick work of the three men in the kitchen then bolt for the front door. Not easy, but there wasn’t another alternative that he could see. The thug had taken his phone and smashed it, along with Alex’s, after he’d tied Hunter up. He needed to get free, get out, then get to a store to buy a new burner phone and call Loki with an update. Norse Security’s intrepid leader would help him formulate a plan to take down this Club Xcite and all their illegal activities once and for all.
But first…
Hunter wiggled his wrists to slide the ropes off his hands while the thugs were still engrossed in their argument, now switching from the slave drop tonight to the sorry state of the strippers at the club. One thug thought the girls were being fed too much and were getting fat. The other felt they ought to brand them all in case one of the girls got free.
Real gentlemen these schmucks were.
As he slowly worked his way free to avoid the notice of the boss and his guards, Hunter spotted that same shadow outside the windows. His pulse tripped. Not the boss then. But who? The only other person who knew about this house was…
Alex.
Had to be. El Pueblo wasn’t that far from here. Given she was barefoot and likely sticking to back alleys all the way, the timing was right.
Good girl.
Now all Hunter had to do was get out to her in one piece and get them to someplace safe. The ropes slid free of his hands and hit the floor with a quiet clatter. All that was left were his ankles. Unfortunately, all three thugs turned at once to face him, their gazes flicking from Hunter to the ropes, then back again.
“Well, well, well.” The sex boss stepped forward slowly, his evil grin growing with each step, the knife blade glittering in his hand. “Looks like Prince Pussy woke up. How about we carve him up like a Halloween pumpkin for his little girlfriend to find?”
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