Rescuing Their Virgin Mate(10)

“Welcome to our home.” Mr. Blue Eyes led her to the sofa. “Can we get you something to drink?”

“I don’t drink.” Or do drugs or a lot of other things.

His smile reached his eyes. “We have soda and water.”

Some of the tension in her shoulders released. “Water would be nice.”

The more serious of the two sat across from her. “My real name is Dirk Tilton.” He nodded behind him. “Our host is Clay Demmers.”

Here she thought only she used a fake name. “Why did he tell me his name was Randy?”

“We were working undercover.”

Her heart soared. “You’re with the FBI?” This was too good to be true.

“Not exactly.”

Clay handed her a glass of water. Her fingers brushed against his and a spark shot through her. Whoa. The floors were wood and not carpet, so why the static charge? With a shaky hand, she drank half the glass.

With her thirst quenched, she refocused. “Who do you work for?”

Dirk looked up at Clay. “It’s complicated. Wouldn’t you like to change and maybe take a shower?”

The words shower and change were dream words. “The shower sounds wonderful, but I have nothing else to put on.”

“We bought you a few things.”

Confusion once more slammed into her. “When? How? You just bought me.”

Clay sat next to her and slipped her hand between his two. Her first reaction was to pull away, but she let herself enjoy the feel of him for a moment.

“We saved you. There’s a big difference.”

“Then you are going to let me go?” Her pulse soared as she uncrossed her ankles, ready to sprint to the door.

He inhaled and slowly let out a breath. “It’s complicated. As for your clothes, we spoke with your mother in Costa Rica and purchased them yesterday. She was kind enough to email a photo of you, too.”

Yesterday? She was in that terrible cage yesterday. Her mind splintered, and she pulled her hand back. “Okay. Who are you, really?” They seemed to know everything about her. She wanted to ask what they told her mother, but that question could wait.

Clay leaned against the sofa and stretched out long, powerful-looking legs. “I can see you won’t be happy until we tell you a few things.” He held up a finger. “That’s fair enough. We work for an organization that has been keeping an eye on John Hood’s human trafficking scheme for quite a while. He was the man in the pinstriped suit.”

To think she almost believed he might have been the one to save her. “He came to the warehouse and dragged me to that place to sell me.”

“I’m sorry.” He glanced to the ceiling then back at her. “A few weeks ago a woman approached you about leaving your job.”

He knew about that? “Yes. She gave me money.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “Did she work for this Mr. Hood?”

The tension around his eyes eased. “No. She wanted your job so she could question Harvey Couch.” He held up a hand. “She didn’t get her answers. Couch originally ran the human trafficking organization.”

She slumped back in her seat. “The man was scum, but I had no idea he was into something so terrible.” She held up her palm. “I swear.”

“We know you weren’t involved. We’ve been after him for a while and wanted to contact you about him. In trying to locate you, we discovered you’d been abducted. Only we had no idea where they’d taken you. That’s why it took us so long to find you.”

This made some sense. “How did you find me?”

“Our organization knew about the sale. We went undercover to free you, and to learn more about Couch’s, or rather Hood’s operation.”

“Are you going to arrest Couch or Mr. Hood?” No woman should be sold.

“Couch is dead.”

As much as she didn’t wish harm to anyone, she was thrilled the evil man would never come after her. “Then why did Mr. Hood take me? Was it because of Mr. Couch?”

Dirk leaned forward. “Clay, the less she knows the better.”

“Dirk’s right.” He stood and held out his hand. “Come with me.”

She stood and this time she willingly placed her hand in his. It seemed right, almost as if her mom would approve.

More relaxed than when she first arrived, she finally took a moment to notice her surroundings. She loved that the living room had tall ceilings and was open to the kitchen. The need for a fireplace in Florida eluded her, but the eclectic furniture was all-male and very comfortable.

Clay led her down a hallway. “This is where you will be staying.”

She had her own room? That was more than she’d hoped for. Clay pushed open the door and she took one step in and halted. “It’s beautiful.”