The image of that horrid place surfaced. The mold, the filth, and the darkness made her flesh crawl. As if the confining cage and horrible food weren’t bad enough, the memories of being cuffed and blindfolded when they transported her to that strip club made her gag. She pushed her plate away. “It was terrible.”
Clay leaned on his elbows. “If we find out where they held you, we might be able to save other girls. What can you remember? No detail is too small.”
She blew out a breath and clasped her hands together to keep them from trembling. “It was dark.”
Dirk sat next to her and placed a comforting hand on her leg. “Were there any windows?”
“Two small ones, high up.”
“You’re doing good, sweetheart. What else?”
“It smelled of mold.” Instinctively, she wrinkled her nose and her stomach churned.
She closed her eyes for a moment and the image of that hulking guard emerged. He liked to shove her when she had to go to the bathroom. She never sat on the toilet because there was no seat. That and the fact roaches lived in the corner.
“Anything else? Like a chemical smell perhaps?”
She tried to block out the mold and the sweet stench of roach bodies. “I’m sorry. I smelled so bad… I didn’t detect anything other than the dampness and rusty metal.” No use describing the other horrors.
“How big was the space?” Dirk asked.
She tried to visualize the place. “The warehouse was metal and rectangular. Maybe the size of a high school gym.”
Dirk squeezed her thigh. “That’s real helpful.”
She opened her eyes and soaked in his excitement. “There were two doors in the middle of one side. One was a double garage door, like a loading bay, and the other was for people.”
Clay took a bite of his meal. “That’s a big help. When they transported you to the strip club, do you remember anything about the outside of the building?”
The tang of the gag still resided in her memory. “They blindfolded me, but I smelled salt in the air.”
“You might have been near the Gulf. Any sounds you recall?”
A shot of adrenaline plowed through her. “A train went by every night.” She smiled. “And cranes. I never saw them, but the chains clanged and squeaked during the day.”
“Excellent. Do you think if we drove around the seaport you might recognize the place?”
Her chest tightened and she shook her head. “I never saw the outside. But the day they brought in Cheryl and Barbie through the loading bay, I got a glimpse of the area. I could see cars driving by a couple of hundred feet away.”
Clay smiled. “Did you happen to notice what was across the street from the warehouse?”
Now she understood. She knew more than she thought. “There were more warehouses. The one across the way had red lettering on the sign, but the sun’s glare was too strong to read anything.”
“Your memory is good.”
She held up her fork. “This might not mean anything, but I can tell you about the people who came in and out of the warehouse.”
Clay’s eyes lit up. “Tell me.”
Her best description was of the Russian guard and the matron who gave her the clothes. “The day they came for us, the man who you gave the money to showed up at the warehouse. A lady came with him.”
Clay’s brows rose. “John Hood. Tell me about this woman.”
She described her the best way she could.
Dirk shoveled down his meal then pushed back his chair. “I’m going to check it out. I’ll videotape what I find. Maybe you can tell me if I have the right building.”
She was relieved she didn’t have to go back there. “I can try.”
Dirk leaned over and kissed her. “Clay will be your shopping guide today.”
While she needed shoes, only now did it occur to her that Dirk was walking straight into danger. Her heart seized.
Chapter Six
Clay tried to convince Dirk to let him go to the warehouse district instead.
No. I need to get out of here. It’s for Elena’s own good.
Last night had changed something in him. Dirk had slept with a lot of women, but none as special as Elena. Her level of trust turned him inside out. He never dwelled on how his father walked out on his mother and never returned, nor did he have the desire to find out what happened to the old man, but he did yearn for a family.
Other than Clay, he hadn’t allowed himself to get close to anyone. He loved women and enjoyed their bodies, but he hadn’t made a connection with any of them like he had with Elena. As much as he wanted to go slow, his body kept prodding him to speed up. Twice his fangs had extended and his bones had cracked, and twice he’d had to force his mind to the Colters to stop the change.