(Blood and Bone, #2) Sin and Swoon(76)

“Oh my God, this is intense.” I collapse my head into my arms. “And for the record, he’s not that smart. This has him being the fall guy for the higher-ups written all over it. I bet you any money he was allowed up there and partied up there, and was convinced this was the right choice. But in the end, if shit goes south, he will be the fall guy.”

He pauses. “Then why’d he take it to such a dark place if he’s just a patsy?”

I sigh. “I don’t know. I’m tired and my brain hurts. Send whatever the Feds need to charge the disgusting-piece-of-shit Russell family. I will call you tomorrow. We can rehash a little and see what else we come up with.”

“Okay; night, Jane. I’m sorry about Rory.” He sounds serious, which never happens.

I nod even though he can’t see me. “Me too, Antoine. I know you guys were as close as we were.”

“Yeah, we were. See ya, Jane.” He hangs up as I realize the screen is still filled with people doing the nasty, and close the computer.

The plane rocks me like I am a baby, and eventually I fall asleep. My dreams absorb and re-present the past few days. It’s uncomfortable and weird to have sex dreams that you can’t admit to yourself you had. I end up feeling bothered by the visions when I wake.

I sit up to see we are just landing.

It’s dark and I’m exhausted, but I can’t help but be excited to see Angie and Dash. I fidget with the ring on my finger and wonder how she’s doing with the truth we have all had to face. Rory was my partner, but outside of work I didn’t see him nearly as much as Angie. He was someone I trusted, which is hard for me. Having him betray me hurts, but what he has done to Angie kills me.

When the jet finishes taxiing across the tarmac, the flight officer drops the door down, and Dash and Angie board instantly. I jump up, letting him wrap around me. He breathes me in, kissing the side of my head. When he lets go, I run at her, giving her the biggest hug I ever have.

She shakes her head, stifling tears and sadness. “I’m an idiot, Jane.”

I lift her chin. “You are not an idiot. Not any more than the rest of us.”

She sighs. “I am. I should have known. I slept beside him every night. I should have known.”

I refuse to let her believe that. “No. You couldn’t have known. He kept it so secret. He’s a spy—he was taught how to lie perfectly.”

She passes me a small crate and sits in her seat. I look down at the cloth crate to see a snarling Binx. “Binxy, why do you look so angry?”

“I gave him a cat sedative. He didn’t relax, at all.” Dash shakes his head, looking mystified at my savage cat’s behavior.

I wince at Dash. “He doesn’t relax with sedatives or tranquilizers. They make him anxious and stressed. They actually have the opposite effect.”

“That explains why he started chewing at the bag. If he gets out, the pilot is going to kill us.”

I grip Binx and hurry to my seat. He snarls and growls as I sit down and unzip the bag just enough for my hand to slip inside. I pet him as best I can before it’s time to buckle up again.

Angie looks over at me, resting her hand on my leg. “I want the heavy version, Janey. No fucking about. Ya lay it on me.”

My brow knits. “Angie, you don’t want to know this.”

“I have to know.”

Dash nods. “I think we both have to know.”

“Then I have to start at the beginning.”

She nods and he grimaces but agrees.

As the plane takes off and my cat turns into a little savage, I slip my hand back inside and pet him softly and slowly, hoping to calm him down. “From what we have gathered thus far it seems the cabin used to be a small little shack on the hill. It was the only piece of property that was owned by any person for a hundred miles that had a structure on it. So the men who wanted to make a legal form of brothel—the men who were leading our country then—decided to let a man purchase eleven thousand acres of land for a dollar an acre. The acreage was meant to be a park, but a private one. Something no one could get into without his permission.”

“Damn, that’s a steal.”

I shake my head at Angie. “No, back then the land was unreachable except for an old Forest Service road that led to a logging road. They put in a paved road later. It was about market price. We suspect old man Russell was given the money to buy the land, which he attached to the deed of his cabin, making it a large estate, technically. The lodge was built during those years, and men started having their erotic holidays. I imagine it started out as a bit more fun than it is now. I imagine most of the girls were regular hookers and not slaves stolen from their homes.”