His mind was spinning. Why were those men talking to her? Did they know Eliza Grace?
He couldn’t stick around to get his answers as suddenly cops started pouring into the bar and he needed to get the hell out of there fast.
He took one look on stage and the shocked expression on Eliza Grace’s face as the band stopped and one of the men talking to Missy Ann pulled Eliza down off the stage and into his arms. The other one caressed her hair and then yelled at her and told her to stay put.
“We need to go now,” Vic stated and they hurried out with the other patrons as the police raided the back room and another operation went under all because of those two fucking men.
* * * *
Eliza Grace was shaking, she was so scared. She’d never seen Tazer and Lynch so angry before as they both yelled at her and Missy then grabbed two officers and told them to guard them with their lives.
She and Missy Ann just stared at the chaos going on around them. People were being hauled out of the club and women wearing hardly any clothes and even some naked ones were being pulled from the back room. “Holy shit, this is fucking incredible. A prostitution ring right here in South Carolina,” the one officer said. She looked at Missy Ann.
“Oh God, this has something to do with their investigation. Holy shit, Eliza, we’re right in the middle.”
She swallowed hard and then she caught sight of Burker and Parker.
She pushed between the officers and they tried to stop them until Burker and Parker identified themselves.
“Holy shit. What the fuck were you two doing here?” Burker yelled and Eliza Grace stopped short. She was going to hug him. She needed him to hold her and to tell her it was okay and that they weren’t angry with her but she knew they were.
He took her hand and Parker took Missy Ann’s. “Let’s get you the hell out of here now,” he said and they went with them. Eliza Grace looked at Missy. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, I’m glad you weren’t alone,” she said and then both Parker and Burker stopped.
Tazer and Lynch along with the two men arrived. They introduced the two men as Finn and Salvatore Connelly. She realized that they were Antonio and Billy’s brothers from Connelly’s restaurant where they had their first date.
“How long have you been working here?” Tazer barked at her. Missy Ann held her hand.
“I don’t work here. I mean I sang here a few nights two weeks ago and then the owner asked me to come sing tonight because they were down a singer. It was going to be the last time.”
“Luther? You talked with him? Alone?” Lynch asked with fists by his side.
She felt the tears fill her eyes.
“Guys, calm down and give her a minute. She doesn’t know what’s going on. It’s obvious she didn’t have a clue,” Finn Connelly said to them and he looked at Missy Ann then at Eliza Grace.
“Is there anything you can tell us about Luther? Maybe who he hangs out with or seems to do business with? Anything that stands out as suspicious?” Salvatore asked her.
“He seemed okay, maybe a little flirty at first but then he backed off,” she said and then worried her bottom lip as her men stared at her, looking angrier.
“Ever notice anything suspicious? Any exchange of money or maybe regulars he was always around?” Finn asked.
She looked at Missy Ann and thought about Si and the control he seemed to have over Luther. Her gut clenched as she wondered if she should tell them about him. She didn’t want to accuse the man of something.
“Eliza Grace, this is a serious situation. These men, Luther included, have been running numerous prostitution rings. They take women, young ones like yourselves, and turn them into prostitutes. They train them and then have men come in to clubs like this and pay for sex. There are women who go willingly and others who are taken. Luther has been operating one of these rings in the back room. If there has been anyone you’ve seen him with that has not looked on the up and up, even if it’s just a guess, we need to know. Women are being killed. Soldiers, Special Ops like your men have died trying to find certain women they know personally.”
“I don’t want to make any accusations.”
“Just tell us and we’ll handle it,” Lynch said, teeth clenched.
“There were three men Luther was always talking to. One of them definitely bossed him around.”
“They were here tonight. They know Eliza Grace,” Missy Ann said and Eliza looked at her and Tazer grabbed Eliza Grace’s arm.
“They know you? Talk to you?”
She nodded.
She told them their names and all about how she met them and about the night the college guys tried something on her. She refused to come back but then she saw Si again and she told them about the yacht and about them being here tonight and they knew Luther would ask her to perform one more time.