“The what?”
“That’s what they call it, the Barracks. It’s some sort of big silo west of here. I think it used to be an airport. Anyway, I’ve never been there. That’s all I know.”
“That helps. Really. Thank you.”
“It’s supposed to be haunted.” She considered. “You don’t think that stuff is real, ghosts and shit?”
“Probably not. But I figure, even if it were real, there’s a lot scarier things in this world than white floaty beings.”
“Amen to that.”
Chapter Eleven
We returned to the men, who seemed to have moved on from talk of criminal activity to sports. Some languages were universal as a way of bonding, which meant Luke had said the right things when I’d been gone. Our eyes met as I returned to his side, but I couldn’t get a read on him. His sleazy persona felt like a physical barrier between us. He blended in so well here, almost seamlessly, and an uneasy curiosity rose within me. He seemed more comfortable here than me. I had given him a hard time for knocking my knowledge of this underworld, and yet he’d been casual and cool while I’d had a nervous breakdown in the bathroom. What if he had real experience with this, beyond the occasional undercover sting with the CPD? What if he had been a part of this world once?
As soon as I thought it, I knew it was true. It made too much sense. It explained why I had never been able to see though his stalwart cop facade. It exposed the root cause of his noble quest. He was trying to atone for whatever he had done in his past. Had he slept with prostitutes like me? Apparently, if he had a girl he was looking for. Had he even pimped them out, for real instead of pretend? Guilt was a powerful motivator. Maybe our little game of the boyfriend as pimp was more fatalistic than I’d thought. Except that picture didn’t work for Luke, despite the lock-and-click way he fit in here. His sort of unerring integrity wasn’t born of a single mistake. I couldn’t imagine him being so far gone as to really cause harm to someone he loved.
Far more likely he had been unable to save the girl he loved, instilling in himself a deep and abiding need to save every other one—including me. In the span of seconds, I sketched the fairy tale in my head. He had been lonely and, in a moment of whiskey-induced weakness, called an escort service. The girl had been so beautiful she took his breath away with a knowing touch but an innocent look of hope in her eyes. He was smitten at first sight and swore to rescue her from the life. Except something had gone wrong. Her pimp wouldn’t let her go. These things happened—I should know. And then he lost her…though he never gave up wanting her. He would never give up. I could see it all so clearly, as if it had happened, as if I had been there. I wondered if she thought of Luke still. If she appreciated him and longed for him in return. She must, I thought.
Luke’s body tensed beside me in the booth, snapping my attention back to the present.
“Maybe some other time,” he said.
Todd frowned. “I’ll pay you, of course. I’m not looking for a handout.”
I realized they were talking about me. Specifically, Todd wanted something from me. Sex, of course. Revulsion rolled through me. He looked decent enough if a little scary. But I thought I was done with that. I wanted to be done with it so badly that I wasn’t sure I could do it. Would Luke ask me to?
“I don’t share her,” he said flatly. “Or sell her.”
This seemed to intrigue Todd. “That seems like a hard line to take, especially in this business.”
“I don’t shit where I eat. She’s mine.” He nodded toward the mass of dancers beyond the moldy velvet curtain. “I’ll have plenty of girls available to you once I establish myself here.”
Todd seemed provoked by Luke’s refusal. “Maybe that makes it the perfect test. After all, you’re the new guy here. You got something to prove. How do I know I can trust you? So maybe I’ll have a taste of what you like so much. She must be good if you’re keeping her to yourself.”
Luke snorted. “Bullshit. This is a test, all right, but if I broke line now, you wouldn’t respect me or trust me, and I wouldn’t blame you.”
“I like that you’re a straight talker,” Todd mused. “I don’t like that you’re telling me no. Over some chick, of all things. What, afraid to make her do something she doesn’t want to? If you hurt her feelings, will she run home to Daddy?”
“She’s not going anywhere,” he said. “Not home to Daddy, not with you.”
Todd leaned forward. Clink—his chain bracelets on the rough tabletop.