“What other kinds of things?”
“Fancy clothes and purses, and other jewelry,” Holly said, speaking openly and freely about her life with Preston, more than Nicole had expected her to reveal. “He even gave me my own special room at his house and he let me decorate it just the way I wanted. It’s beautiful. I’ve never had a room so pretty before. Or one I didn’t have to share with someone.”
There was definitely a backstory to Holly’s tale, one that had led her to this point in her life where she’d become involved and dependent on a man who only cared for her as long as it was convenient for him and his needs. Nicole wanted to grab Holly and get the hell out of this place and make her realize that this wasn’t the kind of life she wanted to live. That there was something better waiting for her outside the beautiful gilded bedroom that Sloane kept her in at his estate.
But Nicole couldn’t act on the impulse, because there was no way for her to get Holly out of the nightclub safely, not when every exit was locked and guarded. She also couldn’t jeopardize Nathan’s case-not to mention that her actions would put her own life at risk. No doubt a well-connected man like Sloane would hunt her down and make her pay for her interference.
She might not be able to do anything about Holly tonight, but Nicole swore that she’d eventually find a way to rescue the girl, and help get her life back on track. Nicole knew all too well how difficult it could be to get out of a situation you were completely immersed in, and she wished she’d had someone who would have helped her to see how destructive her relationship with her English professor had been.
Nicole wanted to be that person for Holly.
With effort, she turned her attention to extracting as much information from Holly as she could about Sloane and this operation of his, eventually leading up to asking about Angela so as not to raise any suspicions. Any details she could glean from Holly would help her and Nathan understand what they were up against, and what to expect if they found themselves at Sloane’s estate.
“Does Preston give you money?” she asked, keeping her tone light, curious, and innocent. Like a young girl who might be interested in making some extra cash on the side herself.
Holly shrugged. “Depends on what I need. If I want extra money, all I have to do is give his friends massages and pretend that I like them. Sometimes, they pay me even more to do other things with them. All the girls do it,” she said, her tone slightly defensive, as if she felt she had to justify what she did. “I can make a lot of money that way, but the only one I want is Preston.”
A surge of nausea rose up into Nicole’s throat, and she had to tamp it back down. What Sloane did with these girls was no better than prostitution, and it sickened Nicole to the core that he got away with it.
“How old are you, Holly?” she asked, almost afraid to find out.
Holly visibly tensed, some part of her mind breaking through the drugs and alcohol’s haze to register the importance of the question. “I’m eighteen.”
Nicole didn’t believe her, and called her on the lie. “You seem younger. I’m sixteen,” she said, giving Holly an opening to be truthful about her age.
Panic filled Holly’s gaze. “You might want to keep that to yourself,” she said in a low whisper.
Nicole found Holly’s reaction, and her comment, interesting. “Why?”
Holly seemed more alert now. “Because it could get you, and Sloane, in a lot of trouble if the wrong people find out that he’s seeing underage girls. The first thing we’re told when we agree to stay at The Sanctuary is that we always say we’re eighteen, no matter what our real age.”
So that’s how Sloane managed to keep his hands clean. The girls lied about their age, and he pretended to not know any different. While her mind came to that conclusion, her curiosity was piqued by something else Holly had said.
“The Sanctuary?” she asked, wondering what the other girl meant. “What is that?”
“That’s Sloane’s place in Summerlin,” Holly said, and smiled. “It’s absolutely beautiful there. So safe and peaceful.”
Sloane had obviously chosen the word
There was so much more she wanted to know about Holly, like how she’d gotten involved with Sloane and if her family knew where she was. Certain that she was much younger than her claim of eighteen years, Nicole guessed that Holly was possibly even a runaway who’d seen Sloane as her salvation.
There were so many questions, and so little time to ask them. And before her time with Holly ran out, Nicole needed to find out if Angela was here tonight, and if not, where they could find her.
Nicole smiled at Holly, who’d relaxed once again now that she’d let the subject of their ages go without further questioning. “I have a friend I think you might know. Last time I talked to her she mentioned Preston to me, so she might even be here tonight.”
Holly tipped her head curiously. “What’s her name?”
“Angela Ramsey. She has blond hair and blue eyes.”
A sullen look passed over Holly’s features, making it clear that she wasn’t thrilled to hear the name. “Oh, you mean
The innocent connotations of the nickname Angela had been given weren’t lost on Nicole. “Angel?”
“That’s what Preston calls her,” Holly said, a bit of resentment creeping back into her tone.
“So you know her?”
Holly nodded, though she didn’t look happy about the conversation revolving around another girl she considered a rival for Sloane’s attention. “She’s another one of Preston’s favorites.”
At least now Nicole had verification that Angela was still involved with Sloane. It was a start. “Is she here tonight?”
“No.” Holly’s lips pursed morosely. “Preston doesn’t like to share Angel, but he will. Eventually.”
The pain in Holly’s voice tore at Nicole’s resolve. She tried to keep her emotions out of the equation, but it was difficult not to empathize with Holly’s situation when Nicole had been in a similar one herself.
“Do you know where Angela is?” Nicole asked, needing that last bit of information so she and Nathan could figure out their next plan of action.
“She’s at The Sanctuary in Summerlin.”
Before Nicole could ask Holly any more questions, out of the corner of her eye she saw someone approaching them. They’d been left alone up until this point, but whoever was heading toward them had Holly sitting up straighter and looking as though she was bracing herself for something very unpleasant.
Surprised by Holly’s odd behavior, and curious to know who had evoked such a strong reaction, Nicole glanced at the woman who’d come to a stop where they were sitting on the couch. She was wearing a black low-cut dress and had a centerfold-type body that most men would appreciate, coupled with gorgeous blond hair that fell halfway down her back in soft waves.
This was no young girl, but a fully grown woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties-and was most likely the oldest female in the nightclub. There was a hardness about her despite her outer beauty, a shrewdness in her gaze that came from years of experience-and not necessarily good ones. Whoever she was, her appearance prompted Holly’s expression to fill with dread.
The woman turned that discerning look toward Nicole, studying her through narrowed eyes. “Are you a new girl?”
Her inquiry was direct and to the point, and Nicole shook her head before any wrong assumptions were made. “No. I’m here with someone.”
“And who would that be?” the woman asked, an unmistakable air of authority in her tone.
“Alex Keller.”
“Fine,” she said, as if she recognized the name, then she turned that cool green gaze back on Holly. “Derek is asking for you, and Preston said for you to do whatever it takes to make him happy. He’s waiting for you in the sapphire room, so don’t be long.”
Reluctantly, Holly nodded her assent.