Into The Night

plaything for the night. Just say the word, and she’s yours.”

The thought of that young, naive girl giving her body so freely to a stranger was enough to turn Nathan’s stomach. Thanks to years of undercover work, though, feigning a nonchalant attitude came easily, despite his internal frustration. “Nice girl, but there just wasn’t any chemistry with her on my end.”

“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately about Lisa.” Sloane grew thoughtful, a small frown marring his brow. “I’m thinking it’s time for Lisa to move on to make room for fresh, new young blood for my friends to enjoy.”

Nathan didn’t care for the underlying tone in Sloane’s comment, and what it implied. “How do you mean?” he asked casually.

“There comes a time when each of the girls has served her purpose, and that seems to be the case with Lisa.” He shrugged, as if the two of them were discussing the weather, instead of a human life. “It’s time for her to go.”

“Go where?” Nathan kept his voice mildly curious, but deep in his gut he knew exactly what Sloane meant. He just needed the man to say the words out loud to confirm Nathan’s suspicions.

Sloane leaned closer and let his voice drop in tone, as if he didn’t want others to hear what he was about to share with Nathan. “Let’s just say I have a very profitable arrangement with a Russian businessman who is more than happy to take the girls off my hands when I’m done with them. Sending them off to Russia keeps things much simpler and cleaner than putting the girls back out on the street here in Vegas.”

Jesus . Nathan’s mind reeled with the knowledge that not only was Sloane engaging in underage prostitution, he was also involved in human trafficking. The thought of him using these girls, then selling them off to another country to be used for white slavery was enough to make Nathan want to puke.

Somehow, someway, Sloane had to be stopped.

“But back to you, Keller, and finding you a girl who’ll pique your interest,” Sloane went on, forcing Nathan’s attention back to the business at hand. “You’re a hard man to please.”

He shrugged, even as the urgency of getting Angela out of this place heightened. “I’m just very particular, and I want to make this worth my while.”

“I completely understand. That’s why I’ve saved the best for last.” A crafty smile curved Sloane’s lips. “I figured if no one else appealed to you, my Angel definitely would.”

Now, that grabbed Nathan’s attention, and the interest he displayed on his face was genuine. “Angel? Sounds promising.”

Nathan followed Sloane’s gaze as he glanced across the room and motioned with his fingers. From the shadows, a young girl emerged, escorted by Gwen. From a distance, Nathan could make out flowing blond hair and a petite, slender body draped in a white slip-style dress as she glided toward them on flat slippers.

The illusion of being an angel was apparent-from her choice of dress to the fresh innocence of her ethereal appearance. The other men in the room watched in envy while the girl passed by, and as she neared and her vivid blue eyes and face became more visible, Nathan felt a jolt to his system.

Angela Ramsey. Finally .

“I haven’t shared her with anyone yet, but it’s time,” Sloane said, keeping his voice low. “I’m offering her up to you first, so you might want to take advantage of the arrangement because she’ll be gone in a few weeks.”

A chill went through Nathan. “Why’s that?”

A twisted smile curved Sloane’s lips. “Let’s just say that the Russian made me an offer for Angel that I couldn’t resist.”

Sloane had arranged to sell off Angela. His heart nearly stopped in his chest. “I thought she was your favorite.”

“Every girl has her price, Keller,” he said like a man who never formed an emotional attachment to any one female, and was only interested in the bottom-line profit. “And every single one of them is replaceable.”

Sick, disgusting fuck . Nathan had to forcibly swallow back the inflammatory words, and just in time as Angela came to a stop a few feet away from them.

“Come here, Angel.” Sloane held his hand out to her, and she placed her fingers against his palm and let him draw her close to his side. “I’d like you to meet a good friend of mine. This is Alex Keller. Alex, this is Angel.”

Nathan smiled at her, noticing the heart pendant necklace she wore, which marked her as a favorite of Sloane’s-but not for long.

“You’re absolutely beautiful,” he said, all too aware of the other man watching him, and his reaction, very carefully.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

Her glassy eyes, combined with her docility and too-relaxed demeanor, told Nathan she was on some kind of narcotic. Her dossier had depicted her as a rebellious, troubled teen, yet here in this environment she seemed like a shell of herself, subdued and child-like, and far too innocent to be caught up in such an immoral situation.

And it was up to him to get her out, as quickly and safely as possible before she was lost to them forever-to the Russian .

Pushing aside his personal mission for now, he met Sloane’s gaze and gave him the impressed response he no doubt expected. “You certainly did save the best for last.”

Sloane’s chest expanded with conceited male pride. “I only pick the best. Like I said, I’ve never shared her before, so consider yourself very lucky that you’re the first.”

It was bad enough that Angela had been subjected to Sloane’s sexual advances. Nathan swore it would end there for the young girl.

“Why don’t the two of you spend some time alone and enjoy the amenities here in the playroom?” Sloane suggested as he passed Angela off to Nathan. “Or maybe you’d prefer a private room for the evening?”

Nathan knew exactly what Sloane was hinting at. If Nathan opted to spend the night alone with Angela, then the other man would be able to do the same with Nicole, which was what Sloane clearly wanted. Except under Nathan’s watch, the all-night exchange wasn’t going to happen. Ever.

But he had to get Angela alone to assess the girl’s mental state and the situation, and that meant a brief swap was necessary.

“No, not tonight,” Nathan said, openly refusing Sloane’s offer and making certain the man understood that he hadn’t agreed to a trade with Nicole. “I’d like to make sure she’s the one I want before I give you Nikki for a night.”

“Very well,” he conceded, but not happily. “Where is Nikki, anyway?”

“She had to use the restroom.” Nathan glanced in that direction and finally saw Nicole heading his way. “Here she comes now.”

Nathan immediately noticed that something was wrong. He could see the distress in her eyes, but as soon as she saw Sloane, and then realized the girl standing next to Nathan was Angela, those troubling emotions disappeared. He’d find out later what had upset her, but for now she realized how pivotal this moment was for the two of them-that she needed to leave Nathan alone with Angela in order for him to talk to her.

“Who is this?” Nicole asked as she looked at Angela, her voice infused with a believable amount of teenage jealousy.

“This is Angel,” Nathan said, then used a more assertive tone to show Sloane that Nicole was his to command. “She and I are going to visit for a while, and I want you to do the same with Preston.”

Nicole stared at him with big, round eyes filled with a plausible mixture of hurt and anxiety. “Okay,” she conceded in a soft, obedient voice, which Sloane seemed to appreciate.

Sloane shifted beside Nicole and skimmed his hand down her back. She looked uncomfortable with his caress, and Nathan knew for a fact that her unease was real, not feigned as everything else had been.

“Why don’t I take you to see my private art collection?” Sloane suggested. “It’s in a nice, quiet wing of the house, where the two of us can relax and talk.”