Alexa scooted to the edge of the chair. She glanced around Kace’s office. A small bowl filled with condoms and samples of lubes sat on the corner of his desk, littered with magazines and post-it notes. “Do you know why?” she asked.
Kace looked at her square in the eye. “She said your deal would tie her to a man for possibly a month, whereas with me, once the, er, virginity is taken, there aren’t any other stipulations.”
Alexa had heard that complaint before, but she’d decided not to change the way she ran her auction. After all, she’d never wanted to open a brothel, and the thirty-day maximum added value to the price tag, usually hefty. Men from all over the world vied to attend her event.
“What happened? Why didn’t she go through with it?” Brooks asked, stepping forward.
Kace scratched his chin, furrowing his brows. “She did. She sold her virginity in our auction.”
“That’s not possible,” Brooks barked.
Alexa’s heart skipped a beat. So, she had gone through with selling her virginity, and chosen Kace’s sketchy online auction? “Who was the buyer?”
He rocked back on his chair. “I can’t disclose that. All our online operations are strictly confidential.”
She’d be a hypocrite if she pressed him for information when she took pride in keeping her clients’ confidentiality at all times.
Brooks launched at Kace, picking him up from the chair and lifting him, hanging him by the collar. “You better tell me now, you fucking bastard,” he said, spitting the words like fire at Kace.
Kace gasped, and as if on cue, Cal barreled inside, pointing a handgun at Brooks.
“Let him go,” Cal shouted.
Alexa’s heart lifted to her throat, her blood pounding in her veins. She surged to her feet, palms clammy. If something happened to Brooks, she’d never forgive herself. “Brooks, let him go,” she said, her voice not as steady as she intended it to be.
“Did you see her after the fact?” Brooks asked, not paying attention to either of them.
Kace squirmed in his hold, his face suddenly much paler than minutes ago. Cal bridged the gap between him and Brooks, his grasp firm on the gun.
Shit. Shit, shit. “He’ll shoot you, Brooks. Please get your hands off of him,” she pleaded. “You’ll never figure out what happened to your sister if you’re dead.”
Brooks turned his face to her, probably thinking about what she’d just said, and loosened his hold on Kace until the man slumped into his seat, fixing his collar.
Kace gestured for Cal to leave and took a couple of deep breathes. “Pamela came by to say thanks.”
“Did she mention anything about what she was doing? Did she have any friends? Maybe a boyfriend?” Brooks asked.
“Listen, you come into my office and try to fucking kill me.” Kace reached for a bottle of Grand Royal in the shelf behind him, then grabbed a stained glass. After pouring a good amount, he downed it without a flinch. “I don’t ask those things of a girl who’s working for me. I couldn’t give a shit if she’s married or has a man. I saw her after, and though I invited Pamela to be a regular, she said no. That was the last time I saw her, days after the online auction. Why don’t you ask her these questions?”
Alexa leaned in, realization dawning on her. A shiver of apprehension ran over her skin. Kace may be slimy, but he wasn’t lying now—somehow, she knew it. “You don’t know, do you?”
Kace reached for the bottle and poured himself another shot. Tension thickened in the air. “Know what?”
“Pamela died in a car crash.”
…
Brooks dragged his hand down his face. Cal had walked them off the ranch with a lot less friendly attitude than he had when they’d arrived. After they left the property, Brooks drove through miles of arid desert. Without saying anything, he exited the main road and parked his car on the frontage. He took off his sunglasses, sighing.
She removed her seat belt, leaning closer, touching his leg to prompt him to look at her. “Talk to me.”
He slammed his hands on the steering wheel, wishing it was the man who’d taken Pamela’s virginity. He’d like to beat that man to a pulp. No, the man who’d killed her—could they have been the same one? Or maybe he was just going crazy. “Do you think he was telling the truth?”
“I don’t know if he has a reason to lie. If anything, after you almost choked him, Kace probably told you the truth to get rid of you. Bad press isn’t good for business.”
He stretched his upper body on the seat, fingers still fidgeting with the steering wheel. “He wouldn’t give me the identity of the buyer, and let’s face it, Kace isn’t known for his ethics.”
She shifted in her seat, watching him, her beautiful intelligent eyes shimmering with compassion. “I agree, but what difference does it make? Do you think a man she had sex with would kill her? Why? He’d already got whatever he wanted from her.”
He rubbed his temples. If Pamela had sold her virginity and the buyer hadn’t anything to do with her death, then maybe her death had been accidental. Though it was hard to believe with her driving skills that she’d drive while tired or not paying attention. His gut contracted, and he slammed the roof of the rental car, frustrated. “If that’s all true, then it means I didn’t help her.”
“You couldn’t save her from herself. I’ve been in this business for a while, and she fooled me when I interviewed her. I’m usually good at seeing people’s demons.”
“Can you see mine?”
She caressed his cheek, sliding her fingers down his face. Her eyes spoke of pity and forgiveness, and he wasn’t sure which he needed more. “I know she was a part of your family that you lost. I know you regret not being there to avoid all this.”
He cleared his throat,
