A knock on the door made them disengage. Thomas, the head of the security in charge for the evening, popped his head inside the office. “Someone really wants to see you, Madam Alexa. She said her name is Laura Jensen.”
Alexa smoothed her hand over her dress. “I’m not expecting anyone.” Nor did she know anyone with that name.
“She said she works for Kace and has some information you might need.”
Curiosity quaked inside her. Why would anyone who worked for Kace want to talk to her? She didn’t run a brothel, and most likely whoever was in a house he ran was no longer a virgin. “All right. Let her in.”
Jackie nodded, texting. “I’ll tell security to let her through.”
Within a few minutes, Thomas escorted the same woman Alexa had seen at the ranch. She’d been one of the women hanging out in the bar area when she’d visited the brothel with Brooks. Blonde, curvy, and with a sleeve of tattoos on her right arm. She wore jeans and a tank top and would stand out from all the moneyed potential buyers circulating soon for the auction.
Jackie and Thomas left the room.
“You wanted to see me?” Alexa pointed to the empty seat across from her.
With a nervous smile, Laura pulled a chair facing Alexa and sat. “Yes. I have some information you might be interested in.”
Alexa grabbed a pen from her holder and clicked it mindlessly. Information usually cost money, particularly in the sex industry. “How do you figure?” she asked casually, hoping her neutral expression wouldn’t give away how eager she was to hear the intel.
Laura glanced around the office, cataloguing the thank-you notes on the brag wall, the expensive vases and the wet bar in the corner. Then her gaze snapped back to Alexa. “I saw you with that good-looking man when you visited the ranch. I know you were asking around about Pamela.”
Alexa leaned in. “Shoot.”
The woman shuffled in the seat, cleared her throat. “I need five hundred dollars.”
Alexa rocked back in her chair. Of course she needed money. A pig like Kace probably didn’t give his girls a good share when they literally did all the dirty work. “Must be some good information.”
“Yes.”
Alexa folded her arms, musing over her options. If she didn’t pay her, she’d go to sleep wondering about the information. If she paid her and Laura just gave her some sob story or gossip, she’d be mad at herself for falling for it. Either option would offer a night thinking about Brooks and not sleeping. Sighing, she unlocked her top drawer, opened it, grabbed five Ben Franklins and sat them on the desk. “Okay. I’ll bite. What do you have for me?”
Laura glanced at the money, but didn’t take it. An eagerness flashed in her eyes, and Alexa hoped she needed it to pay her rent and not for drugs. “Pamela had someone interested in her. The day of our auction, I got her hair done for the live video, so we chatted a bit. She wanted to sell her virginity, but in the process, met this guy and fell for him. But she refused to let him fuck her—she said if she sold her body for one night, she’d make good money and they could start a life together.”
“Who was he?”
“He worked as security. Think his name was Tom or—”
“Tony.” Beads of sweat slicked over Alexa’s forehead. Her stomach twisted in knots, and before Laura confirmed it, she remembered the personal trainer they’d talked to after questioning Mike Wheeler. A young, good-looking man.
Alexa froze. The pieces of the puzzle fell neatly into place.
Pamela hadn’t been kidnapped. She’d changed her mind about House of Alexa at the last minute, choosing to sleep with a stranger for money for only one night—maybe it felt like less of a betrayal to her boyfriend.
“Yes. That’s it,” Laura said.
“Why didn’t you tell me that when we visited the ranch?”
“I didn’t know what I was supposed to say. Didn’t want to get in trouble, so I waited until you had a scheduled auction again because I knew you’d be here tonight.”
“Thanks.”
“You did me a solid. My rent is overdue. Hey, are you sure you guys aren’t going to start offering regular work?” She winked. “At some point, the world will run out of virgins.”
Alexa grabbed her business card from a drawer and gave it to her. “No, we won’t turn into a brothel. But if you want to work as an assistant, I’ll let Jackie know. It’s a salaried position.”
“Really?”
“I’m not saying you have the job, but she can interview you,” she said. After all, Jackie would need help, and why not give the opportunity to someone who knew the ins and outs of the industry?
“Wow. Yes, I’d love that. You’re a good woman, Madam Alexa.”
Alexa bit her inner cheek. She was about to call Brooks, and there was nothing good about what she’d reveal to him.
…
Brooks took another swig of beer. Duke rested his head on his lap, and whatever game was on TV turned into a blur. Ever since he’d returned to his ranch, memories from when Alexa had visited had stalked him like some evil criminal. He’d even gone into the room she’d occupied a few times, in hopes of still catching traces of her scent.
He’d managed to lose everything, including what he hadn’t had before he’d begun searching for the truth about his sister—a phenomenal woman. Alexa had left a mark on him, like an invisible tattoo he couldn’t remove. Damn it, they were good together. He didn’t need a country club Stepford wife to have his babies or wear his ring. He needed Alexa, with her sass, her attitude, and her endless compassion. He’d realized that too late.
He sighed, scratching behind Duke’s ears. With physical therapy and the right meds, his mother
