“Not necessarily. I have no idea. I’ve been keeping tabs on him too though, just in case.”
“Eve certainly looks a lot like Britney. Fits the profile.” Davis’s voice is stiff with concern.
“Exactly. I assume she fits it even more when she’s not dressed for business in tight skirts, blouses, and heels, with perfect hair and makeup. Under all that, I bet she’s young and innocent-looking.”
Davis draws in a breath. “She is.”
I hesitate. How the fuck does he know that? “Have you dated her?” I ask before I can stop myself. “Shit. Don’t answer that. It’s none of my business. Sorry.”
He chuckles. “No. It’s fine. I have not dated her.”
Okay… Then how do you know what she looks like without makeup? I don’t ask. “Anyway, Owen owns a bar near the club. I’ve seen her come and go from there a few times, and she meets him for coffee.”
“So you’re trailing a man you think is the seller and a woman you think could be the victim.”
“Perhaps. No particular reason to suspect Owen yet. Just because she’s seeing him doesn’t mean he plans to kidnap her. And…”
“What else?”
“I think someone is following her.”
“Fuck.”
“Yes.”
“Can’t your boss assign more guys to this? Sounds like you need more eyes.” Davis asks.
“Not yet. I don’t have enough evidence.”
“Jesus. I’ll talk to my boss, Blade. I’m sure he’ll be willing to help out. Is that why you called?”
“No. I’m still collecting information. So far all I know is that Evelyn could be a target, someone might be following her, and she’s been seeing Owen lately. He could be grooming her, or it could be a coincidence.”
“Damn. I don’t know Owen well enough to tell you anything about him.”
“How well do you know Evelyn?”
“I’ve known her since I moved here a year ago. We’re acquaintances. How much do you know about Surrender?”
I sigh. “Not enough. That’s what I’m calling about. Hoping you can get me into the club. That would help me tremendously. It would also help if the owner was aware of my presence. Do you know the owner?”
Davis draws in a breath. “Yes. I can introduce you. That’s not a problem. Like I said, I’ll do anything. And Roman wouldn’t want anything to be happening in his club that involved trafficking. In fact, I’ll be calling him the very second we hang up.”
“Could you arrange a meeting for me? Sometime when the club isn’t open perhaps? It would make my job easier if I speak to Roman first.”
“Yes.”
I hear the hesitation in his voice. “Am I overstepping?”
“Not at all. I just need to speak to Britney about this, and a few other people. It’s not simple. I’m not the only member you know. People are very private about their membership at Surrender. It helps that you’re in law enforcement and I know you’ll be discreet, but it’s still a big deal. I wouldn’t want anyone to be blindsided.”
“Understood.” I wonder who else he thinks I know from Surrender. Interesting. “How is Britney?” I should have asked that first. When I last saw the two of them, they were in a fresh relationship. I thought they fit together amazingly, but that was eight months ago. Anything could have happened since then. Apparently, they’re still together.
“She’s doing well.”
“Did she go back to working at the animal shelter?” I hope she’s recovered from the trauma of nearly being sold into human trafficking.
“Yes. She loves it there, and Cindy was glad to have her back.”
I freeze for a moment as it occurs to me that Cindy and her husband, Hudson, are people I met through Davis and Britney. They are all close friends. I wonder if the two of them are the other members of Surrender I would know. Have to be.
A dog barks in the background, or maybe a puppy, making me smile. “I guess Britney conned you into getting a pet.”
Davis’s voice is muffled. “Sh sh sh. Come ’ere. That’s a boy. You’ll wake up your mama with that yelping.” And then his voice is direct again. “Sorry about that. Charlie is a handful.”
I glance at my watch and frown. It’s the middle of the afternoon. “Britney’s asleep? Is she sick?”
There’s a slight hesitation before Davis responds. “Nope. She’s fine.” He gives me no other detail. “Listen, let me talk to Roman and get back to you. I’m sure time is of the essence, so I’ll call him right now. Maybe I can arrange for you to meet with him in the morning. Would that work?”
“That would be perfect. Thank you.”
“But wait. I have to ask. I’m confused. I still don’t understand why Leah and Eve were discussing me.”
I chuckle. “Mostly because they think you’re…let’s see…what did they say exactly?…one of the hottest Daddies at the club.”
Davis sucks in a sharp breath.
I wonder if he’s stressing over the fact that Evelyn and Leah weren’t discreet enough to keep someone from hearing their conversation or if he’s embarrassed that I know a bit more about him than he’d like.
“Let me quote the exact words that caused your name to come up. ‘Owen’s nice and handsome enough and all, but he’s no Davis Marcum.’ Those were Leah’s words.”
“Lord. I’m going to have a complex.”
I chuckle. “Maybe don’t let that go to your head.”
“Too late,” he responds, his voice lighter. “Okay, I’ll call you as soon as I have something set up.”
“Thanks, man. Talk to you later.”
After ending the call, I continue to sit on the sofa, staring into the empty space that is my actual home. My condo. A place I sometimes see for a few weeks at a time before disappearing undercover somewhere. At the moment, I’m not in a deep cover. I’m still working my ass off trying to track down whoever Britney’s true seller was. Her boss was killed in the sting,