nodded. “You must have been close to that gringo to tell him about me, Hayley,” he said, startling her by using her first name. “You’re in a lot of trouble in Vegas. It’s been all over the circuits. You are a prized possession, dead or alive.”
She swallowed hard.
“Can you tell me anything about it?”
“I will tell you what I know, and that isn’t much.” Alejandro sat next to her on the bed. She felt oddly at ease next to him, even though she was naked. He felt… comfortable.
“You are a slave trader, Hayley. You sell sex and women to bad men all over this country, and in truth, the world. The rumor is that you took payment for a big delivery then never produced the girls. This got some dangerous men very angry. Saudis, I believe, though I can’t be certain. So they came here to confront you about this problem because you have their money, you see. No goods, no money, no girls. That’s a dangerous game to play.”
Hayley nodded. “So this is all because someone didn’t get their women they wanted to enslave and rape?”
A crinkle formed in Alejandro’s eyes, and he smiled. “ Señora , you really don’t remember who you are at all. These women, they are not people to your clients, they are products. The products must be clean, healthy and ready to perform. You house a lot of women, ready for sex, ready for sale. If the order was big enough, you might be talking about millions of dollars you owe these Saudis.”
“Do I have that kind of money?”
“I’m sure you do. The Saudis are just the tip of the iceberg though.”
She groaned.
“Indeed. You have a lot of competition. A lot of very unsavory, cruel people who have been waiting a long time for you to slip so they can take control of the lion’s share of the sex business. I’m willing to bet that your Saudi clients and your competition are in collusion now. In short, you are fucked, right and good.”
“Will you help us?”
“I will help you, Hayley. Shower and sleep, and tomorrow morning I will send you on your way to safety with a vehicle and guns. You will go into hiding, in your so-called secret safe house you made me promise to never tell anyone about, and you will confront your demons. There are clothes, guns and all you need here to disappear, as you requested I keep ready at all times. You will tell no one where you have been or who you have seen. Do you understand me?”
Hayley nodded somberly. “Thank you, Alejandro.”
His mouth was a hard line. “Hayley, I would be careful about trusting that man you are with. I know his face. He is a killer for hire. He is dangerous and wasn’t always on your side, like he claims.”
“Aren’t you dangerous too?”
He let out a brief chuckle. “I am, but a family man now, chica . I live on my ranch, run a business, and take care of my children.”
“What about their mother?” The question burned on her lips, but she felt she had to ask.
He gave her a long look that was strange, unnerving almost, full of an intensity she could feel in the depths of her soul. He shook his head a little. “Their mother isn’t involved in their lives. It’s what she wanted.”
With that, Alejandro left. Hayley watched him go then staggered, naked and exhausted, to an enormous shower. The filth of the day swirled down the drain mixed with blood from Jay’s wound and minor scrapes and cuts she’d received while on the run. The soap stung every bit of her skin, matching the stab of realization that her life was anything but honorable. She was the monster, not Jay, not Alejandro or those crazy gunmen trying to off her the moment she slipped up. She was the beast she feared the most, and it was no wonder she had run so far to forget who she was.
But the steamy water only did so much. She scrubbed her body raw like it was the only way to slough off the past, with the stinging stroke of the sponge. Her body ached in all the wrong places, and she hadn’t even gotten another good fuck to
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