Provoke

Chapter Twenty-Six

Mace

What the hell was he doing here?

He was the buyer? It didn't make sense.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked, my hands clenched into fists beside me.

This was the guy who had gotten me into this ring in the first place. It shouldn't have shocked me that he was a buyer, but for some reason, it did.

Did he have something to do with Anna’s rape?

The guy laughed. “I get the feeling this isn’t a social call.”

His gaze rolled over me, then Ben, and finally, his eyes fell on Leeta.

Something flickered in them—something I didn't like. I took a step closer to her. So help me God, if he tried anything on her . . .

Something inside me snapped. Taking a step forward, I closed my hand around his neck. “Listen up, you piece of shit. I want answers, and you're going to give them to me.”

As the pressure around his neck tightened, I saw fear in his eyes. That made me happy. I needed him to see how serious I was. I pushed him, hard. He staggered, falling backwards into the house. I walked inside, the others right behind me.

“Okay, okay, just calm the fuck down. I think there's been a misunderstanding here.”

“A misunderstanding?” I snorted. “You better start talking, or I'm going to beat the fucking shit out of you.”

Ben swept in from beside me and picked him up like he was a used rag, tossing him headfirst against the wall.

“Please, stop. You got this all wrong,” he yelped out in pain as Ben picked him up again, this time holding him against the wall, his elbow resting on his neck.

I shot Leeta a look. She shrugged helplessly. Holy shit. This Ben dude was hardcore.

“I'll tell you whatever you want to know, just let me speak. It's not what you think. I'm an undercover cop. My name’s Luke Bradshaw.”

What? Ben stopped holding onto him, letting him fall to the ground in a heap.

“Get up,” I said, taking a step towards him. “Tell me what the hell is going on right this second, or I swear to God I’m gonna kill you.”

Luke struggled to sit. He was breathing heavily as he leaned against the wall. A thick film of sweat mixed with blood covered his face as he scowled at me.

“I'm undercover with the Feds,” he wheezed. “We've been tracking this group for the last twelve months.”

I stepped back, shocked. I hadn't expected this. Maybe I was no closer to catching these guys than I had been four months ago. Maybe this was where it all ended.

All that . . . for nothing.

My hands on the back of my head, I walked away, feeling like the wind had been kicked out of me. I needed fresh air. I needed to think. Kicking my way through the fly screen door out back I walked outside, sitting on the bottom step.

What the hell was my next move? Because right then, the only one I could think of was going back in there and beating the shit out of an undercover cop until he gave up their location.

“Are you okay?”

I jumped as Leeta snuck up behind me. She sat down on the step next to me, her hand resting on my leg.

“Is Ben in there with him?” I asked. She nodded.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped, hesitating before continuing. “You know, undercover or not, something about this guy I don’t trust. I can’t even tell you what it is, just my gut feeling.” I stiffened. I’d been thinking the same thing. There was something off about him. Something that really rubbed me the wrong way.

“So, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying if you really want answers, put a bit of pressure on him. He might be a cop, but I don’t trust him for a second.” She shrugged and met my gaze. I trusted Leet’s perception of people much more than I did my own. If she thought this guy was off, then that was good enough for me.

Squeezing her hand, I stood up and stalked back inside, ready for round two.

Luke was sitting on the couch while Ben sat on a wooden chair directly facing him, watching him like a hawk. Arms crossed over his chest, he stood up when he saw me.

“What’s the go?” he muttered softly, his back to Luke and his voice low so he couldn’t hear us.

“I’m not leaving until I get some information. You, I don’t give a shit about. Stay or go, I don’t care. But if you stay, you back me up—got it?” I asked.

Ben nodded.

Good. I moved past him and stood in front of Luke.

“Give me something. We found you; it’s not going to be long until we find them, too.”

“Look, give me a few days to get some things in order and I’ll give you whatever information you need.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “A few days isn’t good enough. You’ll tell us now. Do you have any idea who I am? Surely you did a little background research on me, Lukie boy.” I grabbed the chair and spun it over the floor, parking my ass in front of him.

“I know who you are.”

“So you know my family, right? One call. That’s all it will take for you to disappear forever.” I stared deep into his eyes, almost begging for him to doubt me.

He dropped his gaze. Sweat trickled down his forehead. “I don’t know what to tell you. I can’t compromise a federal investigation.” His voice was panicked.

I narrowed my eyes, my teeth clenching together. I nodded at Ben, who took a step toward Luke.

“Okay,” Luke cried, holding his arms up in defeat. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

Fucking useless sack of shit. It had taken him less than five minutes to crack.

“Tell me about the website. Who owns it?” I asked.

“I don’t know names. Two guys.”

“And the rest?” I pressed.

“What, like you?”

I tensed. I hated being included in that description. “Yes,” I said through gritted teeth. “Like me. And buyers. Like you.”

“Guys like you, maybe ten? Buyers, it depends. In the last month, maybe thirty?” I heard Leeta gasp behind me. I’d almost forgotten she was there. “What do you think you’re going to do? Bust your way in there? And then what?”

My fist connected with the side of his face. He glared at me, his nostrils flaring.

“What’s your involvement? Besides testing the stock,” I spat.

“I’m basically just muscle. Disposable.” In other words, useless to me.

“Then why did we trace the IP address to here?”

“Because…” He shrugged again. “Because I’m expected to participate. The same as you are.” He shot me a look.

Yeah, only the difference is, you thought it was real.

“How do buyers find you? I’m guessing you’re not listed in the Yellow Pages.”

“Word of mouth. You’d be surprised how many sick people there are in the world.” He grinned. I punched him again. His eyes clouded over as he swayed, the blow almost rendering him unconscious.

“Mace.” Leeta grabbed my arm, pulling me back. “He’s no good to you dead.” Her voice was soft. She was right. I turned around and walked to the front door, Ben and Leet at my heels.

“You’re just letting him go?” Ben asked, surprised. “Dude, he obviously knows something.”

“I know, but we weren’t going to get anywhere with him,” I muttered, climbing back into my car. I waited until both Leet and Ben were in.

“What’s the plan, then?” Asked Ben.

“We’re going to sit here until he moves. These guys don’t do cell phones—they don’t want anything to track Luke back to them. If he is going to try and warn them like I hope he is, then he’ll do it in person. And when he does, I’ll be ready.”

“And if you’re wrong?” asked Leeta.

“Then I have no idea what I’ll do.”