Page 123 of Beautifully Ruined

I’m beginning to fear this place is a waste of time in regard to finding her. Unless one of the men bought her… But how the hell do I find that out?

Cade.

That’s how.

I turn back and go into the beautiful bathroom, the large room done up in reds, blacks, and velvet wallpaper. I don’t need to pee, so I take a moment and sit on the chaise longue.

That’s when Macy exits one of the stalls.

Her reaction is microscopic, a tiny hesitation, but she doesn’t speak.

She heads to the sink.

I come up behind her.

“I know we keep meeting in bathrooms, but last time you were much more talkative.”

She doesn’t respond and doesn’t meet my gaze in the mirror.

I frown. “Why are you pretending not to know who I am?”

Macy looks around, then peers under the other stalls, but it’s clear we’re alone in here. Then she finally sighs. “We’ll talk, but not here, okay?”

There’s a thread of something in her voice, so I nod, and let her hurry out.

What the hell was that all about?

It’s not embarrassment over being in here. After all, we’re both in the same boat, at least as far as she thinks.

Maybe she’s being made to work here. Maybe there’s someone at the congressman’s office with a connection here, someone who picks girls, gets dirt, and forces them to…what? Take part in this place as a worker?

The thing is, Walsh isn’t into this, or I would have seen him here, or Cade would have found out.

But a lot of powerful people come through the offices, for appointments, for lots of things. And maybe someone asked Macy out. Maybe they did the same to Gianna and once the girls were caught up, this person forced them to be their toy.

I shudder.

Maybe I’m wrong, maybe she likes this, and Macy’s just embarrassed.

But I could be on to something. I might have a connection to Gianna from the office.

And that’s something very much worth pursuing.

Chapter Twenty-Three

CADE

The meetingwith Thomas the next day goes about how I expect. Fine without a drop of surprise.

He seems to think he has me hooked on his club and on the possibilities of eventually making money, once the club fees are squared away.

The fees aren’t a thing I want to pay. Guest list as we do now is fine because there’ll be no record. He doesn’t want to have me all over his books and use my services for his gain.

But the meeting goes well, and the work for next week is set up.

I sweeten the deal by helping him with something else his actual IT department at his business office is shit at but is easy enough for my skills and any half decent hacker.

It also gives me the opportunity to poke about on the down low without him knowing, and even the brief look I have through fixing the issue with security tells me his legitimate business world, the one with a multi-billion-dollar household name above it, is all on the up and up.