Page 56 of Wicked Games
“Yes, I have. Infiltrating the human trafficking ring was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I did it. The bastards who were caught will hopefully never take another easy breath. Many of the perverts covered their trails well, but you can never fully erase your digital footprint. It’s taken me another two years to find proof Banks is a child-raping, sick son of a bitch and get his DNA to prove he is my father.”
“How’d you get his DNA?” I asked. “The man never eats or drinks in my presence, and he’s always wearing those thin leather gloves.”
“I paid his favorite whore to hand over his used condom after one of his weekly visits.”
“Why aren’t you taking Banks down? Why do you want me to do it?”
“It will be me who takes him down, but I thought you might like to get in on the action too. I’d include Deverish also, but he’s laid up with his adorable lover for now.”
“I’d love to help you,” I told her. “What’s your plan?”
“The two of us will travel to London and set a trap for Banks—one he won’t be able to resist,” Carmen said.
“Two?” Ryder asked. “What about me?”
“Love, I need you to be someplace safe so I can do whatever it takes to bring this fucker to justice. I can’t do it if I’m worried about you.”
“Why can’t you just release the information to the authorities like you did with the fanyi and Perez?” Ryder asked, sounding panicked. “Why is there need for anyone to get hurt?”
Carmen leaned forward and covered Ryder’s hand. “If you want to take on the lion, you must be willing to enter his den. I have the weapon to destroy him; I just need the bait to do it.”
“Me?” I asked. “Dev and Percy are convinced Banks is obsessed with me. Are you saying you agree with them?”
“Without a shadow of a doubt. I’ve also included evidence to back up the theory. It’s in the envelope if you wish to see for yourself.”
“Just tell me,” I snarled.
“Lucien,” Ryder admonished softly. “I’m not happy about this either, but Carmen’s giving us the opportunity to eliminate the one person preventing you from having a happy life.”
“Tell me, Carmen,” I said in a softer tone.
“He keeps a file for every one of hisemployees. I’m not talking about your tax withholding information or bank account details for direct deposit; I specifically mean the information he uses to wield power over you.”
“You’ve seen the photos then?” I asked.
“I’ve seen the photos of your affair from a decade ago, but more importantly, I’ve seen the five dozen or more images he’s kept of you since you started working for him. Eating, fucking, meeting with contacts, sleeping, and—”
“Fucking?” Ryder asked.
“Sleeping?” I questioned.
“Who shall I answer first?” she asked herself.
Carmen pointed to me. “You were sleeping in a lounge chair by a pool. Your eyes were closed, and your face looked relaxed in a way that indicated your brain was at rest.”
“Fucking?” Ryder asked again.
“Oddly, he didn’t save any photos of the two of you, sweetheart. I think he knew there was something special between you, and he couldn’t handle seeing it.” Carmen looked at me then and said, “I would’ve expected someone with your experience to know when he was being tailed.”
“Fuck!” I spat out, running both hands through my hair. “These types of photos weren’t in the other employees’ files?”
“Not a single one. I don’t know if Banks wants you for himself, has penis envy, or both, but his obsession is singular, and you are the object.”
“Don’t go to London,” Ryder said urgently. “There has to be another way.”
“There isn’t, sweetheart,” Carmen told him. “You can’t always dial things in from far away. I promise we’ll be careful.”
“This isn’t adding up,” I said, grasping for straws.