Chapter 519

Nathan

Dinner

It was a cool, rainy spring night; the exact type of night that one might expect during late March in our region. The air around the table where Dan and I sat smelled thick with cigars and whiskey, and the soft sound of conversation and glasses clinking filled the atmosphere.

But we weren’t alone.

Two escorts sat with us: Dan had a buxom blonde at his side, a much younger woman—younger than me, even—by the name of Amy. She was leaning against his shoulder, absentmindedly twirling her olives around in her cocktail.

And at my side sat an escort who I already knew quite well: Mira. The same tall, slender woman with long, dark hair who I had met once before.

“I must say, Nathan,” Dan said, one arm casually looped around Amy’s shoulders while the other hand held up his glass of whiskey. “These southern packs are fools for trying to secede from our union. Utter fools.”

I took a sip of my whiskey and nodded along to what Dan was saying, even though I didn’t entirely believe it. “Surely we can make them some sort of deal to convince them to stay,” I said.

“Ha! A deal.” Dan swigged his whiskey and slammed the now-empty glass down onto the table, signaling for the waitress to bring him another. “You and I will go down there at the end of the month, Nathan. We’ll talk some sense into them.”

Talking sense. At this point, I had begun to learn that Dan’s version of ‘talking sense’ involved more than simple discussions and wagers.

But I was in too deep now to say no. And if anything, I was all the more intrigued to go along with him; after all, I had to build a case.

That night, after dinner, Mila slipped into my bedroom at Dan’s mansion and locked the door behind herself. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders as she sauntered up to me, her heels clicking on the floor. I sat on the chaise lounge by the window, loosening my tie.

“Did you bring what was promised?” I asked.

Mila nodded. I watched intently as she reached into the bodice of her dress and produced a small envelope, which she handed to me.

“This is perfect, Mila,” I said as I unfolded the paper; a list of names stared up at me from the page. Police, high-profile Alphas, even those who I never would have suspected.

Customers.

You see, that night during the summit, it was true: Dan had arranged for me to meet up with the escort in a dingy hotel room.

He wouldn’t take no for an answer, and I had no choice but to say yes. I intended on paying the poor girl and going on my way without ever touching her, but when I saw the fear in her eyes, I knew that it couldn’t go down that way…

…

Hotel

“I don’t want to have sex with you,” I said, rifling through my wallet for the cash as the dim light of the lamp on the bedside table illuminated the dingy hotel room. “So how much will it be? I’ll just pay you and leave in twenty minutes.”

The escort’s dark eyes widened. She sauntered toward me, placing her hand on my chest. “You’re sure you don’t—”

“I’m married,” I said, gently removing her hand. “Really, I’m not interested.”

The escort slowly lowered her hand and shot me a quizzical look. But behind that quizzical look was fear; nothing but fear. “I-I can’t,” she had said softly when I tried giving her the money. “He’ll know.”

“He?” I asked, glancing around.

She nodded slowly. “He always watches,” she whispered. “If we don’t at least pretend, he’ll… hurt me.”

The realization dawned on me then; here, in this hotel room, we were being watched. I wasn’t sure by who, or why, but I knew it was true. And the look in this woman’s eyes only affirmed that notion.

“Please,” she whimpered. “We can just pretend, but—”

“Alright.” I slipped my wallet back into my pocket and walked up to her. It felt wrong to even pretend with my wife at home alone, especially so soon after our son’s funeral, but I couldn’t endanger anyone.

Slowly, she began to trace her hands along the back of my neck. I touched her waist as lightly as possible as she leaned in.

“Are you here of your own free will?” I whispered.

The escort scoffed. “That’s what they tell us to say,” she said. “But we’re not.”

“We?” I asked.

She nodded as she began to pretend to plant kisses along my neck. “There are more of us. Dozens, at least, as far as I know. Likely hundreds, maybe even thousands.”

My eyes widened. I blinked, pretending to trace my hands up her waist and over her shoulders. The curtains in the window fluttered in a soft breeze, and I felt acutely aware of eyes on me, but I couldn’t see anyone outside.

“A trafficking ring,” I whispered to myself. All along, it had been made out that these escorts were doing this of their own volition; now, it seemed quite the opposite. “Can you give me any information?”

The escort led me over to the bed and sat down in front of me, leaning back on her palms. “I could try.”

“What makes you want to tell me this?” I asked, leaning over her and pushing her down onto the bed. “What made you so sure that you’d be safe saying what you’ve already said?”

She bit her lip. “I’ve heard stories about you and your wife; about the good things you’ve done. I was told to look for you.”

I furrowed my brow, confused now as I began to press closer against her. That feeling of eyes on me stayed constant; we were certainly being watched, maybe by even more than one person now. Was this why Dan had insisted on bringing me here? A test of some kind?

Could I even trust her?

Over the following weeks, I learned that I could. The escort, Mila, proved to be a powerful ally; she provided me with information, receipts, details. All at the cost of losing my wife.

…

Office

Olivia shoved the envelope containing the divorce papers a little closer to me and stared at me from across the desk, anger seething and bubbling behind her gaze.

“Go on, sign it,” she growled, folding her arms across her chest. “Sign it, and you can be with her.”

I blinked at her in shock. Had she not received the letter I had left for her? If she had read it, she should have known everything by now.

“Olivia,” I said softly, “I’m not signing that.”

She scoffed. “What, so you think you’d stay married to me while you’ve been out with another woman? A prostitute, no less?”

“No, I—” I sighed, passing a hand over my face. As I circled around the desk to meet her, she took a step back but didn’t turn away. I could feel our wolves roiling around, circling each other warily. I knew she missed me just as I missed her.

“Olivia, let me tell you what happened. Can you at least spare me a few minutes?” I asked, lowering my voice so as not to be overheard by Dan.

She looked at me for a long time, her eyes flashing with fury. But finally, her shoulders slumped and she nodded, pursing her lips.

“You have one minute to explain yourself,” she said.