“Fine, but why him? Why couldn't you've called Tim or someone?”

“Hey,” Ben said, waving. “Right here.”

“Tim?” I snorted, ignoring Ben. “You’ve got to be kidding me! What use would he be if you were knocked unconscious and dragged inside this dude’s house?”

“Great, so he knows everything?” He shook his head in disgust and stormed outside. I pushed Ben out the door, slamming it shut, and raced after Mace.

“Just put your ego aside for one second and think about your sister, okay? Can you do that?” I asked, grabbing his arm. “This isn't about you and me. Or Ben. It's about finding these guys, right?”

Mace nodded, but his expression told me he was far from happy with the whole situation.

“Fine. Let's go.”

I jumped in the front or his car, Ben getting in the back. Mace turned to me, a snide look on his face.

“Any other boyfriends we need to pick up? Maybe an ex-husband or two?”

“Can you shut the fuck up and just drive?” I snapped. Then I laughed. “I'm sorry, but you’re the last person to be having a go at me right now, so quit it, Mace. Before you say something you’ll regret.”

He muttered something under his breath and then reached for the stereo knob, turning the volume up. I sighed loudly, resting my head against the window.

It was pointless trying to talk to him now. Maybe I shouldn't have called Ben, but I only did it because I was worried about Mace. Why couldn’t he see that?

The address we had was for a house in a quiet street in one of Melbourne's more affluent suburbs. I shivered, goosebumps trailing up my arms. This was not the type of place I’d expected someone who was into this kind of shit would be living. It shouldn’t have shocked me as much as it did; in my line of work, I was forever learning it was often the people you least expected to be keeping the biggest secrets. I glanced sideways at Mace.

“So, what now?” I asked.

“Now we go up there and get some answers.”

Mace got out of the car. I winced as the door slammed. So maybe he was still a little bit angry. I turned in my seat and flashed Ben a sympathetic smile.

“Sorry about this,” I said. “He's not always so tightly wound.”

Ben's eyes twinkled as he smirked at me. “You’re sure about that? It seems to me that you have a type.”

“Just get out and stay the hell out of the way,” I muttered. The last thing I needed were his games.

We walked up to the door. I glanced at Mace, looking for a sign of nerves, or anything that would tell me how he was feeling. He took a breath, exhaling quickly, and then rapped loudly on the door.

He's shaking. I wanted to reach out and touch him, let him know I was there for him, but I knew that wouldn't help. Right then, that would probably make things worse.

My heart jumped as the door flew open. A guy stood there. He was just an average-looking guy—mid-thirties, moderately attractive . . . just an ordinary-looking guy.

Next to me, I heard Mace gasp. My head whipped sideways. Did he know the guy? I looked from the guy to Mace and back again.

The guy stood there, brow furrowed, a blank expression on his face. Recognition flashed through his eyes, then shock, and finally he smiled.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is. Mace, right?”

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.”