Page 49 of Cherished By the Sinners
“Thank you,” Magnus said.Huh, well look at that, he did have something to say after all.
The detective’s eyebrows went up.“For what?”
Davis definitely hadn’t expected him to say that.
“For not being an asshole to Darlene.”
The other man nodded.“She’s trying to change her life and she’s willing to fight for it.I’ve got all kinds of respect for that.”
“Oh?”
The detective flashed a sad smile.“I had a cousin who lost the fight.I wish I could have helped her.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.”The detective shifted his weight and leaned against the wall beside him.“This human trafficking shit is just about the worst thing one human can do to another.”
“Agreed.”Magnus studied the other man for a moment.“I’m trying to understand why they wanted her enough to kidnap her.”
The detective shifted and glanced away.
“What do you know?”Normally Magnus didn’t ask that kind of question, he demanded answers and got them.But his usual way of dealing with people wasn’t going to work with this guy.He was a cop.But he was a cop who worked with Nika.So maybe, something different would work.Like asking.
“We take care of our people,” Magnus said.That was true and something he, his brother, and the rest of his family made sure was publicly known.“I can’t keep her safe if I don’t know who’s after her and why.”
Davis sighed, then nodded.“We found out that there is a special order for a woman working at your hotel.Darlene’s name was on the list.It’s why we were at the hotel so soon after they tried to grab her.We were already coming over to warn you.”
“How did you find out?”
“We’re working with other law enforcement agencies, not just American, but international agencies too.We got a tip from the UK, Scotland Yard, that an organized crime family put out an order for her specifically.”
The UK?
The fucking British?
“Was there any other information in this order?”Magnus managed to get out without sounding too much like he was about to lose his shit.“Who else is on this list?”
“Nika, Samantha, and Darlene are the top tier, after that, anyone they could grab.There was a note with Darlene’s name.“They knew she’d been injured recently, which would make her an easier target.”
Magnus had to make himself stand still, because if he moved, he was going to kill something.Or someone.
“Do you know who these people are?”Davis asked as he took a step back.
Going on a killing spree would not help Darlene.He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.“My apologies,” he said to the detective.“I’m just...angry.She deserves better.”
The detective nodded.“I agree with you, but you can’t help her if you don’t keep a clear head.”
Magnus nodded.
“It sounds like you know who our bad guys are.”
Magnus grunted.“I have no proof, but I do have a suspicion.”How much should he say, or rather, how little?“There is a rival...corporation in England who wouldn’t hesitate to resort to murder or kidnapping if they thought they might gain from it.”
Revenge for the deaths of their people when they tried to take Samantha was another reason, but he couldn’t say that out loud.
“Why does Darlene matter to them?”
“Because she matters to my brother and I.”There was no other rational explanation, but how had they figured that out?He and Mason hadn’t done anything overt.The only people who knew of their interest in Darlene were family, some members of the hotel staff, and...
