Into the Night (29 page)

Angela Ramsey.
Finally
.

“I haven’t shared her with anyone yet, but it’s time,” Sloane said, keeping his voice low. “I’m offering her up to you first, so you might want to take advantage of the arrangement because she’ll be gone in a few weeks.”

A chill went through Nathan. “Why’s that?”

A twisted smile curved Sloane’s lips. “Let’s just say that the Russian made me an offer for Angel that I couldn’t resist.”

Sloane had arranged to sell off Angela. His heart nearly stopped in his chest. “I thought she was your favorite.”

“Every girl has her price, Keller,” he said like a man who never formed an emotional attachment to any one female, and was only interested in the bottom-line profit. “And every single one of them is replaceable.”

Sick, disgusting fuck
. Nathan had to forcibly swallow back the inflammatory words, and just in time as Angela came to a stop a few feet away from them.

“Come here, Angel.” Sloane held his hand out to her, and she placed her fingers against his palm and let him draw her close to his side. “I’d like you to meet a good friend of mine. This is Alex Keller. Alex, this is Angel.”

Nathan smiled at her, noticing the heart pendant necklace she wore, which marked her as a favorite of Sloane’s—but not for long.

“You’re absolutely beautiful,” he said, all too aware of the other man watching him, and his reaction, very carefully.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

Her glassy eyes, combined with her docility and too-relaxed demeanor, told Nathan she was on some kind of narcotic. Her dossier had depicted her as a rebellious, troubled teen, yet here in this environment she seemed like a shell of herself, subdued and child-like, and far too innocent to be caught up in such an immoral situation.

And it was up to him to get her out, as quickly and safely as possible before she was lost to them forever—to
the Russian
.

Pushing aside his personal mission for now, he met Sloane’s gaze and gave him the impressed response he no doubt expected. “You certainly did save the best for last.”

Sloane’s chest expanded with conceited male pride. “I only pick the best. Like I said, I’ve never shared her before, so consider yourself very lucky that you’re the first.”

It was bad enough that Angela had been subjected to Sloane’s sexual advances. Nathan swore it would end there for the young girl.

“Why don’t the two of you spend some time alone and enjoy the amenities here in the playroom?” Sloane suggested as he passed Angela off to Nathan. “Or maybe you’d prefer a private room for the evening?”

Nathan knew exactly what Sloane was hinting at. If Nathan opted to spend the night alone with Angela, then the other man would be able to do the same with Nicole, which was what Sloane clearly wanted. Except under Nathan’s watch, the all-night exchange wasn’t going to happen. Ever.

But he had to get Angela alone to assess the girl’s mental state and the situation, and that meant a brief swap was necessary.

“No, not tonight,” Nathan said, openly refusing Sloane’s offer and making certain the man understood that he hadn’t agreed to a trade with Nicole. “I’d like to make sure she’s the one I want before I give you Nikki for a night.”

“Very well,” he conceded, but not happily. “Where is Nikki, anyway?”

“She had to use the restroom.” Nathan glanced in that direction and finally saw Nicole heading his way. “Here she comes now.”

Nathan immediately noticed that something was wrong. He could see the distress in her eyes, but as soon as she saw Sloane, and then realized the girl standing next to Nathan was Angela, those troubling emotions disappeared. He’d find out later what had upset her, but for now she realized how pivotal this moment was for the two of them—that she needed to leave Nathan alone with Angela in order for him to talk to her.

“Who is this?” Nicole asked as she looked at Angela, her voice infused with a believable amount of teenage jealousy.

“This is Angel,” Nathan said, then used a more assertive tone to show Sloane that Nicole was his to command. “She and I are going to visit for a while, and I want you to do the same with Preston.”

Nicole stared at him with big, round eyes filled with a plausible mixture of hurt and anxiety. “Okay,” she conceded in a soft, obedient voice, which Sloane seemed to appreciate.

Sloane shifted beside Nicole and skimmed his hand down her back. She looked uncomfortable with his caress, and Nathan knew for a fact that her unease was real, not feigned as everything else had been.

“Why don’t I take you to see my private art collection?” Sloane suggested. “It’s in a nice, quiet wing of the house, where the two of us can relax and talk.”

Nicole nodded. “All right.”

Sloane reached out and tucked his forefinger beneath Angela’s chin, lifting her face so her downcast eyes met his. “Remember what we talked about earlier, Angel,” he said, his tone gentle, yet firm. “Be a good girl and do whatever it takes to make Alex happy.”

“Okay,” she whispered in a small voice.

Sloane transferred his gaze to Nathan. “We’ll be back in a while. Enjoy your time together.”

Nathan refused to return the sentiment. As he watched Sloane lead Nicole back upstairs, he felt torn between staying with Angela, and following Nicole to make sure the slimy bastard kept his hands to himself. Releasing a deep breath, he focused on what he’d come here to Summerlin to do. He had to trust that Nicole could take care of herself.

Right now, he didn’t have a choice.

Taking Angela’s small hand in his, he felt her tremble—and sensed her fear as he led her toward one of the draped beds. Angela watched him warily, and in an attempt to put her at ease, he plumped up the pillows so they both could sit up, rather than lie down, as most of the other couples in the room were doing.

He settled on top of the mattress and leaned against the mound of pillows, then patted the vacant spot beside him. “Come and sit down.” As soon as he saw the flash of apprehension in her eyes, he sought to relieve her anxiety. “I’m not going to hurt you or do anything you don’t want to. I just want to talk.”

“Talk?” She eyed him skeptically.

He chuckled, soft and low. “Yeah, just talk. I promise.”

She hesitated only a moment before climbing up onto the mattress and sitting beside him—close enough for them to look intimate if anyone should glance their way, yet far enough so that she didn’t feel threatened by him. Being with Angela without any sexual contact was the first step to lowering her guard. Next was establishing a friendship and making sure she realized he had no intentions of manhandling her, that he wanted her to feel safe and secure with him.

Angela absently pulled her dress over her knees and glanced at him shyly. “What do you want to talk about?”

He smiled. “You.”

A frown creased her light blond brows, as if she wasn’t quite sure what to make of his interest in her. “What about me?”

Because he’d given her no reason to fear being with him, she was finally starting to soften, her initial trepidation fading, allowing her to relax more and more with each passing minute. Whatever she was on had a mellowing effect on her, and he took advantage of her docile disposition while he could.

“How long have you been here?” he asked, keeping the exchange between them light and casual. He needed to get a feel for her mental and emotional state and gauge if she was going to cooperate with a rescue attempt, or not.

She shrugged. “A few weeks.”

He tipped his head curiously. “Do you like it here?”

“It’s okay,” she replied softly.

Nathan took her lack of enthusiasm as a good sign. Hopefully, the glamour of being one of Sloane’s girls was wearing off and she was starting to realize that running away from home hadn’t been the answer to her problems—that it had only created problems of a different kind. Then again, she was young and most likely couldn’t see the extreme situation she’d entangled herself in.

“That’s a pretty dress you’re wearing,” he said, deliberately steering their conversation in a different direction. “Pretty necklace, too.”

She blushed at his compliment and fingered the pendant hanging around her neck. “Preston gave it to me. He gives me lots of nice things.” A smile wavered on her lips. “He told me that I was special.”

“You are special,” Nathan said, and smiled to reassure her.

“Then why is he making me do this with you?” Her voice was thick with confusion, and a bit of anger, too.

Because Sloane is done using you,
Nathan thought, and wished he was able to give Angela a good dose of tough love to make her realize Preston didn’t care about her beyond his own twisted desires. That he’d already agreed to sell her off to another man within the next few weeks.

“We’re only talking.” Shifting to his side to face her, he propped his head in his hand. He gave her a charming grin. “Am I really so bad?”

“No, you’re actually very nice.” She met his gaze, her eyes a bit glossy, but sincere. “You don’t creep me out like the other guys at these parties.”

It was a start—the beginning of gaining her trust. “Tell me more about yourself. What grade are you in?”

Surprise flashed across her delicate features, telling him he’d startled her with his direct, unexpected question—which he’d done intentionally. “I’m … I’m not in school,” she said nervously. “I’m eighteen.”

He studied her just long enough to let her know he doubted her claim. “You look much younger.”

“I’m
not,
” she insisted.

Knowing if he pushed the issue he’d risk her retreating when he’d already made so much headway with her, he backed off and decided to probe into another aspect of her situation. “So, where do you live, Angel?”

“Here at The Sanctuary.” She obviously didn’t feel that was a secret she needed to keep. “I’m living in one of the guesthouses on the property.”

“Do you live there all the time?”

“Yes,” she said with a nod of her head. “I have my own room there.”

All good information for him to know, yet there were still so many unknown variables—starting with finding which of the guesthouses she was staying in, and what he’d find once he made his way into the house. Undoubtedly, there was some kind of security involved, whether Sloane employed guards for the girls or used a surveillance system. Either way, he needed time to figure out his options and decide the best way to get her out of the estate.

Going by past experience, rather than skulking around the property in the middle of the night and risking detection, it might be easier to take Angela in the midst of a party—so long as she didn’t scream, struggle, or draw attention to the rescue attempt. But he hadn’t earned enough of Angela’s trust to know how she’d react, and because of that he couldn’t even think about an escape tonight.

“Don’t you miss your family?” He continued their conversation, asking questions that would make her think of her parents, and hopefully long for the warmth and security of her real home.

“No.” The sadness in her eyes contradicted her reply.

“Are you sure about that?” he asked gently. The more he was able to get her to admit to herself that she no longer wanted to live this kind of life, the easier his job would be.

“Maybe I miss them a little,” she admitted in a quiet voice. Grabbing one of the red silk pillows strewn on the bed, she drew it to her chest and wrapped her arms around it. “And my cat. I miss Twinkie a lot.”

“Twinkie?” He chuckled in amusement, lightening the mood and making her smile, too. “Where did that name come from?”

“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always liked Twinkies.” She ducked her head, as if the admission embarrassed her. “I found her at the park when I was ten, and I had to beg my mom to let me keep her. She’s this yellow-orange striped color, and her paws and belly are white.”

“So she looks a Twinkie?” he guessed.

“Yeah.” She laughed, the joyful sound untainted by her current circumstances. “Twinkie slept with me every single night and I loved to listen to her purr.”

Angela’s whole expression changed as she talked about her cat. She looked so happy, for the moment forgetting that she’d left that childhood behind the day she’d run away from home.

“How about you?” she asked, once she was done regaling him with tales of Twinkie the Cat. “Do you have a dog or a cat?”

“I did growing up.” Seeing this as a way to bond with her, he told her about Roxie, the family’s golden retriever. He also amused her with stories about his older sisters and made her laugh at his antics as a kid.

While she listened, he glanced at his watch and realized that Nicole and Sloane had been gone for over a half an hour. With each minute that passed, he grew more anxious about where they were, what they were doing, and if Nicole was okay. He decided if they didn’t return in the next fifteen minutes, he was going to go and look for Nicole, because if something happened to her on his watch, he’d never forgive himself.

Another long ten minutes passed, and by the time he finished entertaining Angela with his childhood adventures, she was lying on her side facing him, still hugging the pillow to her chest with a sweet smile on her lips. There was a wistful look on her face, the kind that told Nathan he’d stirred up feelings of regret and had also made her reflect about her own family life. That maybe things hadn’t been as bad as she’d made them out to be when she’d been living at home. Not compared with her life as Sloane’s plaything.