10. Ten

Carlos

The splash of water is cold on my face and doesn't do anything for the bags under my eyes. They are bloodshot from lack of sleep, but I can't fully rest until I find Joey. The next time Isaiah calls, I want to give him enough peace of mind to bring back the softness in his voice.

I dry my face off with a towel and run a comb through my hair. The short nap on the plane was enough to rejuvenate my body and give me the energy I need to keep going, but I could still use some caffeine in my system. I walk over to the small coffee pot and steam lifts into the air as I fill the small white Styrofoam cup. The hot liquid is bitter and slightly burns my tongue as it travels down my throat.

I have some places to visit before the auction takes place this afternoon. I hope to scratch a few off my list this morning starting with a club up the road called Peaches. I had called the minute we landed, letting them know I'm in town for business and needed a place to let off some steam and wind down in between meetings.

They said they were open twenty four hours and I wouldn"t be disappointed in their selection of male and female dancers. Some were even recently hired, which I'm willing to bet most weren't there willingly and probably never even saw a dime of that money. The emphasis the woman on the phone put on the word dancers told me the service wouldn't end with a simple grinding on my lap if I didn"t want it to. I'm hoping one of the new dancers they got in is Joey or someone who's at least seen him.

I slip on a pair of black slacks, dressy button down, and a pair of loafers to match. I plan to save my best clothes for the exclusive events and the type of places where people size you up the moment you walk through the door, judging you in a matter of seconds. They usually decide right then and there how much of their time you"re worth. How you are dressed and the way you hold yourself tells them the amount of money you had to spend. I've been working around these types of men long enough to know how their brains work. It's always about money to them. Their world revolves around it. Once they had a taste of it, they would never have enough. It turns into an addiction they have to feed or else the hunger takes over.

Once I feel I'm presentable enough, I take the elevator down to the lobby. I wait for the valet to bring my car around and climb in it with little patience as the guy takes his precious time closing my door. I had never understood how people lived this way, with people constantly hovering over you. I need my space and usually move too fast for anyone to keep up.

The club's parking lot is nearly empty when I pull up to the front of the building. The blue and purple lights are more blinding when I step out of the car. A woman with long black hair pulled into a braid and dressed in a short red cocktail dress walks my way. "Welcome. Are you new here to Peaches?"

I nod, smiling. "Yes, I called not long ago while in mid-landing, looking for a place to wind down after my long flight, and was told this is the perfect place for that. I was hoping for something a little more than your average lap dance."

She smiles, pursing her lips together. "Of course. Right this way."

I follow closely behind her as my eyes roam around the club, landing on several men and women dancing in cages. She stops and turns around to face me. "You looking for anything in particular?"

"Older, dark hair, male with amber eyes."

"That's very specific. I always did appreciate a man who knew exactly what he wanted and didn't waste any time."

"I never have too much of it to waste, especially this morning. I have always been a very particular man especially when it comes to my sexual desires and needs."

She nods with her lips going slanted. "I suppose a man like you can afford to be picky. I think I have the perfect thing for you."

Thing. Not person, but thing. That's all these men and women were to someone like this madam or whatever title she'd given herself. She takes me to a back room. It has nothing more in it than a small couch and a small bed. "Wait here and I'll bring in your options."

"Oh and maybe even bring in some newer ones. I was told you've had some recent hires. Tonight I'm in the mood for something a bit fresher and new."

"Of course. Wait here. I can promise you won"t be disappointed in our selection."

I nod, standing against the back wall, not wanting to get too comfortable just yet. She doesn't take long coming back with a few men in tow of various ages. All of them meet my description except for the two who have dark brown eyes. There are two guards standing close by and by the way they are keeping their eyes on the men, they aren't here because they're worried about me.

One of the dancers she brought in shakes where he stands, eyes red and swollen. He's been crying recently and there's no telling what things they had to say to him to get him to stop. The dancer standing beside him has a fresh bruise on his cheek, but it doesn't stop him from plastering a smile on his face. None of these men are Joey.

I walk closer with my hands behind my back getting a better look at each man. One has his eyes pointed to the ground. "This one arrived today; he won"t give you very much trouble. He has been very well behaved, and we have ways to calm him down if he gets out of line."

Not something you would have to say about someone who is here willingly. I lift his chin up with the tips of my fingers, forcing his eyes to meet mine. "Hi there. What's your name?"

He swallows hard, the corner of his lips shaking. "Whatever you want it to be."

I force a smile on my face to make it appear like I'm enjoying this way more than I actually am. How could anyone? They would have to not be human in order to be able to come to a place like this every night without any kind of conscience or remorse. The kind of men who usually came to places like this usually slept way better than they deserved to. "I'll take this one for the next hour."

"Excellent. Come on boys, back to your rooms." She turns around before closing the door. "Enjoy, and let us know if there is anything else we can do for you Mr…."

"Masters."

"Very well then Mr. Masters. I'll see you in an hour."

As soon as the door shuts and locks behind her, I release a sigh and take a seat on the black leather couch, patting the empty spot beside me with my hand. "It's okay. I only want to talk."

He wraps his arms around his shivering body and slowly walks my way. He cautiously takes a seat beside me, purposely leaves a small space between us. "You only want to talk?"

I nod, smiling softly. "Yes and maybe ask you a few questions."

"You paid all that money to talk and ask a few questions?"

"Yes and don't worry, money isn't an issue for me and if you want to take a longer break, I don't mind paying for a few extra hours."

His eyes widen. "Who are you?"

"I'm supposed to be the one asking the questions. Let"s start with your name."

"Gary."

"When did you arrive here, Gary?"

"Yesterday."

"Who brought you here and do you want to be here?"

"Are you some kind of cop or something? I don"t feel comfortable answering these questions. Look, I can do anything you want me to do. Maybe you would like me to suck you off?"

I shake my head. "I"m not here for that. I"m looking for a friend. Perhaps you"ve seen him before?" I remove a picture from my pocket and hand it to him. He stares at it for a few seconds before shaking his head. "I"ve never seen him before."

I sigh in defeat. I knew it was a long shot. "How about this man?" I pull out another picture, this time of the man with the scar on his face that goes by the name, El Portero.

He takes the picture from me and this time freezes in fear. He closes his eyes and opens them again, handing me back the picture. "No. I"ve never seen him either."

"You sure? Because it looked like you recognized him based on your reaction. Maybe you want to look at it again."

He shoves my hand away, shaking his head frantically. "No please. I don"t want to see it again. I don"t know who he is, okay?"

"I think he may have a friend of mine. If I find him, I may find my friend too."

He looks at my hand again and then stares into my eyes. "If he"s ever had your friend, then chances are he will be long gone by the time you find him. The auctions are happening soon and none of the boys stay in the house for long."

"What house?"

"I can"t tell you anything else. They will kill us both if they find out. I just need to keep going and pay off my debt so I can go home."

"Maybe I can help pay that debt off for you."

He bites back a sob. "That"s not how it works. I must work it off myself. Five hundred men and I go free."

I clench my teeth, knowing damn well when he reaches his quota, they still won"t let him go. He knows too much and if he still has any use left in him by then, they will take advantage of every part of him they can until he"s no longer breathing. Even after he stops, they will tear his body apart, selling off each of his organs.

I can"t let this happen to Joey.

I hate the thought of it happening to this complete stranger sitting in front of me, but my hands are tied. I'm surrounded and I can"t start making messes on my first day.

Stick to the plan. Find out what you need to know and find Joey so you can get him back home to Isaiah.

I have to keep reminding myself of this the whole time I sit here, staring at the scared and traumatized man sitting beside me. "Do you know if this man comes back after drop off?"

He nods. "Yes. One of the other guys says he sometimes comes here to relocate us and trade us off with others. I don"t know when he"ll be back."

The information doesn"t really help me. I have no way of knowing when the man will return. "Thank you for your time. I think you"ve answered me with as much as you can. We still have forty more minutes. You can relax a little, maybe even have something to eat? I can have some food sent in."

His shoulders drop and his bottom lip slips between his teeth in hesitation. "Maybe some chicken wings and waffle fries?"

I smile and stand up to push the button on the wall. When a voice comes on, I place an order of wings and fries, and ask that they leave it on the table outside the door.

I don"t stay any longer than the time I had paid for, and I don"t ask any more questions. Instead I stare at the list in my pocket, deciding what place to try next. The dancer eats in silence beside me, taking his time savoring each bite. I have a feeling he hasn"t eaten a meal like this in weeks. Who knows if this is even his first stop? For many it isn"t.

The madam returns and I promise to come back to visit again before leaving the club. The massage parlor on fifth is next on my list and I"m about to leave the parking lot when a white van pulls in beside me.

A man steps out and stares around before entering the club. I roll down my window enough to hear a few muffled sounds coming from the van. They are almost like soft cries. My stomach ties into knots and I remain in my car waiting for the man from before to return.

He comes back outside with the madam beside him, and she takes a peek into the van and points to the back after shutting doors. I don"t have to be where they are standing to know what"s in that van.

I bring my phone to my ear, rolling up my window and pretending to be in deep conversation with someone on the phone when she looks my way. When she heads back inside the man clenches his fists and gets back into the vehicle, starting the engine. He disappears to the back of the building and I start my car with the plan to pull into the restaurant across the way so I can watch where the man goes. Maybe he'd take me to his boss and maybe his boss would lead me to Joey. I stare at my watch and based on the time it reads, I have seven hours until the auction starts. Plenty of time to kill.

By the time I get across the road, the man is already driving out from the back of the building. He must have unloaded the men and women quickly. They usually have strict schedules and try to do these things before daylight. I hope to stay unnoticed. I watch him pull onto the road and when I feel he"s far enough, I follow the direction he goes in, careful to keep a good enough distance between us.

The man pulls up in front of a large brick building and parks his van on the side of the road. I get out of my car with a tracker in hand and quickly place it under the van before getting back in my car. I go to a nearby taqueria, sitting outside, eating my breakfast while I watch the tracker move on my phone.

When the man goes to the hotel, I know I"m staying at the right place. This man is the one who transports the men and somehow must be connected to the man with the scar on his face. There"s a place he goes to more than once within the next two hours and it seems to be far away from residential areas, closer to a lake. Maybe a secluded building or warehouse? Maybe it"s a check-in point. I leave the restaurant after I finish devouring my fifth taco and drive back to the hotel to get ready for the auction.

I"m told this is a smaller one and the next one will have more options. I"m not sure I can stomach two events where young boys are being showcased like shiny new cars in the same week. The man down in the lobby had said the hotel normally only hosted one auction every two weeks. Only there was a mishap at the last one and the man in charge wanted to ensure his guests had a better experience by giving them more options.

This one isn"t open to as many people and therefore had less risks of an altercation breaking out. There was a misunderstanding with one of the cartels last time and things got out of hand. Some people didn"t get to go home with their purchase.

At the event tonight, you are allowed to see and touch your toy before purchasing and take them home on the spot. It sounded too easy so I needed to not get my hopes up by assuming Joey may be there. Joey"s older and more experienced. Chances are he won"t be at one of these special auctions, but hopefully I could meet people tonight that will help me locate where he is. I plan to check out the location the man in the van has been spending most of his time at once the auction ends.

I get dressed in a dark blue suit after showering my travels off me. It fits me pretty well for not being one of mine. I don"t own many suits. I put on Isaiah"s jacket in hopes Joey would notice it if and when he sees me. It"s my way of putting up a flag, I just hope it sends off a friendly message and not the wrong one. Even though I"m not feeling very confident that today will be the day I find Joey, I can"t help but feel like I"m very close.