Trust in Me Read Online Free Page A

voice grew louder, buzzing from the phone with furor and reprimand. I knew it grated on Carlos that they used a voice modulator with him, that they didn’t even trust him enough to have a conversation. Around here, Carlos was a big fucking deal. But these guys were Russian mafia—the real deal.
    Carlos shifted in his seat, holding my head steady. “Look, maybe I can move some things around, but it’s going to be tight.” His voice had turned softer, almost obsequious, something I’d never heard from him before. It was like sucking the cock of a stranger.
    After that Carlos had put me in my cage, where my eyes had glazed over but my ears had listened intently for any useful information about the shipment. Human trafficking, something at once both horrifying and painfully commonplace. But this I could do something about. For once, I had power. Or I would, once I ferreted out the information.
    I was told to dress nice, that we were having a guest. Although it was a work meeting, Carlos had ordered a fancy dinner. I didn’t know who it was, just that the guy meeting us tonight was heading up security for the drop. Perfect.
    Outside my room, I ran into Trunk. No one knew his real name, but he was built like a tree trunk, and was almost as quiet as one. He caught me by the arm as I passed.
    “Can I talk to you?” he said, low and gruff.
    The men weren’t supposed to touch me. It was against Carlos’s rules. But they knew they could get away with it, at least a little bit, without me complaining. After all, if I whined to Carlos every time one of them roughed me up, Carlos would probably take his anger out on me.
    “I got nothing to say,” I said, trying not to think of how the last time Trunk had spoken to me, he’d also hurt me. He’d fucked me, and I hoped he knew better than to try it now.
    Trunk grunted and pushed me back inside.
    “Big stuff is going down,” he said when we were inside and the door shut. “It’s not safe for you.”
    “What—is that a threat?” My voice wavered embarrassingly. What kind of whore was afraid of sex?
    “No.” His cold eyes seemed almost sympathetic. “Keep your head down and stay out of it.”
    “Why the hell are you telling me this?”
    “Just do it or you’ll fucking get hurt.”
    Then he was gone, and I was leaning against the inside of the door. Well, it sure as hell had sounded like a threat. And from a guy who’d barely ever said two words to me, except when Carlos had let him…I forced my mind away.
    It was a little early, but Carlos didn’t take well to waiting, so I wandered downstairs. The cook had already set out a few hors d’oeuvres platters. I appreciated that Carlos had servants to do the cooking and the serving and the cleaning, at least in the residential areas. Technically I was a servant, too, to do the fucking.
    I actually liked cooking, but it would have felt too domestic to do it for Carlos. Too reminiscent of the kind of life I’d never have.
    Male voices echoed from the hallway. I stood on my too-high heels and smoothed my black sheath dress. But I recognized one of the voices—Tyler. Shit.
    I hadn’t seen him since that day he’d met with Carlos—and fucked me. It had been a week. I hoped never to see him again, that his business wouldn’t require another meeting or maybe that Tyler would call off the whole thing. And I prayed that whatever he was involved in, it wasn’t this. None of Carlos’s businesses were any good, so maybe it was hypocritical to even have a preference, but I did.
    Even now, disillusioned though I was, realist that I was, I didn’t want to think that Tyler could be involved in human trafficking. But apparently he was involved. And right in the thick of things, head of security. Fuck.
    It was just one more layer, one more obstacle. I would have to betray Carlos, which would have been bad enough and difficult enough, but now I’d be betraying Tyler, too. I wasn’t too worried about Carlos. He was like a