Page 95 of Striker
The guy’s face contorted with anger. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Yeah, well, your boss is gone and likely won’t be back. If I were you, I’d cooperate.”
The bouncer’s gaze swung around nervously. Atlas read the guy’s name tag: Del.
His temper spiked. “Listen, Del. A woman is missing, and if it turns out you or anyone else here has something to do with that?—”
Viper placed a hand on his shoulder. “Bring out Jenna or I’m going in to get her. And it won’t be a good scene.”
Atlas clenched his jaw and reached for his Glock. He paused when his fingers touched the sleek handle.
“Five minutes,” Viper said.
Del dipped his head to his mic. “Send Jenna to the front.”
Atlas let his hand slide away from his weapon, and he and Viper stepped to the side to wait for the woman. A few people arrived, some clearly with drinks in their system. The bouncer let them pass, and a couple of minutes later, Jenna appeared at the door. Her eyes widened when she saw them.
“Jenna, can we speak with you?” Atlas kept his tone even, gentle. She might have fucked them over by tipping off Rex, but he didn’t care about that shit right now. All he wanted was Molly back.
She stepped toward them, staying near Del. Under the fluorescent lights, her makeup appeared bold and gaudy.
Fear clouded her face. She folded her fingers together over her middle. Long, decorated false nails curled from her fingertips. Her cheek was swollen and slightly discolored. She’d clearly applied a pound of makeup, but the abuse was still visible. “I know why you’re here. I-I’m sorry I told them you were coming. I?—”
Atlas held up his hand. “That’s not what this is about. Is there somewhere we can talk?”
She swallowed and nodded, ushering them inside. He flicked his gaze to Del, waiting for him to challenge their entrance, but he reached for someone’s ID at the door, ignoring them.
Atlas followed her with Viper at his side. She led them through a kitchen and into a staff room at the back, then turned to face them, leaving the door open. She folded her arms across her chest.
“I need to get back to work. What do you want?” Sadness etched her face. Gone was the vivacious woman from last night.
But he couldn’t feel sorry for her. Not right now, anyway. He had one goal in mind. He pulled his phone from his pocket. “A woman is missing. Her name’s Molly.”
After bringing up the picture, he showed Jenna the screen. “We need to find her. She went missing after we captured Rex earlier, and we believe he has something to do with it.”
Jenna studied the image, then shook her head. “I’ve never seen her.”
“Ever?”
She sighed. “Rex brings a lot of girls through here.”
Atlas’s attention sharpened.
“Girls?” Viper asked, taking the word from Atlas’s mouth.
Her eyes shifted to Viper, but her expression didn’t change. “Girls. Young women. All of the above.”
Jesus Christ. He expelled a hot breath. “Think. Please. You might not have seen her, but did you hear any of his men talking about taking a woman? Moving her somewhere? Anything would be helpful at this point.”
Sympathy shone in her eyes. “I’m sorry, no. There’s been a lot of collateral damage around the club since we heard Rex was brought in.”
She swung her gaze over her shoulder, then moved to close the door before returning to her spot in front of him. “Certain people—customers of Rex’s—were pissed to find out he was gone. They know his establishment is going to come crashing down.”
“Not just the club,” Viper said.
She shook her head. “People are nervous. A couple guys even quit on the spot. I doubt there’s anyone in Rex’s circle who wanted to take your friend, and even if they did, they’d have no use for her with the business crumbling.”
“You mean stripping?” Viper asked. “Do they force women to work here?”
