Page 70 of Silver Sinner

"We've got a new shipment arriving, which is more important. It arrived in half the time thanks to us shipping them in pieces, and they'll take no time at all to be put together which…" I sigh and rest my elbows against the desk. "Means we can finally get the cartel off our backs."

"So, work is good." Moses slides the last stamp into place. "Layla is safe. Maddie is safe. Adrian isn't pissed at you. Life is looking up."

"You fucking jinxed it," I snort. "But yeah… we might finally be back in a good place. I worry about her, though."

"You have good eyes on her place. No one is getting near her."

"It's not that." I rub my jaw, pressing my fingertips in deep to ease some tension. "Her friend really hurt her. Not just physically, but by dragging up the past with the brothel."

"Explains the gap in her years, though." Moses tosses the last letter down and leans back. "Clearly, her friend had no idea how those places work, because any place that would hire Layla at that age definitely wasn't paying a fair wage. It's a wonder she even managed to make it out of there."

"Yeah…" I nod slowly, mulling over exactly that. Any place that took in a fresh eighteen-year-old runaway wouldn't let her go without a fight. Not someone as beautiful as her. Maybe Maddie was the reason? The urge to know more grows like a fever in my mind, and I watch Moses gather the envelopes and stack them together, then stand.

“Right. If you don't need me, I'm gonna go deliver those."

"Bit old-school even for us, don't you think?"

"Sure," he grins. "But don't we look like amazing bosses by adding a personal touch?"

"We do. You can go, but keep your phone on."

"Always. Bye, boss.”

I wave him away and sag back into my chair with a soft groan. Dwelling on this brothel isn't the wisest decision, but I can't get it out of my head. All those men who got to be with her, touch her and more. One of them could even be Maddie's father and that's something I want to get ahead of. A nasty surprise like that later down the line could throw me off more than I'm prepared for.

The problem is… which brothel?

Layla wasn't forthcoming with any details, and it felt cruel to press the issue so soon after Amy. But I have to know. I need to know who has been with her. Turning to my computer, I pull up all the brothels in the area as well as those closest to the hotel she arrived at when pregnant. Given the poor pay and the lack of any record of her anywhere, it's easy to focus on the shadier ones, including those run by the mafia.

I'm halfway through narrowing down an infinite list when the door to my office swings open and Adrian strides in.

"We've got a problem."

"Nice to see you too."

"Yeah, whatever. Listen, that fire with Pavel? It's not as over as I thought it was."

My eyes snap up. "What the fuck is his problem now?"

Adrian crosses the room and drops into the chair Moses vacated. "Someone killed his nephew. Not just killed. Murdered."

My brow lifts. "His nephew?"

"Yeah, some little rat that's barely family in his eyes, but you know him. Any excuse."

"Was it us?"

"I don't think so. We haven't had any hits lately and I haven't heard of any disputes amongst our families that have ended with bloodshed. My best bet is the Italians got sick of waiting and decided to make matters more personal, but you know… Pavel. The fucker is relentless."

"Alright." I sigh deeply, dragging one hand down my face. "Double security on all of our shipments. I don't need that bastard's rampage disturbing our deliveries when we're so close to peace with the cartel. I need that to go off without a hitch."

"Understood."

"And keep an eye on everyone. We don't need to add fuel to the fire."

"On it. There was some turbulence at the docks with some of Pavel's men, but I don't think he even has his nephew involved."

"Worth looking into."