Ultimate Justice (17 page)

The woman shrugged and shook her head as fresh tears filled her eyes, then reached for another tissue as her nose started dripping blood again. “I don’t know.”

“Can I ask if some of the girls live in the building?” Lorne asked, suddenly remembering what she and Katy had seen earlier.

“Yeah, there are a dozen or so of them up there.”

“Is this place classed as a brothel at night?” Lorne asked, not pulling any punches now that Small appeared to be willing to cooperate with them.

Small nodded her head.

Lorne remained silent for a minute or two as she contemplated what advice she could give the woman. Without Small’s willingness to involve the police—a scenario she totally understood, given the circumstances—she really didn’t know what she could do to get this woman out of the terrible harm she’d been forced to put herself and her employees in. Then something sparked her brain into life:
go after the suited man
.

“The man who attacked you—what’s his role in all this?”

“I told you, he’s a business associate.”

“Yeah, I know what you told us earlier, but in order to help you, we need more details. So…‌what’s his role in the grand scheme of things?”

“Christ, if I told you that, my head really would be on the block. Can’t you just take my word that he’s involved, end of?”

“All right, I can see there’s no point in pushing you. We’ll take what information you’ve given us, have a think about things, and see if we can come up with a solution to your problem. Can you hang in there for a day or two longer?”

Small inhaled a large breath and then blew it out. “I’ve been involved this long; I’m sure I can handle another few days or weeks. Hell, where am I going to go. If big guys hear about your visit, I won’t be here when you call back. I’ll be six feet under.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“O
kay, I know when
you’re lost in thought as opposed to just being quiet for the sake of it—what gives?” Katy demanded once they had left Tara Small’s office.

“Huh?”

“You heard me. Tell me what you’re thinking, and while you’re at it, where are we going?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. Our next rendezvous is approximately five minutes away. Now, hush a minute and let me think how I’m going to tackle this, will you?” Lorne glanced Katy’s way, gave her a wide smile, and winked.

Katy’s arms folded across her chest and she let out an exasperated breath. “Whatever.”

“As soon as we get to our location, all will become much clearer—I hope,” she added apprehensively after voicing her statement aloud.

“Huh. Not only was my birthday weekend spoilt, but now the lady wants to torture me by keeping me in suspense,” Katy mumbled.

Lorne couldn’t help laughing at her ex-partner, who, at the moment, was acting more like her daughter.

“Well, I’m glad you find me amusing,” Katy added sarcastically.

“Patience, dear girl, patience.”

A few minutes later, Lorne reached their intended destination. She pulled into the long drive and parked outside the main entrance to the house, noting that there were two cars already sitting in the drive.

Katy whistled. “Wow! Looks like someone’s numbers came up on the lottery.”

“Come on, you. Leave the talking to me this time, all right?”

“Aww, I kind of liked winding Small up back there.”

“Yeah, and you nearly got a smack in the mouth for your trouble. Seriously, we need to tread carefully here, hon. One question.”

“Shoot,” Katy replied, baffled.

“Do you have your warrant card with you, or did you have to hand it in when you were suspended?”

“Damn. You know what—I forgot to hand it in to Roberts,” Katy replied, feigning regret.

“Good. Let’s go.”

As they approached the house, Lorne raised her hand to use the ornate knocker, but before she could reach it, the door was yanked open and the person she least wanted or expected to find there glared down at her. “What the fuck do you want?”

“Hello, Mr. North, it’s nice to see you again so soon,” Lorne replied breezily, hoping her words had managed to mask Katy’s surprised gasp.

“My wife can’t see you at present; you’ll have to call back another time,” he said angrily, his gaze going over Lorne’s shoulder, causing her to warily look behind her.
Is he expecting someone?

She smiled her sweetest smile. “Why can’t Angela see us, Mr. North?”

His focus pulled back to Lorne and seemed to pierce her soul. “She’s indisposed. Actually, she’s getting ready to go to one of her damn charity luncheons, if you must know.”

Lorne walked up the step and heard Katy do the same behind her. “I’m sure she won’t mind if we come in and wait for her. I told her that we would keep her up to date with the case.”

He tried to shut the door in her face, but Lorne shouldered it open. Caught off-guard, North staggered backwards, allowing Lorne and Katy to storm through to the lounge where they found Angela sitting in her winged chair reading a book. The startled woman glanced up and gulped. Her eyes fluttered shut, as if she feared trouble ahead.

“Angela, what the hell happened to you?” Lorne was shocked to see the amount of bruising covering the woman’s face, despite the heavy makeup she was wearing.

“Oh, that. I had an accident the other day. It’s nothing to worry about, dear, really,” Angela said. Her gaze dropped back down to the book in her lap, as though she were ashamed of the obvious lie she had just told.

“If you don’t mind leaving now, my wife needs her rest.” North was standing in front of his wife, and Lorne noticed how Angela flinched every time his arms moved.

Instead of leaving, Lorne turned to wink at Katy and motioned with a nod for her to sit down on the sofa. After she and Katy were settled, Lorne said, “I realise you’re a busy man, Mr. North, please don’t let us interfere with your work. We’ll keep Angela company for a little while.”

His eyes widened, and Lorne saw his mouth moving as though he were grinding his teeth.

“My work can wait.”

Damn!
With things
not exactly going to plan, Lorne decided to try another tack. “It’s unusual for you to be at home during the week, isn’t it, Mr. North?”

“So? I’m not sure what you’re insinuating.”

Lorne smiled at him. “I was just wondering if you usually worked from home.”

“Occasionally.”

“When you opened the door for us, you appeared to be expecting someone else—can I ask who?”

North stepped around his wife and placed his arm on the mantelpiece. “Why would it concern you?”

Lorne pulled her trump card. “Would it have anything to do with the visit you made to Tara Small this morning?”

He glared at her and thought for a moment or two before he responded. “What if it has?”

Lorne turned to Angela, and as much as she wanted to keep her out of the conversation, she found herself asking, “Are you aware of your husband’s business dealings, Angela?”

The woman twisted in her seat uncomfortably, which worried Lorne.
Is she hurting? Or does she know of her husband’s activities?

“Angela?” she prompted.

When the woman remained silent, she went down considerably in Lorne’s estimation. But she didn’t understand. If she knew about his other business, why had she openly given Lorne the agency’s number and address? What the heck was she playing at? Was it some sort of cry for help?

“I’ll ask you again, Angela: where did you get those bruises?”

The woman’s gaze immediately shot up to her husband. North appeared to be challenging her to keep her mouth shut. Lorne left her seat and went over to Angela. She knelt down beside her and took the woman’s trembling hands in her own. “Angela, he won’t hurt you anymore, I promise.”

North lunged at Lorne, but Katy was quick to stop him from reaching her. Katy flipped him over her hip, North lay prostrate on the floor with Katy’s knee pressed into his chest. “Wrong move, pal.”

“Sorry, I forgot to introduce you to DS Katy Foster.”

“Fucking get off me, you bitch. You’ll never work for the police again by the time my solicitor has wiped the floor with you. You say anything, Angela, and I swear I’ll…” He left his threat dangling dangerously.

Angela looked at her and gave a brief smile. “My husband…‌has several vices…‌that I am no longer comfortable with,” she stuttered.

“Like beating up women, you mean?” Lorne pressed her.

With her husband being restricted by Katy, Angela’s courage visibly grew. “Among other things, yes. I no longer want to be part of his sickening world, but when I voiced my worries the other day, he beat me until I couldn’t get up.” Then she surprised Lorne by kicking her husband in the ribs. “Didn’t you?”

“You deserved it, bitch. You do as I say or suffer the consequences—”

Lorne squeezed Angela’s hand. “Spoken like a true man. Angela, if you want this stopped, you know you’ll have to make a complaint to the police, don’t you?”

“You wouldn’t
dare
,” North warned his wife before Katy twisted his arm higher up his back. He grunted and spat at her.

Katy kneed North in the ribs, and he grunted again like the pig he was portraying himself to be. “Nah, Lorne, he ain’t nice at all. Mrs. North, you have to make a complaint. I’ll willingly accompany you to the station.”

“I’m not so sure. If I could get away from him, I would; however, the last thing I want to do is leave my beautiful home, and
his
son, Anthony, needs me,” Angela stated sadly, as if it had just dawned on her with an almighty force that she was stuck with this despicable man.

Lorne knew that when it came to the crunch, abused women constantly changed their minds.

Roger North snorted and earned himself another jab from Katy’s knee.

“That’s your choice, Angela, but I want to take Jai San away from this environment. Where is she, by the way?”

Angela nodded. “I understand. She’s in her room, I believe.”

“Will you be all right here for a minute, Katy, while I go and fetch her?”

“Sure, although I could do with a better padded seat than this bony bastard.”

Lorne left the room to the sound of North berating Katy, calling her every vile name he could think of in between crying out in pain from Katy’s retaliation.

She ran up the stairs and followed the soft sound of music playing. She tapped on the door where she thought the music was coming from and walked into the room uninvited. Jai San was sitting cross-legged on the floor of a small bedroom, which consisted of only a single bed and a small wardrobe. The young woman looked alarmed when she saw Lorne walk into the room. She scampered onto the bed and placed a pillow in front of her.

“Jai San, I was here the other day, remember? I’ve come to help you. Don’t be scared.” She eased into the room and toward the girl, who was now visibly trembling. “You, poor thing. Did Mr. North do this to you?” Lorne traced a gentle finger down the left side of her face, which was swollen and looked very painful.

Ashamed, Jai San’s gaze drifted to the bed beside her. Lorne sat down on the end of the bed and stroked her leg. “He’s not going to hurt you again, sweetie, I won’t let him. Can you pack a bag quickly? You’re coming with me.”

Jai San pulled away from her and vigorously shook her head. “No, can’t do that. He
owns
me. If I go, he says he hurt my family back home. Please, leave me alone.”

Lorne blew out a breath. “Sweetheart, I have a policewoman downstairs who is actually sitting on top of Mr. North at this moment.” The image brought a smile to both of their faces. “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure he won’t hurt either you or your family again. Now pack a bag, please.”

Jai San hurled herself off the bed and threw what few clothes she had into a couple of carrier bags she found folded up in the bottom of her wardrobe.

Lorne watched her, her mind racing as she tried to figure out how Jai San and her family were all going to fit into her medium-sized home.
I’ll make them fit. There’s no way I’m leaving this girl here!

Once she’d finished packing her sorrowful looking bags, Jai San announced cheerfully, “I ready now, miss.”

Lorne rubbed her arm as she passed her. “Then let’s go. I hope you like animals.”

“Oh, yes, miss, very much.”

Lorne’s heart swelled with joy at the relief displayed on the young woman’s face to be getting out of this situation. “When I was a child, my family used to raise goats for milk to sell at the market, before we moved to the city.”

“You’ll be back there soon, Jai San, I’ll see to that.”

They ran down the stairs and into the lounge, but came to an abrupt halt in the doorway.

What the fuck?

The three people Lorne had left in the lounge had been joined by another man. He had Katy in front of him, one arm locked around her throat while the other arm waved a knife a few inches in front of her face. Lorne had never seen Katy look so scared.

“Ah, glad you could rejoin us, Lorne. Do come in. As you can see, circumstances have changed somewhat since you left us.”

She eyed North through a narrowed, untrusting glare. “What’s going on? Who are you?” she asked, turning to the man holding Katy hostage.

His amusement of the situation was clear to see, the man ignored her, probably under instruction that he leave all the talking to North.

North laughed and eyed Lorne with contempt. “You think you had this all worked out, didn’t you, bitch?”

“Not at all. What exactly is ‘all this,’ anyway?” she asked, her hand moving to her jacket pocket where her mobile was.

But North bellowed at her, “Stop right there, Warner—or is it Simpkins? Word has it that when you were in the Met, you were one of the feistiest cops around. Let’s see how you fucking get out of this mess, shall we?”

“Let Katy go and we’ll talk.”

“And you have a right to order me around because…?” North challenged, smirking.

Arsehole, you weren’t smirking just a minute ago when Katy had you flat out on the floor.
Lorne took a tentative step further into the room in North’s direction, and he took two steps to his right, which placed him a few feet from his wife. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jai San shrink back and heard her expel a terrified breath.