The Shark (Forgotten Files Book 1) Read Free Page A

here!”
    “Where are the girls?”
    “Fuck you.”
    She turned back toward Cooper. “Have a good evening, Mr. Carter. Don’t let the mosquitos bite.”

CHAPTER TWO
    Tuesday, September 13, 1:00 a.m.
    Cigar smoke. The clink of poker chips. Soft music. Men arguing.
    The pungent scent was the first to reach below the medicated haze and tug Vicky toward consciousness. Nose wrinkling, she coughed as smoke puffed across her face.
    “Wake up.”
    Fatigue weighed heavily, coaxing her back toward the darkness where it was safe, warm, and quiet. It had been weeks since she had slept well. Jax kept her awake working night after night, having her make nice to whoever had money. To sleep on a soft cushion with no one touching her was a luxury. To surrender to the light felt cruel.
    “Wake up!”
    Sleep’s iron hold loosened as she clung to it. She did not want to wake up. Awake meant a return to the streets and the dimming hope Jax loved her. But to resist tempted Jax’s temper, and nobody wanted him mad. Jax’s other girl, Jo-Jo, was always pushing him, and her back talk had earned her a couple of beatings.
    More smoke blew against her face, seeping and slithering up her nostrils, prying her free from the safety and security of the darkness.
    She coughed again, stumbling unwillingly toward consciousness as her eyes opened. Grimacing, she raised her hand like a shield as a halfhearted offer came automatically. “You want to party? I like to party.”
    “Wake up. Please.” Another voice. Another man.
    A deeply rooted survival instinct chased away the fatigue. Where was she?
    She pushed herself up into a sitting position. Pain split and cracked through her skull as if one of Jax’s fists had struck her. Drawing in a breath, she lowered her hand and focused on her surroundings.
    The room was bathed in ivories and creams. Gilded trims. Lights glistening in crystal. Every detail in the room screamed expensive. Uptown. Not like the truck stop motels, her normal territory. The truckers she knew. Quick. Easy. But this . . . this was not good. God, where had Jax sent her?
    She pressed trembling fingers to her forehead, rooting for her last clear memory. She had been with Jax and Jo-Jo. She and Jo-Jo were surprised when he took them to the diner and bought burgers, extra fries, and large sodas. The girls were so hungry they didn’t think beyond the food. Toward the end of the meal, a guy joined them in the booth. A friend of Jax’s.
    Memories reached out, grabbing hold of the present. And then, in a blink, she remembered. The friend’s name was Kevin. He was tall, well dressed, with gold cuff links and buffed nails. Dark-brown hair was cut short and slicked back, emphasizing blue eyes. She remembered thinking he didn’t look like a Kevin.
    Jax, looking a little nervous, ordered him coffee as if he were the grand host. As Kevin sipped the dark, bitter brew, he asked her and Jo-Jo questions. What’s your name? Where’re you from? The guy needed conversation. Not all the johns liked to talk, but this one did. Jax quickly grew tired of the questions and cut off her last answer.
    “Which one do you want?”
    Kevin sat back in the booth, studying her face as he tapped a nervous finger against the table. “She has the right look. How much?”
    “Two grand.”
    No one had ever paid that kind of money for her before and she expected Kevin to laugh. But he wasn’t put off by the price and handed Jax a handful of crisp one-hundred-dollar bills. “There’s a little more. I’ll need her a few extra hours.”
    Vicky shifted, nervous. Men paid that kind of money when they wanted something different, and she worried what that meant.
    Jax grinned, his gold tooth winking in the light. “Sure. But I want her back in twenty-four hours.”
    “Right.” Kevin’s gaze dropped to his cup of coffee. He offered her another soda, but Jax said she’d had enough. Jax hustled them all out of the booth and the diner. Kevin opened the front door