Leopard's Prey
Page 93

“Tom Berlander?” Remy guessed. Berlander hung out with Ryan Cooper and Brent Underwood as well as the Rousseau brothers, so it was easy enough to guess, but Remy wanted Robert’s clear identification.
Robert nodded. “He’s gotten pretty violent, along with Ryan. Brent hangs back as much as possible. He’s even claimed he’s been sick when we were supposed to hit a place.” He sighed and shook his head, slumping a little more. “I don’ know how you’re goin’ to catch Jean and Juste. No one can catch them. They work at the houses and the people they work for love them. They would never suspect them. They leave their prints everywhere on purpose. The elderly couples would go to court and say how wonderful they are. Jean and Juste actually bring them groceries and pick up medications, all the while laughin’, knowin’ they’re goin’ to rob and beat them.”
Remy’s stomach knotted. The more he heard, the more he wanted his leopard to meet the Rousseau brothers out in the swamp.
“Do you know if they’re the ones committing these murders and harvestin’ bones?” Remy asked.
Robert frowned, remaining silent, clearly thinking it over. Finally he shrugged. “I don’ know, but they have human bones there in the swamp. I’ve seen them.” He looked straight at Remy, honesty on his face and in his voice and eyes. “If they did, they would never be sorry. They like hurting animals and watching the life fade out of them. They like beating the old people and knowin’ they had their trust. They really travel in the company of demons, just like they claim, and once you’ve made a pact with them, even if you were drunk and didn’t mean it, you can never be free of them.”
“Is that why you began drinkin’ so much, Robert? And doin’ drugs? To live with the things you were doin’? You knew they were wrong,” Remy said.
Robert nodded, pressing his fingers to his eyes, shaking his head. “I got in too deep, Remy. There was nowhere to go.”
“That’s bullshit, Robert,” Drake snarled. He began to pace back and forth. “You’re a member of this lair. There is no excuse not to inform me of what is happening in our territory. You say they threatened your brother. He’s a member and under my protection. You knew you should come to me. If I hear another lie coming out of your mouth, I’ll take your damned head off and consequences be damned.”
Robert pushed back in his chair, his face nearly frozen with fear. “I could get drugs any time I wanted. Drugs, alcohol, even women. Ryan had a thing going with Juste and Jean at the strip joint where he worked and the women did whatever he said. I had money and just about anything else I wanted and I just told myself I was keeping Dion safe.”
“Are you sayin’ the Rousseau brothers are also runnin’ a prostitution ring?” Remy demanded.
“No. No.” Robert shook his head. “No one pays them. They’re strippers. They do what Jean and Juste say to do.”
“Out of fear? Do the brothers threaten the women?”
Robert squirmed. “I don’ want to talk about this. They’re just strippers. I never paid for sex. They put out whenever they’re told.”
Saria gasped and made a soft growl in the back of her throat. Her dark chocolate eyes had gone nearly gold, a bad sign.
Bijou’s fingers dug into Remy’s back. He felt her tremble, but not with fear, more with rage. Her breath felt hot on the back of his neck and just for one moment, fur brushed over his exposed skin. She breathed deeply, pulling her leopard back, getting her under control.
Remy was proud of her. He knew Saria could hold back her leopard, but Bijou was new to the world of leopards, and yet she instinctively exerted dominion over her cat. Tension ran high in the room. The male leopards moved just below the surface of their human counterparts, enraged at the sniveling male who acted as if it was perfectly all right to force a woman to do his bidding simply because she worked as an exotic dancer.
“We’re goin’ to talk about it,” Remy snapped, his voice unusually gravelly. “Whether you like it or not. Women who work in clubs don’ have to have sex with men because the men demand it. They have the right to say no. Why would you think otherwise?”
Drake prowled up and down the room, coiled and ready. He shot Robert a glare from nearly golden eyes. “Be very careful about lying, Robert. I’ve run out of patience with you.”
Robert shrank back in his chair, his face going pale. “It’s not like we have a lot of women around here, and the ones we do have are taken. Those strippers expect to have to put out. It comes with the territory.”
“How did they get the girls to cooperate?” Remy persisted.
“One girl, Candy Jacobson, refused when Ryan tried to fuck her out in the alley. She even slapped his face. Juste beat the livin’ daylights out of her. He wanted the other girls to see what would happen if they said no. He made certain the others saw her, he took them to her room and then she disappeared. He told everyone she left town, but . . .” He trailed off, shaking his head and looking up at Remy with fear.
“You believe she’s dead,” Remy prompted.
Robert nodded. “Brent and I went to the swamp early the day she disappeared. Jean and Juste kept their stash of drugs there and we both were hurtin’. There was supposed to be a job that night. Neither one of us wanted to go and we thought if we got wasted, it would be easier.”
“And?” Remy insisted through gritted teeth.