"You stay here," Nicky said. "I'll go to the bar and get a drink, then say hello and see what happens. If I can get him to come with me, I'll bring him outside somewhere quiet."

"What if he's not willing?" Ken asked.

Nicky paused, her eyes skating over Darren. He wasnt a small guy, but shed been trained for this. "Then I'll take him down."

"Let's hope it doesnt come to that, Ken said.

"Just back me up," Nicky said. "If you see me corner him, that's your cue. We need to back him into a wall so he can't run."

With that, Nicky made her way to the bar. Her heart was beating fast. She didn't know why exactly. There was something about this guy that was just... off. It was something else, something she couldn't place. All she knew was that something about him just wasn't right, and Nicky had a feeling he could turn out to be a genuinely dangerous man.

The woman next to him was laughing. Nicky opened her mouth to ask for a drink, but before she could, she heard Darren say, "Damn, baby, let's get out of here."

The girl with Darren giggled. "You're bad, Tucker. I don't know..."

"Come on, let's do this."

"Well... okay."

Nicky had to act fast. She stumbled over to the bar and pretended to be drunk, bumping right into the girl Darren was with. Nicky squealed and spilled a drink all over Darren, who let out a guttural sound.

"What the hell!" Darren yelled. He looked like he was about to eat Nicky's face off--until he took in her appearance. Blatantly, in front of his date, he scanned Nicky up and down. "Damn, you're new here," he said.

Nicky got close to him. "Hey," she said alluringly. She glanced over her shoulder. Ken was closing in.

"We're a little busy here," Darren's date said to Nicky. "Do you mind?"

Nicky felt bad for the girl, who was probably just a normal person in this situation--but at the same time, Nicky knew Darren had been linked to human trafficking before. She wasn't about to let this girl's life get taken away, not on her watch.

Nicky needed to get Darrens attention away from this girl, and she needed to do it fast.

She hated doing this, but she turned to the date and gave her a sour look. Sorry, sweetheart, but I think youre in over your head. Why dont you go find another date? This ones mine.

The girls jaw dropped while Darren looked at Nicky with a sickening smile. The girl looked at Nicky, then back at Darren, a scowl on her face. Darren just shrugged and said, You heard the lady. Beat it.

The girl stormed off in the opposite direction, pissed and hurt. But she had no idea that her life had probably just been saved.