So I had no reason not to answer her question. Yet, I hesitated. Not because I didn’t want her to know where I lived but because saying it out loud concreted the distance.

“I live in Idaho.”

“You’re not walking away, you’re leaving.”

The sadness I heard in her voice twisted the ball in my stomach tighter. Now, she was getting it. Why I wasn’t taking us where I wanted us to go. There was no future and if I couldn’t have all of her, I didn’t want any of her. A piece wasn’t good enough. With Sloane, it was all or nothing.

“What about Elise?” she rushed on.

Selfishly, I didn’t want to talk about Elise or the sex club. I wanted to forget why I was in Los Angeles and get to know her better—and that was the crazy part, the part that was totally insane. Now that Lorenzo had given me the opening we’d been waiting for, I’d be gone in two weeks tops. Yet I could not stop myself from self-torture. I had to know what it was about her that drew me in. I had to understand the unexplainable connection I felt the instant I saw her. I needed to make sense of a situation that made absolutely no sense. I’d never in my life felt the pull of a woman so strongly that the thought of never seeing her again made my chest burn.

But I couldn’t deny the pleading and worry in Sloane’s tone. I had to give her something, even if it wasn’t much.

“Wilson already made contact with the local PD and the FBI. We’ll see what he gets from them and go from there. If he needs to, he’ll reach out to some of our other sources.”

“You’ll help me?”

Her hopeful stare held mine and it was on the tip of my tongue to make all sorts of wild promises if they’d keep those clouds from returning and dulling her pretty green eyes. But I knew better. Elise had been missing for a long time and the unfortunate truth was, time was not a friend. The longer she was gone the less likely she’d be found alive.

“Of course, we’ll help you.”

Her relief was immediate and stark. It tidal-waved over Sloane with such force her shoulders jerked back and her neck stiffened right before tears formed.

“Don’t cry,” I begged.

“So long,” she whispered. “She’s been gone for so long and I feel like she’s nothing but a case number to the police. I know that’s not fair but that’s what it feels like.”

Another unfortunate truth in a city with a population of almost four million and over two thousand missing persons cases on top of all the other crime—the police were spread thin. As were the FBI and the Marshal Service. Reason one to use force multipliers like Takeback.

“That’s why you’ve been working at Club Joi?” I asked even though I knew the answer.

Sloane nodded then followed up with, “I needed to do something.”