“It’s appropriately named. That place was nothing but a pit, and the owners didn’t mind dealing in human trafficking from what I hear.” Brandi stood and poured them all a drink. It was the last thing Cain wanted, but she also didn’t want to be rude. “That’s not your gig, though, so what do you need?”

“It’s not my business, but—” She stopped talking, realizing Brandi, like her, wasn’t walking on the right side of the law. “Is this room clean?”

“I check every day, Cain, so feel free to say whatever’s on your mind,” Wilson said.

“It’s not part of my business, but it is yours,” she continued, and Brandi nodded. “When the club was open, did you meet Nicola Eaton?”

“That bitch tried her best to put me out of business. We lost one girl to her offers of better money. That lasted a month, and I had to hide the poor thing for a couple of months when Nicola sent her dogs to bring her back. She made it clear that once the girls worked for her, she owned them.” Brandi pressed her hand flat onto the desk as she spoke through gritted teeth. “That bitch was an animal with no soul. When I heard she died, I wasn’t exactly torn up about it.”

“What if I told you she was alive?”

“No way.” Brandi downed her drink and closed her eyes. “We took in a few of the girls they left behind.” There were faint worry lines around her eyes when she opened them. “Are they safe here? Are the rest of my girls?”

“Brandi, you know I’m not letting anything happen to you or your girls. I came to offer my protection and leave a few guys around who’ll keep an eye on anything suspicious. But I wouldn’t do that without your permission.” She poured Brandi’s next drink and glanced at Wilson and thought he looked relieved.

“What am I going to end up owing you?” Brandi’s tone wasn’t overly suspicious, and it seemed more like a programmed response.

“I’m your friend, and in this case I might end up owing you. Right now I can’t tell you why, but if Nicola is coming for anyone, it’s going to be me.” She sat back down and crossed her legs. “I have a feeling, though, when she comes back, you’re going to hear about it before I do. Places like the Hell Fire Club are all she knows, and they’re what built the empire her family had.”

“I hear her family is dead. Someone shot them until there was very little left in front of the building where the business was located.”

“That’s true, and the police are looking into that.”