“You’re looking for drugs?” Two asked, his eyes narrowing.
Damn. She’d just stepped on a minefield. Logan stood up. It was his job to get Georgia out when the time was right.
“Give her a minute,” Ben said.
Georgia sighed as though she could feel the judgment. She stood up, managing to hobble just a little. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. Where I’m from I guess it’s not so serious. I just wanted to be able to sleep. I’ll see you guys around.”
“Little sister, I do not give you enough credit,” Chase muttered.
One reached for her hand. “Hey, we weren’t judging you. I’m sorry. We’ve just seen meth hurt some of our friends.”
Georgia’s eyes widened. “Meth? Oh my god. No. I would never touch that stuff. It’s horrible. I seriously wouldn’t touch it. I had a friend who died because of heroin.” She actually got teary. “I’m sorry I asked. It’s just really bugging me, and I don’t have health insurance. I’m just going to go.”
Son of a bitch, but the two cowboys stared at each other like they were making a decision. It was working and maybe Georgie had left acting too soon.
Two cursed under his breath. “Look, we’re not involved in any of that, but the rumor is if you see the owner of the strip club out on the highway, he can hook you up with a lot of things. But it’s dangerous, darlin’. I can’t let you go in there. Let’s just talk to Mrs. Barnes. She’s a nurse and a damn fine one.”
And Georgia seemed to know just when to let the fish off the hook. The smile she gave them damn near lit up the screen. “I hadn’t even thought of that. You two are so smart.”
“Logan, you can go get her now,” Ben said, watching his sister work her magic.
“He was out the door the minute they said strip club. That boy has it bad,” Chase said with a shit-eating grin. His brother had smiled more in the last couple of days than in the year before. “I’m starting to think Georgia can handle him.”
Ben winced as Logan walked on screen.
“Do you two mind telling me why you’re alone with my wife?” Logan stared the very startled cowboys down as he strode into the room.
“Wife?” Georgia’s screech threatened to break the monitoring equipment.
Logan didn’t argue, simply shoved an arm under Georgia’s knee and hauled her to his chest. He turned back to the door. “I catch you boys with my wife again and we’re going to have a problem. You understand?”
“Yes, sir.” Both cowboys took a step back.
“We didn’t know she was married,” Two said.
Logan got her out of the dorm before she could say another word.
Chase was already on his computer. “Found it. Wispers. Without an h. Classy. It’s on the highway about ten miles out of town. And they have a buffet. Strippers and public food. What a combination. I think I’ll wait for dinner.”
Ben looked over his shoulders. Wispers had a website but it was clunky and did nothing more than give a phone number, address, pictures of girls who would never in a million years work a strip club in rural East Texas, and a single shot of the owner, a man named Bill “Cooder” Jones. He was a large, bald man dressed in jeans, a Western shirt, and suspenders. He was shaking hands with another man, both smiling at the camera like the good old boys they were. Or used to be. “That’s Stan.”
Stanley Kirkman, pervert, was standing next to the owner of the strip club. Connections. They were on the right path.
“I thought you would say I was your sister,” Georgia complained as Logan walked into the kitchen. He was still carrying her. Ben couldn’t help but notice she wasn’t trying to get out of his arms. Nope. She was snuggled close, though her bratty mouth was running full-steam ahead. “I couldn’t possibly be your wife. I’m too pretty. And smart.”
“Yeah, I really got the smart part. Smart-ass, maybe.” Logan set her on her feet.
Georgia practically vibrated with pleasure. “Benny? Chase? Wasn’t I good? It’s a strip club. I totally got the information. I’m going to be a private investigator. I finally found my life calling!”
Ben shuddered at the thought. Still, she’d done what they needed. “You did a good job, Georgie. Thanks. Chase, can you write down that address? We can get out there, scope out the place, and still be home for dinner.”
“And I can get a job as a stripper,” Georgia said with a brilliant smile as though she was talking about something cool and awesome and not threatening to begin a new life as a pole dancer. “This is perfect. It’s in my blood.”
“You are not stripping.” Logan ground the words out of his mouth. He turned to Ben. “You’re her brother. Tell her.”
“You’re not stripping.” Chase didn’t look up from his notepad. “Go check on Nat. We won’t be gone long. This is going to take a day or two. We can’t just walk in and ask to be invited to the supersecret underground club. We’ll go in, spread some cash around, and then show up again tomorrow night and the night after until someone starts talking.”
Georgia frowned. “But I have the shoes.”
Ben glanced down at her feet. Well, at least he knew where their dad’s cash had gone. Georgia wore crazy high platform shoes with gold spikes coming out the sides. “Those are Louboutins.”
“Hello, all top-selling designer shoes are really based on stripper shoes. Well, unless they’re based on tranny shoes, but seriously, it’s one of the two.” She gripped the bar and shoved her backside out. “Watch me. I’ve taken cardio striptease. I can throw down with the nastiest stripper around.”
“Ready?” Chase stood, shaking his head at the sight of his baby sister grinding on a barstool. “I don’t want to leave Natalie for long.”
“What are you doing?” Logan asked, watching Georgia. “I don’t think that’s right.”
Oh, he was so ready. “Yep. Bye, Logan. Take care of Georgie.”
“You’re an asshole, Ben.” Logan frowned his way.
But he was the asshole with keys to the car and a plan. They finally had a plan. He followed Chase out the door. It might take a day or two, but they would figure this out. They would save Natalie and they would find a way to keep her.
Chapter Thirteen
Chase Dawson had never wondered what the day shift at a rural strip club would look like. He didn’t have to. Logic pointed the way to that conclusion, but as the skinny, obviously on drugs and missing a couple of teeth young lady shook her bony ass in his face, he realized logic hadn’t led him far enough down reality road.
“Don’t.” His brother gave the girl named Misty Dawn a five, tucking it into her G-string. “Thanks, darling.” Charming Ben winked the girl’s way and off she went to shake that thing at a couple of truckers two tables over.
At least he thought her name was Misty Dawn given that her lower back was covered in a faded tattoo of a star and bunnies and the words Misty Dawn Rocks. Perhaps the girl simply had a friend she really liked named Misty Dawn. Chase doubted it. “I was only going to point her to the nearest rehab. And ask her to take a bath.”
Ben laughed. “See, I love going undercover. This is where I kick your ass, big brother.”
Chase lowered his voice. He doubted anyone could hear them over the loud thump of decades-old Southern-fried rock, but they should be careful. “I’m going to kick your ass if you keep referring to us being undercover.”
Ben sat back, the collar on his shirt open and a decadent smile plastered on his face. Georgia wasn’t the only one of his siblings who could act. Ben looked like he didn’t notice the stench of the place. It smelled like pickles and despair. The minute they had driven into the dirt parking lot and looked up at the dilapidated prefab building, Chase had kind of wanted to run home.