Read Online Sold into Slavery by Claire Thompson - Free Book Online Page A

suggesting he check back in the morning if she still hadn't appeared. He’d spent a nearly sleepless night pacing his hotel room, calling her mobile repeatedly, with no results.
    He must have finally fallen asleep at some point, because he awoke to the sound of the alarm blaring at seven. After a quick shower to wake himself, he rushed down to the lobby, this time determined to get results.
    “I need to connect with one of the guests,” Devin said firmly. “Her name is Leah Jacobs. She is checked in to room 232 but I’m afraid she might be missing. Please call the room for me at once.” He’d already decided to insist they take him up to the room and open the door, so he could see for himself she wasn’t in there. He drummed the counter anxiously while he waited for the woman behind the counter to pull up the information on her computer.
    After a moment she looked up with the ubiquitous Thai polite smile. “I’m sorry. We have no one by that name registered at the hotel.”
    “What?” Devin frowned, his stomach clutching. “She was here as of yesterday. I’m certain of it. Look again. It’s Jacobs. Leah Jacobs.” He spelled the name, trying to keep his patience in check.
    The woman tapped again on her keyboard, staring at her monitor. “That is correct, sir. She checked out yesterday morning.”
    “No, she didn’t,” Devin contradicted. “Her group isn’t scheduled to leave until today. You’ve made a mistake.”
    “Excuse me, is there a problem?” A Thai man dressed in a shiny silk suit, his dark hair slicked back from his forehead, appeared beside Devin. The gold metal tag pinned over his breast pocket read Concierge.
    “Yes. There’s a group of Americans traveling together. Leah Jacobs, a part of the group, is staying in room 232. Ms.—” Devin glanced at the woman’s name tag, hoping he was pronouncing it correctly, “ Jetirawat is telling me she checked out.”
    “Ah, yes. I know the lady. Blond hair, blue eyes, early twenties. She checked out yesterday morning. I personally handled her checkout. She was heading on to…” The man squinted at the ceiling, as if trying to recall a conversation. “Ah, yes. She told me she was heading to Bangkok.”
    Devin shook his head. What the hell was going on here?”Look, I was with the lady yesterday morning. We made plans to meet again last night. There is no way she checked out. You’re just plain wrong.” Devin realized he was clenching his fists. His heart felt as if someone were squeezing it.
    The concierge offered a bland, sympathetic smile. “Ah, pretty girl, so young, eh? These Americans, they do what they like.” His smile curved into something more knowing, his eyebrows lifting with supposed understanding. Devin wanted to sock him in the jaw. “Forget about that silly American girl,” the man continued. “There are so many lovely ladies here in Pattaya for you to choose from. I can recommend some excellent clubs—“
    “There was nothing silly about her,” Devin snapped, furious at the man’s presumption and rudeness.“And I’m not interested in random young women. I’m looking for Leah Jacobs. Don’t you understand? She might in trouble. How dare you talk to me like that!”
    The concierge shrugged his shoulders, lifting his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I beg your pardon if I offended, but what can I tell you, sir? The girl is gone. Long gone.”
    ~*~
    The men flanked her on either side, each taking hold of an upper arm as they propelled her from the kennel. She was desperately thirsty and would have begged the men for water if she hadn't been gagged.
    They led her back into the large house, though this time, instead of taking her back into the main room, they took her up a narrow staircase just inside the back door. When they reached the top of the stairs, Leah was terrified she was going to be beaten again and thrust into another cupboard, but instead she was led into a large, sumptuous bathroom.
    The floors and