Starting Over Pt. 02 Ch. 01

There was still some daylight outside, so Livy knew it wasn't too late in the day. She lay back down and waited. The cup was empty. Did they expect her to be sedated or what? She may be only 20 years old, but she had become street smart since she left home and quick on her feet. She had had to be. She waited for them to come as it got dark outside. She just had to decide if she wanted to do it during the day or the night. There might be more people around that could see her in trouble during the day, but her captors might be more relaxed at night. She would have to wait and take her chance when it felt right.

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When John returned to the club Jameson was just inside the door. Jameson smiled and waved him through. He went straight to the manager's office, noticing that there were still not very many people here for the ladies. The one on stage was dancing in her G-string, but there were only a couple of men at the rail around the stage. Overall, a pretty light evening so far.

Jasmine was still there and was on the phone. When she saw John she hung up. "That was Livy's neighbor, Cindy. Livy has a dog that Cindy takes care of when Livy's dancing. Cindy says she hasn't seen or heard from Livy since she left for work yesterday and she was supposed to be home today. She's worried."

"Okay, that's good to know. That's one of the things on my list of items to cover; people who knew her where she lives. I will still go by there in case there is anything else to learn. Now, I need to know who Juniper is."

"Juniper is Alice Kriegman. I have her card right here." Jasmine handed it to John and he looked it over. "One of the other girls said that a guy going after her is what distracted George, so I called her to ask about it. She didn't answer; just went to voice mail. She works tonight so maybe she's sleeping."

"What time does she come on?"

Jasmine looked at her phone. "7pm. It's already 6. You want to stay and have a drink and take in our newest talent? Or maybe someone you know?"

John smiled. "I probably shouldn't."

"Yes, you should." She gave him a big grin. "Joyce Walker is working here. She's been working for a couple of months and is very good. I think she'd like to see you. She says you got her and her mother out of a tight spot."

John wasn't going to tell anyone about the money that he had given her, so he demurred. "Well, I helped her a little, but she was working hard raising two daughters alone. That had to be tough." Jasmine was staring at him. "What?"

"You are a hopeless romantic, a nice man, and a great friend. I wish I knew more men like you and George."

"Then you need to get out of this club." He grinned and Jasmine giggled. "Well, is Joyce working now?"

"Yes, she goes by Lily."

"Okay, I'll head out there and say hello to her and wait for Alice or Juniper or whatever she wants to be called."

"Great!" Jasmine stood up. "All your drinks will be free since you are working on the case."

"That's not necessary."

"It's cheaper than you expensing them at full price!" She laughed and led John out of the room.

He followed her nice, tight little ass and swaying hips, shaking his head at how she was dressed. She probably wasn't going anywhere else than the strip club, so it didn't matter, but it was still pretty slutty. It was probably what she was used to now.

Jasmine led John to a chair set off to the side of the main area and waved at a waitress. She hustled over and Jasmine introduced her. "Shelly, this is Mr. Jackson. Get him whatever he wants. It's on the house until further notice since he's working for Marcus."

Shelly nodded as John looked at her. She was dressed in a G-string and bikini top. Oh, and she was busting out of all of it. She looked at Jasmine and said, "No problem." Jasmine left.

Shelly smiled down at John, showing very straight, white teeth. It was a very nice smile. "What can I get you?"

John hesitated. He had to be thinking and working, so he didn't want to drink. "Just a Diet Coke, please. I'm working."

She nodded. "No problem. Be right back."

She turned and left and John checked her out from behind. Jesus, what a great ass. She was a little plump, but had all the right shaky stuff in all the right places. He knew he shouldn't think that way about the youngsters here who were young enough that he was the same age as their fathers. But he wasn't their father, he was still a man and, naturally, loved watching the female form.

John then turned his attention to the stage and watched the current dancer. She was doing okay and a few more patrons were present. A couple of girls came by and asked if he wanted a table dance, but he told them no and they moved on. He was just waiting for Lily to stop by and for Juniper to get to work.

He thought a little more about the case so far. The police were probably going to take over the case as soon as they realized it was kidnapping, so he might be wasting his time. But it was still chargeable and he could help them gather the initial information, so he stayed.

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It was 7pm before Jake and Mason decided to check on Livy. The drugs they had injected into her the evening before had been guaranteed by their boss to last 8-10 hours. That would have been between 11am and 1pm. They had left a cup of water with a sedative in it in the room for Livy to drink. They wanted her docile and they were told that the injected sedative would leave her thirsty. They hated dealing with strippers with long nails. They both had been scratched by the last one they grabbed.

Jake handed Mason the key. "You go check on her while I order some pizza for dinner."

Mason took the key. "No anchovies and no mushrooms." He pointed his finger at Jake.

Jake grinned at him. "No worries. I'll get a meat lovers. I know you like that."

"Perfect." Mason headed down the basement where the bedroom was that held the stripper. He put his ear to the door to listen and didn't hear anything. If she drank the water, then she should be at least groggy, but maybe knocked out.

He turned the key and opened the door.

When the guy opened the door, he looked over at her and checked her out. Livy raised her head up and he could tell she was still a little under the influence of the drugs. He looked at the cup and saw that the water in was gone. So he walked over and grabbed it. The girl started to say something, but he turned and walked out into the basement. He closed the door, but didn't lock it. He filled up the cup in the bathroom that was just outside the bedroom. They were not going to drug this cup, but would do that later tonight with the food.

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John looked up as another dancer approached him. It was Joyce/Lily.

"Hey, Mr. Jackson." Lily said it playfully.

John took in the beautiful young woman. She was wearing too much makeup, her nails were monstrous, her heels were towering platforms, and the outfit was nothing but a tight gauzy top and a G-string with a small sarong around the waist. But her natural beauty still shown through. He grinned. "I take it you won't call me John either?"

"Just being respectful, Mr. Jackson." The words sounded good, but the smirk and emphasis on the Mr. were a giveaway.

"Yeah, yeah." John looked at her and found her tits mesmerizing. He remembered that the entire family had plenty of that. He grinned up at her. "Want some candy little girl?"

Lily laughed and turned and plopped her ass on his left leg. "What did you have in mind, mister bad-guy?"

John grinned. "Well, I'm waiting for Juniper to show up so I have some time. I thought you might like to rub your delicious little body on me."

"Why Mr. Jackson, whatever would my mother say?"

John shook his head. "I never want her to know. Don't even bring her up."

Lily giggled. "She probably wouldn't care. She is doing well and so thankful to you that she would just brush it aside."

"Yeah, I heard that she got a state government job at a DMV."

"Yep. So, a table dance?"

"Oh, all my drinks are comped here, since I'm working for Marcus. What about my dances?"

Lily laughed. "No fucking way, you have to pay!" She punched him in the arm.

John laughed along. "Okay, I get it. How about one dance. It's already 6:30 and Juniper is supposed to start work at 7pm so she has to arrive soon."

"No problem. I got a dance for you, Mr. Jackson." Lily grinned and waited a few seconds. "Well, this song is almost over, so I'll finish it and do the next one." She stood to dance.

Lily pulled John a little forward in the chair and he settled in, handing her the $20 as he did so.

Lily grabbed his hands and put them on the armrests. She grinned as she did it. Then she started dancing. She danced with her back to him, rubbing her ass on his crotch in a teasing circular motion and then stood up in front of him. She removed the sarong and bent over, providing a delicious view of her nice round ass. It was perfect. Then she turned around and removed her gauzy top as the new dance started. Her tits, when free, were fantastic. They were full, round, and looked a little heavy. They showed just a little sag from the weight, but it wasn't really sagging, it was just from them being heavy. She took her hands, placed them under her tits, and offered them up for his view by bouncing them with her hands a few inches from his face.

John was amazed at the beautiful tits she had inherited from her mother. The three of them were probably the best sets of tits in a family in Seattle.

Lily kept dancing, doing the frontal rub where she puts the guy's head between her tits and then slides down all the way to her knees, finishing with the facial cock rub through the pants that so many dancers are expert at. She rose and kept dancing, turning and sitting in John's lap, rubbing her ass on the spot where she thought his cock was.

John enjoyed the dance, but his mind was preoccupied and so he had no indications of getting an erection. He just enjoyed this beautiful young woman and her body.

When the song ended, Lily stood up and started putting herself back together.

John thought that she seemed in a bit of a hurry until she leaned in to speak. "I just saw a cop go into Jasmine's office. Maybe you should go see about that."

John stood up, reached into his pocket and grabbed some money. He took out a ten and handed it to Lily. "Nice job. Here's a tip." She grinned as he rushed off to the office.

When John got to the office, Jasmine was talking to Detective Cole. He looked up and tried not to react, but John could see the anger cross his face. John walked forward, leading with his hand, to try to initiate a good meeting. "Detective Cole. Good to see you."

Luke Cole shook his hand. "You too, John. Captain Smithson told me that the club had hired you to look into this. If I establish that there has been a kidnapping or crime, I will ask you to back off and let the police handle it. Got it?"

John nodded and tried to look like he agreed, even though he didn't when it came to Detective Cole. "No problem, Luke." He called him by his first name since he had initiated it.

Luke motioned toward Jasmine. "Jasmine tells me that the girl that was being accosted will be starting work in a few minutes."

"Well, the guy called her name, but didn't get close, so I don't think she was accosted. I want to talk to her because the way things went lead me to believe that it may have been staged."

Luke stared at John closely. "Really?"

John nodded. "Yes."

Luke then nodded. "When I put together the statements from George and the others, I felt the same way." He looked over at Jasmine. "We'll head out to talk to Juniper."

"I think you should stay here. My office has enough soundproofing and will allow you some privacy. Sound good?"

Luke nodded his head. "Yes. Good idea."

Jasmine stood and left the room. Luke sat down in one of the chairs on the side of the room. John was surprised he didn't take the one behind the desk. He took the one in front of the desk and they only waited a couple of minutes and didn't even start a conversation before Jasmine came back with some Diet Cokes for both of them and brought with her a very skittish Juniper. She was wearing paint-on jeans and a bulky sweater.

Jasmine put the sodas down. "I thought you guys might be thirsty. You want something Juniper?"

Juniper shook her head no. "Not right now."

Luke leaned forward immediately and stared at Juniper. He was learning fast because he said nothing. When John had been brought in for questioning after some folks broke into his apartment and he fired a weapon at them, Luke had started with the questions too early.

Luke stared at Juniper until she got uncomfortable and started to talk. Which was why silence was so good at times. "What do you want to know about last night? I assume that it's about last night, right? You want me to go over it again? I gave you a statement last night, Mr. Cole."

"Detective Cole."

"Oh, yeah. Detective Cole." She glanced at me. "And Mr. Jackson, right?"

"Correct." John stared at her as well. "I didn't get a copy of your statement from the police, Juniper, but I have the basics. Why don't you tell us why you did it?"

Juniper tried to look confused, but she looked more scared. "Did what?"

Luke looked at John and nodded for him to continue, using him to get more information. "Why did you agree to stage that disagreement with some man so that George could be attacked and Livy could be kidnapped?"

"What? I don't know...."

"Stop." John held up his hand and interrupted her. "We know what happened, but what we don't know is what kind of leverage they have on you. You were either blackmailed or bribed. In either case, you need to cooperate with the police or else Detective Cole will be forced to charge you as an accessory. And that's attempted murder on George and kidnapping on Livy."

"Murder? Kidnapping? What? They didn't say anything about that!"

Detective Cole smiled. The shock value had worked and he liked the way John went forward with it. "Now Juniper, we don't want to charge you. We just want to know who the two guys were who did the attack on George and who else was there to assist with the kidnapping of Livy. If you cooperate, we can handle this without you being charged."

Juniper looked back and forth between the two men. For a seemingly hardened stripper, she seemed completely flummoxed by the possible charges. She took a deep breath. "Okay, but you have to keep me out of it."

"Of course. We definitely want to protect you." Detective Cole said it a little too glibly for John, but Juniper accepted it.

"The guy approaching me was someone named Jake. I used to date him. Him and his friend, whose name I don't know, said they needed to get even with George for something he did to them. I thought that was just to hit him a couple of times, not try to kill him. They said they would do that. I didn't know about the kidnapping of Livy until later." She stopped and was taking deep breaths.

John asked the next question. "Why did you help them?"

Her eyes darted back and forth as she answered. "Jake is my son's father. Jonathan is two. Jake is paying me alimony so that I can afford good childcare and schooling. He threatened to cut me off and the courts are not so good at making sure men pay. I'm in a good position with my apartment and the daycare. I just thought it was a simple retaliation, so I didn't think it would be this bad."

John looked at Detective Cole, who asked the next question. "Where can we find them?"

"Look, I can't tell you that. I don't want to rat on them. I just want to get back to work." She was in no way comfortable with anything that was happening.

John decided to use her real name. "Juniper, or should I say Alice, we need you to cooperate or else Detective Cole will be forced to charge you. You assisted then and that's called aiding and abetting. Now, I don't really care, but Detective Cole over there," John pointed to him and Juniper followed it with his eyes, "definitely cares about who committed any crimes. And you did. Oh, and who will care for your son when you are locked up? The state?"

Again the nervous looks almost made it look like Juniper was going to run. "Okay, okay. I get it. I don't know for sure. Jake lives in an apartment in Ballard, but one time he dropped his buddy off on E. Union St. between 26th and 27th Avenues. It was a kind of blue house with a small porch. I was in the back while he gave us both a ride home."

Luke looked at John and then back to Juniper. "Okay, listen. You stay safe and don't say anything to anyone else. John and I are going to check out these places and if we find anything we'll send someone to make sure you and your kid are okay. Got it?"

Juniper didn't look so sure but nodded. "Okay."

Luke motioned toward the door and he and John left the office. "Follow me. We'll check out the E. Union location first. You can knock on the door and I'll stand back. You can ascertain what might be there as a civilian and then let me know and I'll come in as an officer of the law. Work for you?"

John was amazed at the difference between Luke before and now. "Works for me."

Then Luke let the other shoe drop as they headed for the door. "Just don't think that this will work beyond that."

John rolled his eyes behind Luke's back and followed.

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When the pizza arrived, Jake and Mason sat down to eat. They ate almost one and a half pizzas, leaving the last half for the slut downstairs.

Jake grinned at Mason. "Should we have some fun with her and make her earn the pizza?"

Mason shook his head. "No way. The boss said no marks and she looks like a bit of a wildcat."

"So we give her the pizza and some drugs. Then we have fun."

Mason kept shaking his head no. "Man, I like my women cooperative, but also present and having fun. I don't like women who are drugged and just lying there. That's no fun. I want someone who wants to fuck me."

Jake shrugged his shoulders. "I don't care. I just want to fuck someone and she's here. Why not?"

"No. Don't do it. The boss wants her unharmed and I think that means unfucked, too. Don't do it, man."

"Oh, c'mon. Just one quickie. We can totally drug her up for my fun."

"Nope. Not a chance. I'll take the pizza down and you can stay up here. If you want something to fuck, go find one of those fucking slags you know. After she eats, you can take off and I'll stay here."

Jake smiled and reacted well, knowing Mason was right. "You're no fun, man. Anyway, I can wait one more night to go out and get laid."

"Okay. Let me take the pizza down." Mason picked up the box with the remaining pieces and went to the basement.

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Livy heard the squeaks in the stairs and could tell that someone was coming down the basement again. She had no idea how many people there were in the house, but she had to chance it at some point. She had no hope that things would improve if she stayed docile. They would still take her. So if she did something to one of them, what could they do that they wouldn't do anyway? She figured rape was in her future at best and slavery at worst.

She grabbed the slat by the bed and hugged the wall to the left of the door, on the side that it opened. It was pretty dark, so they couldn't see too well if they were coming from a lighted area. She readied the slat so that an edge would hit the person entering.

Whoever it was listened at the door or waited for something so Livy tried to quiet her breathing. She knew that she only had one shot at this.

The handle on the door slowly turned and the guy entered immediately, without looking at the bed first. Livy swung the board hard and two things happened that doomed her attempt.