It was one hour after midnight in downtown Dallas. Even though there was barely any traffic, she drove slowly, just under the speed limit. It was her routine to mentally run through the sequence over and over again, until she was one mile from her target. Then she would empty her mind and drive as if she was possessed by a silent spirit. It had worked since her Special Forces days in Australia.
When she spotted the club located in a windowless abandoned warehouse just south of the city, she drove around the building seven times, circling it like a shark circled its prey. As her black BMW crossed the large parking lot, her mind clicked into business mode. She selected a spot under a large oak tree, away from the flashing neon lights that screamed "The Tastiest Girls in Town!"
Killing the engine, she hid the key under the passenger seat, then checked her makeup in the rearview mirror. Her emerald green eyes were surrounded and shadowed by bodacious black ink, as if she was a quarterback in professional football. Her lips were hidden under layers of fire-engine red lipstick. She ran her fingers through her platinum blond hair, letting it fall over her face, partially covering her right eye.
She left the car unlocked. Stepping out gingerly, one leg at a time, she balanced herself on the five-inch stilettos. After a few steps, she wiggled and pulled down her black leather miniskirt, reaching under it to pull up her thong an inch above the waistband. Her milky halter top, knotted behind her neck and ending an inch above her belly button, revealed her chiseled stomach. Her back was entirely bare, except for an elastic band stretching across the small of her back. A black scorpion peeked out from under the skirt, giving the impression it had just crawled out of her.
The bouncer behind the velvet rope thought he saw an Amazon approach, standing over 6 feet with spiked heels. He could not recognize her. But that did not mean much because he worked only on weekends. His regular job was in construction. But with the economy still in the toilet, he had to moonlight on weekends. Because he was not affiliated with any of the gangs, he would later be the only one who mentioned her to law enforcement.
The bouncer looked at her for a split second before opening the door for dancers, which was around the corner, to the left of the main entrance for guests. As soon as she entered the crowded room, the deafening thumping sound of hip-hop slapped her in the face. She stood still for a few seconds, letting her eyes adjust to the dark.
The room was Texas-large, with dozens of girls moving around in various stages of undress. In the middle of the room, four dancers twirled around four separate poles on raised platforms. The bar was on her left and the restrooms on her right. In the far end of the room was a red sign with the three letters V-I-P.
She crossed the room diagonally and headed for the ladies' room. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Don Giordano. He was celebrating with his top three regional chiefs, each of which had kidnapped and shipped more than ten girls overseas in the last year. This was his way of motivating his captains.
Giordano caught sight of her over the rim of his glass. He whispered to his bodyguard, who sprang into action.
"Hey gorgeous, my boss wants you to party with us." The bodyguard came up behind her and held her elbow.
As she turned and went with him, she asked, "Who is your boss?"