Chapter 2The Missing Wife

After watching the video, the first thing I did was track down Nate.

Nate used to have a serious gambling problem, but he cleaned up his act and now runs a local poker room.

He told me he saw the video circulating in some online group.

Recognizing Sarah as the dealer, he forwarded it to me immediately.

Nate said the casino she was in was one of the biggest, most notorious operations down there – the "Golden Paradise."

He told me that place didn't just make money off gambling. They had plenty of other shady, illegal ways to turn a profit.

Things like running phone scams, even black market organ trading, were supposedly routine.

But the quickest, safest money-maker for them was selling women.

Those scum categorized the women they lured or trafficked into four types for sale.

Exactly what those categories were, Nate didn't know.

Nate's words reminded me of a picture Sarah posted on her Instagram three days before she disappeared – a selfie with her "girlfriend."

Damn it. It had to be that bitch who tricked Sarah into going down there. That absolute piece of trash. Don't let me ever find her.

"Nate, man, I know you've got connections. You gotta help me figure something out. Anything to get Sarah back. I'll do whatever it takes. I'm begging you, man."

"Luke, don't be like that. You and Sarah helped me out a ton back when I was deep in my gambling mess. But… look, once someone ends up at the 'Golden Paradise,' they almost never make it out alive. And once those guys have someone, even the cops have a hard time getting them out quickly."

"So there's really no other way?" I sank to the floor, completely hopeless.

After a long silence, Nate pulled me up. "It's not completely hopeless, Luke. For Sarah… are you willing to take a gamble?"

"Yes. Anything to save Sarah. Whatever it takes. Even my life," I said, my voice firm.

Nate nodded, handed me a cigarette, and told me to wait a second.

He pulled out his phone and made several calls. He was speaking in rapid-fire Spanish, using terms I didn't understand – casino lingo, probably.

I knew Nate was trying to reach someone for me. Someone who could get my wife out.