Chapter 9 #2
She leaned into him. “For instance, I can tell you really want to kiss me, but you don’t want me to think anything between us could be any more than a brief fling.
” Savvie leaned forward and brushed her lips across his.
“Don’t worry. I could never have anything more than a brief fling.
My life isn’t my own; it hasn’t been since I joined the organization.
And just so you know…a brief fling sounds amazing. I hope you will consider it.”
His lips curved into a genuine smile. “Are you propositioning me?”
She chuckled. “I guess I am. I have no expectations of becoming the future Mrs. Falcon or the future Mrs. Anyone Else. A fling would be good.”
Hunter laughed. “I can’t keep up with the way you think.”
“That’s how I maintain the mystery.” She patted her hand against his chest. “As much as I want to leap into that fling, we should save that proposition for later. Right now, I say we check in on Kyla and Swede. Surely, they’ve found something or have gotten my internet access up and running.
I need to help.” Her brow puckered. “Are you ready?”
His lips twisted. “As ready as ever. Although your proposal intrigues me.”
Savvie turned and started up the stairs, glad for an excuse to have her back to him. At least he wouldn’t see her cheeks burn a bright red.
Had she really just propositioned the man?
Now that she had, did she want to go through with it?
Oh, hell yeah!
Then why wasn’t she heading back to their rooms instead of climbing the steps to the war room, where they might be there for hours?
Because now that she’d expressed her desire to engage in something sexy, she found herself suddenly shy.
What the ever-lovin’ fuck had gotten into her?
Well, making love with Hunter wouldn’t happen anytime soon. Not until they found the women. Their lives ranked higher than Savvie’s pathetic excuse for a love life.
Only after they’d found the others and gotten them to safety could Savvie indulge in something that might satisfy the itch Hunter inspired. And then, it would only be a short fling. She’d move on soon after. She couldn’t let her past work plague Hunter and the rest of his team.
When she pushed through the door into the war room, Stone and Kyla looked up from a single computer monitor they had both been studying.
“Oh, good,” Kyla said. “Stone was just about to come get you.”
“Were you able to set me up with a computer and internet access?”
Kyla nodded. “The final app is loaded. The laptop is ready for your use. But that’s not the big news.” She nodded toward the monitor. “Swede’s contact thinks he has something.”
Savvie and Hunter hurried forward.
“Did they find the other captives?” Savvie’s pulse raced as she stared at the monitor.
Swede’s face appeared. “Savvie.”
Savvie nodded. “Swede.”
Hunter stepped up beside Savvie. “Anything yet on the whereabouts of the people Marcus was collecting?”
Swede nodded. “We think so.”
Savvie reached for Hunter’s hand. “Where?”
“In Miami,” Swede responded. “One of my dark web informants contacted me less than an hour ago with a warehouse address.”
Savvie squeezed Hunter’s hand. “We have to go.”
Swede shook his head. “It’ll take too long for any of us here in Montana, or our Colorado division, to get there. However, Chuck, one of our team from here in Eagle Rock, is on vacation in Miami with his wife and daughter. We’ve sent him to check on the location.”
Savvie’s chest tightened. “Alone?”
Hank appeared on the monitor. “He’s taking the lead just to check out the location. I notified my connection with the FBI. He’s pulling together a task force to investigate the building and the Caldwell operations.”
“No, no, no,” Savvie murmured. “When did you notify the FBI?”
“As soon as I got an address. I’ve been working with them since our last conversation a couple of hours ago.”
Savvie’s shoulders sagged. “If those people were in that warehouse, they’re gone now.”
Hank frowned. “My contact with the FBI can be trusted. He assured me he would build a task force without informing them of their intended target until they deploy. He’s the only one I’ve communicated with about the Caldwell’s involvement in the human trafficking ring.”
Savvie’s lips firmed into a tight line. “Swede, has your firewall experienced any hits during the past few hours?”
He nodded. “A few. The firewall blocked them every time.”
“They know you’re looking for them,” Savvie said. “They have enough money and access to the best hackers to protect their operation and shut down anyone who might pose a threat.”
“I did not inform my contact with the FBI that I was sending one of my men in. We instructed Chuck to observe, not engage,” Hank said. “He should be getting close to the location now.”
Though Hank and Swede’s faces were still on the monitor, they appeared to be looking at something else.
“He’s almost there,” Swede reported. “We’re tracking his cell phone.”
“Please tell me he didn’t take his wife and daughter,” Savvie whispered.
“He didn’t,” Hank assured her. “He’s there now. We should be hearing from him soon.”
Swede blinked. “What the?—”
Savvie’s breath caught and held.
Hank’s face darkened. “Chuck’s location dot on the map disappeared.”
Swede’s eyebrows pulled together to form a V. For a long moment, the only sound coming through the monitor was that of fingers tapping on a keyboard.
“I tried to text him,” Swede said. “It didn’t deliver. His phone appears to be offline.”
More tapping on the keyboard sounded, and Swede’s frown deepened. “Fuck.”
“What?” Savvie’s heart raced. She wanted to be there with Swede and Hank, seeing whatever they were looking at.
Hank laid a hand on Swede’s shoulder. “I’ll have them get the plane ready.” The head of Brotherhood Protectors pulled his cell phone from his pocket and turned away.
Swede scrubbed a hand over his face and turned toward Stone, Kyla, Hunter and Savvie. “I tapped into the 911 calls in Miami. There’ve been numerous reports of a major explosion in the warehouse district. Right around the address we sent Chuck to investigate.”
Savvie pressed a hand to her gut. “If Hank’s getting a plane ready to go to Miami, I want to be on it.”