Chapter 22 Reid
REID
The sun had just started to rise over the horizon when Reid jumped into Niko’s truck and turned on the engine. The sky was painted with a bright shade of orange, mixed with hints of yellow, pink, and a touch of gold.
Reid had to admit that New Mexico was quite a picturesque place to live.
Reversing out of the driveway, he took one last glance at the ranch-style house. He hated lying to Niko, but he didn’t want to put him in any danger.
He was off to meet Simon, who had called to say that he had some new information about the case and needed to meet with him in Phoenix. It sounded important, so he agreed to make the six-hour drive.
The drive was long and hot and mostly filled with nineties rock music Reid had been blasting from the radio. By the time he arrived, he was seriously contemplating growing out his hair and possibly learning how to play drums. It was either that or bass—the jury was still out.
Pulling into a parking spot at the rear of the burger joint, he turned off the engine, then scanned the lot for foreign plates. Most said Arizona, except for one, which read LA.
Simon.
He was already here.
Once he stepped into the grease-filled establishment, it only took him thirty seconds to spot his old friend sitting in a booth at the back, wearing a ball cap that covered his eyes and a Dodgers T-shirt.
“Way to stay incognito,” Reid announced as he slid into the booth across from him.
“Hmm? What?” the man startled, snapping his head up and away from the text message he was reading.
“You wear a cap to hide your face, but a T-shirt that says you’re from LA?”
The man looked down at his shirt, then grimaced.
“Argh, shit. I grabbed the first shirt I found in the hamper and didn’t check what it was. Today’s laundry day.”
“And I bet your wife is so happy that you’re not around to help,” Reid replied sarcastically. He liked Simon’s wife, but sometimes he’d listen to them argue about the stupidest things and be reminded once again why he loved being single and living alone.
“Meh, I cut the grass yesterday and took out the garbage this morning before I left, so the Mrs. should be happy.”
“If that’s all it takes,” Reid joked, shrugging his shoulders as their waitress approached.
“What can I get for you, guys?” she asked, flipping open her notepad and popping her pen.
“I’ll have a burger with fries and a shake,” Simon answered before nodding over at Reid.
“And I’ll have a burger with fries as well, but a soda instead to drink.”
The woman nodded, then padded off.
“So? How’s the boyfriend?” Simon asked casually as if they were discussing the weather.
Reid glanced up at his buddy and shook his head.
“He’s not my boyfriend, and we have more important things to discuss.”
“Your love life and happiness are important,” Simon argued, moving the ketchup and mustard bottles so they were both more easily accessible to them.
“No, I’d say that saving people’s lives is more important than whether or not I’ve busted a nut.”
The waitress chose that exact moment to deliver their soda and shake.
Reid tucked his head down and pretended that he hadn’t just mentioned shooting his load.
Once she walked away, Reid lifted his gaze.
“You know, for a guy who worked as a professional sex worker, you sure get uncomfortable with others hearing you talk about sex,” Simon noted.
“Not others. Just nice old ladies who work in diners and bring me my food.”
“She’s not old.”
“Figure of speech.”
Simon gave him a smirk. His eyes slowly drifted over Reid’s shoulder as something behind him caught his attention.
“Don’t look now, but there’s this big, beefy-looking dude who keeps looking at us. Do you think you were followed?” Simon asked, taking a sip of his shake, trying to act as normal as possible.
“No. Not that I know of. What does the guy look like?”
“Big guy. Maybe six-foot-four. Blond, scary-looking dude wearing a biker jacket.”
Biker jacket?
Reid picked up his phone, pretending he was reading a text. He switched the camera into selfie mode and scanned the customers sitting in the booths behind him.
That motherfucker.
“Give me a sec, Simon.” Reid let out a huff, then slid out of the booth.
He began walking toward the big, beefy biker who was seated near the door, hunched over, reading a menu.
Reid slapped the top of the man’s head.
“Have you decided what you’re going to order?”
“Ouch! I don’t know. I think I might have brain damage after being assaulted for reading a menu,” Niko huffed, lowering his menu and rubbing the top of his head. He glared up at Reid, giving him that “what did I do wrong” look.
“Well, you definitely have something wrong upstairs, but it doesn’t have anything to do with me smacking the shit out of you.”
“Umm, I’m pretty sure that it does,” Niko said, placing his menu down and glancing over at Simon.
“What are you doing here?” Reid asked, still not convinced that he shouldn’t smack him again for following his ass. It was a six-hour, fucking drive!
“Well, clearly you are not concerned that I might have a concussion or something, so I guess you can begin by telling me who that man is and why you are meeting him in some shady diner in the middle of nowhere.”
Angry and annoyed, Reid turned around and raised a finger, signaling to Simon that he would be one minute.
“Come. Outside,” Reid ordered, grabbing Niko by the arm and ushering him out the door.
“Man, you are bossy today,” Nikolai huffed as Reid pulled him around the corner to give them a bit more privacy.
Pushing Niko up against the wall, Reid finally spoke.
“That guy in there is Simon. He works with me at the agency.”
“What agency?” Niko asked, folding his arms across his chest and leaning forward as if to hear him better.
The man was a giant pain in his ass. Literally.
Reid let out a breath.
“When the police finally rescued me, a private organization reached out and asked if I would be interested in working with them. They are a small group that investigates and helps to take down human trafficking rings.”
“Like the police?” Niko asked.
“No. It’s a private organization that looks into suspected human trafficking rings.
We involve the police when we have information or a lead that warrants investigation.
The police are stretched thin as it is, and they don’t have the time to look into and investigate every rumor or every possible lead they get from the public.
So that’s where we come in. We do the grunt work, then pass credible leads over to the police. ”
Nikolai was shaking his head like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“This organization wanted to recruit me because of my experience being sex trafficked by Mikhail and being sold myself. I understand the process, how criminal organizations work, how victims are manipulated, and even what sort of red flags to watch for. Having this sort of knowledge helps their team navigate the landscape and take down these horrific rings.”
Nikolai just stood there, staring at him in silence. Reid could only imagine what sort of questions were running through his head.
“You know what it’s like, Niko. You and I were the lucky ones. We had it better than the rest. If we hadn’t been so good-looking, we would have been living with the others in that broken-down slum of a neighborhood, turning four or five tricks a night.”
Niko glanced away as if ashamed and nodded.
“When I ran into you in LA, I had just broken into one of the offices of this criminal organization we're investigating and stolen one of their laptops. Their men ended up catching me in the act, so I ran. I’ve been hiding out in Baton while Simon and the team are working to figure out who is behind this group and where they are running their operation.”
Niko’s jaw tightened. “I’m ashamed to say that when I first came to America, I didn’t realize what Mikhail was really doing.”
“And most victims don’t realize until they’re in too deep.
That’s how these human and sex traffickers operate.
They become your friend to earn your trust; some even start a relationship with the victim to speed up the process and establish a connection.
Once they have your trust, they ask you to do them a favor, then to help them out with a small, important problem.
Before you know it, they’re dropping you off at a motel, and you’re entertaining tricks for them all weekend.
“Traffickers have gotten smarter. They target the weak and those without strong support systems. So, Simon and I do what we can to help.”
“Wow, I think what you are doing is amazing. How can I help? Need me to bust in some doors? Bash in some skulls? I can get the boys at home to come and—”
Reid raised a hand to silence him.
“Thanks for the offer, but right now, Simon was just about to tell me what he found so far. Let’s go inside and see what he’s got.”
Niko nodded, flexing his shoulders as if getting ready for battle. Being a member of the Shadow Vipers really upped the boner factor when it came to hot and sinful men.
Adjusting the semi he was getting in his jeans, Reid turned and escorted them back inside and slid into the bench across from a confused Simon.
“Simon, this is Niko. Niko, this is my partner, Simon,” Reid introduced.
Eyebrows arched, Simon leaned forward and extended his hand.
“You must be the best friend Reid has been gushing about all these years. To be honest, I was pretty sure that you were make-believe. Either that, or a fucking Norse god or something.”
Nikolai chuckled, extending his hand across the table and giving the man a bone-crushing handshake.
“Norse god?” Niko asked, stealing a glance over at Reid. “I kind of like that.”
Reid slapped his chest. “Don’t get full of yourself. Simon has a head injury as well,” he added, turning back to his partner. “So, what did you find?”
Simon pulled out the stolen laptop and began running through some of the information they had found.