Chapter Five
Julio checked his phone again. Two days passed without a word from Rebecca. In their line of work, it meant nothing to go without hearing from someone if they worked on a case. Something felt different this time.
The first night went by slowly until Jameson called for backup.
His teammate alerted him to an impromptu auction, where they saved over sixty trafficked people.
His gut rolled in disgust at how the wealthy thought nothing of the barely starved people while they dined on champagne and caviar, inspecting the merchandise.
He swiped at his jaw, ridding the haunting images in his mind of everyone they saved.
Some appeared almost lifeless as they led them to vehicles, not showing any emotion about getting saved.
Even Jameson seemed different. Working in the underbelly of the organization, he saw way more than Julio. The mission seemed to get to him as Julio recalled their conversation.
“How did you know where they planned to hold the auction?” Julio asked.
“Caroline overheard the conversation,” Jameson responded.
“How much do you trust this woman? We came here on a hunch?” Julio growled. “You know better than this.”
“I’m telling you she’s solid. One of the bosses has taken a liking to her. I’ve managed to cause some interference and kept her from having to sleep with the scumbag,” Jameson explained.
“Stay on the plan. We can’t have you feeling sorry for these women. I know they didn’t ask for this, but we have to keep the bigger picture in mind. We can’t save one at the detriment of a hundred others,” Julio lectured.
“It’s all good in theory,” Jameson argued. “Until you have to watch these slimy assholes drag an innocent woman into a room and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Julio hung his head. “I get it, brother. I hope they all burn in hell.”
“Two men claimed they made a mistake and didn’t know about the auction. They planned to save the poor women. We caught one child molester and one high-profile figure. You might recognize him,” Jameson said, sliding his phone across the table at the diner.
Julio returned it. “Did he talk? How do they get invited?”
“He’s singing like a canary, hoping to keep his name out of the papers tomorrow morning,” Jameson said, pausing for the waitress to take his order and pour him a cup of coffee.
When she left, he continued, “The invite comes by email. They have a 24-hour window to respond before the invitation is rescinded. You won’t get another chance until they hold the event in your region.
” He took a map from his jacket and placed it on the table.
“They’re divided into sections. The first pass includes all their premium merchandise, and the second tier follows.
The last batch consists of damaged goods or returned products.
You don’t even want to know the shape they’re in,” he said, shaking his head.
“Will you go with this group?” Julio asked.
“No. They switch employees to keep them from getting close to any of the merch. I’ll return this morning under the guise of an all-night bender. I may go dark, but I’ll reach out when it’s safe,” Jameson assured him.
“What about the woman? Will she be in danger if they learn of the arrests?” Julio asked, sipping from his cup.
“I’m part of her boss’s crew,” Jameson said, avoiding eye contact.
“How deep are you in this with this woman?” Julio asked bluntly.
“We’re friends. The night I arrived, he beat her for spilling his drink. I found her hiding from him later and lied when he asked if I saw her. I’ve built up her trust. Not to mention, I’ve stopped a few of them from trying out the merch before we get a chance to nab them.”
Julio’s eyes narrowed on his friend. “Keep a clear head. We can’t risk her blowing your cover.”
Julio’s phone rang, jerking him from the conversation. Leo Armstrong’s name appeared on the screen.
“What’s up?” he answered.
“Congratulations on the raid, I heard you took down a couple of big names,” Leo said, making Julio sigh.
“Yeah,” he agreed.
“Something wrong?” Leo asked.
Frowning, Julio glanced up at the ceiling. “Rebecca hasn’t responded to my last text.”
“Does it have you concerned?”
“Not yet. She can handle her own,” he said, hoping he overreacted. Something twisted in his gut, warning him of impending danger.
“I’ve seen this before, you know. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure I kept the same face when my wife’s dead husband returned,” Leo said smugly. “Why don’t you admit it? It’s not like we haven’t noticed you and Rebecca growing closer.”
Julio scratched the overgrowth along his jaw. “We hoped we kept it a secret. There’ll be repercussions if the brass finds out.”
“As far as we’re concerned, our lips are sealed,” Leo assured him. “How’s Jameson Stanton working out?”
“He’s in deep within the circle. They’re trafficking girls through a nightclub and selling them at auctions with special invitations. He mentioned a woman named Caroline, who’s helping him. This one seems fierce and refuses to let them win.”
“Freaking assholes,” Leo muttered. Julio agreed with his sentiment. “What will you do about Rebecca?”
“I’m at the airport now and catching a flight to New York. Jameson returned to the ring, and hopefully we’ll have some more intel soon.”
“Keep me posted,” Leo said, before hanging up.
Julio glanced at his phone and scrolled through his photos, staring at the picture of Rebecca, he snuck while she slept.
They had made love all night, and he woke at sunrise to see the sheets tangled around her waist. She hugged her pillow close to her chest, and her long blonde hair lay in a tangled mess around her.
Her cheeks still carried the flush from their exertions, making him smile.
Determined to find the woman he loved and celebrate the rest of what remained of Christmas, Julio boarded the plane.
In a few hours, he hoped to hold her in his arms and smell the scent of her jasmine perfume.
He lay back in his seat, tipped his hat down low and drifted off to sleep, dreaming about the woman who held his heart in the palm of her hand.
Julio entered Rebecca’s apartment. From the city’s lights shining into her living room, he saw the place in shambles and pulled out his gun. Clearing each room, he returned to the kitchen and flipped on the lights.
Rebecca’s neat and homey apartment appeared as if a hurricane hit it. Her desk lay on its side, her sofa and chairs slashed with a knife. Paper littered the floor. Julio pulled out his phone and texted Jameson.
Call me
Ten minutes later, his phone rang. “It’s me,” Jameson said.
“Someone ransacked Rebecca’s apartment. They’re searching for something. Have you heard anything on your end?”
“No,” Jameson said quietly. “They’re expecting an important visitor later. You need to know I came back to find two girls dead. They killed them to scare the others.”
Jameson didn’t say it, but Julio knew it tore him up.
“They don’t know about the arrests,” Julio said. “We took them in separately, and they think they’re the only ones caught. Trust me, they don’t want this organization to discover they gave us the information.”
“They took Caroline with them. She kept them from taking a young teen named Sidney,” Jameson informed him. “They’ll hurt her if we don’t find her.”
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Julio growled. “You know how this works.” He moved to the bedroom closet, trying to decide whether she flew out and didn’t have time to contact him.
“Right back at ya, buddy,” Jameson snarked. “Remind me again why you’re calling me.”
“All right, all right,” Julio said, swiping his hand through his hair.
“What does Rebecca say?” Jameson asked.
“I don’t know,” he said, sighing. “She’s not here.”
“I gotta go,” Jameson said, abruptly hanging up on him.
Julio entered the hallway and stopped short as a tall figure walked into the living room. Stepping close to the wall, he pulled out his gun and trained it on the man. “FBI, don’t move.”
The man raised his hands. “I’m searching for a friend of mine, Rebecca,” he said.
“Throw me your wallet, nice and easy,” Julio growled.
The stranger slowly pulled it from his jacket pocket and tossed it on the floor. “What happened?” he asked.
Opening the wallet, Julio glanced at the driver’s license and recognized the name. “You’re Rebecca’s partner?” he asked.
“Have you seen her?” He lowered his gun and flipped on the light. “No. When did you last see her?”
“When she reported to work. Director Jackson briefed us on a case, and she took off. We haven’t seen or heard from her since,” the agent informed him.
“Alert your bosses, now,” Julio said firmly. “We have to find her.”
His stomach rolled, and his heart jumped into his throat. Rebecca was in trouble. He felt it in his gut.
Pulling out his phone to dial Leo’s number.
Two armed assailants burst into the apartment.
Julio dived as bullets flew past him. He aimed his gun and fired as Rebecca’s partner fought one of the attackers.
His phone rang from the floor as he struggled with the man.
A gun fired as he tackled the man to the ground and hit him in the jaw.
He turned to see Rebecca’s coworker pointing his gun toward him.
He squeezed the trigger as Julio dropped to the floor.
The man he tackled a minute earlier slid against the wall with a hole in his head.
“Shit,” Julio swore. The agent pulled the mask from one man and then ran across the room to the other.
“Do you recognize them?”
“Yeah, the agent replied. “They’re part of Rebecca’s team. Did she say where she stashed Avie?”
“No. It’s above my pay grade,” Julio said as he picked up his phone and stashed it in his pocket. “Call your brass. We have to find Rebecca.”