8. Chapter Eight
Chapter eight
I t didn’t take long for Nick to track down information on Javier Lopez and his recent illegal activity. After the raid that went wrong and Javier got away, Javier stayed under the radar for quite some time. Now it seemed he felt comfortable sticking his head out and doing business as usual.
And today could be the day he finally got what he needed to take Javier down for good.
“ASAC Gunn, this is Agent Hayward from Utah. I’m calling about the voicemail you left me about the case you worked on six years ago, involving Javier Lopez.”
“Please tell me you have him in custody.”
“Not yet. I’ve been picking up whispers over the past year. Sightings. Talk about parties he’s throwing with very young party favors for very discreet and wealthy guests, who have particular tastes.”
Yeah, Nick knew all about Javier’s penchant for supplying underage girls and boys to the highest bidder and setting up dates in motel rooms. That’s where he’d last seen Javier, at an upscale hotel where shit went bad. At least they saved six young girls, all of them between twelve and fourteen. It had been a virgin auction.
Just the thought of it made his stomach roll.
“Word is you had some contact with the sister.” Hope sounded in Hayward’s voice.
“Yeah. She wasn’t a lot of help. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time, according to her.” But Nick had stayed in touch with her for weeks leading up to the attempt to arrest Javier.
“She’s worked her way up in the world and is now managing the cleaning staff at a private ski, golf, mountain biking resort. When I say private, I mean exclusive. Gates with guards. A private airstrip. All the best amenities. They cater to celebrities, the overly wealthy, those with household name recognition, heads of businesses, and tech moguls. You know, the elite who think they’re untouchable.”
Sounded like a nice place for the rich to play. But he had a bad feeling about what else the resort could be offering to their very particular members.
“Julia Lopez was never tied to her brother’s business.” From what Nick remembered, she despised her brother.
“I’m not saying she is now. But it’s really interesting that she’s got access to a resort that isn’t open to the public. Especially since we’ve raided two other members-only clubs here in Utah that we think have connections to Javier Lopez. Rumor is the Montana resort is on his circuit, too.”
That was the thing with traffickers, they moved their product around. City to city. State to state in a circuit. Local police or even FBI would hear about something popping up, then they’d be gone before they could be raided.
Agent Hayward continued. “You’ve got a connection to her. You could ask some questions, feel her out. Check out this place. If they are working out of the private resort, it’s the perfect setup. We could try to get someone inside. Someone close to her.”
Nick shook his head, even though Agent Hayward couldn’t see him. “It could take months for an undercover to get her to open up and reveal something. If she’s anything like she used to be—afraid of her brother, suspicious of anyone asking about him—she’ll be too guarded to let anything slip, let alone be willing to talk to someone about him. She made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him or his business. But let me feel her out. Maybe something has changed.”
Agent Hayward let out a relieved sigh. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
“I want Lopez in a cell for the rest of his life.”
“You and me both. I also want to find out where he’s keeping the kids, how many he has, and where. We know he’s operating several groups, more than the two we’ve busted here in Utah. My guess is he’s working Idaho and Montana right now, staying out of Utah until things cool down. I want him. This fucker deserves everything that’s coming to him.”
A cell would be too nice a punishment for someone like Javier Lopez. “I want to finally take him down. Send me whatever you have on him, including his sister’s updated information. I’ll look it over, then let you know when I can make contact.” He rattled off his email address, then hung up.
And like he’d done every day since he left Aria’s place, he pulled out his phone and called her.
Of course, she didn’t answer. She never answered anymore, probably because the last time he communicated he’d ruined her date by simply reminding her how good they were together and no one else would make her feel the way he made her feel. Arrogant. Yes. But true. And he wasn’t giving up.
“Hey, sweetheart, it’s me. I miss the sound of your voice. I miss hearing about your day. I miss you so damn much. At this point, I’d settle for another text. Until then, I’m working on being closer to you. I have a meeting with my boss to talk about options. I’m not giving up on us. Have a good night at the bar, sweetheart.” I love you. He never said it to her in his last four messages, because he’d never said it to her face. If you were going to say that to someone for the first time, it should be in person, while you looked them in the eyes. And he wanted the chance to make this right, to give her everything she wanted and deserved. Soon. He couldn’t wait, because his impatience was growing and so was the number of days he’d been without her. Again.
One day, they’d spend more days together than apart. He couldn’t wait for that day to finally come.
He clicked the meeting link on his laptop and waited for his boss to answer on the other end while he scrolled through pictures of Aria and him on his phone. He found a selfie of them and sent her a text.
NICK: By our third date I knew the distance thing was going to be a huge problem because all I wanted to do was be with you. I still feel that way.
NICK: Communicating more with you was step 1. Next up, moving closer to you.
He sent the picture of her sitting next to him in a restaurant. Just as he took the photo, she’d turned her face into his and kissed his cheek. He loved the picture. It was one of his favorites. That night, he’d taken her to bed and worshipped her for hours, because he couldn’t get enough of her. Like every time they were together, he knew time was short and he needed to pack in as much as he could in the hours they had together.
The extended stays he had with her when she came to him, or he went to her, were filled with them just staying in, talking, eating, pretending they were binge-watching something when they spent the majority of their time making out on the couch. They’d make love late into the night. First thing in the morning when he got to wake up to her amazing blue eyes, gazing back at him, he’d kiss her like he’d never get the chance again and he’d dread them being apart again.
“Nick,” his boss said by way of greeting. “Looks like you’re deep into thinking about something.”
More like someone. Her. “It’s the reason I asked for the meeting.”
His boss fell back deeper into his chair. “You’re finally going to do it.”
Nick raised a brow. “Do what?”
“Ask me for a transfer, so you can be closer to your brother.” He said it like he’d been expecting it for a long time.
“Yes.” But not just because of him, though he wasn’t going to say that to his boss. It was one thing to want to be closer to his family, another to ask his boss to move him so he could be closer to his girlfriend. One who broke up with him six miserable days ago. “I want to know what options are available to me.”
“I don’t want to lose you, that’s for damn sure. You’re too valuable an asset.”
Nick appreciated that. “I miss my brother. He and his wife are expecting. I want to be a part of their family in a real and present way.” In more ways than one. “We’ve lost a lot of time with Mason undercover for so many years.”
“I get it. With technology today, everyone is just a click, text, or call away, but that’s not the same as holding your niece or nephew in your arms.”
Nick pressed on. “I looked into some things the last few days. Mason’s been helping out with cases in Blackrock Falls and the surrounding areas for a while now. Ever since he took down the Blackrock Falls PD lieutenant who was involved in the murder-for-hire operation being run out of that MC, the police have kept that position open because they can’t find anyone qualified who wants to relocate there.”
His boss leaned forward. “Are you thinking of taking that position?”
“Not necessarily.” It wasn’t ideal, but if it was the only thing available, he’d take it. But he had a better idea. “There’s also been an uptick in federal cases coming our way in the state, so I’ve put some feelers out within the FBI and state law enforcement. Seems they’d like to have a bigger FBI presence in Wyoming.”
His boss eyed him. “Is that so?”
“Yes. Mason is there. He could do more, but that would take away from him training our up-and-coming undercover agents. And it seems more than one agent is needed in the region.”
“What are you saying?” His boss sounded interested in the solution he’d come up with.
“Perhaps the bureau needs a new office in Blackrock Falls.”
His boss leaned back in his chair again. “Interesting. I’m assuming you’ve gathered the information needed to support this request.”
Nick clicked send on the email he’d already written. “It should be in your inbox any second.”
His boss smirked. “You’re very thorough.”
Nick didn’t comment. “The Blackrock Falls police department has some unused office space available in their building. The office will be central to all the major surrounding areas where we’ll be needed.”
His boss stared off into the distance for a moment, then turned back to Nick. “I’ll look into this, evaluate your findings, and if I feel like it’s warranted, I’ll push it up the ladder.”
“Thank you for the consideration.”
“I’d hate to see you busted down to a lieutenant in a police department that wouldn’t be able to use your considerable talents to the fullest extent of your abilities.”
He shrugged. “I love my job. I just need to be there.”
His boss nodded. “Understood. I’ll get back to you soon.”
“Thank you. I’ll get back to the Javier Lopez case.”
“I can’t believe he’s back.”
He probably never went away, just stayed well hidden. But now he must feel like the heat was off and he could be a little more visible. And if he was operating out of that swanky private resort, he might feel brazen enough to poke his head out a bit more. All the better for Nick to chop it off and stop him for good.
“Agent Hayward out of Utah is hearing rumors and whispers about him operating here in Montana. I’m going to check in with Lopez’s sister, see if I can stir anything up and make him come out of hiding.” They’d have to put some surveillance in place surrounding the resort and see if they could spot Lopez, or anyone else connected to the operation.
“He killed an agent. That makes this a priority. Let’s get him this time. Until then, keep me posted. And I’ll get back to you about Wyoming.”
“I’m on it.” He ended the call and immediately sent Aria another text.
NICK: I think I found a way to come back to you. I wish I knew exactly how long it will take to finally be there with you, but now I know I’m on my way. Please be patient just a little while longer.
He needed to get back to work and finish this thing with Lopez so he could be with the only woman he’d ever loved. The only one he’d ever missed like this.