process this. She’d been camped out for two weeks waiting to get a glimpse of Igor coming out of the five-star downtown hotel, but she’d never seen him. Her worst fear, confirmed. The Vladimir network was expanding to El Paso. And the FBI was on the trail. She couldn’t let this Kip guy know the truth. She knew Igor could be in El Paso, but hearing the words brought about a visceral reaction within her.
“Sorry. I haven’t eaten. Sometimes I get a little queasy, low blood sugar and all.” She was hypoglycemic, but her reaction was spurred by something much more sinister.
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a protein bar. “Here, eat this.” His light blue eyes flashed with concern.
“Thanks,” she muttered. This was it. She wasn’t safe here any longer. She’d been tracking Vladimir’s network closely, well, as close as possible, but hadn’t been sure Igor was in the area. Parts of his crew, but not Igor himself. She had known all about his continued operations in New York. The human-trafficking ring that spread up to Canada. As she suspected, his next move had to be expanding into Mexico. But now she had to focus, she had to pull herself together, and quickly. She took a couple of bites of the protein bar as Kip sat silently watching her eat.
“You feeling any better?” he asked.
“Yeah. Where were we?” She needed more information from him to determine whether her initial research was accurate. And while she’d never trust the FBI after what they let happen to her family, she needed Kip’s knowledge right now.
“I was saying that we could use your help in the investigation involving a Russian crime syndicate. It’s actually a family business of sorts that started in New York. They’ve sprung up a satellite office down here, so to speak. Human trafficking over the border.”
“And where do I come into this?” She wanted to close her eyes and pray that there was no way he knew about her past with the Vladimir family. He couldn’t. That person no longer existed.
“I saw you in action on Saturday. You’re good. I also think you know more than you’re letting on. So I was hoping you could consult on the investigation with us.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“I’ve seen enough. And of course, I had the FBI run a background check on you.”
Thankfully, her history before joining Witness Protection was in a sealed file that wouldn’t even show up on his search. Add on to that the additional Witness Protection security protocols. But still she wouldn’t put anything past the FBI. Igor Vladimir may have pulled the trigger and killed both her parents, but it was the FBI’s fault that he had been in her house in the first place.
“So what do you propose?”
“Lunch.” He smiled.
“Not happening,” she said. She wanted more information, but she needed to do it her way.
“Coffee?”
“Possibly. I wasn’t lying. It’s Monday morning. I’ve been busy catching up on things with more ground to cover. We can set something up for later today if you’re really serious.”
“I am. And I can work with your schedule.”
“Meet me back here at two,” she said. That would give her enough time to do some digging.
“All right.” He turned and walked to the door, then looked over his shoulder. “Please don’t draw the gun on me again.” He winked and stepped outside.
She needed to drink some water and clear her head. The room felt like it was closing in on her. Her panic attacks had gotten better, but at times like these they threatened to claim her again. She couldn’t believe she’d passed out earlier. That was dangerous. Super dangerous. She knew the information she’d been given about Igor was probably true, but hearing it out of Kip’s mouth had still been a shock. She was smart enough to know this Kip Moore wasn’t one of the FBI agents responsible for her parents’ death, but the fact he was still a part of the Bureau made her uneasy.
She laughed to herself. Work with the FBI? Really? She despised the FBI’s bureaucratic maze for failing her parents, and rightfully so. However, it would seem that she needed to work with them now to get what she ultimately wanted. Justice. She’d been working toward this goal for years on her own. Going against the shadowy Vladimir network in any small way she could. This, though, could provide her an opportunity to deal them a huge blow. Her two greatest enemies. Could she work with one to take down the other?
Sadie worked furiously updating her research on the Vladimir network. The FBI had more resources than her. But they’d both been in the woods Saturday night, so they weren’t too far ahead. What was the FBI going to be able to do anyway? The same old thing, which in the end meant nothing.
She felt the pressure building around her temples. Her phone rang loudly, and she shook her head trying to focus.
“The Lane Group, this is Sadie,” she answered.
“Sadie,” a woman’s voice said. “It’s Carrie Milton. Have you found out anything more about Megan? It’s been over a week now since she’s been missing.”
“Hi, Ms. Milton.” Sadie dreaded telling her that basically the only news she had was no news. “I followed up on a potential lead over the weekend. But unfortunately it didn’t go anywhere.”
Ms. Milton sniffed. “I’m just so worried about her. The police aren’t taking this seriously enough. It doesn’t seem like they’re totally focused on this.”
“Nothing’s ever going to be enough until we find her. I’ve talked to the local PD. They are looking for her, but it’s always better to have more options. From what you’ve told me, Megan is a very smart girl. I’m going to do everything in my power to find her.”
“I wasn’t meaning to imply that you weren’t doing your job. I know you’ve only been on the case a few days. I just can’t describe to you what it’s like to know your child is in danger. But that’s not the main reason I called. Megan’s best friend, Lauren, wants to talk to you. She thinks she might be able to help. They are very close.”
“Send me her contact information, and I’ll get in touch with her right away.”
“Thank you so much, Sadie. Now, we haven’t got around to talking about your rates yet. I don’t have a lot of money. I work two jobs as it is. But I’m willing to do whatever I need to do to help find her. Maybe we can work out some sort of a payment plan?”
Sadie’s heart ripped in two. “Don’t you worry about that right now, okay? I’m sure we can work something out within your budget. I’ve already started investigating, and I’m not going to stop. In the meantime, I’ll need you to send me some additional pictures of your daughter and Lauren’s info.”
“I can’t thank you enough.”
Sadie provided Ms. Milton with her email address for the pictures, and she jotted down Lauren’s contact info. Ms. Milton promised to send pictures right away, as soon as they discontinued their call.
The
