Love at High Tide

by Christi Barth

  Blinking in wide-eyed innocence, Trina said, “Really? I thought I saw him squeeze your ass.”

  “What does it matter? You want him for yourself?”

  “No.” Darcy took a chance and leapt straight to the point. “I want to protect you from him. We know he’s bad news. Whatever trouble he’s gotten you into, I promise we can help get you out of it.”

  All the color drained out of Ilona’s face. She gripped the edge of the table while shrinking lower in the booth. “Are you police?”

  Whew. Darcy had insisted that Coop and Brad not sit with them until they’d teased the truth out of her. Now she wouldn’t have to lie at all. “Nope. All we want to do is help you.”

  “See this?” Trina pointed to the butterfly bandage on her cheek. A thin, red line peeked out both ends. “Pavel did this to me. Have you seen him hit other girls?”

  A long, slow nod. “Yes. My friend Nadia. And I hear stories about what happens if we are late. He is not a nice man.” She spoke in a near whisper.

  “If you’re late with what?”

  The waitress set down their drinks. Ilona sucked at hers through the tiny stir straw. She practically dunked her nose in the tiny film of bubbles coating the surface. Not wanting to push her, Darcy took a long pull of her piña colada.

  “I’m not supposed to tell any Americans. Only okay to share with other foreign girls.” Her voice shook, and tears trembled at the edge of her lashes. “But I’m worried I won’t have enough money to pay him off by end of summer. Ice cream store where I work doesn’t pay much compared to friends who earn tips at bars.”

  Foreign girls? A big pay off? What the hell had Trina unwittingly stumbled upon? “Ilona, you sound scared. You’re shaking and pale. Do you want to be scared all summer? Or do you want to be really brave right now and trust us? I promise we will find a way to help you out of this mess.”

  Trina scooted out of the booth to go sit next to Ilona, an arm around the girl’s trembling shoulders. “You’re safe here. And we can help make you safer, if you tell us.”

  That broke the dam. Ilona slammed both hands flat onto the table and spat out words like nails. “He promised us all fake green cards. Good fakes. Not just for summer, but to stay in country forever. We have to pay Pavel every week, in cash. But I can’t give him as much as he wants and still send money home to family. How can I come up with enough before my student visa runs out in August? I have to stay here. Even ice cream shop pays more than what I make at home. There I just work in day care. No pay except free meals. And I want to be a nurse. Graduated first in class, but can’t afford school anymore.”

  Oh. Wow. Pavel was running a counterfeit green card operation? Thank goodness Coop and Brad were listening on the other side of the booth, or they’d never believe it. Darcy’s heart broke for this motivated, desperate girl. Her mind rifled through all the contacts she had after eight years at different universities. There had to be a way to fix this. For once, instead of sitting around observing people, she had the chance to help. To make a difference in someone’s life, instead of just recording it.

  Darcy leaned forward, reached across the sticky wood table and grasped her hands. “Ilona, I want you to listen to me. I promise to move heaven and earth to get you into a nursing school.”

  “How much do I pay you?” she sniffled.

  “Oh honey, you don’t pay me a cent. I’m helping you, not extorting you. Everyone who wants an education should get that chance. There has to be a way, and I’ll find it. We will stick to you like glue until that man is put behind bars.”

  The waterworks started again, but brimming over onto a relieved smile this time. “This is wonderful. Even better news than free drinks!”

  The waitress dropped off the potato skins. Trina held up a finger. “Hang on a sec. We need some menus. I think we’re going to be here awhile.”

  “Order me a burger. I’m running to the bathroom.” After giving Ilona a parting squeeze, Darcy got up, crooking her finger at Coop as she walked past. She had to find out how he and Brad planned to proceed. Obviously the police—who knew how many different divisions—had to be called in at this point. Carefully, though. Darcy didn’t want that girl traumatized any more than she already was. Her view of Americans must be sketchy after Pavel’s treatment.

  Vacation was officially over. Ilona needed an advocate. More importantly, she needed a friend, someone to hold her hand. Between the two of them, she and Trina could make sure Ilona would never be scared or alone. Darcy hitched herself up on one of the extra bar stools lining the hallway by the bathrooms.

  “Hey gorgeous, want to get naked later?”

  * * *

  Coop watched Darcy’s eyes flare, then narrow to a squint. She gave a look of disgust. Would’ve made a lesser man slink away. Prompted by caveman-level survival instinct, he fig-leafed his hands. Her foot flexed. He stepped back, just to be safe.

  “Yes. Mutual, shared nakedness would be very gratifying.” One hand lifted, holding him at bay. “But only if you promise to never, ever use that pick-up line again. For the good of women everywhere.”

  “Not a pick-up line.” He kissed her upraised palm, then nibbled his way up to her elbow on the petal-soft skin of her inner arm. “I already picked you. And drove you up. Three times, if I remember right. Which I do. Because you were amazing.”

  Darcy giggled. “Stop it.” She sounded less than convincing. “Someone could walk out of these bathrooms any second.”

  “Have you ever been to the Red Terrapin before? Nothing less than third base would raise an eyebrow in this hallway.” But he straightened up. They definitely had issues to discuss before there’d be any naked time.

  “Did you hear?”

  “Every incriminating word. Brad’s texting Captain Riggs right now. He heads up the OCPD. We’ve worked with him before. Good guy. Straight shooter.”

  “What’s going to happen next?” Darcy asked.

  “Brad’s hanging in the booth, in case she spills more of anything interesting to Trina. He’s got to notify our captain at the MSP that we’re involved in an inter-jurisdictional case. Department of Homeland Security and the ICE—US Immigration and Customs Enforcement—will roll in as soon as they can drive here from Baltimore and D.C.” Coop’s adrenaline spiked. This would be a sting of epic proportions. Once everyone in charge got past the fact that two civilians had done all the preliminary legwork.

  “Hang on. You can’t let the police storm in here and scare her. Or harass her. And you definitely can’t let them put her in jail.”

  Look at his woman, putting up the verbal dukes. If he didn’t respect her so much, he’d have to call it adorable. “You’re dictating terms like you’re her defense attorney.”

  “Oh, I’ll defend her, all right.” She jabbed her finger way too close to his nose. “Pavel took advantage of that girl. I won’t let it happen again.”

  “Fiercely loyal. No wonder I’m crazy about you.”

  “I probably shouldn’t take all the credit you’re heaping on me.” Darcy ducked her head. “I have to admit, there’s a foundation of selfishness. Realizing I could help Ilona gave me more satisfaction than the entire last eight months I spent watching the Fulani and Tuareg tribes. Even though I love studying a cultural subset, it made me feel impotent. Tonight? I feel empowered.”

  “That’s not selfish. Everybody wins. No harm in that.”

  “Except Pavel. He won’t win at all. You and all your white-hat friends have to make sure of it.”

  “If we can get Ilona to talk to him while wearing a wire, the case will practically be open and shut. You guys witnessed him talking to, what—about a dozen girls over three days? Ilona says she pays him once a month. Even conservative math would estimate he could be taking payments from at least fifty girls. They put their trust in him. But six months, a year down the road?
When they try and get a job with that fake green card? They’ll be jailed and deported.”

  Darcy hugged her elbows tight. “That can’t happen to Ilona. She can’t get in any trouble.”

  No shit. The poor kid already had enough stacked against her. “I don’t see that as an issue. Sounds like she’s here on a valid student worker visa. So far, she hasn’t really done anything wrong. She gave him money, but hasn’t received anything in return. If she helps us bring him down, is a witness for the prosecution, the government is going to be very, very grateful. They’ll be willing to cut her all sorts of deals.”

  “Help her find a way to extend her visa, go to school here?”

  Nice to know she had faith in him. But a magic fricking wand he didn’t have. “Help, yes. Guaranteed, no. I’m not up on my immigration law, but I think she’d need to be enrolled in a school first, in order to apply for an extension of her visa.”

  “That’s the easy part. I’ve been in school for a very, very long time. I know how to work the system, and I have connections. If that isn’t good enough,” she swallowed hard and grimaced, “I’ll force my parents to use theirs. But frankly, I think Ilona would be a catch for any university. Think of the good publicity if they take in a woman who was brave enough to stand up to a criminal. Brave enough to leave her family behind to come here and get an education. A woman who’ll be receiving the thanks of a grateful government. I can’t think of a college in the state who wouldn’t do everything possible to not only enroll her, but give her one heck of a scholarship.”

  “That process won’t happen overnight,” Coop warned. Better she keep her expectations low and realistic.

  “I know. The bureaucracy of higher education grinds almost as slowly as governmental bureaucracy.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets, already distancing himself in case the answer didn’t swing his way. But the question had to be asked. “Won’t it be tough to pull all those strings from Africa?”

  “Impossible, I’d say.” Darcy bit her lips into a thin, white line. Then rolled them into a wide, sparkling smile. “Good thing I’m not going.”

  Good thing, indeed. Coop nailed his feet to the ground with resolute willpower. Her simple announcement made him want to push her against the wall and smother her in kisses. But he knew she wasn’t turning her life upside down for a guy she’d know for three days. Three eye-rolling orgasms notwithstanding.

  “Just like that?”

  “Not exactly. I’ve been waiting for someone to talk me out of it. You helped me straighten out my priorities. Help my parents’ careers? Or build one of my one? Once I took my enormous piles of fear out of the equation, the choice was obvious. I emailed them a very polite rejection about an hour ago. Figured I’d better do it before I started second-guessing myself.”

  “See? I was right. You are incredibly brave.”

  Darcy wrinkled her nose at the compliment. “Some might say stupid. Or too impulsive. I’m sure the words willful and selfish will come up once my parents decide to email me their disappointment. They certainly won’t pay exorbitant international rates to call and discuss this. Which I’m okay with. I can just skim an email.”

  “So you’re really sure?” Coop wanted to hear the words, her utter certainty one more time. Just to watch the sweet mix of relief and elation wash across her beautiful face.

  “About giving up a sure thing? I was about ninety percent sure. But now, after meeting Ilona, I’m beyond positive. I’ve got to contribute to society, not just study it.”

  He cupped her jaw, stroking his thumb along her cheekbone. “I’m proud of you for making the hard choice. You’ve got brass balls.”

  “A high compliment, indeed.” She laughed.

  “Come around later tonight and I’ll show you just how much I admire you.”

  That raised one of her eyebrows. “Later?”

  And the realities of dating a cop intruded already. “I’m going to take point coordinating the different agencies. It’ll take a while.”

  “During which Trina and I will be right by Ilona’s side.”

  “No.” Coop dropped his hand to her shoulder. “I’m sorry, but as much as you want to soft pedal it, this is a criminal investigation. You can hold her hand through dinner. Explain to her we’re looking out for her best interests. That she can trust us. Swear up one side and down the other that she’s not in trouble. But then she’s going to have to sit in a room alone with agents for a long slew of questions. Unless you sprout a law degree, you won’t be allowed in there.”

  “You’re such a buzz kill, Hudson.” But her steady nod indicated her acceptance of the facts.

  “Once everything is squared away, we’ll send Ilona back to her apartment for the rest of the night.”

  A waiter rushed by them into the bathroom. He left an aroma of fried everything in his wake. Darcy waited until the door slowly snicked shut to continue their conversation in a more hushed voice. “That doesn’t sound safe. What if he comes looking for his next installment? Can’t she stay at Trina’s condo?”

  “Nope. We don’t want her to change her pattern at all. Work, friends, bars—all the usual routine until the sting is in place. We’ll put undercover protection in place, though. She’ll be locked down safe and sound.”

  Darcy stared down at her hands, locking them together. “I feel like we’re abandoning her in a very scary situation. It sucks. I mean, I understand why. I just hate that she has to be alone.”

  Yup. This woman had a caring streak wider than the Chesapeake Bay. “She won’t be alone for long. We’ll want to push this through as fast as possible.” But he could extend a small compromise that should make them both feel better. “How about we hook her up with a disposable cell phone? You can text her all the time, let her know you’re in her corner.”

  “It’d be like a security blanket. That’s a good idea, Coop.” Her head popped back up, and his reward was another shining smile.

  “So...speaking of blankets and being alone?”

  Darcy snickered. “You’re about as smooth as a pothole. But I’m also very willing.”

  “Hmm—very willing. We’ll add that to your list of credentials.”

  Shimmying off the stool, Darcy winked at him. “Call me when you’re finished?”

  “Darcy, for God’s sake. You’re not a booty call. I’ll come over and pick you up. Knock on your door and everything. Maybe even bring some ice cream along to apologize for showing up so late.”

  “I’ll pull out two spoons.”

  Coop bit back a groan. “Honey, for what I have planned, we won’t need spoons.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Captain Riggs himself congratulated me. Not just Cooper or Brad, or one of their friends from the Staties.” Trina danced a little jig along the sidewalk to their condo. The slap of her sandals echoed in the deep stillness of night.

  The first round of police, from Ocean City, arrived as they finished dinner. They’d confabbed with Coop and Brad in the parking lot for a while. Darcy and Trina used the time to explain to Ilona that the police in America weren’t evil and corrupt like what she was used to in Moldova. It took a brownie sundae and another round of drinks to bribe/convince her.

  All of them trooped to the station house, then waited for the rest of the alphabet soup to arrive. Sure enough, at that point Trina and Darcy were thanked, but politely shown the door. Almost midnight now, they were both wide awake. Although Darcy’s alertness probably had a lot more to do with the potential for another slide between the sheets with Coop. A walk along the beach had done little to mellow either of them out.

  “The Staties? You’re down with the lingo already?” Darcy teased.

  “I’m a fast learner.”

  Uh oh. “No. Do not tell me you’ve changed your mind again. Do you want to be a police officer
now?”

  “No way. They wear uniforms.” Trina sniffed her disdain at the very idea. “As a private investigator, I’ll get to maintain my own, personal sense of style. Except for when I’m undercover.”

  “Sorry I ignored the obvious there.”

  “Besides, Coop said he’d hook up me with that investigator in Baltimore. Learn the ropes from a pro. I think I’ve got a real knack for sniffing out the scum of society.”

  Darcy wasn’t convinced. The chances of Trina stumbling ass-backward into another criminal were slim. But Trina’s happiness was paramount. And as long as she stayed under the supervision of a real investigator, Darcy would be able to sleep at night.

  “Look, Darcy, I’ve got to apologize.”

  That came out of left field. “For what?”

  “This trip hasn’t exactly been a nap in the sand vacation like I promised you. Now that you’re cutting it short to help Ilona, I feel like I’ve ruined your one shot at relaxing.”

  “Hardly. Spending time with my best friend, no matter what we’re doing, is always a good thing.” Not to mention the fact that everything that had happened allowed her to visualize a future without Africa in it. Years of career freedom stacked up pretty well against missing a few hours of napping in the sand. Darcy threw an arm loosely around Trina’s shoulders. “Plus, I met this really cute boy.”

  “Yeah, you did!” Trina said approvingly.

  “But if you really want to make up for the most unusual vacation ever—”

  “I do.”

  “—then turn the television up kinda loud in your bedroom. You know, once Coop comes over. I won’t be able to relax knowing you might be listening to us.”

  “Eww.” Trina wrinkled her freckled nose. “I won’t be able to sleep knowing I might accidentally hear something. If you’re going to have wild monkey sex, go do it at his house. The place has like six bedrooms. With Brad on a different floor, it’ll be like you two are actually alone.” She unlocked the front door and walked inside.