Breaking Point

by Allison Brennan

“This was a close one.”

  “Rick, be honest with me—how much trouble is she in?”

  “I don’t know, to be honest. But considering the success of this operation—and I mean it, it was a huge win for us—I think she’ll be okay. I’ll do everything in my power to ensure that. I’m sending Kate Donovan and Noah Armstrong out to take statements and interview everyone involved, including Bella.”

  “Armstrong? He’s back?”

  “It’s not official, but he and I have been talking, worked through a few things. He’s considering a couple assignments right now, but he’s still on the federal payroll and is one of the few people I trust to wrap this case up. He and Kate make a good team. They’ll be out there in the morning.”

  “Thank you.” His voice cracked.

  “Buddy, get off your ass and celebrate the win. Self pity doesn’t become you.”

  JT smiled. “Roger that.”

  * * *

  Lucy Kincaid walked into Bella’s hospital room. She was awake, a bit pale, a nasty bruise on her jaw, but clearly she didn’t want to be lying down.

  Lucy understood exactly how she felt.

  “We didn’t really get much chance to talk in the helicopter,” Lucy said. She sat down on the chair next to her bed.

  “Lucy Rogan. Sean’s wife.” Bella smiled, tried to sit up, then winced. “Shit, I hate being immobilized.”

  “The doctor said the surgery was quick and easy, you’ll be out of here tomorrow.”

  “I haven’t seen Sean and Kane in years. Everything’s changed.”

  “Some things,” Lucy said. “We found Hope.”

  The surprise on Bella’s face was immediately replaced with fear. “She’s dead.”

  “No, she’s alive. My team found her here, in Port Arthur, locked in a room. I’m not going to lie to you—she’s in bad shape. She’s been heavily drugged for quite some time, forced to create porn movies. The withdrawals are going to be bad, but they took her to a top facility in Houston where they’re going to monitor her for a few days, stabilize her, and wean her off through controlled doses. I don’t know all the details. Then she’ll be placed into the custody of Laura and Adam Dixon. Who you know.”

  “Yes—how do you?”

  “Through JT. We’ll have plenty of time to compare notes, but Laura will be in Houston tomorrow to help Hope. And then maybe you can visit her as well.”

  “You found her. I—I’ve been looking for so long, I’d begun to believe she was long dead.”

  “I found her because you didn’t give up. Once I had the information that you’d been working with, I contacted a friend of mine in NCMEC who sent me recent videos that we confirmed were of Hope Anderson. I analyzed them and located an address in San Antonio where one of the videos had been made. We raided a brothel, arrested Anton Meyer, I interrogated him and he gave up dozens of addresses.”

  “Anton? How’d you get him to talk?”

  “Psychology. I’ll see if I can get the FBI to let you watch the tape. You might enjoy it.”

  “I think I would.”

  Lucy had so many questions for Bella, and she wanted to get to know her better, but now wasn’t the time. “My sister-in-law, SSA Kate Donovan, will be here tomorrow. You can’t leave until she debriefs you. She’s working closely with Rick in DC. But I’ve already worked it out, and because you’ll need to be available for more questions, you can stay with Sean and me in San Antonio for a few days, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Yeah, sure, thanks.”

  She looked uncomfortable with the hospitality, but Lucy figured that was more her personality than anything. For the longest time after Lucy’s rape she couldn’t accept the genuine help of others. She always thought it was because they felt sorry for her.

  She got up and said, “I’m really glad that we finally met. I know you and JT have been strained over the years, and I hope you can let that go. He moved heaven and earth to find you.”

  “It sounds like a lot of people did,” Bella said.

  “Yes. And he might not say it—because he’s your brother, and I know my brothers get worried when I take on a dangerous case—but he’s proud of you.”

  “I don’t know if that’s the word I would use.”

  “It’s the word I did use.”

  “Do you know if Declan’s okay? JT told me he was shot in El Paso.”

  “He’s fine, going to be released tomorrow, he’ll be interviewed by the FBI as well. So will your boss, Egan. But that’s way over my pay grade.”

  “He’s not my boss anymore.”

  From the doorway, JT said, “I’m glad to hear that.”

  Lucy looked from Bella to JT, then said, “I’ll see you both later.”

  JT gave her a spontaneous hug as she walked out. “Thank you for everything, Lucy.”

  The door swung closed, and Bella surveyed her brother. He didn’t look like he’d gotten any more sleep than she had.

  “I’m sorry.”

  He shook his head, sat down, and took her hand. “Don’t.”

  “I am. I caused a lot of problems.”

  “Well, I can’t say I was happy to hear that you went undercover with a sex trafficking organization and put your life on the line, but now that it’s over, you did good.”

  “Good?”

  “Well—shit, Bella, what am I supposed to say? You risked your life over and over but in the process saved dozens of girls—hundreds if we count the girls rescued in this morning’s operation. They’re still weeding through all the reports and it’s going to take a few days to have real numbers, but right now it’s being floated that over three hundred fifty girls and women are being processed, and of those more than eighty are underage. The boat that came in yesterday? It had over two hundred women and children from Cuba, brought in ostensibly to work off their transport. They were told they would be doing domestic and agricultural work for one year. They didn’t know they’d be working in the sex industry.”

  “I had no idea Hirsch reached that far.” She caught his eyes, as always, surprised that she seemed to be looking into her own. They were so different … and yet they were blood. And maybe not that different. “What happened to Tommy?”

  “He’s not dead.”

  “You wish he was.”

  “Kane and Jack wanted to take him out, but they were working with SWAT, and Tommy tossed his weapons out. He didn’t want to die. We believe the bomb was actually on a timer, not a detonator—SWAT didn’t find a switch on him. He’s not going to get out anytime soon, but Rick will need all your evidence and your testimony. We have to dig deep into him, but right now you’re the only one who can actually identify him as part of the Hirsch operation. We’re rounding up everyone else, but from what we can gather, everyone knows his name—at least by ‘Z’—but so far no one can put a face to his name. Except Damien Drake.”

  “Damien?” She hadn’t thought about him since Tommy took her from the house. “What happened? Where is he?”

  “Sean and I were part of the team that raided the house where we found Hirsch and Drake. Hirsch had a gun on me. Drake took the bullet. Two bullets.”

  “He what? Why?”

  “He somehow knew I was your brother, and when Hirsch realized he wasn’t getting out, he wanted to take me with him, I guess. Drake he saved my life, but he’s now in critical condition. If he makes it, he might be the only other person who we have to make a solid case against Tommy Zimmerman.”

  “He knows everything. He’s smarter than Hirsch ever gave him credit for.”

  “Bella, be honest with me. Was there something else between you and Drake?”

  “No.” She sighed. “I manipulated him, I used him, and I didn’t realize that he had developed—I won’t call them feelings, because he’s incapable of real emotions, but I’ll call it, well, he was a bit softer around me than others. I heard through Hirsch that the police found the body of the john who had beaten up one of his prostitutes. She was really bad off, I did the best I coul
d, but she’s probably dead.” That had been so hard for Bella—leaving, not calling help. It made her feel more like a monster than a good guy. “I was furious, pushed his buttons, and Damien drove over there and executed him. He told me he did it for me, because I was upset.”

  “That explains a lot.”

  “I had no idea he was going to do it. I have the address for the prostitute, maybe you can send someone to check on her.”

  “We found her. She’s on life support in this hospital. It was touch and go, and she’s not out of the woods, but you gave her a chance.”

  “What?”

  “You slowed the bleeding so when we found her—in the course of investigating the murder of the john—we had the time to get her to the hospital.”

  “She didn’t deserve any of it, but I was stuck—I didn’t know what to do.”

  “I know.”

  “I don’t. I don’t know if I can live with myself.”

  JT squeezed her hand. “Bella. Don’t. We all have to make tough decisions sometimes. Sometimes, there is no right or wrong.”

  “I don’t know anymore.”

  She closed her eyes and considered her life. Whether she had a future. How she could live with herself after the choices she’d made.

  “Focus on the successes.”

  “I don’t know if I can.”

  “Work for me.”

  She opened her eyes, surprised. “What?”

  “Don’t look so stunned. I made a mistake three years ago when I let you go off with Simon Egan.”

  “Let me?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Not really.”

  JT sighed. “Declan told me I was an idiot, that if I had offered you a partnership in RCK that you would never have worked for Simon.”

  “I don’t know if that’s true. You never gave me the opportunity.”

  “Because you’re my sister, and I didn’t know how to work with you, especially since we don’t always see things eye to eye.”

  “I don’t want your charity.”

  “It’s not charity. I’m stubborn, you’re stubborn. I realized, though, that Kane and Sean are better together. That having family makes the team stronger, not weaker. Even after everything that Lucy has been through, Jack always goes to her, trusts her.”

  “What about Lucy? I don’t understand.”

  “It’s not my story to tell, but she had her own crucible, things that happened to her that you would understand. And yet, Jack doesn’t coddle her. And I think I tried to protect you from things you’d already faced. I didn’t see it. I was blind with rage, with deep sorrow, with an overwhelming sense of failure. It was so much easier to leave you with Adam and Laura because they only saw the future, not the past. I’m sorry I failed you.”

  Bella didn’t want to cry, but her eyes burned. “JT, you have never failed me.”

  “I want you back, Bella.”

  “I am. Forgive me?”

  “Nothing to forgive.”

  She almost laughed. “I don’t know if working for you is the answer, but I’ll think about it.”

  “Jack and Lucy have another brother, Patrick. He runs RCK East, in DC, along with two other consultants. You don’t have to work directly for me. But you can still be part of the family business.”

  “DC?”

  “I’m outnumbered. There’s three Rogans and two Kincaids at RCK. I wouldn’t mind having you in the mix.”

  “Provided I’m not in jail for what I’ve done.”

  “We’ll cross that bridge later.”

  “Okay.” She took a deep breath. “I promise, I’ll think about it.”

  JT leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “I love you, Bella.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Tuesday

  Lucy took a deep breath and knocked on Rachel’s door.

  “Come in.”

  Lucy entered, closed the door behind her. She didn’t know what to expect. At one point last week she thought that the next time Rachel asked her into her office she would be suspended pending review from the Office of Professional Responsibility. After everything that had happened since Wednesday? While Lucy wasn’t expecting praise, she certainly hoped she wasn’t being reprimanded.

  “One minute,” Rachel said as she typed on her computer. Lucy sat down.

  Of course, she had emailed a request for three days off. That was almost exactly the number of vacation days she’d accrued in the last twelve weeks. This could be Rachel’s way of telling her no.

  Bella was flying to Seattle in the morning. Kate had already debriefed her, and she was debriefing all the non-government employees, while Noah was debriefing the government employees. Lucy had already talked to him. It had been bittersweet. She missed him, and was reminded how different it was working with someone like Noah—who trusted her explicitly, and whom she trusted with her life—and someone like Rachel Vaughn, who seemed to second-guess every decision that Lucy made.

  Lucy really wanted to go to Seattle and talk to Hope after everything that had happened. Hope, too, was heading out there to heal at Ruth’s House with Laura Dixon. Lucy had made a connection with Hope in Port Arthur, and she’d visited her again on Monday, before she returned to San Antonio. Hope needed all the support she could get right now, and Lucy knew, at least in part, what Hope had gone through.

  Though Lucy wanted the time off, she realized she was asking for a lot, and already told Sean if Rachel denied it that she would finish out the week and they could fly to Seattle Friday night for the weekend. Not ideal, but she would be willing to compromise.

  She wanted to make this work. She didn’t want to leave the San Antonio field office—her friends, her house, her career. This case more than anything showed her who her friends were and that she had a network that she could tap into at any time. Brad had been solid. Nate had had her back, as always. Tia Mancini had come up with key information and was willing to both help and share intel. She’d made a new ally in Gianna Murphy in El Paso, and Jason Lopez had surprisingly let her take the lead when it mattered.

  But in the end, Lucy refused to be a doormat. Yes, she was a rookie and she would swallow her pride and take any assignment Rachel gave her. But she wouldn’t let Rachel diminish her accomplishments or make her feel inferior or like she had to walk on eggshells all the time. So if Rachel didn’t give her a real chance, she would put in her request for a new assignment at the end of the year.

  Rachel pushed her keyboard up under her monitor and said, “Sorry about that, I had to get that message out.”

  “No problem.”

  “I received your request for time off. You put in extensive hours this weekend for the task force, and while we don’t specifically have comp time, Abigail informed me that there’s an unofficial use of comp time after cases that have required, by necessity, overtime hours.”

  “I have the vacation days,” she said.

  “Barely.” Rachel looked at her for a few seconds. To make her uncomfortable? To expect her to talk? Lucy wasn’t fazed. “What are your plans?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m interesting in your plans for your three days off. I’m assuming time away with your husband. You’re not on call on the weekend so you could take five days. Go back to that cabin of yours in Colorado.”

  Lucy considered saying that’s exactly what she planned on doing, but why lie? Lying to her boss had gotten her into hot water earlier this year. While she might not get what she wanted, she wasn’t going to lie again.

  “I’m going to Seattle. Hope Anderson will be discharged from the hospital in the morning, and my brother is flying her and Bella Caruso to Seattle. Hope’s grandparents are coming this weekend, and after talking to Hope I think I can help her before she sees them. She’s not going to heal in a week, but … well, I have some experience in this type of counseling.”

  That was the truth … and a bit of a fib. She helped victims in the heat of the moment—at the hospital, after a crime,
when they were emotionally on edge. Their extreme emotions helped Lucy maintain her calm edge so she could listen and know exactly what to say and when.

  Long-term counseling brought her past too close to the surface. And while she understood what Hope had endured, fifteen months of forced prostitution was far beyond what Lucy had experience with.

  Yet she’d felt a kinship with Hope, and Hope sensed it too. She knew she could help. Not only with Hope, but with Bella, but she didn’t say that to Rachel. Lucy might want to extend the olive branch to her boss, but she recognized that RCK, and JT Caruso in particular, was a sore point right now.

  “I appreciate you being honest about this.”

  Lucy nodded. She knew she had to come clean, get everything out on the table. It couldn’t be easy having Kate and Noah around, interviewing staff, asking questions. But if she didn’t face the repercussions now, she’d regret it. Living like this, waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop, was no solution.

  “I am sorry I lied about San Diego,” Lucy said. “I didn’t know you and I suppose it’s difficult for me to trust a new boss, just like it was difficult for you to trust me. Noah and I had worked together on many cases, even before I was an agent, and he was my trainer. We had a … well, a symbiotic relationship, I guess you could say. When I returned from my honeymoon I felt uncomfortable, like I’d missed something. I tried too hard to make you like me. And everything I did failed. So yeah—when I went to San Diego, I didn’t feel like the truth was an option. I am sorry.”

  Rachel nodded, but didn’t say anything. Lucy continued. “I want to go to Seattle to talk to Hope, to make sure Bella is okay, to wrap up some of the details for the prosecutors. These girls aren’t going to talk to just anyone, and while Laura at Ruth’s House has experience with this, we may need the girls to testify. I can help them with that. They’ll know that I’ll be there when the time comes, and I can only make that promise face to face.”

  “You’re right. There’s no need to take any vacation time. I’ll approve your trip to Seattle as official business. All I want in return is a status report on the case by Monday morning.”

  Lucy must have had a surprised look on her face. “Thank you,” she managed to get out.