by Liliana Hart
“Jonas,” Liv called out, walking as fast as she could to catch him before he closed the door to his office.
He looked over his shoulder at her and said, “Hello, Liv. I figured you’d hunt me down sooner or later to talk to Bixler. He’s meeting with his solicitor as we speak, but they’ll be ready for us again in another hour. You’ll join me?”
“I wouldn’t miss it, sir. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Exactly five before my next meeting,” he said, holding open his office door for her.
She nodded at Louise, ignoring the woman’s look of irritation that Beck was more than likely going to end up off schedule. Beck closed the door as soon as she entered and took off his suit jacket.
“It’s hot as blazes outside.” He loosened his tie and unbuttoned his top collar button. “I’ve been in meetings all morning. A man like Bixler has political clout, and there are plenty of people twisting my arm for his immediate release. We’re going to have trouble keeping him behind bars for too long. He’ll be released on his on recognizance.”
Beck was a decorated agent with more than twenty years on the job. He was just over six foot and trim—a runner—and his hair was graying at the temples, making him look distinguished. His face was thin and handsome, and he wore wire-framed glasses. And there’d been a time before she’d met Dante that she and Beck had been on the verge of something that had started as a flirtation and could’ve ended up as much more if she hadn’t put a stop to things. There were no policies about being involved with other agents, but she wasn’t prepared to test the waters either. She’d worked too hard for her career.
“Maybe he’ll get an attack of conscience while he’s sitting in that cell and hang himself. It’d certainly save us time and taxpayer money.”
Beck smiled, but it was cold as ice. “Everyone deserves their day in court. At least that’s what they tell us. But you and I both know that’s bullshit. Some people just deserve to die. There’s evil in this world, Liv. Normal people sit in their social bubbles and can’t comprehend the things we see on a daily basis. It would make them insane. They believe that justice always prevails, or they think that everyone can be negotiated or reasoned with. Or maybe they think they were deficient of love growing up and that’s what turned them into monsters, and if someone would give them a hug and a little compassion that they’d see the error of their ways and sin no more. But what they are is evil.”
And that was why she’d always liked Beck. Why she’d been attracted to him for a time, and how they’d formed a friendship over the years. They saw eye to eye on just about everything.
“Bixler is evil,” she said.
He nodded. “Did you get the transcription from the opening interview with him?” Beck asked.
“Yes, sir,” she said. “Speaking of evil, I believe I have a lead on the remaining ten girls.”
“I had a feeling you’d be zeroing in on them, but Bixler didn’t give us much information before he asked for his attorney. What was your source?”
“The girls we recovered at Bixler’s,” she said. “They kept saying ‘The Sultan’ over and over again, and they were terrified of him. They were afraid to be returned to their parents. He’d threatened to kill their entire families if they talked to police or tried to escape. We’ve seen what these monsters do to these girls, but I’ve never seen that kind of terror before. Especially once they were told they were being returned to their families, that information sent them into a panic.”
“The Sultan,” he said.
She could tell by the way he said it that he’d heard the name before, and she could tell by the crease between his eyebrows that he wasn’t going to like where she was going with this.
“Raj Mittal,” she said, but he was already shaking his head.
“Catching Raj Mittal in the act is like trying to pin down a leprechaun. You can’t go on the word of terrified girls. The Sultan could be anyone.”
“They saw him,” she said. “And they’ve identified him. I sent a picture to social services and they interviewed the girls about him. I just got the confirmation right before you came in.”
“You don’t know the can of worms you’re opening, Liv. Raj Mittal is ruthless. He’s cruel. And he’s dangerous. And those are the descriptions of him from his legitimate business partners. You can imagine how he is with his not-so-legitimate businesses.”
“So what? I’m supposed to let him get away with it because he’s scary? We agree there’s evil in the world. This guy is near the top. He’s gotten away with this for forty years. Countless numbers of children taken from their families and sold as sex slaves to the highest bidder. Countless women he’s maimed and murdered. Who is going to stand for them if we don’t?”
“I’m not disagreeing with you,” he said putting his hands up to get her to calm down. “Show me what you’ve got and let’s go from there. But you know I can’t authorize an expense and operation of this magnitude without having rock solid proof.”
She took a breath and dropped into the chair in front of his desk, and then she handed him the file so he could look through it. She knew what he was going to say before he opened his mouth.
“You know this is all circumstantial at best,” he said. “It’s not even his home. It’s his son’s home, which is sticky territory, especially if the son isn’t aware of his father’s activities.”
“How can you not be aware that there are ten stolen girls being hidden somewhere in your home?”
“It’s what the defense will use. And it’s a possibility he doesn’t know. It’s a palace. And he’s not even home. There are hundreds of people who go in and out on a daily basis if you include the tour groups. Who even knows if the son is in residence at the same time his father is. And I have to ask the obvious question: say you’re correct and that Raj Mittal is hiding these girls in Dubai. Where’s he hiding them? He can’t just lock them in a bedroom and hope they don’t make any noise.”
“There are two options,” she said, leaning over his desk and flipping through the data she’d collected. “The palace was originally built in the eighteenth century, and there are still dungeons at the basement level. Actually, there’s an interesting bit of history with the palace. In the mid-nineteenth century there was a smallpox outbreak in Dubai, and they gathered up all the infected and put them down in the dungeon to try and contain the disease.
“The palace is built at the edge of the Persian Gulf, and a sewage drain was built through the dungeons and it flowed out into the gulf. But a bad storm rolled in, one of the worst in their history, and the rain flooded the drain and pushed water into the dungeons, filling them rapidly with water. They all drowned.”
“I suppose you’re going to tell me it’s haunted,” he said, brow arched.
“Of course not,” she said. “I don’t believe in that. But the locals do.”
“You think the girls are down there?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t put them there. It’s too risky for merchandise at that price point. He’d want to make sure they’re secure and ready for transport. And the drain pipe is still down there. In fact, in the fifties, a man tried to break into the palace using the pipe as his point of entry. He got just outside the master suite before a guard saw him and killed him.”
“What’s the other option?”
“The son is a billionaire in his own right, and the palace belongs to him. He’s a technology genius, but he has a passion for art. He’s got a vault where he keeps his most treasured pieces. I just watched a special 60 Minutes did several years ago on the son. He took them inside his vault, and it’s the size of a tennis court. It’s climate controlled, and there are separate vaults within the vault, all requiring special access. If I were Raj Mittal that’s where I’d keep the girls.”
“But what about the son? I’m not convinced he’s not part of this. It’s his own vault.”
“Shiv is still very much ruled by his father, despite his own successes. Raj would demand having full
access to anything his son owns. And the vault space is so large, Shiv rarely goes through the entire space. Probably the only time is when he wants to trade out a particular piece of art somewhere in the palace. But all the pieces in the vault are numbered and labeled, and he’d know exactly where to go to find what he was looking for.”
Beck flipped through the files, looking at the reports Jane had sent from social services. “Liv,” he said, shaking his head, “you know I can’t authorize this. You don’t have enough to warrant a manhunt of this scale and cost.”
She stood to her feet and put her fists at her hips. “What do I need to have? A signed confession before we can go after him? The girls identified him.”
“Girls that have been victimized and traumatized over the last several weeks. You know they’ll start screaming diminished capacity.”
“This is bullshit, Jonas, and you know it. My gut is telling me we have to move now to catch this bastard. He’s going to move them again soon. It’s too risky to keep them in the same place for too long.”
“I’m sorry, Liv, but there’s nothing to be done about it. We can’t go off your gut. Bring me something more concrete and then we’ll talk.” He stood from behind his desk and took his suit jacket back off the hook, slipping into it. “I’m late to my meeting.” He stopped and looked at her. “And don’t even think of doing anything stupid. I’ve known you for too long.”
Her body flushed with anger. They were trained to follow their instincts. To rely on them. But then when it came down to it they weren’t allowed to use them. She was right and she knew it. And if she had to go in alone to rescue those girls then that’s exactly what she’d do.
“I’m taking vacation time,” she said. “I’m five years past due.”
“No,” he said, buttoning his top button and straightening his tie. “We’ve got a dozen other cases open. You’ve got plenty of work to do.”
“Then I’m resigning,” she said. “I’m tired of fighting for the good guys only to have the bad guys holding all the cards in the end. When did you turn into one of the suits, Jonas?”
He sighed. “I don’t accept your resignation. There are rules, Liv. You know this.”
“Do you know who follows the rules?” she asked. “Losers. Guys like Raj Mittal don’t follow the rules. He gets a free pass to rape children and disfigure women because those of us following the ‘rules’ can’t outmaneuver him without getting permission from someone whose pockets have already been lined to protect him.”
“Careful, Liv,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “My pockets haven’t been lined by anyone. Go home and get some sleep. Give your mouth a chance to rest before you get in trouble.”
“You can’t tell me what to do,” she said, removing her weapon and badge. “I’ve just resigned.”
“Fine,” Jonas said, opening his office door. “Leave your things with Louise and clear out your desk. Best of luck in the future.”
His face was flushed red with fury, but he was controlled. Too controlled. He didn’t look back as he headed toward the elevator and his next meeting. Liv didn’t waste any time. She gathered the file, put her gun and badge on a very surprised Louise’s desk, and went to clear out her things. It would take them at least twenty-four hours before her clearance was wiped from the system. She could do whatever work she needed to from home for the time being.
By the time Jonas called to persuade her to come back, she’d be long gone.
CHAPTER TEN
She hated hospitals.
Would it have killed them to add a little color? The stark white floors and walls drove her mad. The smell of antiseptic was cloying. And the little sounds—the squeak of rubber-soled shoes, the creaky wheels of gurneys, and the incessant beeping of machines—filled her with an anxiety she should probably mention to her therapist.
Maybe it was because those who were in hospitals had very little control over the things that were happening to them, and they were relying on someone else to make it better. She didn’t like the idea of giving up that kind of control. And she could tell by the disgruntled look on Donner’s face that he wasn’t too fond of it either.
“I just want a fucking hamburger and fries,” he said. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”
He pushed the tray of food the nurse had left for him away, and Liv had to agree, a hamburger most definitely would’ve been an improvement to what she assumed was shepherd’s pie, but looked more along the lines of what came out of the back end of the sheep.
It had been two days since he’d been shot, and the doctor said he’d make a full recovery. But he wasn’t quite at the point of getting on a plane and flying across the Atlantic. His tall body barely fit in the hospital bed, his size thirteen feet only contained because the sheet was tucked into the bottom of the bed.
His face was gaunt and pale, and the lines around his eyes more pronounced than usual, but he was feeling well enough to want a hamburger, so she didn’t worry too much about it.
Liv took the seat next to his bed. “I guess there’s a reason the nurses are drawing numbers to see who has to come tend to you.”
“I’m not a good patient,” he said, so pathetically she almost laughed. “I made Karen go back to the hotel and get some rest.”
“How’s she doing?”
“She said she’s never been so mad at me in her entire life. And then she burst into tears.” He sighed and turned his head to look at her. “And then I reminded her she said that exact same thing during childbirth, and she was starting to sound like the girl who cried wolf.”
Liv closed her eyes and shook her head. “Men are so dumb sometimes.”
“That’s what she said,” he told her, eyes sparkling. “I think she would’ve hit me if I hadn’t hit the emergency call button. All those nurses were in here before I could blink. They truly are heroes.”
“Talk about the boy who cried wolf,” Liv said.
“I know, but it was worth it. Karen decided it was probably best for her to go back to the hotel and sleep. She said she was a little too tempted to remove my catheter herself. That woman has a vicious streak. I love her so much.”
Liv laughed, and could see that he did. It was written all over his face when he talked about her.
“If you promise to be nice,” she said, reaching into the big bag she’d brought with her, “I’ll give you something I think you’re going to like.”
“I don’t know if that’s smart,” he said seriously. “My blood flow isn’t what it used to be, and Karen could walk in at any moment.”
“Karen’s not the only one who can pull out that catheter,” she said, lips twitching. “And I can always throw this burger and chips in the trash.”
“You’re damned mean too,” he said. “No wonder Karen likes you.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“Did you really bring me a burger?” he asked, his basset hound brown eyes filling with hope.
“I did,” she said, handing him the paper bag with his burger. “I also brought you a to-go cup of Fosters, but if you get caught with it I’m denying I’ve ever met you.”
He sighed and took the styrofoam cup, holding it reverently. “Let’s get married. Karen will never know.”
“Karen knows everything,” Liv said. “Which makes it even more of a miracle that she agreed to marry you. Buy that woman some diamonds and take her on a vacation without the kids while you’re recovering. She deserves it.”
“Hey, what about me?” he asked. “I was shot. Don’t I deserve it?”
“You deserve a kick in the pants for scaring the hell out of everyone.”
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll buy her diamonds and take her on a romantic getaway. But if she gets pregnant again I’m blaming you. Damned woman is as fertile as the hanging gardens of Babylon.”
“If you haven’t figured out how to prevent pregnancy at this point in your life, then you deserve to be a father of five.”
“We need to change the topic. My testi
cles have crawled so far up inside my body they might never come out. How are things on the work front?”
“I wouldn’t know,” she said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs.
“You took some time off?” he asked. “It’s about damned time. But I figured you’d be hot on the trail of those other girls. Are LeBlanc and Petrovich taking it over?”
“That would be my guess,” she said. “I resigned.”
His burger stopped halfway to his mouth and he stared at her with shock. “I beg your pardon?”
“I resigned,” she repeated. “I gave Beck my notice yesterday.”
“Are you on drugs? Why the hell would you do that?”
“I think I know where the girls are.”
“Which by logical conclusion should give you a reason not to quit,” he said.
“Normally, yes, but you know how fast those girls get moved around. I don’t have time to wait on bureaucratic red tape. By the time all the paperwork cleared those girls would be gone. Beck didn’t used to be so concerned about doing things through the right channels. He used to be more concerned about saving lives. I don’t want to work for someone like that.”
Donner sighed and pushed half of his burger away.
“You okay?” she asked. “You’re looking a little green.”
“I’m fine. I just can’t eat as much as I’d like to.” He took a couple of deep breaths and pushed the bag of food toward her, so she hurriedly packed it away and moved the trash can to the side of the bed just in case. She traded out his beer for a cup of water.
“Thanks,” he said after a few minutes, once his color returned to normal. “So because I’m a trained agent and can read between the lines of everything you just said, what you’re getting to is that you quit and now you’re going after those girls on your own.”
