by Robin Mahle
“Okay,” Kate replied. “I guess I’m all yours, Agent Vasquez.”
“So right now, we’re getting the teams in place. We’ve got three locations, according to Agent Scarborough, that will be used to hand off the victims to their end users. We’re coordinating with Richmond PD, Virginia State Troopers, and surrounding state police. They’ve received the information on the suspects; however, we don’t know how much cargo they’re bringing.”
“So when is this all supposed to happen?” Kate asked.
“A matter of hours, from what I understand. We’ve already got field teams heading to the drop locations to set up.”
“Great. What do you need from me?”
“Nothing right now. Give me an hour and I’ll have you positioned to assist me with coordinates and making sure we’ve got eyes and ears on our guys in the field. We’re working on getting the surveillance up and running. In the meantime, just sit tight. Maybe give Agent Scarborough a heads up and let him know I’ve got you covered.”
“I’ll do that. Thank you, Agent Vasquez.” Kate turned away and headed toward Nick’s office. In the hallway, she ran into Dwight again.
“Vasquez get you hooked up?”
“She did. I was just going to let Agent Scarborough know that I was here and that I’d be working with her.”
“I just left his office. Better catch him while you can. We’re both heading out with one of the teams soon.”
“Okay, hey, be safe out there tonight.”
“Always.” Dwight smiled and continued down the hall.
“You got a minute?” Kate peeked into Nick’s office.
“Sure, come in.” Nick leaned back in his chair for a moment, appearing as though he needed a break as he rubbed his eyes. “Thanks for coming down. I know we could use the help.”
“I want to be here. Thank you for letting me help.” Kate pulled up a seat. “Agent Jameson said you and he are going into the field too?”
“We’re going to take the rest of them down.”
He seemed different, like he was speaking to her as a colleague. She was being treated as an equal, not as if she was someone he needed to help. Maybe it was because she wouldn’t be in any danger this time. Whatever the reason, it felt good to be a part of the team. And it gave her a renewed sense of purpose.
“Agent Vasquez has got me tasked with a few things to assist her. So, I think I’m all set. Anyway, I won’t take up any more of your time. I just wanted to let you know that I was here.”
“How’d the training go today?” Nick asked. “I suppose you’re getting down to the wire now.”
“It was mostly online stuff today, but yes, it’s getting close now. I can’t thank you enough for helping me get through this. And I don’t just mean the Academy.”
Nick leaned over his desk, his firm triceps bulging slightly beneath his white button-down shirt. “You did the work, Kate, not me. And I don’t just mean the Academy.” He leaned back again and turned to his computer. “I’d better get back to work. I’m leaving in a few minutes.”
Kate stood up to leave. “Thank you, Agent Scarborough.” She wanted to tell him to be safe, that she was worried he might get hurt. But what good would it do except to set his mind to the dangers that he faced? He was already well aware of them and didn’t need her pointing them out. “I’ll see you when you get back.”
The time had come and all the pieces were in place. According to James Corbett, there were three drops happening tonight inside of a two-hour window. Local authorities stood at the ready. Roadblocks were in place and Agents Scarborough and Jameson were in the field running the teams. Tensions were high inside the communications room where GPS monitors tracked the agents’ locations and audio connections were being tested.
Kate stood behind Agent Vasquez who was monitoring one of the stations. ASAC Campbell was running the show from the comm. room. Kate half-expected him to insist she not be involved, but she quickly realized that he had far more important concerns than whether a NAT was hanging around. She became acutely aware of her insignificance. In all honesty, it felt good not being the one to whom the focus had shifted. She was truly part of the team here and not a victim.
“You might as well take a seat,” Vasquez began. “We’re going to be here a while.”
Kate pulled out the chair next to the agent and sat down, not noticing that Georgia had come into the room. It wasn’t until she heard her speaking to another agent that she realized her presence. An immediate understanding occurred to Kate as to why Georgia was there. It would have been no different if it had been Marshall. She would have been there too.
Kate pushed back her chair and walked toward Georgia. “Agent Myers,” she greeted her with a handshake. “How are you?”
“Fine, thanks. Just thought I’d see how things were going in here.”
Kate knew it was more than that, much more. Georgia was worried for Nick and Kate couldn’t blame her for that. “So far so good, I hear.”
Georgia pressed her lips together and nodded.
“They’ve got eyes on an approaching vehicle.” One of the agents turned to ASAC Campbell.
“We’re on,” he replied.
“I’d better get back.” Kate walked back to Vasquez and waited for instruction.
There were no visuals on the teams. No body cameras being worn by the agents, only audio from the headsets. It made for an odd sense of blindness inside the room, at least as far as Kate was concerned. In her training, she’d learned about the FBI’s use of drones. Their occasional uses were narrow and infrequent, often only incorporated in terrorism or hostage situations. It was difficult to understand in this moment why drones could not be implemented in this current situation. Lives were at stake and having the ability to visually monitor the situation would seem to be invaluable. But there were rules and regulations to which they must adhere. Kate felt increasing conflicted by this, especially now when her friends were out there.
The sound of people running bellowed inside the room over the audio system. This was it. It was happening now. Kate’s back pulled stiff; her breath nearly stopped altogether.
Still, noises surrounded them inside the room and no one there could do anything more than what they were already doing, which was simply listening to the teams. ASAC Campbell was monitoring the locations of his agents, ensuring he at least knew where they were. One of the other agents was on his headset speaking to state troopers, making them aware of the movements. They were ready and waiting at the roadblocks.
A voice sounded, calling out orders. Kate knew it was Nick. She turned to Georgia, who didn’t appear nearly as nervous as Kate had. But then, Georgia had been through this sort of thing many times before and probably worse. She was the one who had discovered Branson’s group.
Nick began shouting again, this time for Jameson to take his position. The suspects were aware of the raid and gunfire quickly erupted. It was happening so fast, Kate could hardly understand what the agents were saying. Footsteps, yelling, and now loud popping, but Kate had no idea who the voices were coming from. She felt so helpless. At least when she was there the other night, she’d been able to help and knew what was going on. Now it just felt like she was riding a roller coaster in the dark. The voices were hardly discernable; good guys or bad guys, they all sounded virtually the same buried beneath the screams of the victims, the shouting, and the gunshots.
“What’s happening out there?” Kate’s anxiety couldn’t be disguised.
“They’re in control,” Vasquez replied as she monitored the screens.
Who is in control? Us or them? she thought to herself.
Chaos seemed to reign, but those inside the room, the agents monitoring and coordinating, they appeared to be the ones in control.
“What’s happening out there, people?” ASAC Campbell stepped toward the video screens to view the locations of his team.
Pop! Pop! Pop! More gunfire sounded.
Kate had almost forgotten to breathe.
Her heart was racing and her mind started to replay the events from the other night. As she sat unmoved in the chair next to Vasquez, her hands could almost feel the heat of the gun as the bullet left the chamber and struck Corbett. It had been so chaotic and time seemed to stop when in reality, it had passed with break-neck speed. She swallowed the lump in the throat and rubbed her palms against her pants. Sweat clung to her neck and her stomach began to roll.
Georgia stared at the little dots on the screens, but made no sound. Kate looked to her, knowing that she must feel the same, but in no way did she show it.
The gunfire stopped. Jameson’s voice sounded over the speakers. “He’s down! He’s down!”
Kate whipped her head to Georgia, who remained unmoved, but whose eyes darted between the screens.
“We got ‘em! Suspects down. Move in to secure the victims.”
It was Nick, and Kate’s heart started again.
“We’ve got five victims inside the vehicle and need medical assistance ASAP.”
Vasquez immediately contacted the waiting police and called for an ambulance. “Help is on the way, Agent Scarborough.”
“Are our people accounted for?” ASAC Campbell asked.
“Yes. Safe and accounted for, sir,” Jameson replied. “We got four suspects. They’re all down, but the victims are safe and so is the team.”
A collective sigh of relief spread throughout the room and a few claps sounded. Smiles quickly appeared on the faces of the agents.
“What about the other drops? Are the teams in place?” Nick asked.
“Yes. They’re listening and are aware of what’s happened. They’re ready for the take down. Good work, agents.” Campbell replied.
Nick began ordering the other team members to secure the scene and the sound of ambulances sounded in the distance. It wasn’t over, but Kate was grateful Nick and Dwight were out of danger.
“We got ‘em, Kate. We got ‘em.” The tension in Nick’s voice was gone as his words carried inside the comm. room.
A few voices could be heard in the background, but their words were inaudible, until Nick spoke again. “We’ll clean up this mess and head back to base. Scarborough out.”
ASAC Campbell approached Kate. “You two make a pretty good team, Agent Reid. I’ll be glad to have you working for this office.”
Kate turned to Georgia. “Agents Scarborough and Jameson deserve the credit here, sir and so does the rest of the team.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Kate,” Georgia began. “You helped bring in Corbett. ASAC Campbell is right. You two will make a great team.”
24
It was over. Corbett’s information led to the arrest of seven men and the rescue of almost fifteen women. Mercer was still in federal custody and would face multiple charges of human trafficking. Although no evidence suggested Mercer was involved in trafficking inside of Europe, Inspector Montrose was coordinating efforts with the FBI to continue the investigation on his end because it was believed the ring extended far into Eastern Europe.
James Corbett was also still in federal custody and would get his plea deal. Stan Kovac would be in lock up until his trial, and the Bjuric family, what remained of them, would be going back to Croatia.
Kate insisted she travel back to Richmond with Nick because she wanted to say goodbye to Nicola. There was still a whole lot of bureaucratic red tape to sort through because this case involved several jurisdictions, and so the trip back was necessary in any event.
They didn’t speak much in the car. Kate wondered if Nick was still processing the events from last week. She wouldn’t blame him for it. He’d put his life in danger twice in that week alone. And she began to question his theory that most agents who work in BAU are analysts or hang in the background while the field agents take the glory, although she supposed he was the exception. His work crossed over because he was assigned to the WFO as a BAU operative and coordinator. He did a little bit of everything.
Nick pulled into the parking lot of the police station and Kate noticed Detective Garrett near the entrance.
“Welcome back,” Garrett said. “Glad to see you came through without a scratch.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Nick replied.
Kate spotted Nicola immediately as the young girl sat next to her mother in the lobby. The two were being deported, but as it was considered voluntary, and bearing in mind all that had happened, Immigration would not flag their passports and they would be allowed to return to the United States—someday. But Kate figured that day would likely never come and she wondered what life would be like for Nicola in Croatia. Poor, unskilled, her mother would struggle once again to find work, just as she did in this country.
Nicola noticed Kate and immediately ran toward her, arms extended. The smile on the girl’s face was contagious and Kate greeted her with the same warmth and open arms.
She squeezed the girl and was filled with a sense of joy she’d not felt in a very long time. Nicola was a survivor and she’d been through a terrible thing. Kate understood all too well what it was like to lose someone you loved.
“I don’t want to leave here,” Nicola cried.
Kate only had to bend a little to meet the girl’s eyes. “I know, Nicola, but it’s for the best. There’s nothing here for you, not right now. Maybe when you’re grown…”
“When I’m a grown-up, I’m going to be an FBI agent like you.”
Kate’s eyes started to burn and she smiled at Nicola. “There is no doubt in my mind that you will be whatever you want to be.” She looked up at Nick, who had just approached the two of them.
“I bet you’d make an awesome agent, Nicola.” He smiled at Kate, the first smile she’d seen on him in days. “Just look at your name. Same as mine.” He winked at her. “We’d better get started, Kate.”
Kate pressed up on her toes and returned to standing. She pulled out a business card from her days in San Diego and reached for a pen from the lobby desk. “Here.” She began scribbling on the back of it. “This is my email address and my phone number. You can contact me whenever you want to, you hear me?” She handed Nicola the card.
The girl nodded. “Yes.” She smiled a final time and returned to her mother’s side.
“I’ll be right behind you,” Kate said to Nick and began to approach the mother. “You have an amazing daughter. I wish you both a safe journey home.”
“Thank you, Agent Reid,” the woman replied. “I will do whatever it takes to make sure my Nicola has a good life.”
“I have no doubt, ma’am.”
The class assembled in the main training room for a briefing on the day before the final exams. Kate began to scan the room and noticed that nearly one-quarter of the agents who’d started with her were now gone. She recalled the speech one of the Supervisory Special Agents delivered at the beginning of the training. That many of the people in the room would not be there by the end and he was right.
Kate doubted how it was that she made it this far. Had Nick not stepped in, she believed she could have been one of the twenty-five percent. But she had worked damn hard too and needed to remember her part in achieving the goal. The grueling physical tests, the tactical training; all of it was something she had doubts about in the beginning, but by the end, had mastered. It wasn’t over, though. The final exams were tomorrow and Friday. She still had to pass and had been hitting the books particularly hard since the case was over. She’d had to regain her focus on the training.
Will had been there to help and she was indebted to him. His friendship, although she’d nearly set it to ruin, had been invaluable. Now he sat next to her, waiting for this final speech from the instructor.
“Those of you who are still here should be proud of your accomplishments. You’ve put in the hours, you’ve practiced, and you’ve learned. But this isn’t over yet.” The instructor started to pace the front of the room. The large screen behind him was on and showed the FBI emblem on a light blue background.
“The
next two days will probably be the worst. Your physical and mental strength will once again be put to the test. However, I’m looking at the best of the best and so this should not be a problem for any of you.”
Kate was ready. This was what she wanted. If a shred of doubt remained in her mind, it had vanished when she saw Nicola for the last time. It had been weeks since then, but her memory hadn’t faded; in fact, it propelled her to work even harder.
She was missing Nick, though. He’d been busy wrapping up the investigation and she’d hardly seen him more than a few times in almost a month. And when she had managed a quick lunch with him, he seemed preoccupied. Maybe it was better that way; she needed to do this last part on her own.
“If you pass,” SSA Hawes continued, “then I’ll see you all at graduation. You’re dismissed.”
Almost at once, the remaining NATs took to their feet and shuffled out of the training room. Kate made her way from the aisle with Will trailing behind.
“You heading back to the dorm?” he asked.
Kate looked at her watch. “I think I’ll grab some dinner first at the cafeteria. You hungry?”
“Always.”
“Great. Let’s go eat.”
It appeared most everyone had the same idea, as the cafeteria was packed. It was doubtful any of the remaining members in her class would be doing anything else tonight except for studying and getting rest, which was exactly what Kate was planning on doing.
“It’s been a pretty incredible five months.” Will shoved a section of a large cheeseburger into his mouth.
“You could say that.” Kate paused for a moment. “I really wasn’t sure I’d even make it to this point and I know you’ve played a part in my success. Thank you for that, Will.”
“Please.” His mouth still half-full of food. “You did the hard stuff. I was just a shoulder.”
Kate looked down at her food. “But it was more than that, wasn’t it?” They hadn’t once spoken about that night, but Kate felt compelled to explain her behavior because she didn’t want to finish this and say goodbye to him without at least acknowledging that while she hadn’t been ready for it, she didn’t hold him responsible for her actions.
