by Huie,Melissa
Which meant, this was totally a big deal.
“Hi. We sort of met last night. I’m Traci,” she beamed with a wave, then had the grace to blush.
Oh, I liked this girl.
“Hi, Traci. I’m Kate, this rude ass’s sister.” I nudged Cole with my elbow, then reached out to shake her hand.
“Pleased to meet you,” she said with a big smile.
“Sorry to have barged in on what looked to be a romantic moment,” I said with a sly glance over at Cole. His back tensed while pouring two cups of coffee.
She rolled her eyes. “That wasn’t anything special.” He dropped the cup into the sink and stared at her, with his mouth opened in shock. I burst into laughter, and had to hold onto my sides.
“Really?” he sputtered, which only made me laugh even harder. “Do you think you could, um…you know, not say shit like that to my sister?”
“Stop, you know I didn’t mean it like that.” She ignored his shock, and continued to drink her coffee, with a sly smile pursed around her lips.
“Woman, I have no clue what the hell I’m going to do with you,” he quipped, shaking his head.
“Oh, I could think of a few things. One involves that ball gag, and…”
“La la la! I don’t need to hear this crap. Let me get out of here.” I put my hands over my ears as I rushed over to grab my stuff. “Traci, I’m so glad I met you. I’ll see you around.”
I pointed to my brother. “I like this one. She doesn’t moan like a porn star wannabe, and she sure as hell can put up with your ass. Keep her around.”
“Oh, sweets, I’m not going anywhere. He likes the pussy too much,” she divulged with a wink. I left the house, laughing the entire way to the office. Oh God, I needed that. I needed to feel free, even if it was for just for a little while.
Then the challenges of the day slammed into me. Not only did I need to ensure that Jennie got the protection she needed, but I needed to plead her case, and the case of Madam Sin’s, not only to my boss, but to the special prosecutor. I pulled into the unground parking garage and headed inside. I was early, for once, so the activity was at a minimum. I took advantage of the quiet and got to work. The first thing I did was write up a report from last night. Everything had to be documented, and I couldn’t leave anything to chance. The only thing missing was Jennie’s whereabouts. I wasn’t sure where Noah took her, and truth be told, I didn’t want to imagine her in his bed. A pang of jealousy hit, but I swatted the emotion away. There was no time to get jealous. Lives were on the line.
After an hour, and three cups of coffee, my report was done and sent to Rapoles. And, I may have called the special prosecutor in to discuss a plea. So I was going to beg for forgiveness, rather than ask for permission. But I knew in my gut that it was the right thing to do. The office was buzzing with the sounds of printers, people complaining about the commute in, and general office bullshit. I maneuvered my way around the people gabbing for no reason, and knocked on Rapoles’ door.
“What’s up, Parker?” he asked, his eyes trained on the monitor in front of him.
“I sent you the update on the events from last night. I wanted to forewarn you, I have a meeting with the special prosecutor in about three hours. “
His eyes bugged out of his head. “Are you kidding me? I haven’t read the report, and you’re already offering a plea deal? That’s not the way things are done around here, Parker. Rescind that meeting.”
“With all due respect, sir, you owe me this,” I stated firmly.
“The hell you say? I don’t owe you shit, Parker. You either rescind that meeting and any sort of mention of a plea deal, or you can walk your ass out of here like you did in Miami.”
Fury seethed in my veins, and it was all I could do not to drop kick the fool in his nuts.
“I beg your pardon, Special Agent Rapoles, but you do need to take my word for this. You’ve ignored everything I’ve told you thus far. I have used my knowledge from the Bureau, as well as my natural instincts, the ones you said that I had, to get this far. You’ve been wrong on ignoring what I’ve had to say. And I’m telling you, if you ignore this, lives will be at risk. Dr. Sinclair will end up dead in some alleyway, and we would have lost our only penetration into the Cartel.”
He rolled his eyes and finally looked at me. “What sort of deal are you planning?” he inquired, his voice weary.
“Full immunity on all solicitation charges for the Doctor. And medical care, drug rehabilitation, and the reduction of all charges for Jennie Russo, also known as Jennie Davis.”
“In exchange for…?”
“Dr. Sinclair knows the ins and outs of those club members. She can provide descriptions, movements, information that we can only dream of. In time, she could possibly wear a wire,” I declared, knowing full well that the Madam hadn’t agreed to any of this. Yet.
Rapoles thought for a moment. You could practically hear the hamster wheel squeaking inside that pea-sized melon, but finally, he nodded.
“Get it done. Get me what I need, Agent Parker. If shit goes south, it will be your ass in front of the review board.”
“Yes, sir.” I almost gave him my one finger salute, but I figured that may be pushing it. I hurried back to my cubicle, and pulled the phone out of my purse. I sent a text to the Madam, giving her a head’s up, and advised her to bring her lawyer with her. My next call was to Noah. I hesitated. I didn’t want to get into any sort of conversation, so I took the pussy way out. I sent a text to Sketch, telling him where and when I needed him, or whomever Jennie’s power of attorney was. I also inquired on her location, but Sketch never responded. Finally, the phone vibrated in my hand and I looked down.
Figures, the only man that would vibrate me would be Noah.
She’s at Rachel’s Place, an inpatient rehab facility in St. Mary’s.
The rehab place he brought her to was top-notch, and I quickly dispatched local PD units to the facility to stand guard. I gnawed on my lip, as I debated on whether to send the next text. Technically, I didn’t need to do anything more. But then again, as her husband, he had a right to know what was going on. I pushed aside any feelings of bitterness and jealousy, and sent Noah a text, advising him that her attorney was meeting with me today to discuss a plea deal, and I left it at that.
I focused my energy and attention on other tasks, primarily getting the plea deal together with the prosecutor, and hammering out any lingering issues. I made contact with Rick, who didn’t have much to add to the situation. The only tidbit he had was that Jessica Knowles had been spotted by a fellow agent on the outskirts of New Orleans, and he was on his way to check it out. My cynical mind immediately thought it was a trap, but Rick was a fantastic agent. Every move he made was calculated, and assessed for risk, entrapment, and failure.
“Agent Parker, your one o’clock is here,” a pleasant voice called over the intercom. I gathered up my paperwork and walked into the glass enclosed conference room. The lead prosecutor, Lizette Malfy, sat next to Sketch, with Dr. Sinclair and her attorney across from them. My eyebrow arched as I surveyed the room.
“Mr. Davis, are we waiting on the attorney for Mrs. Russo?” I asked, setting down the stack of files and my traveler’s mug, filled with my umpteenth cup of coffee.
Dressed in slacks, and a gray button-down shirt that matched his eyes, Sketch nodded slowly. His gaze pierced mine, and a pang of sadness hit me. No matter what my feelings were toward Noah, no matter how pissed off I was at Sketch for lying, it was incomparable to the fucked up situation they were in. No one deserved that.
“I’ll be representing Mrs. Russo in this matter,” a voice called from behind me. Megan’s uncle, Bob Connors, walked in, with Noah following close behind him. “My apologizes for the delay. There was an accident on Lombard.”
I smiled gratefully at the man who was responsible for getting Shane back on track. I was glad I’d put a call into Megan and her uncle. Bob was a great attorney, and had a compassionate heart for those
who hit rock bottom. We quickly got down to business and, thankfully, the legalities were ironed out relatively easily. Jennie’s record was expunged, provided she completed her stint in rehab, and Dr. Sinclair received immunity for aggravated promotion of prostitution, solicitation, and engaging in an organized criminal activity.
With the legal issues set aside, it was time to get into the weeds. After dismissing the lawyers, Rapoles came in, along with the rest of my team that wasn’t in Florida, looking for Tommy and Jessica.
“So, you got what you wanted, Madam. It’s time to tell us what you know,” I urged. Her panicked eyes shot toward me, and I tried to reassure her with my smile.
“Right.” She heaved a sigh. “There are four major partners in the Cruz Cartel. Christian, Tomas, Elias, and Sebastian, with Christian holding the majority share.”
“Wait. Last night, you told me that you weren’t sure if Sebastian was part of the family or not,” I interjected. Lying during any point of the investigation was wrong, but after I went to bat for her, she pulled this shit? Oh, hell no.
She shrugged. “I wasn’t sure if I could trust you, Agent.”
“How the hell can I trust you now, after you lied to me within the first three minutes of this interview?” I demanded, slapping the table.
She jumped, then narrowed her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. You have me over a barrel now. If I don’t get you this information, the Feds will be up my ass faster than a john with a pegging fetish.”
“Continue,” I seethed, my jaw clenched.
“Elias handles the drug trade. He meets with their suppliers, gets the product on the streets.”
“What can you tell us about Elias?”
“He’s about thirty years old, olive-toned skin, large and in charge. He has both arms covered in tattoos, and his hair is thick and long. I last saw him about three weeks ago, when I was sent to the Miami club.”
Miami. “We’ll get back to that. Tell us more about Elias.”
She rubbed the back of her neck. “He’s strong. Crazy. Has a nasty temper. I’ve had quite a few of my girls request to not be with him. In fact, I’ve had to ban him from the house in Baltimore. The guy fights MMA on the side, illegally and underground. The Cartel have a ring located in an industrial park near Port Orleans, and that’s where they get the girls sometimes.”
I arched my eyebrows and leaned forward. “What do you mean, that’s where they get the girls?”
“Sebastian is in charge of the women. He’s the one that brings them through the house, ensures that they’re up to par. Women who come for the cruise ships and the night life are ‘invited’ to the fights, and some come to the fights. They come on their own accord. From there, Sebastian seduces them, tricks them into coming to his room or his house. He talks up the brand, how women like them are going to make a lot of money. Some stay, some leave. Those that he finds will make the most money, and won’t be given the chance to leave.” She paused, and looked around the room. “That’s when Elias comes in. He makes them submit with enough drugs to get them feeling good, and to keep that edge going.”
“You said in your statement, that they don’t like the women to be strung out. But now you’re saying that they’re purposely keeping some women high. Which is it?”
“I don’t see them after I get them cleaned up. Elias makes sure that the women who are too high to function are escorted off the property, never to be seen again.”
“You don’t know what happens to them?”
The Madam shook her head. “No, but I have a feeling…a terrible, gut-wrenching, sickening feeling, that those women…the ones that can’t get clean, or can’t get off the drugs, are used elsewhere.”
“Doing what?” Sketch snapped. I cut him a quick glare, but he didn’t pay me any mind.
“As drug mules, maybe? I’m not entirely sure. I know some go to Vegas and Miami, but I never see them in any of the clubs.”
“What do you know about the Port of Orleans?” I asked, shuffling my papers.
“There’s always someone headed there, at least twice a month. Nicholas said they’re trying to open a Ravenous in New Orleans, but I haven’t seen any corresponding paperwork to say that’s a fact.”
I glanced over at Rapoles, who was intently listening to the Madam’s story. He cleared his throat, then looked over at me.
“What do you know of Sebastian’s women, once they get to the clubs? Do you see them? Are they well and healthy? Do you know if they’re safe?”
Madam looked down at the table, and for the first time, I saw guilt written across her face. “I only go to the other clubs a few times a month. I don’t see all the girls when I’m there, so no. I don’t know if they’re safe.”
“Do you keep records of the women that go through your establishments?”
She looked me straight in my eyes, her lips tightened with anger. “I may not know where all my girls are, Agent Parker, but I do keep explicit records of those women. Who they are, who they’ve been with, their medical history, their preference bios. I keep track of my girls, and try to maintain a safe environment for them.”
“Safe environment? You call this a safe environment?” Rapoles tossed a packet of photos onto the table in disgust. “When you brought us your records this morning, we traced the names against the list of women we’ve found over the last six months. Dead, either near Port Everglades, or Port Orleans. They weren’t just smuggling drugs, Dr. Sinclair. Those women were being sold on the black market.”
Her mouth dropped open, and a strangled gasp was heard. Those sinister green eyes welled up with tears as she flipped through the pictures.
“I...I…I didn’t know,” she managed to say.
“The fuck you didn’t know they were up to something, Madam. In one way or another, you helped these women to die. That makes you a direct accessory,” Rapoles bellowed. The veins in his neck bulged, and for a moment, I thought he was going to have a heart attack. It was time to step in.
“Whether or not you knew it then, you know it now. We need to get in there, to help those girls. Women are dying in Miami, Dr. Sinclair. They’re dying in Vegas, and they’re dying in New Orleans. We need to take the Cartel down, and you’re the one that is going to have to help us do it,” I advised. The impact of her inaction rattled through her tense body, and she looked at me and nodded.
“Please. I can do anything. Anything,” she begged. Her cold façade shattered, and all that was left was a frightened woman, who wanted to pay penance for her sins.
“When do you go to the other locations?” I asked, gently.
“I leave for Vegas tonight. We just flew a few girls over there, and they refurbished the house with new equipment.”
“Good. I’ll be accompanying you.” The plan was coming together in my mind, and before I could utter another word, I heard a booming, “No.”
I turned my head toward the offending voice. “While I appreciate your opinion, Mr. Russo, your input is neither required, necessary, or wanted. In fact, you may vacate this room.” The ice in my voice would have frozen anyone else over. Noah, however, was so furious, that fire would have shot from his eyes.
“We’ll work out the plan and give you the details. But remember, Dr. Sinclair, we need to keep this quiet, from everyone.”
Dr. Sinclair nodded, looking overwhelmed with emotion and dread. She stood and followed her expensive looking attorney, who did nothing more than offer his unsolicited opinion about nothing. Once the door closed behind them, I snapped my head back around to Noah.
“You were out of line.”
“There’s no reason for you to go,” he growled.
“Mr. Russo, you have no jurisdiction. Your team is not in control here, we are. My team. So I’m going to tell you to be quiet and back the hell off, or you’re going to be escorted from the building. Do I make myself clear?” I warned, barely holding my fury back.
“Don’t push me, Princess,” he said with a sneer.
“You need to
leave. There’s no reason for you to be here. Don’t you have a wife to check on or something?” I snarled.
“He can stay, Agent Parker,” Rapoles said, his teeth clenched.
“Excuse me, sir?” I cocked my head, as if that could help me understand what a monumental jerk Noah was being. “So what? Our entire investigation, everything we’ve worked on, gets handed over to them?” I asked, aghast.
“No, this is a joint effort. You’ll be running the mission, but they’ll be right alongside you. So you have to work together.”
Chapter 20
Kate
“IT’S NO LONGER ONLY a Cartel matter. The Syndicate is just as involved, if not more so, than the Cartel.” Noah gave me a smug smile, and it was all I could do not to punch him in his beautiful teeth.
“You want to run that by me again? When were you going to tell me this?” I demanded from Rapoles. He didn’t look too happy about it either.
“I just found out about thirty minutes before the meeting. We have reason to believe that Sebastian and Elias Cruz are auctioning off women to members of the Syndicate organization,” Rapoles answered. He handed me a file, with a rash of evidence enclosed. Pictures. Text transcripts. Emails. And the smoking gun itself, a signed testimony by a Jane Doe.
“Where did you get this?” My eyes widened as I read through the reports.
“Courtesy of Triton’s Edge. We have a penetration inside the organization. She’s obviously not able to testify in person, but what she’s captured for us is a gold mine.” Noah crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. “And without us, you wouldn’t be able to get into their Ravenous location.”
“Do we have any evidence of auctions at the Baltimore location?” I questioned, still reading through the reports.
“Not yet. There’s nothing to say that they haven’t, but we don’t have any evidence of that.”
