As we drift off again, Bram’s cell phone goes off.
He pinches his brows together. “That’s Charlie’s ring,” he says, checking the screen.
Nosy, I look over his shoulder.
Charlie:Emergency situation. Please come back to the ranch.
“Should I go with you?” I ask, kissing his shoulder. He shakes his head. “This probably has to do with a new guest.”
“Ugh, stupid needy people. I want to be the needy one,” I fake-complain, sending him a pout.
Growling, he takes me in one of his all-consuming kisses.
“Ignacio. This is work. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Okay, Dr. Barlowe,” I tease back. “I’ll be here waiting for you.”
16
BRAM
The trip back to the ranch takes mere minutes, and Levy is on the front porch waiting for me.
“Where have you been?”
I take a deep breath, not wanting to lie to my brother. Thankfully, Charlie and Erik roll up in their truck, cutting short his question.
“I’ll…tell you later.”
His jaw tics, his eyes suspicious. “Yes, you will. We don’t keep secrets from each other.”
I send him a quick nod and grab the kit from my room before running back out to Charlie’s truck.
“What’s going on?” Levy asks as we climb in the back of the cab. “Another missing kid?”
Charlie shakes his head. “You wanted in on the missions? Well, buckle up. Anders’ team out of Wimberley just ran cleanup on a massive domestic trafficking ring in Minneapolis. They were bringing a bunch of people from Guatemala up through the Mexican border, but the Wimberley crew was able to trace the communication that warned the drivers.”
“So what are we doing?”
“One of the trucks that got the message is, according to its GPS location, stopped just south of San Antonio and is awaiting further instructions. If we go now, we only have the driver to deal with, and we can get the people out of there.”
I hesitate. “Are we sure these people want to be rescued? We’re sure they’re not just coming up here for work?”
Erik shakes his head. “This isn’t a coyote situation where they’re being ferried to places of employment. They were lied to. They didn’t realize they were effectively being sold into slavery.”
Charlie continues, “And even though these assholes brand themselves as domestic traffickers, if any of those people are young and pretty, it becomes something else real quick.”
“My cousin and his team would run point for us, but they’re still cleaning up the mess in Minneapolis,” Erik says, answering my next question.
Charlie adds, “Remember, you don’t have to come with us. This is definitely more dangerous than what you saw with the search-and-rescue team.”
Levy speaks for both of us. “We’re in.”
I nod in agreement.
We pack up and are heading out when Charlie gets a call, which he puts on speakerphone.
“Go for Charlie.”
