Flagler cocked his head. “We get the job done.”
“Some days. But I didn’t ask you here to discuss my exit from the FBI or to try to recruit you to the Aegis Network—though, you’d be welcome.”
“Alright. Why am I here?”
“I want to know about Jane Doe. About the case. And I want to know if you’re looking into connections to Simon.”
“Well now, that’s a mouthful.” Sterling reached for his water and took a few gulps.
Juniper appeared again. Buddy always found it fascinating how she picked specific tables to wait on. She was the owner. She didn’t have to, but she always seemed to wait on the perceived important people of Calusa Cove.
“Can I get you boys, a drink? Something to eat?”
“Just coffee for me,” Buddy said. “Oat milk, please.”
“Coffee for me as well, black.” Sterling flashed his million-dollar grin.
“I’ll have the same.” Flagler leaned forward, resting his hands on the table. He waited a few seconds after Juniper left and then said, “I shouldn’t tell you anything. But I will—on one condition.”
“What’s that?” Sterling asked.
“I need you to keep me in the loop on anything you find, because I know you're not gonna let this rest. And I’ll do the same. We work together, or I work alone. Deal?”
Buddy nodded. “We can live with that.”
“First, I’ll agree there are too many similarities to Operation Blue Eden to ignore. But you know how the Bureau works. Fucking slow. Not to mention, you made so many damn arrests and shut down one of the biggest pipelines of human trafficking they’d ever seen.”
“Are you saying they won’t even consider Simon’s setting something up from prison. That he’s still got people on the outside?” Buddy asked.
“Not yet. But I’ve filed the paperwork to talk to him.”
Buddy swore under his breath. He hated all the red tape.
“You should know, the girl’s finally awake. Came too early this morning. Seven days of being either unconscious or sedated. She woke up screaming. Tried to yank out her IVs. Kicked and thrashed at the nurses. But they were able to calm her down.” Flager stared at his water with a distance in his eyes that Buddy recognized. It was that emotional detachment that was required to do the job. The one that Buddy never wanted to have again. She gave us a name when she finally calmed down. Tannette Runon.”
“I’m glad she’s awake.” Buddy leaned back. “What did you find out about her when you ran her name through the database?” Buddy asked.
“Absolutely nothing,” Flagler said. “No state record. No federal. Nothing with HHS or DHS. She has a bit of an accent, but it’s not thick. I’m leaning Vietnamese—maybe Khmer. Could be Thai. She’s terrified. Won’t look men in the eye. Anyone in a uniform, or with a badge and gun, makes her shake like a building’s about to collapse on her.”
“What about bringing Chloe in?” Buddy said. “No badge. No gun. No uniform. Just a nice woman with a friendly face.”
“Did that two hours ago. She’s the one who got her name.” Flagler finally lifted his gaze. “Chloe thought she could be undocumented.”
Sterling tapped his fingers on the table, something he did when he was thinking, and it drove Buddy up the wall. “Do you believe she was trafficked into this country? Because the pipeline Buddy shut down was internally run, or girls were shipped overseas. While Simon did have a flow coming in, it wasn’t his main business.”
“But it happened. And while Simon did work mostly inside the US, I’ve worked a case where hundreds of kids were brought in to work our version of sweatshops—rich white dudes who want a young foreign girl. Nothing shocks me anymore,” Flagler said. “We’re running foreign queries. It’ll take time.”
Juniper stepped to the edge of the table with a tray. She placed their coffees in front of them and slid a basket of fries onto the table like a peace offering. “You boys look like you could use some think tank food.”
“Thanks,” Buddy said. His phone vibrated against his pocket. He pulled it out and stared at the screen.
Unknown number. No preview.
He opened it.
If you want to save Fallon, you’d better hurry. He’s out there again, and he wants her.
The blood ran cold as the words sliced clean through him.
