Elijah
I had explained to my mother as much as I could about the girl who would be staying in my home. I’m sure she didn’t entirely believe me, but didn’t push. Of course, I had to make her promise to not let slip in any way that I was working undercover. I knew my parents would be safe, since Galvin wouldn’t be able to tie anyone to me from the documents I’d forged. Having friends in low places was always a bonus—even if it was against FBIprotocol.
I had to do what had to be done if my boss wanted this ring of felons to be broughtdown.
Dawn Ellis’ father had been good friends with my parents until his death seven years ago. Dawn and her parents had been to my parents’ home many times before they’d moved, shortly before the death of Quentin, herfather.
Dawn used to look up to me. Now, she had no one to look to for help exceptme.
I hated the idea of leaving her alone, so I gladly let my mom keep an eye on her for a few hours after she insisted on helping. I knew the poor girl was confused, and being so sick on top of it didn't helpmatters.
Once at the office, I briefly explained to Zack and Kaleb, my bosses, about my findings, along with giving them the papers I’d had my father put together as her tending physician. The fewer people who knew about what was going down, the better. I knew there was at least one leak in this office, and I didn’t want word to get out more thannecessary.
We sat in one of the smaller conference rooms. The three of us sat around the table as I told the full story of how I’d come across Dawn. It was difficult to keep my tone even as I described what I’d found sofar.
I was surprised by what I’d found when I’d searched for her in the database. The girl had been kidnapped from her home while her mother worked the night shift. It was Dawn’s fourteenth birthday—one that would never be forgotten. The house was a disaster, showing signs of astruggle.
There were no leads to who had taken her, or where she could possibly be. Knowing where I found her, I could only imagine what kind of abuse she’d suffered through. She’d been missing without a trace for over fiveyears.
I read through the interviews of her mother, mother’s boyfriend, and the neighbors, but no one knew anything about what had happened. They each had clear alibis, and no one was considered asuspect.
She was the main reason I’d trained to be an FBI agent. Since I’d graduated high school a year early and then college in three years, I was one of the youngest ever to enter Quantico. I wanted to make a difference to the young children and women who went missing every day with no leads, nosuspects.
I was good at what I did, and everyone around me knew it,too.
“I think you should be taken off this case,” Kaleb said, looking at me with his gray eyes. His look sometimes unnerved even me. It wasn’t like he could read my thoughts, but it sure felt like it more than once. “I’ll move you to a safe house and take Dawn into another one across thecountry.”
“Absolutely not,” I stated, anger boiling at just the thought. “I can’t just leave, or they’ll know something’s up. You know that as well as anyone else. Plus, she’s too sick to goanywhere.”
“But you know her,” Kaleb glared at me. I wasn’t going to back down. I had to stay. It didn’t matter that I knew her, or that she was not the same girl I had once known. She was still a part of me—part of thiscase.
“I’ll be fine. I’m not backing down on this case. I’ve worked way too much on it for you to just drop me off like trash,” I seethed. “I’ve spent the last year gaining my spot inside this ring, Kaleb! I can’t just let it pass on by without me, now that I’m in thisdeep.”
“Fine. But if your emotions get involved, you will be shipped out, got it?” Kaleb didn’t remove his eyes frommine.
“Yes, Sir,” I said. I hated how he could bring me, a Dom, down into a submissiveplace.
