“I didn’t have a choice. They paid all the bills and my wife’s receiving treatment in Switzerland,” Director Jackson informed her. “I’m sorry, Rebecca.”
Rebecca shook her head. Harrison appeared beyond saving by the way he stared at her. She predicted Jackson’s fate as soon as they finished with her.
“You know there are fates worse than death, Rebecca,” Harrison taunted. “Tell them what they want to know, and they’ll let you die swiftly.”
“You sicken me,” she spat.
“Take her to the vehicles. She’ll fetch a fair price at the auction. If she decides to tell my cousin Avie’s location, we’ll let her die.”
Harrison stepped forward and gripped her arm as Jackson jumped between them, shoving Harrison backward.
“We didn’t agree to this,” Jackson argued. “She can’t live. Rebecca knows too much. I never agreed to sell her to those animals.”
Harrison shoved him. “She won’t be in any condition to tattle on us.”
“No,” Jackson shoved him back, causing Harrison to lose his hold on her and she fell to the floor as a weapon fired. She jumped, thinking they shot her.
Jackson stumbled and her gaze went to his chest as dark red bloomed from his chest. He fell beside her, appearing shocked. Rebecca moved toward him and applied pressure. Her hands turned red as she urged him to hold on.
“Stay with me,” she encouraged. “Think of Trish and the girls.”
Jackson grabbed her hand and whispered something she didn’t understand. “Search for the Eagle,” he said, choking on his own blood.
Harrison pulled her away as she watched her mentor lay dying on the floor. Fighting for her life, she kicked and screamed. Rebecca didn’t want to die. Memories of her and Julio laughing, his tender touches, and the security of his arms, flashed in her head, reminding her of what she fought for. She refused to go quietly. The butt of a gun hit her on top of the head, making everything go black.
CHAPTER FIVE
Julio checked his phone again. Two days passed without a word from Rebecca. In their line of work, it meant nothing to go without hearing from someone if they worked on a case. Something felt different this time.
The first night went by slowly until Jameson called for backup. His teammate alerted him to an impromptu auction, where they saved over sixty trafficked people. His gut rolled in disgust at how the wealthy thought nothing of the barely starved people while they dined on champagne and caviar, inspecting the merchandise. He swiped at his jaw, ridding the haunting images in his mind of everyone they saved. Some appeared almost lifeless as they led them to vehicles, not showing any emotion about getting saved.
Even Jameson seemed different. Working in the underbelly of the organization, he saw way more than Julio. The mission seemed to get to him as Julio recalled their conversation.
“How did you know where they planned to hold the auction?” Julio asked.
“Caroline overheard the conversation,” Jameson responded.
“How much do you trust this woman? We came here on a hunch?” Julio growled. “You know better than this.”
“I’m telling you she’s solid. One of the bosses has taken a liking to her. I’ve managed to cause some interference and kept her from having to sleep with the scumbag,” Jameson explained.
“Stay on the plan. We can’t have you feeling sorry for these women. I know they didn’t ask for this, but we have to keep the bigger picture in mind. We can’t save one at the detriment of a hundred others,” Julio lectured.
“It’s all good in theory,” Jameson argued. “Until you have to watch these slimy assholes drag an innocent woman into a room and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Julio hung his head. “I get it, brother. I hope they all burn in hell.”
“Two men claimed they made a mistake and didn’t know about the auction. They planned to save the poor women. We caught one child molester and one high-profile figure. You might recognize him,” Jameson said, sliding his phone across the table at the diner.
Julio returned it. “Did he talk? How do they get invited?”
“He’s singing like a canary, hoping to keep his name out of the papers tomorrow morning,” Jameson said, pausing for the waitress to take his order and pour him a cup of coffee. When she left, he continued, “The invite comes by email. They have a 24-hour window to respond before the invitation is rescinded. You won’t get another chance until they hold the event in your region.” He took a map from his jacket and placed it on the table. “They’re divided into sections. The first pass includes all their premium merchandise, and the second tier follows. The last batch consists of damaged goods or returned products. You don’t even want to know the shape they’re in,” he said, shaking his head.
“Will you go with this group?” Julio asked.
“No. They switch employees to keep them from getting close to any of the merch. I’ll return this morning under the guise of an all-night bender. I may go dark, but I’ll reach out when it’s safe,” Jameson assured him.
“What about the woman? Will she be in danger if they learn of the arrests?” Julio asked, sipping from his cup.
