“Ivan’s men have eyes on them. They won’t go anywhere without our knowing,” Matthew reported as he glanced at his phone.
“I keep asking myself why they didn’t leave Georgia? It’s too risky to stay there after we raided the place, not to mention a dead body,” Julio said, piecing together the facts.
“Jameson said they’re hellbent on finding Rebecca. Why do they want her this badly? Don’t get me wrong, she’s beautiful, but it seems like they took special care to keep her hidden.”
“No. They let men touch her,” Julio ground out. “They didn’t sell her.”
“Maybe the ring felt she knew too much,” Matthew suggested.
“Then, why not kill her? This must connect with Avie and Deni’s location. Rebecca insisted on keeping her whereabouts secret,” Julio questioned as he turned toward the private airfield.
They parked the truck and loaded their bags, not trusting anyone who didn’t belong on the team to do it. Matthew greeted the pilot as Julio cleared the plane. The two men buckled up, and within moments, the plane took off.
Matthew removed the map as they retraced the routes they suspected the ring used. Julio’s phone rang, and he motioned to Matthew as he noticed it came from an unknown number.
“Julio Garcia,” he answered under his assumed name.
“Hello, Mr. Garcia, I’m Henry Baskins. Mr. Garfield has asked me to extend an invitation to you. We have some new merchandise, never seen before. He thought you might enjoy it and asked me to extend his apologies for the recent affair.”
“When will it take place? I’m a busy man, Mr. Baskins. This last-minute crap doesn’t endear me to Mr. Garfield’s business. Where’s Gerard?”
“I’m afraid he bowed out of this one. We’ll be holding it in Raleigh, North Carolina, the day after tomorrow,” the man informed him.
Julio glanced at Matthew, who took out his phone, frantically typing.
“I’ll see if I can arrange it. What time does the party start?” he asked, feeling completely out of control. Jameson never gave him incorrect information. Did they discover his identity?
“It will begin at ten in the evening. Mr. Garfield requires a half-million-dollar deposit into his account by noon tomorrow. Of course, he will waive your fee for getting an early viewing.”
“Will I get first choice?” he asked, shaking his head.
“Yes. Your fee includes the first viewing and first choice. You’ll have one option to outbid the highest bidder before the evening concludes,” Mr. Baskins said, waiting for Julio’s response.
His gut told him to abort the mission, but there was too much at stake.
“Tell Mr. Garfield I’ll be there,” he said. “What hotel do I need to book?”
“I’ll text you the details after your deposit,” the man assured him, as if selling humans seemed no different from buying a pair of shoes.
“Fine. I look forward to the evening’s entertainment,” he said before disconnecting the call.
“Shit, why didn’t Jameson call?” Matthew said, while scrambling to notify Ivan’s team and reach their partner. “He’s not answering.”
“Crap, call Leo, we may need backup,” Julio said, as his mind raced with concern for Jameson and the newest victims.
“They’re already enroute. Ivan noticed they split up and contacted him. He doesn’t have enough men to cover both groups. Ivan hasn’t seen Jameson in the last two hours,” Matthew reported.
When the plane landed, the two men grabbed their bags and loaded everything into the awaiting car. Matthew drove this time while Julio checked the routes again.
He dialed Leo’s phone. “Reroute the plane. They’re staying in Georgia and trying to throw us off the scent. Let Ivan’s men continue on the path headed to Boston. Raleigh’s a stopover. If I’m guessing correctly, they plan to pick up another shipment and notify me of the sudden change at the last possible moment. No one will think to keep an eye on them there.”
“Where are you and Matthew?” Leo asked.
“We landed in Georgia. I’ll set up at the safe house and Matthew will set up my fake flight to Raleigh. Then, we wait,” Julio responded, hoping he guessed correctly. Running his hands through his hair, he glanced over at Matthew.
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re right,” Matthew supported him. “It’s the only thing to make sense.”
Parking at their secure location, Matthew entered first and they cleared each room. No one visited the house in months, but standard protocol called for a complete sweep and Matthew always checked for bugs and hidden cameras. When they finished, Matthew set up the flight plan for Julio’s supposed flight to North Carolina. He made reservations under Julio’s alias at the most expensive hotel in the city. The rest boiled down to a waiting game.
