Nikolai just stood there, staring at him in silence. Reid could only imagine what sort of questions were running through his head.
“You know what it’s like, Niko. You and I were the lucky ones. We had it better than the rest. If we hadn’t been so good-looking, we would have been living with the others in that broken-down slum of a neighborhood, turning four or five tricks a night.”
Niko glanced away as if ashamed and nodded.
“When I ran into you in LA, I had just broken into one of the offices of this criminal organization we're investigating and stolen one of their laptops. Their men ended up catching me in the act, so I ran. I’ve been hiding out in Baton while Simon and the team are working to figure out who is behind this group and where they are running their operation.”
Niko’s jaw tightened. “I’m ashamed to say that when I first came to America, I didn’t realize what Mikhail was really doing.”
“And most victims don’t realize until they’re in too deep. That’s how these human and sex traffickers operate. They become your friend to earn your trust; some even start a relationship with the victim to speed up the process and establish a connection. Once they have your trust, they ask you to do them a favor, then to help them out with a small, important problem. Before you know it, they’re dropping you off at a motel, and you’re entertaining tricks for them all weekend.
“Traffickers have gotten smarter. They target the weak and those without strong support systems. So, Simon and I do what we can to help.”
“Wow, I think what you are doing is amazing. How can I help? Need me to bust in some doors? Bash in some skulls? I can get the boys at home to come and?—”
Reid raised a hand to silence him.
“Thanks for the offer, but right now, Simon was just about to tell me what he found so far. Let’s go inside and see what he’s got.”
Niko nodded, flexing his shoulders as if getting ready for battle. Being a member of the Shadow Vipers really upped the boner factor when it came to hot and sinful men.
Adjusting the semi he was getting in his jeans, Reid turned and escorted them back inside and slid into the bench across from a confused Simon.
“Simon, this is Niko. Niko, this is my partner, Simon,” Reid introduced.
Eyebrows arched, Simon leaned forward and extended his hand.
“You must be the best friend Reid has been gushing about all these years. To be honest, I was pretty sure that you were make-believe. Either that, or a fucking Norse god or something.”
Nikolai chuckled, extending his hand across the table and giving the man a bone-crushing handshake.
“Norse god?” Niko asked, stealing a glance over at Reid. “I kind of like that.”
Reid slapped his chest. “Don’t get full of yourself. Simon has a head injury as well,” he added, turning back to his partner. “So, what did you find?”
Simon pulled out the stolen laptop and began running through some of the information they had found.
They’d been able to identify three addresses that kept recurring in emails and invoices: one in LA, one in New York, and one right here in Arizona.
Reid raised his head. “There’s one right here. In Arizona?”
Simon nodded. “Why do you think I asked you to meet me here?” Simon said, giving him a shit-eating grin.
“And, did you look up the address?”
“According to the internet, it’s a big farm that grows vegetables and such. Wanna check it out?” Simon asked, looking at both Reid and Niko.
The wicked grin that spread across Simon’s face was almost comical. The man was a former police officer, so any time he got to go undercover or investigate, he was in his element.
Simon quit the police force when it became too dangerous for him to do his job. He’d just gotten married, and he and his wife were trying to have a baby.
Lucky for Reid, that’s when he joined the organization.
Using Simon’s investigative skills had helped them crack so many cases. Simon got to do what he enjoyed doing—investigating and saving people—while not having to worry about whether he’d be coming home at the end of his shift.
Yes, there was still a small amount of danger, but nothing compared to what Simon used to face daily while working as a cop in LA.
Reid signed for the bill, then they headed down to the farm mentioned in the files. They weren’t sure what the connection was yet between LA, New York, and now Arizona.
