“James—”
“Enough!”Jer roared, his voice echoing across the empty lot.
I jumped in my baseball player’s arms, my eyes going wide as I stared at my friend. He was fuming as he looked between all of us before focusing on James, his jaw hard.
“I want Casey.”
“Excuse me?” James asked, raising a brow as a frown formed on his lips.
“I didn’t fucking stutter. Gomez comes with me.”
James stared for a moment. “No, she is needed in the field office. I have a team ready for you—”
Jer crossed his arms. “Fuck your team. She comes with me.”
I twisted my neck to look up at Dean. A small smirk was forming on his lips, his blonde hair brushing against my cheek as his hazel eyes bounced back and forth between the two men.
“What am I missing?” I whispered as the two men argued.
Those hazel eyes met mine, a sparkle of mischief in them. “JerwantsCasey.”
“How did I miss that and you didn’t?” I hissed quietly through clenched teeth.
“I am just that fucking good, baby girl.” He winked down at me. and I glared at him for a moment before looking back at the two men.
Jeremy and Casey?
My heart fluttered. Maybe love would conquer him before he destroyed his sister’s…
Thirty minutes later, James, Dean, five other agents, and I were headed to the docks. Jeremy was in the air, heading back to St. Louis where he would meet Casey.
Dean and I shared a look as James phoned the tech girl and excused himself to discuss something with her in the back of the cabin.
Eyes.
Hundreds of eyes stared back at me as I looked into the container, the metal groaning as Dean and James pulled the doors open all the way. Ripping my protective helmet off, my hair fell down around me. There were only two men guarding the large, rusted shipping container. It seemed almost too easy.
Dean shot one in the chest; the other was handcuffed in the back of the truck, ready to be transported back for questioning. When we approached the doors, James told the men to stay out of sight before turning to me. He thought it would be best if a woman greeted the victims first, so they would feel safer.
I agreed.
These girls had seen enough of grown men and guns. The light from the dock stretched across the dark space. It was cold in here, despite the number of people, a deathly chill lingered in the air.
They were so…
Dirty.
They were impossibly dirty…andnude.
Rage filled me, but I tried to swallow it down, along with bile in my throat. This was evil in its purest form, and it sickened me. They didn’t need to see me like this. No, these women needed a kind face and gentle voice.
“James,” I said softly, twisting my neck as he peeked his head around the corner.
“We are going to need clothes and blankets,” I breathed, wiping away a tear before any of them saw it.
His jaw hardened. That was the only sign of emotion he gave me. “I have my guys scouting the perimeter. Local PD and ambulances are on their way. I will make sure they have everything they need,” he stated, his voice gruff.
I looked back at the women, curled up in fear, before I looked at my friend once more. “James?”
