Page 2 of Kept By The Agents

I was lucky I'd been chasing down a story when the men had come to my apartment. Otherwise, they'd have found me sleeping. Thinking about being in such a vulnerable position while my apartment was broken into made me shiver. I was used to sleeping during the daytime. The people I spoke to for tips and information tended to be active at night. Most criminals were.

The taxi pulled over and I rushed up, not wanting to stay on the street any longer than necessary. Not if they were watching me. The USB was in a secret pocket inside my coat. It would stay on my person as much as possible until all this was put to bed. It was my insurance if I was caught. And a good portion of my proof for later, if I decided to write this story. If I made it through, this would be the highlight of my career. That wasn't really the reason I was doing all this though. Going after a Russian crime organization for a story—for money—was just stupid. And I wasn't stupid.

But if it all worked out, and I managed not to die, then maybe it might be worth something in the aftermath. "The airport, please," I said as I got into the taxi. Before I could stop myself I began wondering how long Suave would call before he finally gave up and faded out of my life once more?

CHAPTER 2

Catalina

Looking around, I ducked into a back alley as I followed my intended target. Denis Avilov had managed to give me the slip the last time I'd tracked him down and I was determined not to let it happen again.

If you wanted to make it as a conflict journalist you had to be as tenacious as a dog with a bone. That was me to a 'T'. I traveled all over the world for my job and exposed crimes and corruption wherever I found them. It was dangerous, yet it thrilled me to the bone. Not only did I get to expose corrupt monsters and help people, but I got to live my life fully. There was a time in the not so distant past I thought my life was over. I'd been devastated by the one man who promised me forever. His forever was a bit short lived.

Now I did everything for myself. I counted on myself. Sure, it could get a little lonely, but I'd long since given up on finding a man who could understand and accept the need I had to seek out justice for those who couldn't find it for themselves. Quitting my job and settling down into a regular nine to five would be worse than death for me.

I crept along the brick wall, making sure I wasn't seen. My sneakers made soft padding noises as I went, but nothing my target would be able to hear.

Denis was barreling ahead through the darkness like a bull in a china shop. If Alyona was correct—and she always was—he was late…and in deep shit. It'd taken us three weeks to learn about this meeting. We didn't have time to spare if it didn't go to plan. Elena didn't have the time.

Excitement zipped up my spine as I followed along. He was my ticket. I was about to bust the biggest sex trafficking ring in Russia. Hopefully. This operation was just the first step. This meeting tonight might tell me where I could find the woman I was looking for. It would also give me faces, and from there, names, of all the major players. According to the information Alyona had gotten, there were buyers from all over the world meeting tonight.

If this really was as big of a deal as Alyona heard it was, I might have a shot at finding her niece. She'd been missing for far too long and her family was beginning to lose hope.

Alyona and her sister had been searching for Elena for over five months and had been unable to find her. When she told me over the phone that she needed my help, but that it was too dangerous to explain over the phone, I'd gotten on the first plane. I didn't even think about it. All through my childhood, Alyona was there. She was an unofficial aunt to me and I loved her. When I'd gotten here and met with Alyona and her family, I hadn't been able to turn them down. The anguish in their eyes was unmistakable.

Alyona had a knack for sniffing out dirt and it was finally about to pay off. I hoped. If this worked, I'd be able to take what I found to the authorities—someone beyond the reach of the Raleka's influence—and rain down vengeance on these assholes. They deserved every bad thing that was about to happen to them for stealing unwilling, terrified women away from their families and forcing them into this life.

Once I found Elena and delivered her back to the loving arms of her parents, I would set in motion the events that would see these criminals imprisoned. My heart raced with excitement and a little fear. I was doing this for one reason. To help the innocents in all of this.

Alyona, Ferra, and Lev had been searching for Elena, doing everything they could, but with every day that passed we were in more danger of never seeing her again. Already too much time had gone by. When I asked Alyona why she'd come to me, she said she needed someone who could look into this, but wasn't law enforcement. It wasn't surprising they didn't trust the police here. They were all so corrupt it was laughable.

I'd told her honestly that I wasn't sure I would be able to help. I'd do everything I could, of course, but I was just a journalist. She'd taken my hand and thanked me profusely. We made a pact not to tell my parents about this. As much as they loved Alyona, if they knew she was putting me, and herself, in danger with this, they'd be pissed.

I paused a beat as Denis hurried around a corner. The alleyway was getting progressively more scummy as we went. Unease was there, somewhere beneath the excitement and eagerness, but I ignored it. Counting in my head, I gave him until ten before I rushed after him.

My gasp was loud in the inky black alley—the moon's wavering light didn't illuminate much—as I slammed into someone.

Shit!

"I don't think you understand just how much trouble you're in, Cat."

Everything around me narrowed down into one small frame of reference as I squinted in the dark. It couldn't be. My heart was beating so hard in my ears it was all I could hear. The cloud passing over the sliver of moon in the sky kept the man in front of me nothing but a shadow.

No way, not now. It wasn't possible that I'd run into him halfway across the world. When three weeks had gone by after calling him, I thought I was in the clear. I should have known better. My run of bad luck when it came to Darro 'Suave' McDugen wasn't getting any better. He murmured something again, breaking through the shock that held me immobile. It had been ten long years since I'd last seen him and despite what he'd done to me, I still loved this man.

I'd known it was a possibility that I'd run into some kind of US Government agencies out here. This organization had been drawing interest for years now, according to Alyona. But I hadn't expected for my ex to be skulking in the same alley as me. My call to him couldn't possibly have started all this, right?

Shaking my head, I rejected that thought. He knew nothing about me anymore. Just because I called—and then hung up on him—couldn't have prompted him to come find me. There was no way.

"Suave, you asshole!" I hissed, finally breaking out of the memories hearing his voice had brought back. "What are you doing here?" There was no way I'd ever forget that voice, or the man it was attached to. He was branded on my soul and no matter how much I tried to leave him behind, he was always there with me. Metaphorically. Except now, literally.

His huge hands were wrapped around my waist, steadying me after I'd plowed into him, and heat pulsed down to my core. He'd always managed to garner a reaction from me, even when I promised myself I'd never think about him again. This wasn't the first time Suave had screwed me over. It was the reason I decided not to ask him for help in the first place.

"Language, Catalina," a new voice told me.

The darkness concealed the newcomer and I squinted, trying to see who it was. "Who the hell is that?" I asked Suave. And how did he know my name?

"She's got a filthy mouth. I might have to fix that," the new man commented.

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