Page 53 of Protecting Christina

I need you beside me.

Nothing felt right unless she was in my arms. I didn’t know when, but I would tell all this to Christina when she was ready to hear it.

***

I found the police chief in his office the next day. He was shouting at a couple of officers just as I was about to knock on his door.

While Jake had a contentious relationship with the police, I’d never had a problem before. However, the chief’s red face and clenched fists didn’t bode well for my upcoming conversation.

“Did we have a meeting set up this morning, Nash?” he asked after the two officers walked out with their heads down.

“No, sir. But the matter is urgent.”

“I’m the chief of police, Nash. Everything I deal with is life or death. If we don’t have an appointment, then you’ll have to make one.”

I sat down in a chair in front of his desk anyway. “You need to hear me out. I’ve discovered a human trafficking ring involving three women and there could be more in other houses.”

The chief stopped rifling through papers and turned to me. He knew my history and knew I wouldn’t be making this up. But he still had to ask. “How did you come about this information?”

“I spoke with one of the women myself. I smuggled a phone into the house and have a line to her now. My brothers and I are going in today.”

“Today?” He shook his head. “That’s not possible. If this is human trafficking, we have to get Homeland Security involved, and that could take weeks, maybe longer.”

I crossed my arms and stared at the chief. “I’m not waiting that long. I promised the woman I would get her out and I’m doing that today.”

“My hands are tied, Nash.”

“Well, mine aren’t.”

“You do not have jurisdiction to go in there. It would be unlawful entry and you would be headed to jail.”

“You would arrest me for saving three women.”

“I would have to arrest you if you broke the law to do it.”

I rubbed my face with my hands. “This is insane. Three women are being held hostage in that house and performing acts they no longer wish to perform, and all you can think of is arresting me for busting down a door.”

“I’m warning you that it’s not as simple as you make it out to be.”

“That’s the problem. It really is that simple, but sometimes we just make things harder than they need to be.”

Thinking quickly, I came up with a plan. “Give me two officers today.”

“For what?”

“To perform a wellness check on the women. If we see anything that looks illegal, the officers can respond right away.”

“You have to do this by the book, Nash. None of that hero bullshit.”

“We’ll do it by the book.”

“All right. You’ll get two officers, but that’s it. Don’t try to get those women out unlawfully or I’ll instruct those officers to arrest you, too.”

“I understand.”

I wasn’t worried about going to jail. I was willing to do whatever was necessary to get Donna and the other two women out of Simon’s house.

“Tell your officers to meet me here in an hour.” I wrote down Simon’s address on a notepad I found on the chief’s desk.

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