Page 117 of Fatal Betrayal

Her eyes watered. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Well, get used to it, because there's more where that came from."

"You're amazing, too, Cooper," she said. "You're insightful, calm, smart, and talk about brave—you risked your life for me tonight. I don't know why you did that. I don't know why you didn't leave me there. At the beginning of this week, I was your mortal enemy."

"And now you're the woman I've fallen in love with." He looked deep into her eyes. "I love you, Andi. I should have said that before I pulled the wire. Because it would have sucked if you'd never heard me say the words. I just didn't want you to think I was telling you I loved you because you'd said it first. Stupid."

She slid across the tub and framed his face with her hands. "Don't call the man I love stupid. I won't stand for it."

He smiled. "Then don't call the woman I love bossy."

"I love how you know me, Cooper. No one has ever known me the way you do."

"No one has ever known me the way you do, Andi. I think I fell for you when I was eight years old—the first day we met. You were digging for worms, and I had never met a girl who wasn't afraid of a worm."

"And I had never met anyone who wanted to make all my crazy ideas come to life. When things were hard, I escaped to you. You made me feel safe and heard and cared for. You were there for me when I needed you."

"Until I wasn't."

"Until I wasn't," she countered. "Which brings me back to the same question I asked you a few minutes ago. Can we move forward without feeling the pain we caused each other? I'm afraid we're living in euphoria right now. We're grateful to be alive. Will the hurt come back when the euphoria is gone?"

"Not for me," he said with certainty. "I don't want to look back anymore, not unless it's to remember something good. I don't need the past, I need the future, and I need it to be with you. You're the reason no one else has ever been good enough. It was always you, Andi."

She leaned in and gave him a long, loving kiss. "That was the perfect answer. I need you, too, Cooper." She took a breath, giving him a wicked smile. "So, can I be bossy again?"

"Am I going to like it?"

"Oh, you're definitely going to like it." She slid onto his lap and gazed into his eyes. "I want us to be as close as we can possibly get."

"I can make that happen." He wrapped his arms around her, knowing that he was never going to let her go.

* * *

Andi woke up Friday morning in Cooper's arms, feeling refreshed and happy, ready for the future. But before she could fully move on, she needed to answer some of the lingering questions in her mind.

After coffee and a quick breakfast on the deck, which had an amazing view of the ocean, she and Cooper headed down to the LA field office.

Flynn and Damon met them in a conference room to give them an update. Although Damon didn't look too thrilled with Cooper's presence, he said he could stay, but some details would be discussed outside of his presence.

"Let's start with the basics," she said. "Who did you bring in last night? And do we know exactly who was running the operation? Was it Kim Lassiter?"

"There were three primaries," Flynn answered. "Kim Lassiter's travel agency was used to transport the pregnant women into the country. The realty company started by her husband, Steve, then taken over by her son, Will, used the staging warehouse to house the pregnant girls. They had plenty of beds and other items of furniture, and the location was private. Two nurse midwives took care of the women and the babies. Once the women gave birth, the babies were sold through Sergio Molina's adoption agency. The women were paid a flat fee. Some returned to their native countries. Others stayed and worked at the store."

"Kim said that her son TJ was not involved," Andi put in. "Is that true?"

"According to everyone we spoke to, TJ was not in on it. Apparently, they didn't think he could keep a secret," Flynn replied. "But we brought him and his girlfriend in this morning, and we'll be interviewing them extensively in the next few days."

She nodded. "Who else have you been talking to?"

"As I mentioned, there were three primaries. The second was Sergio Molina, who is Kim Lassiter's brother-in-law, by the way. He's married to Kim's sister, Joan."

"I didn't even know she had a sister," Cooper muttered.

"Neither did I," she said. "What does Joan do?"

"She works at an investment company that is a front for the money they were laundering," Damon interjected. "Joan and Kim both have roots in Eastern Europe. Their mother was from Poland, and their aunt was a midwife in Belarus when this started. She became the funnel from Europe to the US. We have our allies in Europe working to bring down that part of the operation."

"What about the baby boutique?" Cooper asked. "What's the tie-in there?"

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