Page 38 of Echoes of Fear

He smiles sadly.

“She’s really okay?” he asks, not taking his eyes off the screen.

Turning the laptop back around, I type a message.

He’s right here and is worried about you.

I promise that I’m safe, big brother. I am almost ready to leave this evil place but not until I have as much information as possible about something that’s about to happen. I only need a few more days. And take care of my new friend. These Celtic coders know way too much about him. He’s in more danger than I am. I can’t wait to meet him in person. Gotta go. I’ll check back in later.

I read the message out loud and am rewarded with multiple concerned looks.

“What?” I ask, confused. “She said she’s fine. She only needs one more week, and then we can rescue her.”

“She said you were in danger,” Blaze growls.

“I don’t think you guys realize how many people have their eyes on me,” I admit. “I have a high clearance level to work for some pretty high-up government officials. Most of them are shady. Someone is always watching. But I’m watching my watchers, and they know it. Everyone has secrets that they don’t want exposed. Including all of you.”

I giggle when the room grows eerily quiet.

Yeah, everyone in this room has secrets, too. But I would never betray my family and friends.

“Anyway, Eddy wanted to move back to New York and told Emily that since she was family, she needed to be part of the family business. So, not knowing how freaking smart his new wife was, he had her trained by the coders that work for himto work online. Now, she sneaks the FBI pieces of information that she collects from the people around her.”

“While luring in innocent victims?” Ghost growls.

“She doesn’t have a choice, Prez,” I sigh. “She tried backing out when they wanted her to start dressing and acting like a teenage girl and gain online friendships with other teenagers. They beat her. They had children raped in front of her. And by “they,”I mean Eddy. Now, she tries her best to connect only with teenagers who have strong family connections with powerful people. Once she’s set up a time and place to meet, she shoots the information to her cop buddies, who handle the rest.”

“And she hasn’t been caught?” Hayes asks.

“Of course not,” I smile. “The only teens she sets up a meet time with are ones she knows won’t actually show up or are undercover cops. She’s freaking smart. Plus, she’s been hacking into the other workers’ systems while they work and stealing their information. She’s saved a lot of kids since she’s been there.”

I pause, giving myself a moment before I reveal this next bit.

“However,” I start. “Lately, there have been cases where she couldn’t save them. The last three times, actually. And she’s terrified that this little boy that Eddy wants will be number four. He’s an orphan living in foster care and doesn’t have a single person alive who cares about him. He’s only nine, and Em says that he’s extremely depressed. She’s been having chats with him using the chat feature of a popular mobile game. If she’s ordered to set up a meet and greet with this boy, she’s afraid he’ll agree and her FBI guys won’t get to him in time.”

“What’s changed?” Taylor asks. “If she was able to save them before, why can’t she now?”

“McCarthy knows someone is feeding info to the police,” I explain. “They don’t know who, so they’ve changed their tactics. Emily and the few others who do what she does only gain the trust of the victims now. Eddy is the one who takes over once that trust is made, pretending to be the one behind the screen. He sets up the time and place to meet, and Emily doesn’t find out until after the child is taken.”

“What can we do to help?” Steel asks.

“We wait,” I admit. “There’s an auction happening in a few days. The entire Celtic Cartel is required to be there to work. Emily has already sent over everything she knows to the FBI. They want her to stay longer, but she’s pulling herself out once this bust goes down.”

“Do you know where?”

“You’re just going to be in the way, Hayes,” I sigh. “As soon as she’s out of their grasp, she’ll let us know, and then you guys can bring her back home.”

“So, we wait?” Taylor asks.

“We wait,” I smile. “She’s about to be the sole reason an entire freaking cartel gets taken down. It’s not just the kids. They’re also trafficking adults, drugs, and weapons. They’re responsible for countless murders and bomb threats. And don’t even get me started on their coders. They’re the ones responsible for making any trace of the Cartel’s crimes disappear. That’s why it was so hard to find Emily. Your sister is about to become a freaking hero.”

Tension is still palpable throughout the room, but Taylor’s eyes are overflowing with pride. As it should be. Emily will be remembered for a long time because of the sacrifices she’s made to take this evil group down.

I can’t wait to meet her.

Chapter Eight

Knox

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