Page 47 of His Reluctant Savior

“I’m keeping my digital eyes on everything, but it’s risky for me, too. I’m bouncing globally using proxy servers and VPNs. My data is encrypted, but if I can find them, there are always people who can find me, so I can’t stay on long. If the DOJ is involved, they could utilize the NSA. And iftheycatch me sniffing around, we’re all fucked.”

Sid took a sip of his coffee before sitting back down on the bed with me. “That’s rather pessimistic of you. You’re one of the best, Veil.”

The man scoffed on the other end. “I’m also not a fucking idiot.”

Sid rubbed my back, which was strangely sweet and domestic of him. “They won’t get the NSA involved. The NSA would learn of what went down. These men are powerful, but I doubt they’re powerful enough to buy off the entire National Security Agency.”

“Do you have any more information on this party where the girl died?” I asked Veil.

“Nope. All is silent. But if I had to guess? This was a party to meet the sexual needs of powerful men, which involved young girls and boys who’d been trafficked. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last, nor is it as uncommon as you think. The fucking rich are weird as hell, man. They do some real fucked up shit because they believe they’re impervious and can do whatever the hell they want. The stories I’ve discovered in the past will haveyou questioning the goodness of humanity, and this comes from someone who generally doesn’t give a fuck.”

I sighed, grateful for more information, but disappointed that we didn’t have more details about that party. If it was some trafficking ring, we needed to put a stop to it, on top of everything else. But if you took one down, another would just crop up. It was just too lucrative. Even worse, Evelyn was dead. Jesus.

“Anyway, the list of those involved is on its way. I may not know about the party, but between Speaker Jonathan Rush, Deputy Chief Wesley Mardsen, and Congressman Henry Fine, we can speculate judging by their close friends, which involve some very wealthy men who probably not only helped make their careers, but helped make all this happen in the first place, so they’re probably involved, too. It’ll take more digging on my end.”

Sid tipped back his coffee mug and finished his drink. “Thanks for all this, Veil.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I said. “Sid owes you andIowe you. If and when I get back to the FBI, I’ll do you a solid.”

Veil chuckled. “NowthatI’ll take.”

I’d never done anything criminal in my life, but at that point, I was desperate. Veil was risking his life for me, someone he didn’t know or trust. It was the least I could do.

“Anyway, if I see any other hits coming up, I’ll ping you,” Veil said. “Oh, by the way, the bodies at your place were gone by the time my team got there, but the place is clean.”

After we hung up, Sid sat next to me and pulled me against him. He sure was touchy this morning, which was a surprise.

“I’m sorry about your friend.”

“Thanks. Me, too. This just proves that I have to fix this. I have to do it not only for me but for her. She saved my life, Sid.”

“She also put it at risk by sending you that video.”

“Evelyn did the right thing by sending it to me. Yes, it put Owen and me at risk, but she understood that if anyone would push this to get out and get those men behind bars, it was me.”

Sid stood, dug into his bag, and pulled out a T-shirt, tossing it over his head and tugging on a pair of jeans. I also got dressed, still naked from last night. My ass was sore as hell, but I couldn’t focus on that. It had been amazing connecting with Sid, but we needed to focus on what was important. It was time to get down to business. I couldn’t risk anyone else getting killed.

“I’m going to be honest, Sid. You’re my only resource. I’m not sure what to do or where to go from here. This is beyond my experience. My initial response was to make copies of what I had and to get Owen to safety. Beyond that, I have no other means to hunt these men down. Should I just turn the evidence over to the media? Would they be bought off, and the story buried? It would have to be to the right journalist, someone who’s not afraid to get the truth out, but someone who’s big and can make a difference. Shit, you can’t even trust the media to do the right thing these days. They’re as power-hungry as these men.”

Sid grabbed my hands, tugged me up to stand, and pulled me against him like he just knew I needed to be held. He defied everything I understood about the criminal mind. Between Sid and my own country hunting me… I was questioning everything.

“What I think we should do is call my family and get them involved.”

I tried to push him away as I shook my head. “No, they’ll kill you. No way.”

“I think I can convince them to do this for me. My partner and I have known each other for over twenty years and have been running our little business together for about eleven years. We’re close friends. He’ll listen to me before making any decisions about my demise.”

For the first time, I was certain about Sid. I didn’t want to let him go, and I didn’t want him to die. I cupped his face and gave him a small and soft kiss before pulling away. “No. We can do this together. There are three of us. Surely, we can figure it out. Please.”

Sid grinned and punched his hips into me. “Falling for me already. See how irresistible I am? One night having sex, and you’re addicted.”

I smacked his chest. “I’m being serious, Sid. Dammit!”

He sighed and nodded. “Okay… For now, I won’t approach them, but we need to keep moving and figure it out as we go. Perhaps finding the right journalistcouldwork in our favor. Someone who’s a Boy Scout like you… or a Girl Scout. And I’ll have Veil keep working his magic. The deeper we go, the longer it’s going to take. We can’t stay in one spot for long.”

“I need to call Owen once in a while, not only to make sure he’s okay, but I…”

“You need to hear his voice,” Sid finished for me.

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