Page 8 of Summer Heatwave
Nodding toward the two-way glass, Jeremy asked, “He needs to wrap it up.The social workers in Victim’s Assistance Program need to start their magic on these girls.”
“VAP is just going to have to wait a few more minutes,” Kam insisted.
“They’ll all be back tomorrow, hopefully, more willing to talk to us.”Jeremy seemed to be the voice of reason in that partnership.
Almost unwillingly, Kam nodded.“We’ve got so much already today, it’ll take us weeks to work through it.”
“Dylan needs to get home to his baby, and I need to take my wife out to dinner.”Captain Hubbard announced.“Commander Gallagher, we’ll need to brief Vice Admiral Maddox on this tomorrow morning.Make sure Dylan’s available.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”Mike looked at Kam and gestured to the door.“This is your show.You want me to pull Lieutenant Chaney out so you can have a minute or two alone with Tala?”
“I’ve got this.”Kam simply opened the door and strode in.Her smile seemed forced but at least it was there.“You’ve both done wonderfully today.Thank you, Lieutenant Chaney.Please give my appreciation to the captain and commander.”She extended her hand and maneuvered him out of the room.“We’ll let you know if we need you back.”
“Tala, thank you for the great deal of information today.You will be joining the others now.You’ll be taken to a safe house where…”
Kam’s voice faded as the three naval officers headed down the hallway.Just before they turned the corner, Mike heard several women talking.Glancing over his shoulder it seemed as though Kam was handing Tala off to someone else who immediately put her arm around the young girl and started speaking to her in her own language.
Mike couldn’t resist.When his eyes met Kam’s, he smiled and gave her a long slow wink.
Chapter4
“There are moregirls at some kind of sex club in Los Angeles.”Kam pushed through the door of the Drunken Pig, a hole-in-the-wall owned by two former San Diego street cops and frequented by law enforcement.After what she’d seen and heard over the past forty-eight hours, she needed a drink.Maybe two.Spying two uniforms leaving, she swooped in and grabbed the table.
By the time Jeremy sat down across from her, the waitress was already there picking up the empties and wiping away the sweat rings.“What can I get ya?”
“Two porters.Drafts.”Kam said without looking at the woman.She and Jeremy had instantly bonded over their love of dark beer when she moved to the San Diego office four months ago.In a quick sweep of the room, she cataloged everyone, identifying probable rank, police or agency, and possible threats.Since this well-worn bar had become their favorite after-work pit stop, she knew every exit but double-checked just in case something had changed in the past week.
“There were rumblings that the San Diego Police Department were chomping at the bit to get the story of the bust at Miss Nami’s into the press.Like most PDs, they’re looking for any kind of positive news they can find.”Jeremy’s gaze continued to scan the relatively crowded bar.
“Let ‘em.”Kam had too much work to do to patronize the press.Besides, she hated any kind of attention drawn to her.From the moment she’d arrived, she’d felt the undercurrents of discontent.She knew when she accepted the job, she’d been chosen over several men who had been with the department for nearly twenty years.But she’d worked hard her entire career.
“You know the chief isn’t going to let it slide that his new Senior Agent in Charge of Security Investigations for Human Trafficking, one of the first women in the nation to hold such an impressive position, has only been here a few weeks and has already made one of the biggest busts in the entire United States.”He nodded to her swollen cheek that looked more like a plum as the sun continued to set.“How are the ribs?”
She chuckled.“Better than the knees.When I took that fucking bouncer down in the parking lot, I should have thought about the asphalt and let somebody else do it.”
“Nope.”Jeremy shook his head side to side.“You had to prove to this team that you could hold your own in a fight.He was the perfect choice.Hell, I was even impressed by you.He had to outweigh you by a hundred or more pounds of pure muscle.”
When she grinned back at him her cheek ached.“You need to come take my Brazilian jujitsu class.Back east, it’s all the rage with anyone in law enforcement.I had nearly thirty people at my class the other night.”
“I can’t believe you found someplace to teach so quickly.”
Kam couldn’t either.After driving cross-country for three days, she needed to expend some energy and found martial arts classes being taught at a kung fu studio a few blocks from her new apartment.One mention of her black belt in Brazilian jujitsu and the owner saw dollar signs.
“Thanks, Sally.”Jeremy gave the waitress a small smile as she sat two beer mugs on the table.He was so damn good at being nice that it sometimes rubbed Kam the wrong way.Her mother had drilled manners into her and her two brothers, but it seemed as though the more focused she became on her job, the more she forgot the simple words.She made a promise to herself to do better.
“So, are we eating tonight or just drinking?”The middle-aged woman’s gaze ping-ponged from Kam to Jeremy.
“I’ll be eating when the girls get here.”She lifted her glass and recognized their waitress as the wife of one of the owners, but she couldn’t remember which one.“Until then, my partner and I need to debrief.”
Sally stared at Kam’s shiner for a few seconds.“Debrief, or decompress?I’ll bring some ice for the eye.You’re too pretty, sweetie, to look like a street fighter.”
Jeremy didn’t bother to hold in a chuckle.“The chief will appreciate it when she has to stand in front of the cameras tomorrow.”
“On second thought, maybe you should show the world out there what you have to go through to do your job.”Sally shrugged.“I’ll bring you the ice.It’ll still look like shit tomorrow.”
“Before I forget, remind me tomorrow to call the D.C.office.We need to give them a heads up that we’re working a case connected to a high-class prostitution club in their area that most likely involves trafficked girls.”Kam took a sip of her beer.Damn, that tasted wonderful.“When we bust Big Daddy, hopefully, we can give the exact location to our D.C.counterparts.”She rubbed the cold beer mug over her swollen cheek.“I can also warn them of the highly skilled bouncers.”
Sweat was dripping from the Ziploc bag of ice when two of Kam’s new girlfriends strode in together, both talking at once.Male and female heads turned, most staring at the gorgeous blonde still in scrubs.Known to every man and woman in that room as Dr.Audra Lambert, she was one of the city’s medical examiners.
