Page 9 of Her Last Hope
“But I have to take the chance. After doing some more digging, I’ve found a pattern in different locations in Florida regarding missing young adults.” The passion fused in her voice sealed his fate.
He’d do whatever it took to help her.
Then fuck her.
“There are a lot of missing kids all over the country, and that doesn’t make for a pattern of any kind,” he said.
“It does when three victims in the last four months were found alive, all telling the same story.”
“And what story is that?”
“A ring of human traffickers. Each kid was from a different area. One from Miami, one from the panhandle, and one from Ft. Myers.” She locked gazes with him. Her deep-chocolate eyes danced with adrenaline, something he knew well. “The identical details each gave to the authorities about their abductors couldn’t be coincidence.”
“Do you have case files on these?”
She nodded.
“I want to see them.”
“I don’t need or want your help.”
“Either I stay and help, or I take you to your father now.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond. “What do the cops say?”
“They’re looking into the victims’ stories, but all three had been runaways prior to this most recent disappearance and had been into drugs or prostituted themselves at one point. The cops don’t think much about most of the missing kids since half of them had been or are troubled teens, and the other half, over the age of eighteen.”
“So, they believe they were all runaways.” Nick had spent a few years as a local police officer and knew the drill. Often, with missing kids over the age of sixteen, unless there had been substantial evidence that an abduction had occurred, an Amber Alert wasn’t even issued. It was a catch-22 because many of these runaways got themselves in some deadly situations, but many didn’t fit the criteria for an Amber Alert. “Which brings me to why you’re staying in Ramos’ house.” Helooked into her dark, succulent eyes. “You went from a hotel ten miles away to his house.”
She arched a brow. “You’ve been watching me?”
He nodded. “I needed to figure out how to get in and out without getting us both killed, but it also appeared that you and he were…” Nick looked at the ceiling. “…friendly.”
“That’s downright disgusting,” she said under a tight lip.
“I’m teasing you.”
“I’m not laughing.”
He nodded. “So how did you end up at Ramos’ mansion?”
“I found out Ramos needed a quick sale since his regular buyers backed out. Not to mention he has to move the current group because of this Fed that’s been poking around. I decided to give Ramos a solution by providing him with a new auctioneer with his own contacts.”
“That doesn’t explain why you’re sleeping in Ramos’ house.” A thought that disturbed Nick on way too many levels.
“I rang his doorbell.”
Nick coughed. “You’re kidding, right?”
She shook her head. “I had approached him at a restaurant, and he blew me off, so I showed up, and he admired my big balls.”
“I don’t want him admiring anything about you,” Nick said under his breath. “Was staying a condition of getting the gig?”
“Partially, but I didn’t want him to check out my car rental, so I Ubered.”
Smart, but not so smart.
“Where’d you find the buyer?”
“Haven’t found him yet.” She tossed the vegetable bag on the table. “But Ramos wants to meet my guy tomorrow and do the sale as soon as possible.”
