Page 40 of The Surrogate Omega, Part Two

Finally, we pull apart, and Ev and I get shoes on and make our trek to the station to head back. On the way, I brief Ev on everything. He already knew about Rory and how I got information I needed to hand over. He didn’t know I continued to get more evidence after the first time, and he didn’t know about my side investigation.

Ev gives me his best unimpressed look. “Can’t you get in trouble for that, Lo? I understand it’s hard to let go, but is it worth your career?”

I think about his question. I’m not really worried about my career since both my bosses low-key told me to continue, but even if it was in jeopardy, I do think it’s worth it. I can’t explain my feelings, but I just know I can’t let this go. “Yes, it will be. I don’t think it will come down to that since my bosses basically gave me the green light, but I would do it anyway. I’m sorry, Ev. I can’t really explain it, but I need to do this.”

Ev nods sharply as he lightly caresses my face in complete contrast. “Alright, then we’ll do this. I want to help. I won’t do anything dangerous or that will get in the way, but I’m good at research and organization. I’ll help you with whatever you need.”

Fuck. “I love you, Ev. So fucking much.”

Ev laughs. “I love you too, but where did that come from?”

“Just hearing you say that. How easily you support both of us. We don’t deserve you.”

Ev sighs. “Yes, you do. You both do.” I lean into his touch, desperate for it.

“So, Lake has been the one sending you the footage? You think that’s whatever he was working on when he was gone?”

I shrug. “I guess so? I have a lot of questions, but I’m sure we’ll find out more. Do you want me to walk with you back to the apartment?”

Ev shakes his head. “No. I’m coming with. If I can’t stay with you, I’ll stay at the coffee shop across the street and wait for news. I don’t want to sit in the apartment, waiting for you guys. I’m tired of it. Now I know how women felt back in the day when their men went off to war.”

I roll my eyes. “Since when are you so dramatic, babe? But I’d like you close too. You can come with me for now, but I may need to send you out, depending on what we receive.”

Ev kisses my cheek. “I understand. I promise I won’t interfere. I just want to be there for you.”

I take Ev’s hand in mine. “I want you there too.”

A little while later, we’re walking up to my precinct. One of our techs intercepts me before we barely make it through the door. “Detective! I was just about to call you!”

Not a good sign. “What is it, Raine?”

“We intercepted some stuff being sent to you. I think you might want to see.”

I eye Ev. If it’s from Lake, they only intercepted it because he wanted them to. I wish he could just tell me what’s going on. I’m not in the mood for riddles. But since the alphabets don’t work well with local authorities, I understand his need for the cloak and dagger shit. He’s trying to protect us both while also giving me what I need to make sure this kid is safe.

“Alright, Raine, lead the way.”

She leads me down to her office. She notices Ev is there, of course, but doesn’t say anything. She’s never been a big stickler for the rules. Just before we enter her office, she turns to look at me over her shoulder. “By the way, I haven’t told anyone else about this.”

“Thanks, Raine. I appreciate it.” She doesn’t say anything else as she walks in and sits down at her computer. I look over at Ev, who just shrugs. I guess he’s staying. I won’t say anything if Raine doesn’t care.

Raine’s eyes flick over to me as she continues to type. Just like when I watch Lake work, I have no idea what she’s doing. It may as well be gibberish. “Our favorite federal agent strikes again,” she tells me casually.

Ev makes a choking sound he tries to cover with a cough but fails miserably. I’m a little more casual, but not by much. “What do you mean?” I try to keep my voice even.

Raine rolls her eyes. “Oh, come on, don’t act like you don’t know exactly where these files are coming from.”

Ev is choking again, and I clear my throat. “Um . . . no?”

Shit, can she know Lake’s connection? I don’t know how. Nowhere is it listed what he really does for a living, and I certainly never told her. I try to keep my panic to a minimum.

Raine just shrugs. “Sure, whatever. We’ll go with that. It’s obvious these are coming from a government agency. The footage is from mostly undercover agents, and the information they have is info only someone with an extremely high security clearance can access. My guess, some hacker is disgruntled with the ‘bigger picture’ plan that these agencies tend to take and decided to appeal to the local law enforcement that might have sentimental attachment to the actual victims.”

I relax and shoot Ev a glance. He still seems tense, but at least he’s not hacking up a lung anymore. Raine doesn’t seem to know who specifically is sending the evidence, just that they’re a government official. I should have trusted Lake’s skills more. Raine won’t find out anything Lake doesn’t want her to discover.

“What do you mean ‘bigger picture’ plan?” Ev asks as he leans down to get a better look at the images on the screen. I know I’m not going to like what I see, but I force myself to look. Lake is putting himself on the line to get these to me. I can at least have the decency to look at them.

“Just that a lot of these agencies, they get guys undercover for years and years, right? They want to take down the whole fucking ring in one shot, which is great, cause otherwise, they’ll keep plugging in the holes and the problem will never get solved. In the meantime, though, you have thousands of people being trafficked, raped, killed, tortured, all of it, and most of the time, these agents can’t help individuals because they can’t risk their cover. Every once in a while, you get one that either gets attached to one of the victims or just loses heart in the big picture plan and tries to work with us to get out some of the victims. Again, it’s like throwing a stick in a raging river and expecting to stop the stream. Still, knowing you saved some is better than watching them all die.”

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