Page 63 of Return to McCall

“Gentlemen.” Sam stood and pushed a tray of the audiovisual equipment down to Alex. “This is Alex Suarez. She’s our undercover for today’s operation, posing as Alejandro Suarez, a successful Miami nightclub owner. Alejandro is actually her cousin, so we have a rock-solid backstory via social media and online presence, but clearly, she’s going in posing as a man, so this has some innate challenges.”

Sam paused and picked up her coffee cup, tense lines deepening around her eyes. Alex pictured how Lily must have been crying at her house the previous night and tried again to focus.

“As you know, this is an undercover sting, but we aren’t here to bust anyone. Our mission is to gather evidence that will hold up in court. All we’re looking for here is audio or video evidence of the sex trafficking of underage girls so we can hand it over to the FBI.”

Sam paused and introduced Art Levy, an agent on loan from the Boise FBI headquarters. Levy had wavy silver hair and a polished brass belt buckle that made the Glock semiautomatic weapon on his hip look tiny. He stood and cracked his knuckles, his booming voice reminiscent of an Alabama auctioneer, swift and Southern.

“Good morning. Chief Draper is in charge here, obviously, but I’m here to make sure that the evidence we gather is done in the cleanest way possible. The whole thing is a wash if we can’t use what we get or it won’t hold water in court.” He cleared his throat and glanced at Alex. “I have to admit, this is the first time I’ve sent in a woman undercover posing as a man, but I guess what’s important here is that the job gets done.”

He nodded awkwardly and handed Alex a Rolex watch. It was solid white gold, with a deep blue face surrounded by diamonds and yellow gold accents.

“Good Lord.” Murphy leaned over to Alex as she slipped it on her wrist and fastened it. “Is that thing real?”

“Yes, sir,” Agent Levy relied. “It’s borrowed from the evidence locker at headquarters, but if this guy Travis has the money we think he does, he’ll know it’s the real thing, and it will be a subconscious clue that Alejandro here is legit.” He smiled for the first time. “But don’t lose it. It’s worth more than my house and yours put together.”

“Yeah, it feels like it.” Alex smiled and extended her wrist to Murphy so he could get a closer look. “Great. No pressure.”

The next hour was spent going over the plan of action once she was inside and mechanics of the audiovisual equipment, which turned out to be easier than Alex thought it would be; all she had to do was make sure the sunglasses stayed hooked over the button on her shirt so Travis stayed in the frame. She also recorded a new outgoing voice mail message for the phone in case Travis called it.

“Make sure this phone is powered on and stays on silent.” Agent Levy slid the iPhone containing Alejandro’s SIM card over to Alex. “Your personal phone will stay with Chief Draper until we’re done.” Alex pulled her phone from her pocket as he spoke and handed it to Sam. “Remember, the AV setup does not store info internally. It uploads to the cloud via your phone in real time, so the phone is by far the most vital part of actually getting what he says on record.”

“Got it.” Alex felt her heart pounding and tried to slow her breathing. The enormity of what was riding on today settled over her like a weighted blanket, and she wished again she’d gotten more sleep. “Let’s do this.”

“We’ll have backup teams on boats behind the house, disguised of course, and in unmarked cars out of sight just down the road from the house with SWAT already in place. If you feel like you’re in danger, leave if you can, or use the trigger phrase we talked about and we’ll move in as a last resort. Your safety and the safety of the girls in there is paramount. If we don’t get the evidence, we don’t get it. It’s not worth dying for.” Agent Levy smiled at Alex for the first time. “But I’ve seen the same pictures Travis has, and you look exactly like your cousin, so barring anything unforeseen,

I think we have an outside chance of this going off without a hitch.”

Sam wrapped up the meeting, directing the backup teams to take their positions on the lake and join the SWAT officers down the street from the mansion.

“Alex, you’re going to be driving a Mercedes that Agent Levy brought up, and I’ll ride with you and let you drop me off at the SWAT van before you get to the mansion.” Sam handed Alex the keys, and they walked out together to the parking lot, where Levy got into the car headed for the mansion. The sun was bright and unyielding, and Sam shaded her eyes as Alex clicked the locks on the Mercedes. “How are you doing?” Sam said, her arm balanced on the top of the open door.

Alex motioned for her to get in, where the scent of new leather and money unfolded around them. She leaned her head back against the headrest and rubbed her temples. “Honestly?” Alex’s voice was rough. “I feel like shit.”

“I’ve never seen Lily so torn up.” Sam looked at her watch. “I don’t want to upset you going into this, but I care about her, and I’ve got to know why. Sara said she was sworn to secrecy, so she didn’t tell me a damn thing last night after I left them alone to talk.”

“Sam.” Alex turned toward Sam with tears in her eyes. “Lily thinks I’m cheating on her with Charlotte, but I’m not. I don’t have time to explain it right now, so you’re going to have to trust me. I would never do that.”

“Why does she think that?”

Alex looked up at the ceiling and wrapped the steering wheel in her fist. “Some really shitty timing, and”—she grabbed the packer underneath the fly of her pants—”this.”

“Oh shit.” Sam went was quiet as Alex’s meaning sank in. “She thought you were strapped for Charlotte, right? So you really didn’t step out on her.”

“No.” Alex strummed the steering wheel with her thumb. “And I never would. I’m in love with Lily. I couldn’t tell her what was really going on or why the hell I was wearing it, so of course, she jumped to that conclusion given what was in front of her. I would have done the same.”

Alex revved the engine and backed out of the lot, heading for the winding road that led around to the north shore of the lake. “And I can’t tell her the truth until this gets done, so let’s get this wrapped the fuck up.”

Chapter Sixteen

At exactly noon, Alex pushed the intercom button at the gated entrance to the mansion and waited.

“Hello?” The voice coming out of the stainless steel box was scratchy but distinctly feminine. “State your name, please.”

“Alejandro Suarez.” Alex channeled the laid-back presence of her cousin and tried to focus. “I have an appointment with Travis at noon.”

The enormous iron gates opened with a reluctant click, and Alex drove slowly through them to the circle drive in front of the residence. The glittering lake in the background was the only thing that looked like it belonged there; the four-story mansion in front was built in Spanish Colonial style, complete with imported palm trees, a soft yellow wash of color, and white stucco arches. Expansive windows framed white iron balconies, and the front door was Gothic curved teak with hammered metal hinges.

Alex put the car in park and pocketed the keys, slipping Alejandro’s license into the card slot on the back of the phone case before she dropped it into her pocket. White shell gravel wound into a path that crunched underfoot as she approached the door, and Alex’s heart pounded in the cage of her chest as she reached for the doorbell.

---