Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 128260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Larry, my boss, the DA, had come to me the next day and asked me if I would trust him to present an idea to his contacts and good friends, higher-ups in the police department.
And so on a cold, drizzly Sunday in the beginning of January, Carson, Josh, Leland, and Dylan had sat behind closed doors for three hours, while I chewed my nails to the quick and jumped every time my cell phone rang.
Finally, when I was so wound up, I didn’t think I could wait a second longer, there was a knock on my door and when I pulled it open, Carson was standing in my doorway, grinning.
I had squealed and jumped into his arms, kissing his face again and again. “They agreed?”
“Yup. You’re looking at not just a member but also the leader of the Vegas PD Sexual Trafficking Task Force. First of its kind.”
I sucked in a breath and tears sprung to my eyes. Larry had listened to my story about how I had come by the tape and although I didn’t say that I knew the names of the group members other than Josh, he didn’t ask. A couple days later, he had asked me if I thought I could contact them with an opportunity. People he trusted wanted to talk to them.
It turned out that the police department didn’t have a budget for their own task force, but they were very interested in getting behind one that took care of its own training and budget. They wanted to do more in the world of trafficking but their hands were tied. And so Carson and the guys now had the full support of law enforcement behind them, without having to strictly work within the guidelines of the police department. That last part may not have been spelled out exactly, but it was understood.
Carson’s team would still focus on rescuing the victims, and they would still put them up at the hotel while their transport home was being arranged. But now they could also focus more energy and effort on tracking the location of the people in charge of the crime and turning them over to the police without raising questions. It was still a dangerous job, but I would rest easier knowing that it was a legitimate operation, and although there were plenty of risks, a possible prison sentence wasn’t one of them.
Trafficking crime in Vegas was already lower because of their team. Word had gotten around that Vegas wasn’t the best place to do business if human beings were your commodity. But unfortunately, it would never stop completely. It was a sad truth that where there was money to be made, there would always be someone to sell their soul to the devil.
But my heart belonged to one of the good guys, and his heart belonged to me.
Work had picked up for me too. I was given the case of prosecuting Gabriel Bakos, my first actual murder trial, or at least the first one that would end up going to court. Once the trafficking charges came to light, the case was suddenly thrust into the limelight, both on a local level and also on a national level. I didn’t necessarily love being involved in something high profile, but I was glad that human trafficking was being discussed. People needed to know the reality of it if they were going to be inspired to help the cause.
Alex had decided to take the job in San Francisco after all. We had sat down and talked, and he had assured me that it wasn’t solely because of our breakup but that he thought it would be a good thing for both of us anyway. I wished him nothing but happiness. He was a good man—he just wasn’t the man for me.
I took a deep breath and finished my hair and makeup. As I was putting on my charm bracelet, I heard a knock at my door.
I opened it and there he was, standing before me in all his masculine beauty. I leaned my head to the side and rested it against the open door as I held it steady. I sighed in appreciation as I took him in: gray suit pants, black dress shoes, and a light blue dress shirt.
He grinned. “You look beautiful, buttercup.”
I smiled back. “Thank you, Agent Stinger,” I said, opening the door wider for him to pass through.
He gathered me in his arms and kissed me as I brought my hands up to his hair, a little longer now, more like it had been the first time we met. I felt its silky texture under my fingers and thought about the first time he had kissed me, on that elevator a million years ago.
I pulled my lips away from his and gazed up into those hazel eyes, thinking about who he had been and what he had become, a fierce pride swelling in my heart.