LITMIR.BIZ

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      “I know.”

      “If Megan was in trouble, is there anywhere she would go?”

      “Yeah. She’d come here. To me. To my house. Megan has been through a lot. Her mom works so hard. Megan even got a part-time job at the yogurt shop when she turned sixteen. And her dad, he’s never been in the picture. Like ever.” She hesitated and shifted her eyes away again. “I don’t know what I’ll do if something happened to her. I may put on a big act that I’m all put together, but Megan is the strong one.”

      “You’ve been very helpful, Lauren. Is there anything else I should know?”

      “I’ll do anything to help, Sadie. Anything.”

      Sadie said her goodbyes to Lauren and her mother and went back to the office, settling in at her desk. A few minutes later, she looked up as Kip walked through her office door smiling.

      “What’re you doing here? I told you I was working this case.”

      “I wanted to see how your afternoon was going. Any leads on the girl?”

      “Maybe. I went to see her friend. What do you know about Sala?”

      “The swanky restaurant in the Rhubarb Hotel?”

      “Yeah.”

      “I’m not into the fancy restaurant scene.”

      “Me neither.”

      “But I’ve heard it’s the trendy place to go in town. They have live music on the weekends which is a big draw for the college crowd. During the week it caters to business types and young professionals.”

      “I’m going to have to go there tonight.”

      He frowned. “Why?”

      “That’s where Megan was last seen. I need to ask around about her. Someone there saw something. I just know it.”

      “What did the friend say?”

      “She left Megan at the table alone while she went to track down their server and look around the place. When she came back Megan was gone. She looked everywhere and couldn’t find her.”

      “I’m coming with you.”

      “I don’t need an escort to a fancy restaurant.”

      He laughed. “Believe me, you’ve made it clear you can take care of yourself. But I can do my own recon while we’re there.”

      “For what?”

      “See if I can get any tips on the Vladimir operation.”

      “You think you’d get that at Sala?”

      “The newest report from the field team is that Igor has been seen going in and out of the hotel. It’s his speed. Plus, Igor is in the hotel business—the high-end hotels anyway. He also has a few five-star restaurants.”

      At the sound of Igor’s name, chills shot down her arms. “Igor?” she asked.

      “Yeah. The Vladimir group is headed by the father, Sergei. But his two sons, Igor and Artur, actually do the work. They’re currently in a battle for who’s going to take over.”

      “Interesting,” she said. “So Igor is here in El Paso?”

      “He comes and goes, as does Artur. But Igor has staked out El Paso as his territory. He appears to be putting down roots.”

      “You asked me a lot of questions about what happened in the woods, but you never told me what went down that night.”

      He ran his hand through his dark hair. “We tailed one of Igor’s thugs who was involved in a money drop into the woods. Looked like there was some hand off there between the thug and some other guy who we’re still trying to identify. Most likely linked to the trafficking business. Makes me sick.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “The guy was probably making a payment for more girls.”

      She shuddered to think about it. “You’re trying to stop Igor’s network.”

      “Me and my team.”

      “So they take the girls over the border, then what?”

      “You really don’t want to know.”

      He was right. She didn’t need the gory details. She understood exactly what happened to those poor girls. “All right. Well, I need to go home and shower before I go out tonight.”

      “What do you say about grabbing dinner before we go to the hotel? I’m in the mood for Italian. We can discuss some operational details.”

      She considered rejecting his offer immediately but then thought better of it. This man was the key to tracking down Igor. “That would be fine. Why don’t we meet somewhere for dinner?”

      He shook his head. “No, I’ll pick you up.”

      “You don’t even know where I live.” Then she realized he was in the FBI so he could easily track her down.

      “I’ll find you. How does seven-thirty work?”

      “See you then.”

      He smiled and walked away. She hoped she wasn’t making a big mistake.

      * * *

      When Kip pulled up to Sadie’s little house, he stopped for a minute to gather his thoughts before exiting his FBI-issued sedan. What exactly was he doing here? Yeah, he didn’t want her going to that fancy downtown restaurant alone, but why should he care so much? He’d cared once before and look where that had gotten him. A broken heart. No, not just a broken heart. His ex-fiancée, Lacy, had ripped his heart out and stomped on it.

      Her having cheated on him was hurtful, but the fact that she’d left him for Brad Sullivan—one of the guys from his own ranger team—nearly killed him. Brad had been not only his friend but also someone he’d looked up to as a military leader. They’d bonded after a team retreat in Brad’s cabin in Colorado that they’d taken before they deployed. The pain was still fresh even though it was now years past. He’d never be able to forgive. Ever.

      This was business, though. If the FBI report was correct, Igor might be using the hotel as his base of operations. He took a deep breath and stepped out of his car. He knocked lightly, and the door opened. The sight of Sadie took his breath away.

      “Hey,” he said.

      “Come on in. I just need to feed my cats.”

      She was simply stunning. Her long straight dark hair flowed over her shoulders. She’d changed into a pair of black slacks and wore a dark green shirt that looked amazing against her skin. It was made out of some kind of silky material that seemed soft and feminine. He looked at her again as she poured cat food into a dish. Her smile was enough to make his heart unsteady.

      Two cats came flying into the room meowing loudly. One was black and the other orange.

      “Meet Leo and Sammie.”

      He slowly stepped closer to them, and they looked at him skeptically before turning to the food dish.

      “They friendly?” he asked.

      She laughed loudly. “Depends on what they think your intentions are.”

      “I’m an animal lover. Really a dog person, but cats are okay, too.”

      “Do you have a dog?”

      “Yeah. A yellow Lab named Colby. He loves everyone.”

      “I like dogs, too. Pretty much all animals. But these kitties are perfect for my lifestyle.” She smiled again. “I’m ready if you are.”

      By the time they reached the restaurant, he had admitted to himself that he wished this was a first date. He had no idea what Sadie thought.

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