Forsaken (The Found Book 2) (10 page)

“Tomas? Portia is here, we have a problem.” It was obvious Tomas had been sleeping. He waited until his father-in-law could form a coherent sentence.

“Portia is in my office causing a scene. She’s using again. I have a consultant in here with me. I’m trying to untangle the double shipment mess. Portia needs to leave.” Portia tried to grab the phone from his hand, her face a mask of rage.

“How dare you lie in front of your whore?”

“I hear her. Keep her there, I’ll have Stefan there in twenty minutes to bring her home. I’m sure this is a one-time occurrence.” God, this family was so screwed up.

“I’m sure it is Tomas.” Seth ended the call in time to grab Portia’s hand as she tried to slap him.

“Sit down, I’ve had enough. Get this through your head. I don’t give a shit how much blow you’ve had, understand this. If I don’t get your father’s fuck up straightened out, Labado will kill your father, he will kill me, and then he will likely sell you to the highest bidder. Is that the life you want? Maybe it is. If it is, let me know, and I can arrange it right now, so I can at least save your father and me.”

“What are you talking about? This is just some stupid shipping thing. You’re always making these company things sound so important when they’re not. It’s not really that bad, is it?” He saw a small sign of fear skitter across her face like a cockroach.

“Yes, it is.” He kept his answer short. “Go sit on the couch and wait for Stefan.”

“I want to go out with you. I don’t want to go anywhere with Stefan.” Sounding every bit of the spoiled child she was.

“You don’t have a choice. I have to work, and you’re high and need to go home. You can’t be trusted.” She turned and marched towards the door.

“If you leave, I’ll have Tomas cut off your allowance. He’ll do it too. He did it the last time you were doing drugs.” Hand on the office door, Portia hesitated. Finally she flounced towards the couch and dropped down in her short skirt. She crossed her legs, ensuring Seth and Sierra could see she hadn’t bothered to put on any underwear. Seth couldn’t decide if he was sick, sad or mad.

“Quite a winner you have,” Sierra said in a whisper. “I can see why you chose her over Annie.”

“Let’s focus on the Labado shipments, shall we Evelyn?” Seth said in his normal voice.

“Fine Carson.”

By the time the day was over, Portia was back at the mansion, Sierra had tasked Nate to inform Lee Isaacson of the latest developments, and she went to figure out how to put electronic surveillance on all the players. Seth stayed at the office until well past midnight, forcing himself to put Sierra and Isaacson out of his mind, and focus on Benitez Shipping. But no matter how hard he tried to compartmentalize, Annie’s accusing stare continued to sneak in as she said she didn’t sleep with other women’s husbands. Hell, he knew that. Annie had only ever slept with him. Since her, he had never intended to touch another woman, that’s what hurt so much when he woken up in bed with Portia, he couldn’t believe he betrayed Annie. Hell, he couldn’t believe he betrayed himself. Would Annie ever trust him again? What would she say if she saw what Sierra witnessed?
God, what a mess.

Chapter Nine

“What’s going on?” Annie left three voicemails, eight texts and tried to Skype four times before Sierra finally Skyped her back, obviously there was something Sierra didn’t want to share.

“I was going to ask you the same thing. I figured there had been an earthquake.”

“That’s bullshit, you were ducking my calls. Spill it. You talked to Seth, and now you don’t want to tell me something. You’re my friend Sierra, I expected better.” Annie watched her red-headed friend blush. She might be a bad-ass Navy commando but her fair skinned complexion they shared always told on her. Still, Sierra tried to bluff her way through it.

“It’s a bad situation Annie. It’s more complicated than we expected. Labado is stupid, and he’s bringing in another cartel, it’s probably going to end up in a blood bath.”

“That’s not why you’re ducking my calls.” Sierra screwed up by returning her call via Skype, she should have called her on the phone. “Tell me about Seth, you’ve spent time with him.”

Sierra looked at her, but Annie wasn’t going to be deterred. She waited. “He’s in a bad spot, Annie. I wouldn’t wish his position on my worst enemy. The only place he had a moment of privacy was his bathroom, they only had microphones there, no video. But everyplace else, his bedroom, his office, his study, everyplace they’ve had eyes and ears on him. He’s had to be Carson Runyon 24/7.”

“Who’s had him under surveillance?”

“His loving father-in-law and his former employer, Labado.”

“I don’t believe it. Portia’s dad couldn’t possibly have cameras in the bedroom where his daughter would be intimate with her husband.”

Sierra gave a harsh laugh. “Annie, this is one sick family. If I had to guess, this woman would put on a sex show for an entire battleship.”

Annie shuddered at the imagery. “But this is her father.”

“Yeah, well, it doesn’t matter in this case. What matters is keeping an eye on Seth. Portia’s privacy be damned.”

“That’s messed up. This is his daughter.”

“He’s doing business with an arms dealer and a drug dealer, he is a major crook who needs to be put away for the rest of his life. I can’t prove it yet, but I think his daughter is an accomplice.” Annie’s stomach clenched. How could Seth have possibly married a criminal? It couldn’t be true, he wouldn’t have done that. He believed in the sanctity of marriage, they’d talked about it.

“How are you going to be able to help him?”

“We thought it was Benitez and Labado, but it’s gotten a lot more complicated. It makes me want to throw up. I’m used to the atrocities of war, but these people dress up and go to parties and mingle, and act like they are normal, when they are really sick, diseased fucks.” Annie couldn’t remember seeing Sierra so shaken up.

“Tell me.”

“I could deal with the gun running and the drug dealing, I really could. I went in expecting it. But they are kidnapping girls and selling them. Then there are the ones they convince to become models overseas, only they become part of this scheme.” Sierra’s eyes were bright with tears.

“I know. Noah and Kali told me. Sierra, the whole thing is a horror show. When did Seth find out?”

“He just found out when we had arrived. It was the first thing he wanted us to help him stop. But there are so many holes in this boat, and it is sinking fast. We’re trying to find a way to infiltrate the organization, while stopping the drugs and guns…”

Annie tasted salt on her lips and she realized she was crying. What had her man gotten himself into?

“What are you going to do?”

“Brice and Nate were going to act as buyers, but they haven’t been able to do it. Apparently you have to be introduced through another buyer, and they haven’t been able to find a proper introduction. Seth found one contact for them, but Brice approached him, but he didn’t trust him enough to bring him into the buyer’s circle.” Sierra’s eyes were haunted as she paused and gave a choked laugh. “Did you hear me? I called this a buyer’s circle, like these girls and women are livestock.”

“Oh Sierra, stop. You know you have to distance yourself from this, it’s the only way to survive the horror.” Annie wanted to shut off the computer and curl into the fetal position, and pretend the conversation never happened. However, she had to be strong for the people she cared about.

“In the meantime, Brice and Nate are doing surveillance on the two new drug cartels in the picture, Vargas and Soto. We thought about me slipping in as one of the girls, but decided it would be best if I worked as a consultant with Carson or Seth or whatever his name is. Anyway, I’m too old, they like ‘em young.”

“What would you have done?”

“I would have infiltrated and found out their supply chains. Then I would have hopefully discovered how they were selling the girls, and where the next buyer’s circle was so we could nail these bastards. Nate and Brice couldn’t have found out everything, but they could have found out a lot.”

“It sounds like helping with the cartels is pretty important, but I’m with you, we have to make the selling of the girls our first priority.” Now a picture of the young women being sold to the highest bidder was in her head, Annie couldn’t shake it. She’d known these things occurred, she wasn’t naïve. But to know it was happening under her nose was more than she could bear.

“Honey, I don’t like the way you’re saying
we
. Your first priority has to be Nell.”

“I know. But you also know for the last two months I’ve been telling all of you it was time I start pulling my weight. You have been providing our protection, and I appreciate it. Now you are involved in something that concerns another
found
. As a matter of fact, he is the father of my child. I think this is very much my business, don’t you?” Annie worked hard to keep her voice level and practical, when all of her instincts made her want to either plead or demand.

“I hear what you’re saying, but this is not something you’re qualified for or frankly really able to provide any real contribution.”

“You’re totally overlooking the obvious. And when I say overlooking, I mean it. Take a good look at me, and what do you see?” Annie waited. She watched as her friend stared at her, and finally her eyes widened.

“Fuck,” she breathed out.

“Exactly.”

“You look like a teenager.”

“Yep.”

“But you have to stay with Nell, you can’t do field work.”

“Shilah can stay with Nell. Sierra, I cannot stay locked up in this apartment building forever. I’m a grown woman with a PhD. I used to have a life, before the Rixitron bastards took it away from me. I vowed when I had an opportunity to do something to help you take them down, I was going to take my shot. I realize this isn’t Rixitron, but it
is
something I can do to help, and it’s something that needs doing. What’s more it helps one of the
found
. Let me do this.”

“It’s not up to me.”

“Who makes the decision?”

“The lieutenant decides who goes out on assignment.”

“Fine, I’ll talk to Noah.”

****

Despite her big words to Sierra, Annie was nervous when she decided to join the daily planning session for the first time. Riley told her about them, so she knew the apartment set aside as the group gathering place for dinners and such was also where the team met for morning briefings. Annie and Shilah were never invited.

Annie waited until a quarter after nine and knocked briefly on the door before letting herself in, grateful the door wasn’t locked. Everyone turned to look at her.

“Hi Annie,” Noah smiled warmly. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Actually I wanted to join this morning’s meeting, and all of the briefings going forward,” she said looking around the room. She made sure to keep her smile calm and professional, just as she would when meeting with a room full of professors.

“Is there any particular reason why you wanted to start doing that?” Cyrus Johnson asked. Where Noah’s tone had been warm, Cyrus’ sounded like he was getting ready to interrogate her. It made sense, as he was on hiatus from his job as a high ranking detective in the Atlanta police force.

“Yes there is, I spoke to Sierra last night, and it sounds like there is something I am uniquely capable of assisting with regarding a case the she, Nate and Brice are working.”

“And what do you think that is?” Cyrus asked, his tone even colder.

“Mellow out dude,” Sarah Johnson said, as she elbowed her older brother. Annie laughed, and immediately winced in regret, but everybody else around the table did as well. Riley gave her a wink. With the three team members in Florida, it only left seven people in the room with her. Annie knew she was going to have an uphill battle convincing every single one of them of her plan, but she intended to start with the women and end with Noah.

“Can I sit down?”

“Of course,” Kali answered, and Annie smiled inwardly. She’d start with Kali. Annie sat in the empty chair opposite her, and next to Dakota (Kota) Blackthorne.

“So what is it you think you can help with?” Cyrus asked again. He was like a dog with a bone. Sarah rolled her eyes.

“Sierra explained there were a few things needing to be stopped, there were the initial problems with Labado and Seth’s father-in-law, but now he’s brought in two new big cartels. She said Nate and Brice are working surveillance on those groups, but it still leaves the problem with the buying and selling of the young girls.” She looked pointedly at Kali and Sarah.

“Noah briefed us on that business of Labado’s a few days ago,” Kali said, as she rubbed her swollen abdomen, throwing a grateful look at her husband. Annie knew she and Noah were communicating psychically. Meanwhile, Sarah looked positively sick to her stomach and Cyrus moved closer to his sister and grabbed her hand where it rested on top of the conference room table.

“Brice and Nate are still attempting to find a way in as buyers,” Kota said.

“Sierra told me, but even if they succeed, then what about the cartel they are currently focused on?” she asked Kota, but eventually looked around to everyone in the room ending with Noah. He was rubbing the back of his neck.

“You bring up a great point.”

“Are you saying the girls aren’t the highest priority?” Kali asked.

“This is one of those cases where everything is a number one priority, but Brice and Nate are already in place watching Soto and Vargas, and they’ve struck out on the human trafficking aspect.”

Annie felt the accusation coming from Sarah and Kali in waves, as did the rest of the men in the room.

“Noah’s right Kali. If Brice or Nate succeeded as buyers, they would have jumped right in, but they struck out, and moved on. You have to realize what they are doing will help to stop a drug war of epic proportions on American soil.”

Sarah snatched her hand out from under her brother’s.