After shooting a text off to Charlie, telling him I
was on my way, I pressed the buttons on the steering wheel to dial Kay’s number, the sound coming through the speakers in the car.
“Hello?” Her soft voice sounding across the line made my lips lift into a smile.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Stopping at the lights, I checked my mirrors for any cars, always aware of what or who was around me, it was essential.
“Oh, hey.” I frowned at the tone of her voice, immediately on alert.
“What’s up?” I asked, turning right when the lights hit green.
“I…Well…Eli asked me something today and I wanted to see what you thought?”
“Hit me with it.” I smirked as I pulled up to the precinct, leaving the car running.
“I was doing some training with Evan,” she started. I knew that he had planned to do some training with her, Evan was one of the best people for her to do it with. I mean, sure, we all had combat and fighting skills but he specialized in women’s self-defense.
“Uh huh.”
“And when I took a break, Eli asked if he could learn how to do it.” I heard her big intake of breath over the line before she continued. “I mean, I know he’s not your responsibility, but I just thought-”
“Kay, its fine. I like that you want to discuss this with me. What is it that he wants to learn?”
“I don’t know,” she huffed. “I didn’t think to ask that. I’d just been doing glove work.”
“Ah, so he wants to learn how to box?” Noticing Charlie standing outside, I unfastened my seat belt and leaned forward. “How about this? I’ll pick us up something to eat on my way home and we can talk about it then?”
“Are you sure?” she whispered down the line.
“Of course I am, sweetheart. I’ll be home in about an hour.”
“Okay, see you in a while,” she mumbled, the line going dead before I had a chance to respond.
Turning my truck off, I pushed out of the door and made my way to Charlie.
“Hey.” I nodded.
“One of Daley’s guys have come forward.” He grunted as a greeting, and opened the door.
“Hello to you too.” I smirked.
“Yeah, hey.” He nodded, putting the pass code into the door that separated the front desk from the rest of the precinct.
“So, what’s this guy sayin’?”
“A shit load, we’re gonna get this motherfucker.”
Nodding, I tried not to let anything show on my face. It sounded too good to be true but if he was who he said he was, then we’d finally be able to take this guy down and find those girls. Following Charlie into his office, he pointed to his chair indicating for me to have a seat.
Furrowing my brow, I sat down looking at the computer screen. He never let anyone sit in his chair.
“Press Play,” he said.
For the next half an hour, I sat and watched a man, dressed in the same gear that Daley’s henchmen wore, telling them all about Daley’s secret sex slave business.
The more I watched, the more apparent it became that this wasn’t real. He was just saying what he thought we wanted to hear. Feeling my blood boil, I clenched my hands into fists and pushed up out of the chair.
“That’s not fuckin’ real,” I fumed, shaking my head.