TWO

      Sadie worked furiously updating her research on the Vladimir network. The FBI had more resources than her. But they’d both been in the woods Saturday night, so they weren’t too far ahead. What was the FBI going to be able to do anyway? The same old thing, which in the end meant nothing.

      She felt the pressure building around her temples. Her phone rang loudly, and she shook her head trying to focus.

      “The Lane Group, this is Sadie,” she answered.

      “Sadie,” a woman’s voice said. “It’s Carrie Milton. Have you found out anything more about Megan? It’s been over a week now since she’s been missing.”

      “Hi, Ms. Milton.” Sadie dreaded telling her that basically the only news she had was no news. “I followed up on a potential lead over the weekend. But unfortunately it didn’t go anywhere.”

      Ms. Milton sniffed. “I’m just so worried about her. The police aren’t taking this seriously enough. It doesn’t seem like they’re totally focused on this.”

      “Nothing’s ever going to be enough until we find her. I’ve talked to the local PD. They are looking for her, but it’s always better to have more options. From what you’ve told me, Megan is a very smart girl. I’m going to do everything in my power to find her.”

      “I wasn’t meaning to imply that you weren’t doing your job. I know you’ve only been on the case a few days. I just can’t describe to you what it’s like to know your child is in danger. But that’s not the main reason I called. Megan’s best friend, Lauren, wants to talk to you. She thinks she might be able to help. They are very close.”

      “Send me her contact information, and I’ll get in touch with her right away.”

      “Thank you so much, Sadie. Now, we haven’t got around to talking about your rates yet. I don’t have a lot of money. I work two jobs as it is. But I’m willing to do whatever I need to do to help find her. Maybe we can work out some sort of a payment plan?”

      Sadie’s heart ripped in two. “Don’t you worry about that right now, okay? I’m sure we can work something out within your budget. I’ve already started investigating, and I’m not going to stop. In the meantime, I’ll need you to send me some additional pictures of your daughter and Lauren’s info.”

      “I can’t thank you enough.”

      Sadie provided Ms. Milton with her email address for the pictures, and she jotted down Lauren’s contact info. Ms. Milton promised to send pictures right away, as soon as they discontinued their call.

      The bell on her door jingled, and Kip was standing there with his arms crossed. She looked forward to the day when she could have a more sophisticated entry with a receptionist. It must already be two o’clock. Ugh, he was the last thing she needed to deal with right now.

      “Glad to see you’re not armed.” He took a few steps toward her.

      “I don’t have much time to chat. I just talked to the mother of the missing child I told you about. I have to do more to find her.”

      “Shouldn’t the police be taking the lead on that?”

      “The mother isn’t satisfied with the police’s effort. Can you blame her? It’s her child.”

      His eyes softened. “I understand.”

      “Let’s make this quick.”

      “No coffee?”

      “I can make some here if you’d like?”

      He smiled. “That’d be great.”

      She loved coffee. It was one of her biggest weaknesses. Sadie was glad he wanted some too; she liked being able to brew a pot for more than just herself.

      Her office wasn’t large, but she had what she needed. She dreamed of expanding and having another investigator and eventually an assistant. Maybe one day. Then it would really be The Lane Group; for now it was just her and her trusty coffeemaker. She started the coffee and then took a seat back at her desk. While she had told him she wanted to make it quick, what she wanted was more information. With Megan’s disappearance, her personal goals might have to wait.

      “I just want to make sure you didn’t see anything more on Saturday night? No matter how small, I want to know everything.”

      “I can walk you through it. Again. I was there, in position. When I felt the bullet literally graze by me. I could hear noises but couldn’t see anyone. In fact, the only people I saw were in FBI flak jackets—two of them. And then there was you, of course.”

      He gave her a crooked grin. “Yes, then there was me. And you left out the part about holding me at gunpoint.”

      She couldn’t help but laugh. “I didn’t think you needed to relive that, right?”

      “Seriously, though. This Vladimir group is bad news. They’re involved in a bit of everything, but the most egregious part of their operation is human trafficking. I’m guessing I don’t need to tell you what that all entails. They also have a full drug and money-laundering scheme. And they run a variety of legal businesses that help serve as cover.”

      “So why the move from New York?”

      “Easy. The Mexican border. They move these poor girls over the border, and then...I can’t tell you how awful these men are.”

      He didn’t have to. She knew. “And I could help how, exactly?”

      “You’ve already shown you’re a good shot. Plus you’re a P.I. I’m sure you have expertise that could help out the FBI investigation.”

      She nodded.

      “But mainly, you probably have your ear to the ground with sources we don’t have at the FBI. If you hear anything, see anything in your work, we’d appreciate knowing about it. As you can imagine trying to take down an operation like theirs is a huge job. And we still may not succeed. They’ve eluded us before. This isn’t a simple takedown. It’s a very complex operation.”

      She thought for a moment then asked. “How long have you been in the FBI?”

      “Three years.”

      “That’s it?”

      “Yeah, before that I was in the military.”

      “What branch?”

      “Army.”

      “You weren’t just the in army though, were you?” she asked on a hunch.

      “Ranger.”

      “I could tell.

      “And how is that?”

      “You have an edge about you.”

      “I guess I should take that as a compliment?” he asked