Pushing the phone inside her pocket, she moved swiftly along the passageways. When she turned the corner to the back entrance, she ran slap bang into Michael. She gaped at him but said nothing. Whatever happened, before this night was out the girls would be safe and he’d be arrested. She’d won, and if he killed her, it was worth it.
“So now you know about my latest enterprise. Like wine, it is something I can enjoy. Snooping around isn’t your style, Avril. Are you jealous or was it because I didn’t want to keep Mai? Don’t you understand that I don’t care what you think? You promised to obey me and I’ll see that you do.” Michael slapped her hard. “She is worth her weight in gold. I already have bids for her.”
Anger rising, Avril took the slap and just stared at him. This defiance made him angry and he backhanded her again. Black spots danced across her vision and pain radiated through her brain, but she refused to look away from him. She had to outwit this monster and get away to save Mai. Squeezing her hands into fists, she shook her head. “Why are you doing this? They’re only little kids.”
“Those girls pay for your fine clothes and the house you live in. This is what my father calls ‘value-adding’.” Michael grinned. “We can keep Mai but she won’t be sleeping in your room anymore. She’ll become a pet for me and my father… and maybe a few of my bodyguards.”
Avril swallowed blood and lifted her chin. His bodyguard was smiling at her. Not a big man, because big men made Michael look small, he carried a weapon in a shoulder holster under his jacket. “What do you want me to say, Michael?”
“You’re a strange one.” Michael bent to look into her eyes. “You don’t react like any woman I know.” He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out the door. “Do you have any feelings at all? Let’s see if this will get a reaction out of you.”
Dragged behind him as Michael strode along the back wall of the building and to the pergola foundations, Avril staggered trying to keep her balance. The smell of death lingered like a sickening fog and she noticed another hole beside a pile of fresh earth. In the light of the full moon, she caught sight of a child soaked in blood. She dug in her heels and gaped at him. “What have you done?”
“This is what happens to those who don’t cooperate.” Michael spun her around to face him. “It’s business and our clients only want the best.” A slow smile spread across his face. “Welcome to my world. You have a choice, just like the kids: cooperate or die.”
Avril swallowed the bile in her mouth and stared at him. Could she outsmart him one more time? “I’m not stupid. I know you kill people. I’ve always liked your bad-boy image. That’s why I married you.” She straightened. Her face was still stinging from his blow. “Now can I go? I’m tired.”
“If you can get back to the house before Gus catches you, sure, but if not, you’ll be joining the kid in the hole.” He dropped her arm and held both his hands up. “I’ll even count to three. One…”
Avril sprinted, but she could hear the heavy footsteps pounding behind her. In fear of her life, she bolted for the garage, tearing across the lawns and jumping over gardens. Gus moved faster than she’d expected and he was close behind her when she made it into the garage. Vaulting onto a workbench, she grabbed a heavy wrench from the tools set out on the wall and took aim. As Gus ran by, she swung it like a baseball bat at his head. The impact vibrated up her arms and into her jaw. His momentum made him stagger, arms reaching for her, and then he dropped like a stone. Not wasting any time, she pulled out her keys and ran to her vehicle. Hands trembling, she opened the door and slid behind the wheel. Glancing over one shoulder to check that Mai was still asleep, she started the engine. It took every ounce of patience to drive the sports car slowly toward the gate. The sound of the powerful engine could raise the dead if she panicked and hit the gas. The massive iron gates swung open so darn slowly, she wanted to scream. Checking her rearview mirror for anyone watching her, she eased the car through the space and headed off the estate. Once she hit the interstate, she took off at high speed. Using the Bluetooth app on her car, she called her handler. She fumbled over her identity check and was desperate by the time his voice came through the speaker. “Get me the hell out of here. I’m on the interstate heading north. Red Lamborghini.”
“Keep driving. I have your position. We’ll send a chopper to intercept.”
Gripping the wheel, Avril pushed her foot to the floor. The magnificent car responded and they flashed passed vehicles effortlessly. “I have a little girl with me. I’m coming in hot. Keep the cops off my tail. It’s only a matter of time before the cartel will be chasing me.”
“Copy that. Don’t worry. Help is on the way. We’re going to take the cartel down, Avril, and those pedophiles buying up kids. It will be the biggest bust in history. You’ll be famous.”
Avril didn’t want to be famous. She just wanted to be safe.
Nine
It had been hard to hand over Mai to child protection, but good news came within the day that they had located her family. Her father, a diplomat, had reported her missing from school and with his assistance all the stolen children would be returned to their families. The raid on the Carlos Winery that night was all over the media. With the drug-processing plant exposed and after discovering Michael Carlos’s extensive video brochure of prospective children for sale, Viktor and Michael, along with his henchmen, were in the process of trying to plea-bargain their way out of jail. It would never happen. Avril would stand as the state’s evidence against them. Her testimony, both physical and verbal, would see them rot in jail.
The funeral of Steve Breuer had left her limp and depressed. She’d undergone so many psych tests that she thought they’d send her insane. Restricted to a desk job and watched like a hawk, she completed mundane tasks. Burly guards escorted her everywhere. She’d not been able to live at home and US Marshals had moved her every few days. Concern the cartel would get to her before the trial put her nerves on edge, and she had the awful feeling someone was watching her from every shadow or doorway. The months that went by before the trials of Viktor and Michael Carlos seemed to drag like years. Then the news came that Michael had fallen in the shower and accidentally cut his throat. It seemed that some of the other prisoners had a problem with men who used children as a commodity. That left Viktor Carlos and a long list of his relatives, all who’d been involved in his crime empire, out for her blood. The moment she stepped onto the stand, she’d have a target on her back for the rest of her life.
All eyes followed Avril as she took the stand to give her evidence to a hushed, humid courtroom. As the prosecution outlined its case and asked her questions, the tension could be cut with a knife. As the story unfolded of what she’d endured and witnessed, reporters stared at her openmouthed. The temperature inside the room seemed to be climbing by the minute. Heart pounding under the disgusted gaze of Viktor Carlos, she sipped from a glass of water between the questions. The air conditioner rattled, pouring out a pathetic whisper of cool air into the stifling heat. The room stank of sweat, and perspiration ran down her back in trickles. After she’d detailed everything she’d witnessed in her time undercover, Viktor Carlos’s defense team tore her reputation to shreds. She remained calm and refused to allow him to upset her, although the attorney painted her as a liar. She kept to the truth and the jury listened intently. They examined the mountain of evidence, including her photographs, and after four days of deliberation made the right decision to convict Viktor Carlos. His cohorts fell like bowling pins after him, but Avril would never forget the moment before they led Viktor Carlos away after sentencing.
“You.” Viktor Carlos pointed at Avril, his eyes blazing with hatred. “Look at me, bitch. I’m coming for you. You can’t hide from me. Even when I’m dead, my blood will find you. You’ll never be safe.”
Shaken, Avril stared after him as he shuffled away in orange coveralls and chains, surrounded by guards. The DA walked up to her and narrowed his gaze. “I’m afraid you have a target on your back and no doubt there’s a massive bounty on your head.”
Avril swallowed hard. “It was worth it. He’ll never walk free again. I’m not scared of him.”
“You should be.” The DA’s shoulders drooped. “The cartel has fingers everywhere. We’ll try to get them all, but the odds are someone will be out there just waiting to claim a reward. I suggest you listen to the offer of witness protection that’s coming your way. You don’t have anyone, do you? No family or boyfriend to keep you here?”
Chewing on her bottom lip, Avril shook her head. “Witness protection? Are you joking? Do you expect me to give up my career, everything I’ve worked for? What do you expect me to do? How can I earn a living? I’m only interested in law enforcement.”
“If you don’t go into hiding, you won’t last a month.” The DA urged her out of the courtroom and through the barrage of media. “Go with the US Marshals and listen to what they have to say. If you want to live, it’s the only choice. It’s been nice knowing you, Avril.” He smiled and disappeared into the crowd.
Devastated, she turned and walked toward the two US Marshals waiting to escort her and sighed. “Okay, let’s go.”
As they whisked her away to an unknown destination, the world came tumbling down around her. Emotions poured over her. She’d lost everything. It was as if she’d committed the crimes and was being punished. Her years of training, her hopes and dreams, shattered in seconds. What would happen to her? She thought of the sacrifice Steve had given to protect her. Beaten to a pulp, he’d kept her safe. How many men would do that? She owed him to keep going and she vowed then and there to remain in law enforcement no matter what the cost. The bad guys would not win on her watch, and she’d do whatever it took to honor Steve’s sacrifice.
The vehicle turned into a deep underground garage and stopped in an allotted space. Avril slid from the back seat and walked beside the two men down long white passageways and into a room. Behind the desk sat a man. The smell of sweat and stale aftershave greeted her and the man stood and waved her to a chair. He didn’t introduce himself and had an expression cast in stone. She took the offered seat. “I’ve spoken to the DA about the threat from the cartel. What’s the deal?”
“There is only one option Agent Parker.” He sat and faced her across the desk. “You must go into witness protection. Usually by the time you walk into my office, it’s a done deal. You take what we offer as it’s the best option available, but we’ve been given instructions to discuss various possibilities with you.”