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The girl winced when he squeezed her arm and finally I looked at her, little more than a child. “Are you okay, honey?”

She nodded but it was filled with fear.

“She’s fine, better than you’re gonna be. For now.”

I didn’t know what he meant but dwelling on it wouldn’t help me now. “Jessica?”

Wide blue eyes snapped to mine, surprise written all over them. She gave a barely imperceptible nod and that gave me the fuel I needed to keep going.

“Don’t worry about her name, just tell your boyfriend to get out here. Now!”

“I don’t have a boyfriend, Detective. Maybe you could ask for him by name?”

“Cross. I want to speak to Cross.”

I kept my voice calm and did just what Jag had instructed. “He went to one of the dispensaries tonight, something about vandalism.”

“Bullshit. Get him right now or I’ll put a bullet in her fucking head.” Jessica shrieked so loud it echoed in the air. “Don’t make me ask again.”

“Ask as many times as you want. Cross isn’t here. But you know that, it’s why you showed up now, isn’t it?”

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” He shook his head. “I’ll never understand what the fuck women like you are thinking, getting mixed up with these guys. They’re criminals, you know that.”

“And what, I should hook up with a man with a badge and an itchy trigger finger? At least these guys are honest about who they are.”

“A fucking gang, that’s who.”

I laughed at his hypocrisy. “And aren’t you part of the biggest gang around? I guess it’s hard to see when you’re in so deep, or maybe you don’t care that Pacheco is a pedophile. Either way, my guess is you’re just as guilty.”

“I don’t fuck no kids!”

“You just help them get sold to vile men looking to do terrible things to them, right? My bad. You’re a real American hero, Detective.” His face was red with anger and the hand with the gun twitched. “Kidnapping is still against the law, isn’t it?”

“You can’t kidnap someone who doesn’t exist,” he said with the kind of confidence that only came from carrying a badge and a gun. The dirtier they were, the more confident they appeared.

“Yeah?” I pulled my phone from my front pocket and snapped a photo, not caring at all that he was temporarily blinded. “Let’s see what the Feds think about that image.” My fingers fumbled to turn the recording on, but eventually I got it.

“Delete that now or I’ll put a bullet in you and your little fucking bastard.”

“Let the girl go and I will.”

Haynes shook his head. “You have no bargaining power here, Moon. I’m an officer of the law.”

“Are you? Because from where I stand, you look like a criminal.”

“Fuck you, now get your goddamn greasy boyfriend out here,” he snarled, and I figured I’d touched a nerve. Probably the word was out he was corrupt.

“I told you, he’s not here.” I heard Jag rack the slide on his gun behind me which gave me a little more confidence. But I also knew he wasn’t a cop killer. Bad cop or not. “My guess is that your connection with Pacheco screwed you. I mean who would ever believe a cop who likes to have sex with children?”

“You stupid fucking bitch!” The detective raised his hand in the air and squeezed the trigger. Twice. I shuddered. The good cop was the one who was deranged. “The next bullet goes in her head.”

“If you do that, you might as well put a bullet in your own head because since you barged onto the property without an invite or a warrant, you’ve been recorded. Video and audio.”

“It won’t hold up because these assholes are gangbangers. Nothing more than common fucking criminals.?

??

I shrugged. “Maybe so, but Jessica is a victim. Kidnapped and trafficked then further abused by a sick deranged cop. And such a pretty girl too, the press is going to love that.”