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“If it wasjusther, we could go in guns blazing… but if there are other children and women in there, they need to go back to their parents. They’ll need doctors on sight, darling.Women. Not more scary men with guns. And the others will need a fuckton of therapy. Including Emilia. Who knows what they’ve been doing to them.”
“Maks,” I hear Parker say my name. I stand, grabbing Sabrina, bend to kiss her on the top of her head where I can reach.“She’s right, man. This is a lot more fucked up than them taking one of the girls.”
I nod in agreement. “Niko, shoot a text to Aleksi. Tell him to keep an eye on the place. We need to go to Brooklyn.”
“I’ll call them,” my wife says quickly, and then blushes. “Wouldn’t want to interrupt… something.”
Wedefinitelyinterrupted something.
It smells like sex and candles at the Monroe-Anderson-Harrington-Archer household.Maverick, although showered, is a bit detached and glassy-eyed. He clears his throat. He can’t stop smiling.
“Are you high?” I ask, and all I hear is Jonas snickering behind me, along with Parker and Niko. Damon and Raven are in the kitchen grabbing us drinks with Sabrina. We’re in Mav’s office, where there’s an enormous victim board with pictures, a map, red string, the works.
Mav shakes his head. “No.”
Jonas interjects with, “He’s blissed out. We were celebrating Raven finishing her album a month ahead of schedule.”
“Sabrina plays her demo non-stop when she’s reading.”
That makes Maverick’s grin widen. “Yeah, we’re… very proud of her.” He looks behind me as I hear more people shuffle into the large space, now feeling smaller with so many people inside. He stretches his hand out, and Raven goes to him immediately, without hesitation, to sit in his lap. She hands him a tumbler with amber liquid, then he mutters something in her ear which causes her to blush. He gazes up at her with so much adoration, I can feel the love he has for her from where I’m sitting. Raven drapes her arm over his shoulders and plants a kiss to his temple. Only then does he even bother to look my way.
“Sabrina says this couldn't be talked about over the phone or in an email?”
I shake my head. “I didn't want to bring you into this whatsoever since, it’s mafia business, but my wife believes there’s more than one person being held hostage to be trafficked at a remote location. Children, to be exact. Plural.”
His green eyes travel from me to my wife then back to me. He slowly inclines his chin. The smirk on his face turns into a frown, eyes bouncing from me to Damon and back. “Then it's an extraction. They’ll need medics on site, as well as Child Protective Services. Do you have coordinates for this location?”
“I have one of my guys on standby already, keeping an eye on any movement.”
“Given that my former partner lives in Virginia and most likely won't be able to be here for another hour and a half due toflight times, I have to ask, do you want to move in now or wait until we have everything set into place? She’s on speed dial.”
“Go ahead and call her. If it were just Dana, we’d go in. But since my wife says there is a possibility of children, I won't have my guys go in and hurt innocents. They’ll need services we don’t offer. The doctor we have on retainer deals with trauma wounds not… psychiatry.”
Respect flashes across his face as he asks me for the coordinates, and we watch as he calls this Tasha woman.
We listen as she gasps and fumbles around while she gets ready. “And you’re sure there were kids?” I grin, hearing the fellow New Yorker in her voice.
Mav looks at my wife again, and Sabrina nods. “It’s what I’m told.” He gives Sabrina a look, and she introduces herself to Tasha, filling her in on everything we saw through the drone and her suspicions. When she’s done, Maverick takes over by saying, “The possible trafficker’s surname is Donahue. Law Enforcement Officer.”
Tasha groans. “Ihateit when it’s one of us. Wait.Donahue?”
I raise a brow as Mav answers her. “Do you know him?”
“Irish guy with freaky blue eyes and red hair? I mean, could be a different guy, but the Donahue brothers I knew while I worked for Brooklyn PD were weird.Stareda little too long, if you catch my drift. If it’s the guys I'm thinking of, I'm not surprised.” she sighs loudly and then, “I’ll be there in two hours. And Mav?”
“Yeah?”
“You owe me lunch,” she replies, hanging up before he can answer, and he huffs out a chuckle.
“That’s it?” I ask.
He dips his head in a nod. “Usually I would ask more questions, have to see proof for myself. I've never gone into situationscompletelyblind before, where I don’t have all of the information and know exactly who I’m hunting for, but,” his grip on Raven tightens “I’ve recently been in a similar situation, where I didn’t take heed, and it almost cost me everything. I trust Sabrina. I am doing thisforSabrina, Maks. Not you.”
“Good. I don’t like to owe anyone favors," I reply, and a ghost of a smile graces Mav’s lips. “So… now what?”
“Now, I get ready to meet Tasha at the airport, debrief her so she can do the same to the local PD.”
“You’re not taking charge of this?”