Page 22 of Rescued By the Operative

I crank the engine and look up at the shape of the woman striding into Nate’s coffee shop across the street. Again. Does she have a fucking punch card she needs to fill or something? The flash of blonde hair, tight jeans, and stilettos is unmistakable. I watch her in my rearview mirror, breaking eye contact with Jesse.

Why hasn’t she texted me yet?

I really shot my shot, and she’s ghosting me.

“You okay, Jake?”

“I’ll have to let you know,” I say.

And against my better judgment, I’m marching straight into the coffee shop.

Chapter Nine

Nelly

I tossed and turned all night, feeling out of the loop.

I feel like death, and I need to get the hell off this compound, but I paste on a cheerful face when I go to the detention center.

Floydene doesn’t say anything when I clock in for work, just glares at me suspiciously.

“Have a good day,” I say brightly.

Instead of leaving, she stands there frowning at me. Uh oh.

“Why’d you move the file cabinet, anyway?”

I’m surprised she only brought it up now, a month later. But this chick isn’t exactly chatty.

Without missing a beat, I explain that I needed a change.

“I read in a book once that it can help with your mental health to rearrange the furniture once in a while.”

Her nostrils flare. “Don’t do it again.”

“Don’t move the furniture again?” I ask.

“Don’t be reading psychology books that the elders don’t approve of.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Once I’m sure Floydene is gone, I phone Carl.

“Did you know?”

“Know what?”

“Did you know that Moffatt is ordering hits on his detractors from jail? And did you also know that some of the people doing these executions are his wives?”

Carl sighs. “Nelly. Your job is to investigate the angle of forced domestic servitude. We need to build a case. You’re not doing this to take down the whole damn church.”

“Agent, I need to show you something.”

He ignores this. “Moffatt is in jail. The state is building its case against him for fraud and murder. Your assignment is to get information on the federal crimes we can connect to Moffatt. If you’re lucky, you could also be tasked with finding out if any of the murders took place on tribal land, because that would also be our jurisdiction.”

“Plus child trafficking,” I say. “You heard what they’ve been implying.”

“Implying. We don’t have proof. Stick to the assignment.”