She answered Leo's call on the first ring. “Toni?”

“Yes?”

She didn’t mean to sound exasperated with him but she was heading over to meet with Jones, to go over what little information she’d extracted from Monique Bentley during their short meeting. There was something fishy going on at the 4Teen Center but nothing concrete that would get a search warrant issued. So far, from Monique’s explanations, Toni was certain that all three of Leo's missing girls had spent at least a few nights at the center over the past few months. There was also an extraordinarily high turn-over of kids coming in each day compared to the number of empty rooms Toni had seen during her brief tour. Monique had bragged about how many women she was taking in regularly but most of her rooms stood empty. Where were all the women and teens she claimed to be housing?

“Where are you?” Leo's voice broke through her troubled thoughts.

“Working. Where else would I be?”

“Meet with me.”

Now?

“I can’t.” Her guilt surged. She was avoiding the inevitable. She’d undermined his case and hadn’t told him. Now she was deliberately avoiding him.

I’m a terrible girlfriend.

She owed him some sort of explanation for what she’d done this morning. It was a chicken-shit move on her part and an apology was in order. “Tonight. At Smokey’s Grill. I’ll buy you dinner.”

It was his favorite dive. She’d ply him with beer, burgers and a heartfelt apology. The guilt circled her heart, squeezing it tightly. Leo would forgive her because he loved her, and she was taking advantage of that affection. She didn't want to be that person but there were lives at stake. This was one situation where the end would justify the means.

Or maybe that's just what you're telling yourself to ease your conscience.

“How about six?” Hesitation colored his voice. “I need to talk to you about my case.”

Shame burned in her chest as he hung up. She didn’t need to ask why he wanted to discuss it with her. Chances were that she’d pushed him too far this time. It wasn't hard to tell that he was pissed. She’d undercut him, used their relationship to move her own career farther ahead at the risk of his.

There are more lives at stake with my case.

No matter how she tried to rationalize it, she was making excuses.

I am unquestionably the worst girlfriend ever.

Toni called Jones, warning him they’d have to keep their meeting short and sweet. She'd have to let him tease her about being dick-whipped, but she didn't want to be late for her meeting with Leo. At the very least, he deserved that courtesy. As she was disconnecting the call on Jones's snort of laughter, a flash of chrome from her passenger side window caught her eye.

Toni barely caught sight of the white truck barreling down on her as it ran the red light. She slammed her foot on the gas, only able to dodge it enough so that it hit only the back corner of her bumper, throwing her car into a screeching spin. With her body braced against her door, the seatbelt crushing her chest, Toni saw a young man in his early twenties through his cracked windshield. Before she could react, he jumped out of his vehicle and rushed toward her vehicle, his lips pulled back over his teeth in a feral snarl. Without thinking, Toni smacked her hand on her automatic door locks as he jerked at the passenger door. When that wouldn’t open, he kicked at the back one. The kid looked far too clean-cut to be threatening but his sneer revealed his menacing intent.

Toni released the buckle of her seatbelt and jammed her foot on the gas pedal, trying to get away from the intersection. The grinding shriek of scraping metal sent him leaping away from her car, but the Mercedes wouldn't move away from where it caught on the front of his truck. She glanced back at him as he tugged a handgun from the back of his pants and pointed it at the passenger window.

She had no clue why this man was after her but this wasn’t the time to stop and ask questions. Throwing her Mercedes into reverse, Toni jammed her foot to the floor again and jerked the wheel in the opposite direction. It was enough to pry her car from the truck's bumper and knock the kid to one side.

The screech of metal from outside her vehicle made Toni cringe as she cut off several automobiles, weaving her way back into traffic, sparks flying from behind her. She pressed the button on her phone to call Jones.

“What’s up, T? You here yet?”

“I’ve got someone on my tail.” She glanced in the rearview mirror to see the truck closing in behind her. “I’m on Hacienda, heading toward the McCarran airport. I’ll ditch the car at Terminal One. Pick me up inside. Call me when you get close.”

“You okay?”

“For now, but I've got to shake him.”

“Any idea who it is?”

She glanced into the rearview mirror, for another glimpse of him, trying to place where she might recognize him from. Someone she'd busted on another case? She wracked her memory but kept coming up empty.

“No, I guess I should’ve ask him when he slammed into my car and tried to jerk me out of it.” A full conversation with Jones wasn't helping her focus on putting more distance between her and the guy chasing her. “Just get your ass to the airport, please.”

“On my way.”

Toni jerked the steering wheel to one side as she cut off a car beside her, earning herself a loud honk and the driver flipping her the bird. The move put a few cars between her and the truck. That wouldn't buy her much time to get out, into the airport and to alert security of the situation before the kid could catch up to her, but she couldn’t drive around the terminal trying to ditch him either. Her car was literally leaving a trail of sparks to follow.

Toni felt the tires giving as she skid around a curve, far too fast for her own safety and slid to one side. “Shit,” she muttered, her hands shaking as she gripped the wheel, barely able to hold it in her lane.

A glance in the rearview mirror showed the truck caught behind a large delivery van. The terminal drop off was ahead and, luckily, packed with travelers. She grabbed her phone and slowed as she slipped her vehicle into a spot between two shuttles. People stared as she jumped out of it, not bothering to turn it off, before bolting through the sliding doors. A blast of cold air hit her and she sucked in a breath, trying to acclimate herself as she ran past a mother with a stroller dragging a large bag behind her. She dodged the woman, avoiding another with a dog in a carrier.

"Excuse you," the woman sneered.

Toni ignored her, searching for the security gate. Toni cursed her heels as she sprinted for the TSA officer, however, she was thankful she hadn't changed clothes after her meeting with Monique before heading to see Jones. If she had, this douche bag would've caught her alone. At least this way, she’d made her way into a crowd where she could create a scene and preserve her cover. She glanced back over her shoulder but didn’t see the kid following her into the building yet. Toni ignored the nasty glances cast her direction from other waiting air passengers as she cut through the line to reach the TSA officer stationed at the checkpoint.

“FBI.” She slid her badge and identification on the table, keeping her gun hidden so no one noticed it, or heard her. “There's a guy heading this way from Terminal One: early twenties, blond, crew cut. He’s in an older model, white Ford outside. He tried to run me off the road and I believe he's carrying a gun.”

The officer didn’t need to be told twice. She reached for her radio. Within seconds, four armed officers bolted toward the terminal doors. Another three headed for a second set past the bank of windows. Toni remained beside the officer, watching for the drama to begin. It didn't take long. The kid, handcuffed and surrounded by security officers, created a scene, swearing loudly as they escorted him through the airport. He threw himself into one officer, trying to gain some leverage but the officer dodged his maneuver and, with a hand on his arm, let his momentum drag him to his knees. People turned to stare at the commotion but he was swept past the checkpoint and behind the security doors.

“That’s him,” Toni confirmed.

The TSA officer called up a replacement for her station and escorted Toni to an office where she waited for Jones to arrive, giving her statement once they'd confirmed her identity.

Jones leaned against the doorframe and shook his head when he saw her. "You realize what a pain in the ass this paperwork will be, right?"

"About time you got here." She rose and patted his shoulder. "I had to buy myself some time. It wasn’t like I was going to hide in the bathroom. At least I didn't blow my cover."

"True, although you'll probably need to use an unmarked from here on out. I hope you've got good insurance."

Son of a bitch!

Toni hadn't even thought to call the tow truck for her car. She doubted it would come out of this as well as she had. That bastard destroyed the last gift she'd received from her father.

"I hope he gets a cavity search for this."

* * *

“What the fuck are you doing? She can't stay here with the others!”

"I got her, didn't I? That's what you said you wanted. You figure out the details."

Tank jerked at the pillowcase. Barely conscious, the woman's head bowed forward, and she blinked slowly, struggling to clear her vision.

Tipping her face up, a hand gently cupping her chin, her eyes trying to focus in the semi-dark room. Her face didn’t look as perfect as it had this morning with her lip swollen to double its size on one side, split and bleeding. A streak of blood from another cut in her hairline dried alongside her eyebrow. Long, blonde hair hung over her face in a matted mess of what had once been flawless curls.

“You shouldn’t have hit her. He's going to be pissed about this.”

Tank chuckled sadistically, making it evident he'd loved every second of this hunt. An evil grin tugged the corner of his mouth as he licked his lower lip. “Who are you kidding? He’s going to do worse than this to her.”

“He likes a blank canvas for his own artistic inclinations.”

“After what she did to Wilson, I owed her.”

A snort of bitter laughter burst out and, if the glare cast by Tank was any indication, it wasn’t appreciated. “Please, I’m sure this wasn’t his first or last arrest. You have plenty of guys to help you out. The kid was expendable.”

“Wilson was a good supplier for you. It's not easy to find a kid who's good with the girls and smart without being too smart.”

“Whatever. I'm sure you'll find someone else to take his place.”

“Where am I?” The woman’s dark eyes began to clear.

“You're at a rendezvous location. We're getting you ready for a trip.”

“Trip?” she slurred, from her confusion and the damage to her lip. “What trip?”

“It'll be a few days before you’re able to travel. That should give you time to heal up. Get her some water.” The order was met with immediate obedience, exactly as it should be.

“I want to go home. How did I get here?”

Tank pressed a plastic cup in the hands of the woman who still seemed dazed. “You were in a car accident,” he explained, lying easily. “We rescued you.”

Recognition hit her and her eyes widened. She struggled against the zip ties around her wrists. “No, I remember you. You grabbed me when I was in the parking lot.”

“Stop.” The order was quiet but authoritative and she shrank back into the chair. “I know you don’t understand yet, but you’re a very lucky woman. You'll live an exciting life, filled with travel and romance.”

“What? No, I want to go home.” The woman’s voice caught, turning to a whimper. Tank reached for her wrists, holding them hard in her lap as he pressed a hypodermic needle against the delicate skin on the inside of her elbow. “Please, don't.” She fought for a moment but she was no match for him. “Please?”

“Shh. This will make all the discomfort go away, Casey.”

“No,” she squeaked, twisting her shoulders in a last attempt to escape as she faded into the drug-induced oblivion. “I’m… I’m Rose.”