The two men and a woman sat in the corner, their black suits a stark contrast to the colorful environment of the hotel dining room. Special Agent James Kingston didn’t care about the stares, the interest they were attracting. They were used to it. With every mission, keeping a low profile was almost laughable unless they completely redid their look and attitudes, but the FBI had a certain protocol to follow; catering to each town was not one of them.

“Has the local police department been contacted?” he asked quietly, sipping his black coffee as he looked down at the neatly stacked papers in front of him. Dealing with the local authorities was a pain in the ass but something that couldn’t be overlooked.

“Yeah, and they aren’t happy, but the chief understands,” the other man, Kail Walls, answered sarcastically, drinking his own coffee. Both over six feet, with black hair combed back and spiked in the front, the two men were often mistaken for brothers. Their brown eyes showed the same intensity and commanding stare. But whereas the men were dark and intimidating, the woman by their side, Jenna Oakland, couldn’t have been more different if she tried. Small and petite, her blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, her light blue eyes smiling and sympathetic, she was often overlooked and underestimated, which worked for the group perfectly.

“We have a meeting at ten this morning with him,” Kail finished.

James nodded and mentally checked that off their list. After arriving in Portland the night before, the small group had barely slept, working much of the night to gather what they needed for the so-called meeting that was more of a courtesy thing on the FBI’s part than anything else.

After nearly ten years pursuing this bastard, they finally had him, and this time, they weren’t going to let the pissing match between the two branches ruin the mission. Every time there was a fuckup, their target went underground, usually with five or six girls, his trail cold for years.

“And Jackson is sure he’s here?” Kail asked.

James nodded grimly. Jackson Maddox, ex-military and a loner, was an old friend of his and knew of many of his cases, this one being one of the major ones. Jackson had always told him he would keep a look out for James in his travels. Jackson’s OCD attention to detail paid off with his latest call, as he was pretty sure the man he kept running into around town was the man James was after. So here they were, ready to nail the bastard against the wall and put a stop to the sex trafficking ring that was one of the biggest in recent history. They had managed to break links all over the United States but had never managed to get the man behind the organization.

Until now.

“While you two head to the police department, I’m taking the first detail,” Jenna said quietly.

James nodded again. They all knew they had to get on this now before it was too late. There was no wasting time, and with that thought running through all their minds, they stood up as one, ignoring the curious stares that followed their fluid movements.

Once outside, the two black SUVs went in opposite directions, with Jenna going left toward the large mansion on the island and James and Kail going right.

Twenty minutes later, they pulled up outside of a large brick building, the large lettering on the front signaling their destination: POLICE DEPARTMENT.

James and Kail slammed their vehicle doors and headed inside, keeping their eyes narrowed and alert.

The cold air conditioning hit them in the face and was a welcome relief from the mid-summer heat outside.

James slid his dark sunglasses to the top of his head, Kail doing the same, just as a large man walked out of an office to the right, his black hair sprinkled with gray along his temples.

His brown eyes penetrating as they zoomed in on the two of them, James let loose a small sigh of relief. He was a damn good judge of character, and from the looks of the man coming toward them, their small task force hopefully wouldn’t have a pissing match this go around, thank God. They couldn’t afford another screw-up or more innocent girls would die, and James refused to let that happen.

The man stopped in front of them and held out his hand, his handshake firm. He didn’t mince words but got right to the point. James’s respect for the cop in front of him went up.

“Chief Wilson. Follow me, gentleman.”

With that, he turned and led the way back to his office, shutting the door behind Kail.

“Have a seat.”

They took their seats in front of the large desk, and the chief sat down, his chair squeaking in protest as he leaned back.

“You were vague on the phone. What is this about?”

James took a page from the other man’s book and, for the first time he could remember, decided to lay his cards on the table. Well, most of them anyway. He needed to keep Jackson’s part out of it. There was more to the other man than most people knew, and he wanted to keep it that way.

“For the past ten years, the FBI has been after a sex trafficking ring, and we believe the base is here in Portland.”

The chief stiffened, and his eyes narrowed as he straightened.

“You’re sure? You’re not going to tear up and cause panic in my town over a hunch. I don’t care if you are the FBI.”

James wasn’t offended. In fact, he really liked the man in front of him and nodded confidently. He trusted Jackson completely. If he said Edward Calhoun was living in Portland, then this wasn’t a hunch but fact.

“I’m positive.”

The chief cursed and ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck. Okay. What do you want from us, since you guys obviously have the lead on this.”

James, hoping he would say that, started to lay out his plan.