Pulling to the front of Jack’s place the next morning, Nick parked next to a couple of vehicles and realized he was not the first one to arrive. He sat for a moment, filling his lungs with mountain air, then looked down at his attire. Jeans, clean and pressed, but still jeans. A long sleeve t-shirt instead of a buttoned, collared dress shirt. A leather jacket, comfortably worn at the seams, instead of a blazer. And no tie.

He waited for a moment, wondering if an uncomfortable panic would ensue but he felt nothing but serene…and ready. As he got out and moved to the steps, two other vehicles pulled up beside his. Bart, Jude, and Cam alighted from one, as Marc, Blaise, and Chad hopped down from the other. The six men moved toward Nick, grins on their faces as greetings rang out in the early morning air.

Shaking hands and accepting back pats, the group made their way up the front steps to the large front porch. The door opened and a pretty blonde hurried them all inside. “Cobbler’s on the counter, boys. Help yourself.”

Nick hesitated as he watched in amazement as the others hustled toward the kitchen where the scent of peaches and cinnamon filled the room. Looking down, he peered at the petite woman, her honey-blonde hair pulled into a long braid hanging down her back. Her hand was outstretched and he took it in his own.

“You must be Nick Stone,” she said. “I’m Bethany, Jack’s wife. Welcome to our home and to the Saints. I know Jack is excited to have you join the team.”

Expressing his thanks, he watched as Jack walked from the back, sliding his arm around Bethany’s waist. “First things first, Nick. Bethany likes to have something for everyone to eat, so make yourself at home and dig in.”

Bethany smiled and added, “Monty’s wife, Angel, also provides nummies so it’s not always just me. She owns Angel’s Cupcake Heaven and when she sends in a big white box tied in pink, purple, and teal ribbons, you’re in for a real treat.”

Thanking her, Nick made his way to the counter, glad to see that the cobbler had not been decimated. Serving himself, he followed the others down to the command center where Luke, Charlie, and Patrick were already working.

Once the welcoming speeches were over, Jack turned to Nick and said, “The governor has us on this case now and, while some of the others will be working out other assignments, I wanted everyone here to listen to what you can tell us.”

Nick nodded, thinking over the case before speaking. “I wasn’t on the missing girl’s case for long, as you know, but what we feared was that she had become a victim of human trafficking, which is a problem in Virginia. Social media makes it so much easier for traffickers to make contact with girls and boys that are loners, looking for friends and attention. Easy to contact, easy to manipulate, easy to hook up with, and then easy to grab.”

“And it’s profitable,” Bart added.

“Oh, yeah,” Nick agreed. “Drugs can only be used once. A human can be sold over and over. And many use legitimate hotels for their trade. Unlike drugs, where the dealers will often have to have a certain type of place to process the drugs, and we have trained dogs that can be used to sniff out drugs, the selling of humans can take place anywhere. All it takes is a couple of motel rooms and the pimps start raking in the money.”

“How does Amy Willis fit into this?” Patrick asked.

“To be honest, there had been no evidence to tie Amy Willis to any other disappearance, until Johan Serkov approached Bayley.” Grimacing, he spared a glance toward Blaise. “While I still kick myself for not realizing she was at risk, it was her, through Faith’s drawings, that led us to Johan. We did not know he was back in the states.”

Luke spoke up, saying, “Since we’ve received that information, we’ve tried to see when he came back into the country and if he is back with the same Volkov family.”

“The Bureau was looking into that when I had to leave to go to Tennessee. Since I basically resigned immediately upon return, I am not privy to what they determined.” Rubbing the back off his neck, he pierced Jack with his gaze and said, “I need to let you know about something and I hope like hell it doesn’t make you regret giving me a position with the Saints.”

The group was silent as all eyes landed on Nick. “Obviously, you know that one of the main reasons I left the FBI was because of the political posturing from above. But, recently, it has been more than just posturing. My supervisor, at the state level, hated the governor’s use of your organization. He saw it as a threat, instead of cooperation. It didn’t matter to him that your investigative findings were always turned over to the Bureau and they got credit.”

“Richard Tillman?” Jack asked.

“So, you’ve heard of him?” Nick countered.

Chuckling, Jack replied, “Yeah. Actually, it was from the governor. He thinks Tillman’s a blowhard.”

Laughing as he relaxed back in his seat, Nick agreed, “That he is.” Sobering, he added, “I just wanted you to know that he was gunning for me once I became the liaison between you and the FBI last year. And the more I worked with the Saints, especially when I came back from Alaska, the more he wanted to put the Saints out of the picture. My opinion is that he’s threatened by the work you do and he’s got political aspirations that make him paranoid.” Shrugging, he added, “I just wanted you to be aware that’s why I don’t have the latest intel.”

“Well, you’ll be glad to hear that Charlie and I have already been working on that,” Luke said. Turning to her, he said, “Take it away, babe.”

Grinning as she blushed, Charlie flashed Johan’s picture on the screen as she said, “We know Johan was associated with the Volkov family, based in Norfolk. They’re suspected of extortion, money laundering, shipping guns, stolen goods, drugs, and also in human trafficking. While the police and FBI in the area have been able to nab some of their lower members, Gavrill and his top family members and eschelon have managed to keep their necks out of the noose. It took some digging, but we’ve discovered Johan came back to the states about five months ago, under a false passport, but he’s stayed well under the radar. In fact, I can’t find any evidence that he’s been back with Gavrill’s group. He may be working for one of the other Russian mafia families. But with Bayley’s positive identification, we know he’s here.”

“With his false name, we’re working on tracing his movements and following any money trails we can,” Luke added. “We’re still working on it, but that’s all we’ve got, at the moment, on him.”

“Tell me about Gavrill’s trafficking business,” Nick requested.

Bart replied, “I know we worked on the Chinese traffickers last year, but Gavrill’s business is similar. Seems like they will go for teens, runaways, college students. What we don’t know is where they are housed before being shipped overseas. With his family’s shipping business, he has ready access to ship a few at a time with his other shipments. Easily hidden…not easily traced.”

“So why here in central Virginia? What’s got them here?” Jude asked.

No one around the table had an answer, as curses were growled under their breaths. Cam leaned forward, his arms on the table, and said, “I got sisters. I got a woman I’d die for. And now I’ve got a daughter. This shit pisses me off more’n about anything.” He pinned Nick with his dark-eyed stare. “I’m all in on this.”

Jack said, “Agreed.” He moved his gaze around his Saints before landing on Nick. “We’ve got a few other cases to work on, but this takes priority.”

Nick let his breath out slowly, not realizing he had been holding it. Nodding, he said, “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Looking at the clock, Jack said, “I’m going to have you work with Luke and Charlie on the money trail to see if we can figure out where Johan is and who he’s now working for.”

“You will go with me today,” Chessa said, “after we are finished with lunch.”

Pinching her lips together, Agnes walked over with the plates, setting them on the table. “I had plans this afternoon.”

“You will have time after we check on the new girls.”

Arguing with her mother would get her nowhere, so Agnes acquiesced, while inwardly protesting.

“I see your face,” Chessa bit out. “You have a problem with my request?”

Knowing her mother’s request was actually an order, Agnes shook her head. “No, no, it’ll be fine.”

“Good. There’s no place for insolence in this family.”

“Yes, Mama,” she replied dutifully, placing the silverware next to the plates.

Chessa walked over, patting her daughter’s cheek. “You’re a good girl, my Agnes. You’ll make someone a good wife.”

“What if I want more?” Agnes dared to ask.

Her mother’s eyebrows rose as she peered at her daughter. “Life will give you more. Babies will come and there will always be family duties.” Agnes remained quiet as Chessa added, “Our place is not to rule the family business…but to serve to help make it profitable.”

Nodding obediently, Agnes finished the table setting as her brothers and father walked into the room. The gathering became boisterous as they passed platters and talked amongst themselves.

As the meal came to a close, Milos turned to Lazlo, asking, “Are you making headway? I want that girl who can identify Johan.”

“Her employee says she still has some kind of guards around her and she’s moved in with a Fed.”

“I can get to her much easier,” Agnes pronounced, gaining the eyes of all around the table. “I’ve been in the store. I’ve seen how the guards watch every man who walks in…even you, dear brother.”

At that, Lazlo glared. As he opened his mouth, Agnes rushed on, “But for me, it’s easy. No one suspects a female author just hanging out with a cute man she acts interested in. He’s easy to get information from as well.”

Milos nodded slowly, cutting his eyes over to his wife. “Chessa, what do you think?”

“I’m taking her to the girls today to check on them since our shipping of the older ones has been delayed a week.”

“Yes, but maybe there is work she can do that would be helpful. This shop owner would be more likely to trust another woman.” The table was silent as Milos pondered the situation. Nodding again, he pierced his daughter with a stare. “You keep going to the shop and report to Lazlo. He can work on the employee and see if we can get the Hanssen woman away from her protectors.”

With that pronouncement, Lazlo preened at having his sister required to report to him, but Agnes still smiled. “Thank you, Papa. I won’t let you down.” Finishing her meal, she planned her next move, determined to be more than the next wife of Gavrill’s organization.

Agnes was surprised with the cleanliness of the room holding the six women. As she and her mother entered, her gaze swept the room, noting the position of each woman as they stood to the side. The small hotel room held three bunk beds, a small table with only four chairs, and a small connecting bathroom with shower, toilet, and sink.

She observed as her mother walked down the line, outwardly inspecting each girl carefully, before saying, “There’s been a slight delay in getting upstairs rooms for you so you’ll stay here a few more days.”

Agnes recognized the flare of hope in the girls’ eyes before her mother squashed it by adding, “But don’t get any ideas. You will soon be making money for us in the oldest profession.”

Chessa turned and walked to Agnes, announcing, “This is my daughter. She will be handling you at times. Make sure you give her the respect you give me or,” she pinned them with a hard stare, “you will not like the consequences.”

Agnes watched as the girls lifted their eyes to her before dropping them back to the floor. Stifling a smile, she knew this job would be easy. Following her mother out the door, she let the grin slide over her lips.