Visible Threat (24 page)

65

“K
ING-
44
 
—”
Lieutenant Harvey’s voice came over the car speaker
 
—“hold position at the entrance to the parking lot. Agents will be there shortly to contain the situation. They’ll block the exit and proceed as needed.”

Brinna was about to say that sounded like a good idea when the sedan lurched away, tires squealing, smoke belching from burning rubber.

“Where is he going?” Brinna gaped, incredulous. “Does he plan on driving into the water?” Reflex set her foot down on the accelerator, and the Explorer leaped after the sedan. If he did drive into the water, could her mother get out in time?

The sedan roared right into the parking lot, very nearly on two wheels. It then cut over the empty lot in a diagonal line across the parking spaces. Brinna kept after it, slowing just a bit, mindful of the fact she was not alone in the car and this could get dangerous.

The sedan jumped the curb and roared along the walkway,
getting ever closer to the water line, then suddenly came screeching to a halt.

Brinna sucked in a breath and hit the brakes. The last thing she wanted was an armed confrontation. She watched from about two hundred feet away. The back door of the sedan flew open and two figures stumbled out. They’d barely hit the pavement when the sedan shuddered and squealed away.

Forgetting the vehicle, Brinna punched it toward the two figures picking themselves up from the ground. Her headlights illuminated them, and before she could think about it, the words “Thank God” burst from her lips.

She positioned the Explorer between the pair and the fleeing sedan, then jammed it into park and threw herself out the door. She was certain that her mother was surprised by the intensity of the hug, but Brinna just didn’t care.

*   *   *

Jack met them at the hospital after Rose and Ivana were taken to exam rooms. Brinna was almost as happy to see him as she had been to see her mother. When he stepped forward and gave her a hug, she willingly hugged him back, not caring who was watching.

“I’m so glad we’re celebrating this ending,” he whispered to her as he stroked her head.

“Oh, you and me both.” Brinna held tight, enjoying the feeling of his muscled back beneath her hands.

It was Maggie clearing her throat that got them to part. “The Feds want to talk to your mom and Ivana.”

Brinna turned to see Chuck and a couple other agents walking into the emergency room. “Not sure if the doctor will let them.” She yawned. “In any event, I’m out of this for now.” She sat down in the waiting room, and Jack sat next to her, holding her good hand tightly in both of his.

“You’re just going to sit there?” Maggie asked.

“I might sleep as well.”

Chuck laughed. “You’ve earned a rest. We’ll talk to your mom and fill you in later.”

Maggie threw her hands up and sat on the other side of Brinna.

Jack told them that the house Maggie had been led to by Laura was actually the home of Simon’s cousin, Walter Arnaut. Walter and his wife were on vacation and would not be home for another week.

“We got the address from a tattoo artist in San Pedro. We would have been there, but you two beat us to it,” he told them.

He and Maggie started a spirited banter about who was the better detective, but Brinna decided she must have dozed off because it seemed like only minutes later that her mother, not Jack, was talking to her.

The sun was up when Rose and Ivana were released from Memorial’s emergency room. Other than being emotionally drained, tired, hungry, and dehydrated, Rose and Ivana were given a clean bill of health. They’d been debriefed by federal agents and were more than ready to go home. Because of all the other girls ICE had jurisdiction over and the extreme shortage of shelter beds, Chuck said Ivana was free to stay with Rose.

Brinna watched Rose hug Ivana with the news and realized the ordeal had brought the two very close. She doubted Chuck would have gotten Ivana away if he tried.

“I’ll call you,” Jack told Brinna as he and Maggie said their good-byes.

“Sorry about that backseat,” Brinna said to Ivana as they climbed into the Explorer, “but it’s set up for my dog.”

“That’s fine. Anywhere is fine right now considering where I have been,” Ivana said as she slid into the back.

“Boy, do I need a shower,” Rose exclaimed.

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but . . .” Brinna grinned at her mother.

“I’ll probably sleep for two days,” Rose said, ignoring Brinna’s gibe.

“Well, before you go into hibernation
 
—” Brinna looked across the car at her mom
 
—“I’m curious about something.”

“Oh?” Rose’s eyebrow arched.

“Yeah. I was a basket case, all nerves, certain we were going to find you dead.” She sucked in a breath as strong emotion she wasn’t expecting threatened. “How were you doing? I mean
 
—”

“Was I a basket case?” Rose asked.

Brinna nodded.

“I was frightened.” Rose glanced back at Ivana. “But I was also certain that God was in control of everything, including the gun in Simon’s hand.”

Brinna wiped her eyes. “I wondered. I wondered if you’d still believe, if your faith would hold while your life was in danger.”

“When my life was in danger,” Rose repeated. “Oh,
Brinna, that was when my faith was the strongest. God is strongest when we are weakest.”

“I don’t understand that, not completely. But I’m trying. Jack and I even made a date to go to church. And it may have been lame, but I even tried praying for you a couple of times.”

Rose beamed and gave Brinna another tight hug.

As they drove home, she told her mother and Ivana about Magda and being her sister’s keeper.

“I never thought a story from the Bible could touch anyone like that,” she admitted to her mom. “Turns out, it touched me as well. I may lose Hero and my right to be called a Kid Crusader, but I can still be my sister’s keeper. I’m that every time I help someone, whether it be a kid or not.”

“Wonderful,” Rose said simply.

66

T
WO DAYS LATER,
Brinna, Jack, Magda, and about twenty federal agents were stationed in various places at LAX. They awaited the arrival of a plane from Eastern Europe
 
—Bulgaria, to be exact. Demitri, Emil, and Anka were due to disembark. Magda explained that for his trips to recruit girls he always flew, acting like a legitimate businessman. He only utilized ships when he was actually bringing captives with him. Magda was with them because she wanted to see Demitri humbled. She’d decided that only by knowing he’d lost everything, and that he had no reach to touch her, could she move on with her life, unafraid.

At the same moment the plane touched down on the runway in California, Canadian agents raided a container ship set to sail to America in a few days from Vancouver. Ten young women were discovered secreted in a container on one of the upper decks.

Though ICE had already decided to board the plane and take Demitri into custody before all the passengers were
let off, Brinna and every other law enforcement agent had with them a photo of Demitri Dinev in case there were any glitches. He was tall, six feet four, about two hundred and forty pounds with dark hair graying at the temples. His eyes were mean and cold. Brinna wished she could be the one applying the handcuffs, but this was a federal op now, and she and Jack were simply observers.

It was a miracle that Dinev had not heard of the entire breakdown of his organization in the States, since it had been big news. He’d called Magda and asked her if everything was okay. Magda happened to be with federal authorities
 
—at Simon’s hospital bed
 
—when the call came in to Simon’s cell phone. He’d wondered why she was answering Simon’s phone, and she made up a story about having asked Simon to come help her move some heavy items at the shop. It was not anything Magda had ever done before, but Demitri had bought it. She’d assured him that, yes, everything was running smoothly. He then wanted to talk to Simon. He didn’t know that Simon had turned state’s evidence and was being interviewed extensively about all he knew of the human-trafficking operation.

Without missing a beat, Magda handed Simon the phone. He spoke to Demitri from his hospital bed at the jail ward of Los Angeles County–USC Medical Center. Yes, everything was fine, he assured his boss. The girls and his business were thriving. He recited the time of arrival and flight number of Demitri’s plane while an ICE agent wrote it down.

Miracle, yes,
Brinna thought as she watched the airline employees prepare the gate for the arrival of passengers,
but
not the only miracle.
She’d been considering the miracle of her mother and Ivana emerging from their ordeal unscathed after Simon ordered them from the car.

Simon had driven his vehicle to the end of the marina roadway, through a barrier, and into the ocean, hoping to end his life and escape the wrath of Demitri and the police. It was touch and go for a short period of time as the heavy sedan sank rapidly. But Simon was eventually rescued by an army of agents and local officers who had arrived at Shoreline Village about the same time he kicked Ivana and Rose out of his car. They had followed him, diving in to pull him from the cold water. Though he would be charged with murder, Rose insisted that since the police had rescued Simon, this had a part to play in his decision to cooperate with the authorities.

“Answered prayer” was what her mother and Jack called all of these fortuitous events. Brinna agreed. The idea of answered prayer was growing on her.

The door to the gate opened, and four agents disappeared into the tunnel. Four more stayed at the entrance of the gate. Demitri and Emil would be arrested, and after being thoroughly interviewed, Anka would be allowed to leave with Magda. Magda had been granted full immunity from prosecution in exchange for her cooperation and testimony.

A few minutes later, yelling and cursing could be heard from the gate. Passengers waiting at the gate stopped what they were doing, and all heads turned toward the open door. Brinna felt Magda stiffen next to her.

“That sound like Demitri?” she asked.

Magda nodded, and Brinna watched the color drain from her face. That she still feared him was obvious.

“Don’t worry,” Brinna offered. “He won’t look so scary in handcuffs.” She thought about how satisfied she felt when a child predator was apprehended and cuffed up.

Just then the agents appeared, Demitri between two of them. He looked outraged as he struggled, but the cuffs were on, and his hands were firmly behind his back. In addition, each agent had a tight grip on an arm. None of Demitri’s protests or gyrations could do anything to loosen the holds the agents had on him. He looked very small and very impotent. The second man, Emil, came next, but he was quiet and walked meekly beside the agent. Behind him, the fourth agent escorted a bewildered-looking Anka.

Brinna heard an exhalation of breath from Magda.

“You’re right,” she said with a smile. “He is nothing but a man. Not someone to fear any longer.”

67

“I
HAVEN’T BEEN
on the Matterhorn in years!” Brinna giggled, her heart soaring. Jack’s hand was tight in hers, and they were walking through Disneyland, enjoying sights, sounds, and smells neither had experienced in a while. She had grown used to the cast, and it barely bothered her anymore.

“I think the last time I was here was as a teenager.” Jack’s shoulder bumped hers as the crowd jostled them. They were part of a group that included Magda and her family, Brinna’s mother, Ivana, and Maggie with Rick’s kids.

Jack and Brinna had purposely lost the group somewhere in Fantasyland, wanting to spend time alone, so to speak.

“This is an interesting place for a date, Mr. O’Reilly,” Brinna teased as they found the end of the line for the Matterhorn ride.

“I thought it was lighthearted enough to get everyone’s mind off the drama a couple of weeks ago.” His gray eyes danced and held hers.

“Definitely. Ivana looked like a five-year-old when she saw Mickey Mouse on Main Street. The bruises have faded, and my mom says there haven’t been any more nightmares.”

They inched forward and Jack pulled her close. “So now that emergencies and dramas are behind us for the time being, I thought maybe we could just concentrate on us for a while.”

“Great plan.” Brinna leaned into him, living in the moment but also loving the promise of the future.

*   *   *

Brinna’s forearm felt tight and tired as she polished the intricate basket weave of her Sam Browne belt for the third time. She’d only had the cast off for a day
 
—it had been removed a week early
 
—and her left arm was weak. She’d finished her shoes earlier, spit-shined to a high gloss, and they sat next to her locker, waiting for her. She just couldn’t get a satisfactory shine on her belt because of the fatigued arm.

“Hey, we have to get going. That’s shiny enough,” Maggie said. She was already dressed in her class A uniform
 
—belt and shoes shined to her satisfaction. Brinna knew this was because Maggie had paid someone else to polish the equipment for her. Cheater.

“All right, let me just wipe it down, and I’ll be ready.” Brinna felt restricted in the long-sleeved, stiff wool uniform. Her normal working uniform was a nonrestrictive cotton jumpsuit, the uniform of a dog handler. But the wool dress uniform was required for the annual police awards banquet.

“I know you’re nervous because you and Jack will be center stage, getting a meritorious award for heroism. But they
won’t change their mind about the award because your belt is dull,” Maggie teased.

“Oh, stop it,” Brinna huffed. “It’s not the award. Janet’s at the budget meeting today.”

“Oh.” Maggie slapped her forehead. “I forgot about that. You find out about Hero.”

“I’m the one who has to walk up on stage and shake the chief’s hand,” Brinna mumbled as she hooked her belt on, “not knowing if I have a partner or not.”

“Look at the bright side. No matter what, you still have a job
 
—and your best friend.” Maggie grinned.

Brinna snapped her belt keepers, grabbed her tie, and went to the mirror to clip it on. “Now if I could only teach you to run an agility course.”

“Ha-ha.” Maggie folded her arms. “Just enjoy your moment of accolade and deal with what happens to Hero later.”

Her tie and tie clip on straight, Brinna shoved her cover under her arm and looked at Maggie. “I’ll do my best. Let’s go.”

Together they left the locker room. Jack O’Reilly stood outside, brushing lint off his uniform. Brinna smiled at him. The memory of the blast they’d had at Disneyland still played in Brinna’s mind. They’d been together a lot lately, including a standing invitation to attend church together every Sunday. Brinna had never looked forward to Sunday mornings as much in her life, and it was not just because of Jack’s company. The messages were sinking in, and she loved the feeling of family there. She and Jack were set for a formal date after the awards banquet, and she’d asked him to surprise her.

“Hey, you didn’t even have to wear this monkey suit,” Brinna said when she saw him. “You’re a detective. You could have gotten away with a suit and tie.”

“I was a patrol officer when we stopped the robbery, so I thought I’d dig my class A out of mothballs.” He smiled and pulled Brinna close for a kiss, and the warmth from his lips jolted Brinna to her toes.

“Okay already, save that for later.” Maggie snorted with fake annoyance.

They parted and Maggie looked Jack up and down. “Not bad
 
—for a rookie.”

“Very funny, Sloan. At least I shine my own leather,” Jack teased. “By the way, have they decided who’s going to be sentenced as your permanent partner yet?”

In the weeks since Rick’s accident, while he was home learning to adapt to life in a wheelchair, Maggie had bounced around from partner to partner. Brinna wondered if she was deliberately being picky.

“Nope. No one has measured up to my exacting standards yet.”

Brinna strolled between her two friends and listened to the banter. It helped keep her mind off what was bothering her. As they walked the two blocks to the convention center hall where the awards banquet would be held, they were joined by several other officers and civilian employees all going to the banquet.

Rose Caruso was already waiting at the hall when Brinna arrived. She stood talking to Gracie’s parents, with Ivana nearby. Ivana had blossomed under Rose’s care. She’d been
granted a student visa and planned to enroll in a few college courses. Right now she was taking a driver’s training course and would soon be a licensed driver. She’d also become a part-time nanny for Rick and Molly, helping with their three boys while Rick went through rehab. Ivana loved kids and had a knack for dealing with the boys. She bore practically no resemblance to the battered waif who’d been pulled from the flood control. Magda and her husband, Anton, were also in attendance.

Magda had offered Ivana a job at her shop, but the girl declined. Anka had been deported back to Bulgaria. She would not believe that her father was the criminal the American police said he was. To her credit, Magda was trying to help the women rescued from Demitri who wanted to stay in the country. A number of the women freed from Demitri’s horror houses had opted to go home; the rest were still in ICE custody until it was determined what was best for them. Magda was working hard to be an advocate for them. Brinna had forgiven the woman and reached out to her. They’d formed a friendship because they both wanted to help those who were exploited.

Gracie saw Brinna, and her face brightened. “Officer Caruso!”

Brinna hadn’t seen the girl since the day she’d shown up at her house. Her lead had led them to Rose in a night that everyone was calling the “smackdown at Shoreline.” Cops could turn anything into a joke, and a situation that had Brinna in a cast, driving, with Maggie in the passenger seat and Hero in the backseat, turned into an endless source of jokes and pranks. But she couldn’t believe she’d received high praise from Lieutenant
Harvey for showing restraint and protecting her mother and Ivana.

“How are you doing, Gracie?” Brinna shook Mr. and Mrs. Kaplan’s hands and accepted a kiss on the cheek from her mother.

“I got an A on my school report about helping you find your mother,” Gracie gushed. “My teacher thought it sounded like a news story and said I’d make a great reporter someday.”

“Reporter?” Brinna arched her eyebrows.

“Well, yeah. Then I can be a part of the action and tell everyone about it later.” Gracie’s eyes wandered the hall foyer. “Oh, excuse me. There’s Tracy Michaels. I have to go talk to her.”

Brinna watched the girl jog away toward the reporter and wondered why she felt let down. She hadn’t been ready for the burden of being someone’s hero; shouldn’t this take a weight off?

“Tossed over for a reporter. Will wonders never cease?” Maggie teased.

Jack put an arm on her shoulder. “Kids are fickle. Don’t let it get to you.”

“Officer Caruso, you’ll always be my hero.” Ivana grinned at Brinna.

“And mine.” Rose stepped forward and gave Brinna a hug. “Now let’s go inside so I can snap a lot of pictures, be excruciatingly proud, and make you uncomfortable.”

Brinna laughed and shook her head. “At least some things will never change.”

With that they joined the line filing into the convention hall.