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“I do,” she admitted. “I was afraid to ask about the whole situation and us living together. I mean, I guess I’ll go back to my place once the danger passes.”
“I’d rather you don’t go back to your place. I mean, you rent, right?” he asked.
“Yes, I have a little apartment in the city,” she said.
“Well, I own my place and I’d love for you to move in with me, for real this time. I want you to move in with me because you want to, Trista, and not because there’s safety in numbers and we’re both in danger.”
“I’d like that,” she said. She loved his place and found herself daydreaming about living there with him daily. After she moved into his bedroom, she thought that all of her dreams were finally coming true, but then, Trista let self-doubt settle in.
“I would too,” he admitted. “So, it’s official. You and I are going to shack up once this nightmare with the Gemini Brothers is over, right?” he asked.
Trista giggled, “How romantic,” she teased, “you really do have a way with words, Joel.”
“Thanks,” he said, squeezing her hand into his own. “We’re here,” he said, nodding to her office building. “You ready for this?”
“No, but we have no choice, right?” she asked. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Joel said, “I’ve been waiting to put Dante back in jail since you convinced me to let him out.” She understood that. Having a man like Dante free in the world made her sick. He’d hurt so many families, including her own. It was finally time to fix this mess, and then, they’d be able to get on with their lives—and shacking up with Joel as he liked to say.
* * *
They were given their orders and Henry had everything planned out and everyone in place around the warehouse where Dante and his men were supposedly hidden away with the women that they planned on selling off at auction in the next day or two. This was really happening, and Trista felt every damn butterfly that was fluttering in her tummy. She usually got this way when she was going into a raid, but this one made her extra antsy.
Joel’s team was stationed in the back of the building, and they were going in first. Then, when he gave the all-clear that he was in, her team would move into the front of the warehouse to where Pete promised to meet them and lead her team back to the offices where Dante hung out. If they could pull this off, there would be very little bloodshed, and that was the end goal—especially with so many women being held in cages in the warehouse.
It had been almost five minutes since Joel’s team went in, and they were still waiting for the signal for her team to go in. She was feeling antsy and a bit worried about him. She knew that he had a good team surrounding him, including Melody, but she was still worried. When he finally called over the walkie that he was in place, she breathed out the breath she didn’t know that she was holding.
“Move in, Trista,” Henry said in her ear.
“Let’s move,” she whispered back to her team. She had just four guys with her, but that was all she’d need with Pete meeting her inside, and Joel’s team already in place. As soon as they got through the front entrance, Trista spotted Pete off to the side.
“Hey, Sis,” he whispered.
“Don’t you hey sis me,” she spat. “I’m pissed at you for not calling me, but we’ll talk about that later. Where’s Dante?” she asked.
“You do know that you’re going to have to arrest me too, right?” he whispered. “I need to keep my cover in case this goes south, and Dante gets out again.”
“Well, I will slap handcuffs on you and drag your ass to jail with pleasure,” she insisted. “Then, you and I can have a little chat.”
“Shit,” he mumbled. “I’d like to just go to jail,” he teased.
“Too late. You’re not a criminal,” she said, “although, when I get done with you, you’ll wish that you were a criminal.”
“Great,” he breathed, “follow me,” he said. “When we get back there, I’ll disappear, and you can arrest me on your way out.”
“Fine,” she said, “just don’t be a douche about being arrested. I don’t want to hear you whining.”
“Whatever,” he grumbled. He led them back to the stairs that led up to the offices. “He’s up there,” he said nodding to the room with the blinds closed and the faint lights bleeding through. “Be safe, Sis,” he said.
“You too,” she said, waiting for her brother to disappear into the darkness of the warehouse. Trista motioned to her team to file up the stairs quietly, and when she got to the top, she didn’t even give her team a three count, just barging into the office.
Chaos rang out—the gunfire, and shouting was deafening. Trista felt searing pain through her left shoulder, still trudging on to find Dante through the rain of bullets. She quickly looked around the office, noting that Dante was nowhere to be found and that’s when it hit her—Pete had double-crossed her. He had fooled them all. He was once again helping Dante to get out of the warehouse, unscathed, and the men that were left behind were expendable. They would go down for human trafficking while Dante would live to fight another day. He’d be able to go on and find another warehouse to fill with women.
“Dante isn’t up here,” she shouted into her walkie. “Pete’s double-crossed us,” she yelled. Saying the words out loud made her feel sick, but that had to be what was happening here. He had told her that Dante was up in the office, and he wasn’t. Pete didn’t stick around when she led her team upstairs to arrest Dante. He was the only variable in the whole case that didn’t ever seem to add up. Even when he showed up at Joel’s, she wasn’t sure if his story seemed plausible. All she could think while he explained what happened to him, was why Dante would agree to keep him alive. That part never really made any sense to her, and now she knew why. Her brother was a double agent. He had double-crossed her and the CIA. He had sent her and her team up those stairs to die tonight while he got away with Dante, and she couldn’t let that happen.
“I think Pete went out the West entrance,” she shouted into her walkie.
“I’m on it,” Joel promised. “I’ll find them.”
