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“I couldn’t,” she confided, her expression pained. “I took the deal they offered. Since then, I’ve been helping to gather evidence against the DOLL Agency, its clientele, and now, the mayor. I can’t cut ties with him. It’s part of the case they’re building.”
“Shit,” I cursed, understanding how complicated the situation had become for my sister. “Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because, as I said, I think someone is trying to kill me for the knowledge I’ve gained. I’m not sure, but they must have figured out I’m the mole.”
Oh no. “Jesus, Sadie.”
“Yeah, it’s as bad as you’re imagining. I don’t think the feds can protect me. I’ve gotten too involved and learned too much.”
“But your life is in danger. That has to mean it’s time to pull you out. Right?”
“It’s not that simple. They still need to finish building their case. If I leave, I take the chance away from prosecuting these men for the crimes they’ve committed. I’ve lost friends. Good people.” Her voice broke, and Sadie cleared her throat. “I won’t let their disappearances and deaths mean nothing.”
The missing girls in Nevada from the news. It all clicked now. I’d seen the reports for months on the local stations. Over a dozen women missing in the last eighteen months. Sadie must have known some of them.
I reached for my sister’s hand, folding my fingers around her cool skin. “I don’t want you to risk your life. You’re someone important too.”
She tried to smile and failed. “I love you, Callie. Don’t doubt it, but I could never live with myself if I didn’t see this through to the end.”
The finality of those words terrified me. “Sadie. If it gets too hot, you get out. I don’t care how. Contact me, and I’ll find you.”
A soft sigh left her lips. “I don’t know if that’s possible.”
“But if it is, promise me you’ll try.”
“Okay.” She squeezed my hand. “There’s an agent that I trust. He’s become a close friend—someone trying to help and protect me. I had to memorize his information since I couldn’t keep his name or number in my phone. Give me your cell, sis.”
I released her hand, sliding it across the table.
Sadie unlocked the device, already knowing my password. I guess I was a little predictable. Couldn’t remember the last time I updated or changed any of my passwords. She typed in the info and handed it back. “Agent Carson Phillips is trustworthy. He knows how to get in contact with me if anything comes up.”
“Is he your handler or something?”
“Or something.”
Sadie blushed, and I sat back, staring at her with surprise.
“You like him.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “Carson is unlike anyone I’ve ever met. He’s sweet and charming but also brutally honest and doesn’t mess around. He’s strict and always follows the rules. Well, except for that one time,” she trailed off, fidgeting in her seat. “Yeah. Just once.”
The dreamy look on her face and how she described Agent Phillips proved she’d developed feeling for the guy.
“Be careful. Please. I don’t want you hurt when this is over.”
“I,” she began, shaking her head, “I’m a realist, sis. I know nothing can work between us, but it doesn’t stop me from wishing things were different. I believe, Iknow, Carson cares about me. He keeps things professional because there’s no other choice. Both of us must be careful.”
“But the heart wants what it wants,” I mused aloud.
“It’s scary how well you understand me,” she joked.
“So, to be clear, it’s not just the mayor we need to worry about. These traffickers are a problem.”
Sadie nodded. “Yes. And their business associates, including a motorcycle club, called the Dirty Death.”
“That’s ominous.”
“Isn’t it?” She wasn’t listening to me fully, lost in her thoughts. Not that I could blame her. This had nothing to do with her ADHD. My sister fought the overwhelming, devastating truth that awaited when she left and returned to the fate that awaited her outside these sheltered walls.
