AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, you told me the other day that this is basically a fact-finding mission, right? We’re in there to gather evidence, not bust the place up?”
“Right. Just info.” Sam held up her glass to admire Alex’s handiwork. “And damn, this thing goes down smooth. I love it. Tastes like key lime pie.”
“They’re small but mighty.” Sara took one of the pans off the heat and set it on a trivet to cool as she fluffed the yellow rice with a fork. “Those things knocked me on my ass the first time I had them.”
“Same here,” Alex said, taking a deep sip. “And you don’t feel it till you stand up, so you’ve been warned, Draper.”
???“Note taken.” Sam grinned and tapped the tabletop with her thumb. “Okay, I’m dying to know what you’ve got for me because I was starting to think there was no way in there.”
“First off, can you get this guy’s number from his address or property records?”
“Already done. I even found a picture and asked Moxie if that was the guy she spoke to, and she recognized him right away, so I’m fairly certain we have the right info.”
Alex took a deep breath, glancing again at her watch.
“Okay, when my family immigrated to the States when I was in my early teens, it was mostly so my mom could join her sister Margherita in Florida. They grew up together and then raised their kids together, so I was super close to my cousins, one in particular.” Alex picked up her phone and clicked on a text, then continued. “Alejandro and I are only one month apart, and we were inseparable growing up. They even called us ‘the twins.’”
“That’s adorable,” Sara said, bringing a covered dish of bread to the table and swatting Sam’s hand when she reached for it. “You two were that close?”
“Well.” Alex looked at her watch and opened her laptop, clicked a few keys, and looked up as Sara and Sam both leaned closer to screen. “There was that and something else.”
Alex clicked an icon at the top of the computer screen, and a live video unfolded onto the screen. Someone who looked like an exact replica of Alex flashed a bright smile and launched into an excited streak of Spanish, which Alex returned, then turned and nodded to Sam and Sara and began speaking in English.
“This is Sam Draper, the chief of police here in McCall, and Sara Draper, her wife and restaurateur.” Alex stopped to take a sip of her drink and nodded in the direction of the screen. “And guys, this is my cousin Alejandro. He’s calling from Hawaii but lives in Miami.”
“I can’t believe this,” Sara said, leaning closer to the screen. “You two literally look like the same person. Even your haircut is exactly the same.”
“Well, actually, I am an inch taller than you.” Alex flashed an innocent smile at her cousin. “Just in the interest of accuracy.”
“I’m telling you for the last time, man, I was having a bad hair day the day we measured. I just didn’t have my volume game on point.” Alejandro’s accent was slightly thicker than Alex’s but otherwise identical. “But more importantly, is that a Caipirinha in your hand?”
“Yes, sir, and a perfectly made one, thanks to Sara.”
“Well,” Alejandro said, smiling at Sam and Sara. “I like you guys already.” Alejandro paused, then sat back in his desk chair, the smile fading from his face. “So Alex says you may have a sex trafficking ring up there?”
Sam nodded. “Almost sure of it.” Sara excused herself to put the finishing touches on dinner, and Sam sank into the chair next to Alex. “I assume Alex has given you the scoop on the few details we know already?”
“Yeah, she has. I want to help however I can.” He glanced to Alex and continued. “And we may have come up with an idea.”
Sam raked a hand through her hair. “Thank God, because I’ve been staying up nights worrying about this, and I don’t have shit to show for it, to put it politely.”
“So,” Alex started with a glance at her cousin. “Alejandro has been a club promoter for almost twenty years in the Miami area, and along the way acquired several multi-million-dollar clubs right on Miami’s main strip, in addition to a few smaller niche clubs and restaurants directly on the beach.”
“Damn.” Sam shook her head. “That’s seriously impressive.”
Alejandro arched an eyebrow and looked pointedly at Alex. “Well, it didn’t do me a damn bit of good. I still don’t stack up next to the golden child over here. I dropped out of college to become a promoter, and my mom didn’t speak to me for an entire year. She still tells people I plan parties for a living.”
“Whatever,” Alex said with a wink. “You now make more money than God, and that beach house you bought them last summer got you back in her good graces, to say the least.”
“Oh, we both know I won’t be getting there until I marry a nice Catholic girl and give her some grandchildren. But let’s get back to the point.” Alejandro rolled his eyes good-naturedly and focused his attention back on Sam. “We were thinking that it’s logical that someone like me might be interested in a little company for myself and also my constantly rotating VIP guests.”
Sam nodded slowly. “And you obviously don’t want to use someone local who will recognize you, so you’re outsourcing to a smaller, safer operation that a contact tipped you off to?”
“Exactly.” Alejandro tapped a pen on the desk in front of him. “That way, if he googles me, my name and long history will pop up, and most importantly, every picture he sees will look exactly like Alex.”
Alex grinned. “Only shorter, of course.”
Sam laughed as Alejandro threatened to come through the computer and teach Alex how to use a tape measure. He also mentioned his unfortunate hair situation yet again, this time with entirely unconvincing details about the effects of humidity.
