“Peter, Emily needs a distraction, quick,” Colin whispered into his mic from inside the closet.
The woman dropped her hold on the girl’s arm, reached into her purse and drew out a small handgun. “The girl, she leave with me.” Ratana pointed the weapon at Maliwan.
Peter glanced around. He picked up a glass from the dresser and hurled it against the closest wall, shattering with a loud crash.
The woman’s head jerked toward the sound long enough for Emily to seize her opportunity. She grabbed the woman above the wrist, stepped in, flipped her over her hip and flat on her back on the floor, twisting the gun out of her hand. She dropped down and planted a knee on the woman’s chest. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Colin rushed in and stood over them, his gun drawn, with a slight grin on his face. “Great job, Emily.”
“And we got the whole thing on tape,” Peter exclaimed, positioning himself to record the arrest.
“Paradise Valley Police,” Colin shouted, flashing Ratana his badge while keeping his Glock leveled at her. “You’re under arrest for prostitution and human trafficking, and anything else I can find to charge you with. Roll over on your stomach and put your hands behind your back.”
Emily pulled her knee off the woman and sprang to her feet. “She’s all yours.”
Peter turned to watch as Colin clamped the cuffs on her and pulled the madam up.
“Why is it always my job to take the garbage out?” Colin marched the woman out of the room, reading her her rights as they went. Peter followed to get the whole thing on video.
“Stop complaining, Andrews,” Ellis chided in their ears.
One of the doors across the hall opened and the two officers escorted the stocky man out, as well. The woman screamed a string of indiscernible words at the man in their native tongue and he barked a few back at her as they marched down the hallway.
“You heard all of that, Ellis, right?” Emily asked, touching her ear as she sat beside the girl on the bed.
“I did and I’ve already given the order to storm the spa and the house.”
“I’m heading over to the house right now,” Emily reported. “I’m keeping the girl with me for the time being.”
“Not a good idea,” Ellis said. “Let one of the officers take custody of her.”
“She’s just a kid, Tony, and she’s been through a lot. I can’t simply hand her over to another man she doesn’t know.” Emily thought she’d get some push-back from the Special Agent, but he must have understood she wasn’t backing down. “Besides, we’re already on a fast-track out of the hotel. I’ll turn her over at the house, so have someone meet me, ready to take her. I want to be there when they bring Molly out.”
“You mean if they bring Molly out. There’s no guarantees here, Emily,” Ellis said.
“I have to believe she’s there, Tony, because if she’s not, it would be better for her if she were dead.” Emily glanced over at Maliwan, and the girl nodded sadly as she released a long sigh.
“She’s there,” Peter insisted. “We have to believe she’s there.”
“Keep the faith, Emily. I’ll meet you at the house,” Colin assured her.
CHAPTER 19
Emily raced to the house where Molly was suspected to be, with Peter in the passenger seat and Maliwan belted into the back. Special Agent Tony Ellis had stayed in their earpieces and she and Peter could hear, blow by blow, what was happening.
The FBI had raided the Jade Thai Spa, rounding up the girls and the customers. Ellis assured Emily they would all be sorted out and the girls would be held and looked at closely to determine if they had been forced into prostitution.
The SWAT team had surrounded and stormed the house, finding three of the four people who had shown up as hot spots on the infra-red heat sensor. The upstairs was being torn apart, Ellis had reported, trying to find the fourth, hoping it was Molly.
“She must be stuck in some hidden spot, Emily,” Ellis said. “The scanner shows there’s another heat source in the house, in an immobile and reclining position. I just hope it’s the person you’re searching for.”
“We’re about a block away. Where are you, Ellis?” Emily glanced over at Peter, meeting his gaze.
“I’m in the van and we’re headed that direction, but still probably twenty minutes out.”
“This is Colin. I’m just a few blocks away.”
“Let me ask Maliwan if she knows anything.” Emily peered upward, into the