she doing?” Karen asked, correctly guessing who Jessie was communicating with.
But before she could answer, her phone rang. It was Captain Decker. She answered immediately.
“Judge Rhone released his ruling overturning the stay early,” he said. “It just came out. I’m forwarding it to you and Detective Bray now. Are you in place?”
“Yes, Captain,” she said, doing her best to keep her voice professional, despite the excitement she felt bubbling over.
“Then get in there,” he ordered.
Jessie hung up without replying. Her whole body vibrated with righteous determination. Finally, she had the go-ahead to take this bastard down.
Karen had already hit the gas. Jessie sent her pre-set text telling all the other units to execute the warrant, then strapped on her seatbelt and tried to remember to breathe.
*
Hannah was starving.
After she finished texting Jessie, she hurried to lunch. She was halfway to the cafeteria when Elodie caught her by the arm.
“What’s up?”
“Change of plans,” Elodie said. “Rico wants to meet you now. He’s on the side street, waiting.”
“Why?” Hannah asked, keeping her tone level even as she felt an unfamiliar pang of what she assumed was dread. “I thought we were meeting at the same corner as yesterday after school. Isn’t he worried about the cameras seeing him?”
“He wants to shake things up,” Elodie said. “And to be honest, he wasn’t totally convinced by your sob story about your grandpa. He thinks you may be chickening out. This is your chance to prove you’re serious. But you have to go right now. If you don’t, he says to forget about it.”
“Can I at least go to the bathroom first?” she pleaded.
“Can she?” Elodie asked, lifting up the phone she’d been holding at her side this whole time to reveal that Rico was on the screen and had been listening in.
“No,” he said firmly. “You’re in the car in two minutes or you’re out.”
He hung up. Elodie looked over at her.
“Please don’t screw me on this,” she begged. “If you work out, I get a nice commission. If you bail, I have to pay a penalty and it’s not cheap.”
Hannah knew she didn’t have time to waver. Even looking like she had doubts might make Elodie warn Rico off. She had no idea if one or both of the undercover cops had eyes on her amid the swarm of kids rushing to get lunch.
In the end, she knew she had no choice. Unless she got in the car with Rico, there was no chance he’d lead her to his boss and no chance of stopping the trafficking ring that had Jessie so upset. Her sister was counting on her, so she moved.
She waited until she was out of Elodie’s sight before texting the undercover cops at the numbers she’d been given. Marie, the female cop, had instructed her not to text her or Brian, the male cop, unless it was an emergency.
She typed an innocuous message, one that Rico wouldn’t find odd if he insisted on looking at her phone, as quickly as she could and sent it just to Marie. It read: Can’t meet for lunch. Going off campus to see a friend. Later.
Only seconds later, she got a call. It was Marie.
“Don’t,” the woman said emphatically. “It’s not safe. This could be a trap.”
“I don’t have a choice,” Hannah hissed back. “If I don’t go, we miss our chance. I’ll do my part. You do yours. Follow us. Bust them when we get there.”
“I’m pulling you out,” Marie said. “We’ll just arrest Rico and go from there.”
Hannah was about to round the last corner to get to the side street where he was waiting. If he saw her on the phone, she feared she’d spook him.
“No,” she said forcefully, nearly shouting. “You do that and girls will die. We have a chance to stop that. I’ll be fine. Follow me. Call for backup. Do whatever you have to do. But don’t ruin this. And stay way back. He’s already paranoid. You can be the hero or goat, Marie. If you don’t let this play out, you’ll get the blame. I’ll make sure of it.”
She hung up without waiting for Marie’s reply, put her phone on silent, and stuffed it in her pocket. As she rounded the corner to meet Rico, she made sure she had the right expression on her face: anxious but not scared.
It helped that it was exactly how she felt.
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
“We are not permitted to allow entrance without a valid warrant,” the security guard said over the