“I will keep you in the loop on everything we do. You won’t be shut out of your own cases.”
“I appreciate that.”
A quick knock startled Ellie, but Clay Lockwood was unflappable, completely at ease despite knowing that there was a monster on the loose, and the sleeping man across the room was a target.
Without waiting for an invitation, a nurse walked into the room at a near run, talking a mile a minute. “The patient needs to rest, and visiting hours are over.” Despite his terse words, he was polite and friendly in a hurried, exhausting way.
Scowling, Agent Lockwood reached for his credentials.
The nurse waved his hand in the air. “I don’t care if you’re the queen herself, the patient comes first. You can guard his door from the hall.”
Ellie arched an eyebrow at Agent Lockwood and gestured to the door. “After you, Agent.”
The officers who had been guarding Gabe’s room were gone when they stepped out of the room. Jacob Garcia and Duke had replaced them, along with Chief Johnson, who had settled in a chair with a clear view of the elevator and the stairwell.
Ellie smiled at the lanky police dog whose mostly black coat gleamed. Duke turned away, scanning the hall and everyone in it, too busy to acknowledge Ellie when he was on duty. At Jacob’s house, Ellie knew it was an entirely different story, but she didn’t take it personally. Duke was there to protect and serve, and he took that job as seriously as Ellie did.
Chief Johnson stood and shook Agent Lockwood’s hand. “I see you survived your first meeting.”
Ellie shot him a sarcastic grin. “Funny.”
“I wasn’t talking to you, Kline,” Johnson teased.
Detective Lockwood grinned, shaking Jacob’s hand next. He smiled down at Duke, but like Ellie, he didn’t reach down to pet him. Duke’s tail twitched, stopping short of an actual wag.
It was more than he ever gave Ellie on-duty.
She glared at Jacob when she caught him smirking at her sour expression. “I need to head out.”
“I’ll walk with you.” Agent Lockwood fell into step beside her without waiting for her answer. He stepped into the elevator first, making sure it was clear, and he was the first to step out. When their eyes met, he shrugged. “I’m not saying you can’t protect yourself, but—”
“Dr. Kingsley is on the loose.”
“Exactly.” He walked her to her car, leaning against a sleek black BMW X5 parked beside her.
“Is that your car?”
He nodded.
“Nice.”
“It’s a rental.” He pursed his lips for a moment, looking almost nervous. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of Chief Johnson since you’re technically on leave, but I have some information for you about two of your cases.” Opening the back door, he removed two file folders from a rolling suitcase that was stuffed full with documents and cream-colored folders.
She read the names written neatly on the labels. “Anderson Duncan is mine, but I’m not investigating Joshua Gibson.”
“I know, but you should. They’re related. Both committed suicide after their appointment with Dr. Kingsley.” He paused to pull out a photograph. “As you can see, Anderson Duncan rated his own page in one of Kingsley’s scrapbooks.”
“You raided Kingsley’s office already?”
“As soon as Gabe gave us his name.”
A deep frown had her eyebrows knotted together. “If we’re going to work together, you can’t be going behind my back like this. I want to be involved and in the loop at all times.”
He was solemn when he nodded, though his eyes still shone with the warmth she’d seen in him from that first moment. It wasn’t an act. Clay Lockwood was just one of those people who oozed positivity. “I had to get approval from your superior officer to bring you into the fold, but now that I have it, you’ll know what I do as soon as I know it.”
“That’s better.” She opened her door and set the files on the seat, turned to him and stuck her hand out. “It was nice to meet you.”
He shook her hand with a wide smile. Holding her gaze, his soft brown eyes drew her in as they crinkled in the corners. Charismatic and genuinely friendly, he was hard to resist. “I’ll be in touch.”
“I’m gonna hold you to that.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
When she realized she was still holding his hand, she pulled hers away, but not before heat began to crawl up her cheeks.
With a wry grin, he got into the car and waited for Ellie to pull out first, as she wondered what she’d gotten herself into. Working with Jillian was one thing, but an entire task force? An FBI agent? It was more than she’d ever dreamt of, and as she pulled out onto the quiet street, she caught her happy grin in the rearview mirror.
Being part of a nationwide task force would be a huge boost to her career, but even more than that, the task force was already making a difference to victims like Valerie and Gabe.
Maybe they wouldn’t put an end to human trafficking, but holding the perpetrators responsible for their crimes and making it harder for them to operate undetected was a step in the right direction.
31
Flynn sat in the driver’s seat, his back rigid, eyes on the road. Beside him, Zeke had his weapon out, scanning every direction.
In the back seat, Ellie sat beside Valerie, who had her hands stuffed between her knees in an effort to keep them from shaking.
Ellie put her hand on Valerie’s arm, trying to comfort her friend. “We’ll all be there with you, okay?”
“What if Fink’s there?”
“He won’t be. Agent Lockwood’s team has already deposed him and moved him to protective custody.”
Valerie’s eyes went wide. “Ellie, what if I’m in the same neighborhood as him? Does WITSEC put everyone together?”
“No, of course not. They won’t tell me what city you’re going to, but US Marshals have a strict policy against contact between former associates. That includes friends, family, and anyone who has
