Many of the victims worked for traffickers during the day. The men would lure young girls—sometimes boys—into the circle by promising them jewelry or cash. At first the victims felt like they were on top of the world. Many of them had been neglected or overlooked by their parents, so the new attention from a predator was a rush.
But as soon as the girls turned a single trick, as soon as they realized they weren’t going to keep any of the money, the abusers would flip things on them. Camille had talked with one of the girls who had turned herself in and made the bureau aware of the ring happening at East San Antonio.
“You know what she told me?” Camille’s eyes were clear and sharp.
Eliza shook her head. She had no idea.
“She told me her mom was a single parent. Worked three jobs to keep food on the table and pay rent. A good mom, true to the core.” Camille paused. “But as soon as that girl worked one time for the jerk, her trafficker swore if she didn’t keep working he’d kill the girl’s mother. So even though the girl went home to her mom every night, the woman never knew what was happening to her daughter during the daytime. Because the girl believed her abuser. She was scared to death. If she didn’t work, she’d lose her mom.”
Eliza knew what that felt like. She stared out the window of the bureau office. So much pain in the world. The darkness would’ve been too much if she hadn’t already lived through it, herself. Watching her friends be forced into slavery night after night after night. She could hardly wait to mix in with the kids at East San Antonio High and identify the parasites preying on them.
Finally it was her last day of training. For the whole two weeks, Eliza hadn’t seen Jack. He was working with the Dallas office, preparing for the raid in the Bahamas. Now that Eliza and Jack weren’t working together, he was going to take part in the raid about to go down in Nassau. Pretending to be a customer this time. One of the most harrowing jobs an agent could have, according to Camille.
In some ways Eliza felt guilty about how she’d treated Jack. He had been doing his job, after all. His disinterest and rejection, the way he had only pretended to kiss her, all of it was exactly the way he was supposed to act. She should’ve grasped that, should’ve talked herself out of feeling rejected. If she could’ve tolerated his indifference, the way he had only acted like he cared for her, then they’d be headed for Honduras this week.
Instead they were taking part in separate, very dangerous missions.
Eliza didn’t dwell on the fact. She didn’t want to work with Jack, anyway. He should’ve known she was new to this whole undercover thing. Of course she would struggle with understanding the difference between the job and real life.
But there were moments when all she wanted was to be back on Paradise Island, walking the silky white sand, hand in hand with Jack Ryder. Times when she was at the group home and she would slip out back and sit on the family swing. Out there, under the stars, she would remember her time with Jack in the Bahamas very differently.
The touch of his hands on her skin, the way she felt safe and whole in his arms. And even the look in his eyes when they kissed. Especially the last time, in the surf off the beach on Bay Street. If only Jack really was attracted to her. But he wasn’t. Otherwise he would’ve told her— behind closed doors—that he had feelings for her and that he was only pushing her away because his job wouldn’t let him fall in love with an informant.
But he never said that because it wasn’t true. His lack of feelings for her was as clear as the Caribbean Sea.
At the end of the two weeks, Eliza was at the FBI building, sure Jack was still in Dallas and that he would leave for Nassau from there. Which was why she felt her breath catch that afternoon when he walked past her desk in the room where she was working. Jack met with Oliver for half an hour, and then he came back to her. She was still going over names of high school teachers and photos of students she needed to connect with.
“Hey.” He waited a few feet from her. “Am I interrupting?”
She wanted to be mean, reject him the way he had rejected her. But she couldn’t take her eyes off him. The sound of his voice was the best thing she’d heard since he’d gone to Dallas. She slid back from the desk. “I’m surprised you want to be seen with me.”
“Eliza…” He stopped himself. Like there was more he wanted to say. Instead he asked her about training and the work she had ahead of her that Monday. “You have to be careful. The traffickers who work across the street from that school will be armed.”