"You know," Eric said, "I'm having a really good time."

Alex swallowed her bite of fried mozzarella and smiled. "Me too."

"I want to do this again."

"We are on Monday." She sipped her water.

"Before then. My friend Zack is having a huge birthday bash tomorrow night. Why don't you come with me?"

"Tomorrow? I'm not sure-"

"It's at his place in DC." Eric took her hand. "We'll have fun."

"Son of a b.i.t.c.h," Detective Canon said. "Is he talking about f.u.c.king Zachary Hartwell? Get me a DOB on Zachary Hartwell," Canon demanded into his microphone.

Jackson struggled to listen to Alex's conversation as he wondered the same thing. This was huge. This was beyond dangerous, and he wanted Alex out-now.

"I don't know, Eric."

"Aw, come on, Jenny. There will be a live band and great food. He knows how to do it up right. A couple of modeling contacts might be there."

"It sounds fun."

"f.u.c.king unbelievable," Cannon shouted. "It is Hartwell. DOB matches."

"Please come with me. I want to show you off," Eric coaxed.

Jackson's jaw clenched when he recognize the determined gleam in Alex's eyes, and she smiled. "Don't you do it, Alex," he muttered. "Don't you-"

"Okay. I'll come."

Jackson rushed to his feet, unable to believe his own ears, and smacked his head on the roof of the van. "What the f.u.c.k is she doing?"

"Take it easy, Mr. Matthews," Agent Terron warned.

Jackson's gaze flew to the Agent's as he rubbed the sore spot on his skull. "Take it easy?"

"This could be our big break. She's in."

"Forget it." Dread curled in his belly as he stared at Terron and Cannon. They were practically rubbing their hands together with excited antic.i.p.ation. They were going to allow Alex-h.e.l.l, they were going to encourage her to take this next step. "We didn't agree to this. We're leaving for Los Angeles tomorrow morning. You can forget the whole thing."

"If our informant is a willing partic.i.p.ant... We'll proceed forward if Ms. Harris gives us the green light." Canon tilted his head to speak into the microphone and said, "Let's get some preliminaries going on this. We need a confirmed address for the party and a new staging location in DC."

He was already losing control of the situation. Helpless rage sent his pulse pounding. He could barely hear the f.u.c.ker speaking over the rapid beat throbbing in his skull. "I'm telling you no. As head of her security, I'm pulling the plug on this. You're not worried about Alex's safety anymore than you are about bringing Abby Harris home. You see a way to get to Zachary Hartwell, and that's it."

"As I said-"

"I heard what you said. Now you listen to me," Jackson spat. "Alex isn't thinking of the danger she'll be in. The only thing she sees is a possibility of getting to her sister. You and I both know the odds are slim to none on that happening."

"The probability is zero if she does nothing."

"There won't be anyone on the inside to keep her safe. They could take her right then and there, and we wouldn't have a clue. We're done with this." Jackson stepped from the van and slammed the door, afraid he would punch the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. It was tempting, more than tempting, to walk into the restaurant and ruin the sting by posing as a jealous boyfriend, but that could be dangerous for Alex and Abby, so he walked to his car instead. Seconds later, his cellphone rang.

"Things are getting interesting," Tucker said.

Jackson scoffed. "Yeah, that's a word for it."

"She's going to do this."

"Not if I have anything to say-"

"You don't."

"Like h.e.l.l I don't. She signed a legally binding agreement with Ethan Cooke Security." Even as he spewed the words, he recognized how ludicrous they sounded. "We're boarding a plane for Los Angeles in less than twelve hours."

"So, what, are you going to have Ethan sue her for breach of contract, or let the feds talk her into witness protection? We've got the same scenario as two days ago, but the stakes are a lot higher."

"Tell me something I don't know." He smacked his hand on the top of the rental. "G.o.dd.a.m.n. How are they going to guarantee Alex's safety while she's on the inside? You know as well as I do that Steve-O or Eric or whatever the h.e.l.l his name is has every intention of adding her to Hartwell's collection of prizes." He scrubbed his hand over his face, struggling not to yell out his helpless frustration.

"We'll have to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Yeah, well, you get me a guarantee, and we'll move forward."

"I'll call Ethan and have new paperwork waiting for Alexa to sign when we get back to the staging area. We have to keep ourselves in this. You going back to your parents?"

It was tempting to head out and let Tucker handle the rest, but he couldn't go until Alex was in her car heading back to the apartment,with the police tail following behind her. "In a couple minutes. I need to pull my head together first. Doug said he could stay with Olivia and my parents until midnight. Looks like I'll be asking him to help us out tomorrow night, too. Luckily, he's off duty. I owe him big time for this." Jackson unlocked the car and sat down in the driver's seat. He turned over the ignition and rolled down the window in an attempt to escape the stifling heat.

"I need to go. Looks like the date's wrapping up. They're walking out your way."

"Okay. I'll see you back at the house."

"Later."

On a steaming breath, Jackson rested his head against the seat, trying to find a grip on his anger. Flying off half-c.o.c.ked wasn't going to help Alex. He needed to do his job and move in steps. The first was to make sure Alex got back safely, then call Ethan and have him pull up every sc.r.a.p of information he could find on Zachary Hartwell's residence-blueprints, his security measures, everything. By tomorrow night, he and Tucker would know every room Alex would step in and all possible exits as well as Hartwell did himself.

Jackson came to attention when Eric and Alex stepped from the restaurant, hand in hand. They made their way to the little red KIA parked two rows in front of him and stopped at her door. Although the night was a farce, Alex and Eric appeared like any man and woman out for an evening of fun. There was no denying they made a striking couple.

Eric's deep voice drifted in Jackson's direction, along with Alex's gentle laughter. Jackson clenched his hands against the wheel as Eric wrapped his arms around her waist and continued with his yammering. Moments later, he reached in his back pocket and handed her a card. She smiled and slipped it in her purse.

Alex's smile disappeared when Eric touched her chin with his thumb and moved in, brushing his lips against hers.

Jackson ground his teeth and his foot began to bop up and down when Eric deepened the kiss and Alex's arms came up to rest on his shoulders. "G.o.dd.a.m.n." This was a stab to the f.u.c.king heart. She wasn't exactly fending him off. After what felt like an eternity, Eric finally eased back.

"You taste good."

Jackson rolled his eyes and steamed a breath out his nose. He hadn't been able to catch one f.u.c.king word of their conversation since they stepped outside, but he heard that loud and clear. Alex tasted good-d.a.m.n good; he hated that someone else had gotten a sample.

Eric opened Alex's door, and she got in. Her headlights came on and she backed up, waved, and drove off. The police tail followed behind seconds later, but so did a black Escalade.

Jackson dialed Tucker's number and kept an eye on Eric Stevens.

"Yeah."

"Where are you?"

"Right behind Alexa."

"Good." He relaxed a fraction. "I think you've got a tail, or Alex does, anyway-black Escalade."

"Yeah, I see it. Hold on." Tucker mumbled something to the officer driving him back to the apartment. "It's been radioed in. The cops'll pull them over and give us a little time."

Jackson watched as Eric talked on his cellphone and headed back in the restaurant. One of the cops from the surveillance van followed behind discreetly. Eric was officially on the taskforce's radar.

"They just pulled the Escalade over," Tucker said into his ear. "They'll keep them that way until we radio that Alexa is secure at the apartment. We're pulling in the parking lot now."

"Okay, good. I'll see you at the house." It was over-for tonight. Alex would come home safe-this time. Jackson clicked his seatbelt in place and shifted into first. He eased off the clutch and stopped when Eric came out with Lorenzo Cruz at his side. "Son of a b.i.t.c.h."

The two men piled into a pretty, laser-blue Porsche and peeled out of the parking lot. A vehicle followed behind. This wasn't even close to over. This whole nightmare had just begun.

CHAPTER 20.

Jackson stared out his bedroom window, watching the trees sway in the misting rain. Despite his hour-long stint sitting on his parent's dock, breathing in the humid bay air, and a sweaty bout with the punching bag in the garage, he couldn't settle. His heart still pounded an angry beat while his stomach churned from a level of anxiety he'd never felt before.

Alex was in more danger than she could possibly realize, and there wasn't a d.a.m.n thing he could do about it. She was bound and determined to help Detective Canon and Agent Terron with the second stage of their sting, and his hands were tied. Short of kidnapping her himself, there was nothing he could do to stop her from entering Zachary Hartwell's estate-alone and unprotected-in less than twenty-four hours.

Jackson pressed his forehead to the cool gla.s.s and steamed out a breath as another bout of helpless frustration consumed him. Tomorrow night wouldn't be a medium-risk operation like the dinner date had been. This was a 'code red,' and he could do nothing more than sit back and let the authorities handle the bulk of the preparations.

Ethan had faxed and e-mailed every last doc.u.ment he was able get his hands on pertaining to Hartwell's mansion in the wealthy northwest section of DC. The blueprint had been a maze of twists and turns, with several dozen rooms spread over two enormous wings. Even if he had every member of Ethan Cooke Security's Los Angeles branch on hand and a month to study the layout, the job would still be a challenge. It simply wasn't possible to watch every door and window on a home that size. The odds were definitely in the traffickers' favor, and he was becoming more worried by the second.

Why couldn't Alex have just stuck to the d.a.m.n plan? She'd done her part. The authorities had new leads to work with, but it would never be enough. Alex would continue to risk everything in her attempt to save Abby, and Canon and Terron were taking advantage, thinking little of the life they were risking to build their case against a man who would lawyer himself up so deep it would be all but impossible to make anything stick.

"f.u.c.k." Jackson pounded the side of his fist on the window frame and turned away. He moved to his bed, sat on the edge, and rested his face in his hands. Where was Alex, anyway? It had been hours since he watched her make a left out of Bayside Cafe's parking lot. She and Tucker should've been back by now. He wouldn't be able to rest until she was home. h.e.l.l, he wouldn't be able to breathe again until she was finished with this entire mess. A light knock sounded at the door, and his head shot up from the cradle of his palms. "Yeah, come in."

Alex peeked in. "I wasn't sure if you would still be up. How did Livy do tonight?"

"Fine. My mother said they went out for ice cream, fed some ducks, read a few stories." He studied her stunning face. She'd taken off her wig and left her hair tied back. She still wore her s.e.xy schoolgirl outfit. It was impossible not to want her with that tiny skirt showing off a sinful amount of leg and that tight yellow shirt accentuating hints of spectacular cleavage beneath the proper white blouse.

She frowned. "You didn't go with them?"

"No, but Dougie Masterson did. He kept an eye on things around here."

Her frown deepened. "Where were you?"

"In a surveillance van."

"You..." She shook her head. "I thought..."

"I was there the whole time-heard everything, saw everything. Did you really think I would let you go through this alone?"

"No. Yes. I don't know. No." She gave him a jerky shrug and sighed. "No. But you don't approve of what I'm doing."

"d.a.m.n straight I don't." He pushed off the bed to stand. "I'm worried, Alex. This is incredibly dangerous."

Her eyes filled. "I know."

"Do you? Do you really understand what you're getting yourself into?"

"I know we've found two of the key players in the Mid-Atlantic s.e.x ring, and they have no intention of letting me walk out of that house tomorrow night. I saw Renzo at the restaurant. He was sitting a few tables away."

"And you're still planning to go." He shoved his hands through his hair. "You're walking into a losing situation. How am I supposed to be okay with that? I love you, Alex. You're asking me to sit back and watch a disaster unfold."

"I imagine it seems that way, but Agent Terron a.s.sures me the house will be well monitored."

"f.u.c.k Agent Terron." He rushed to her and grabbed her arms. "He'll tell you whatever you want to hear as long as you'll risk your life to give him what he wants. Have you seen the size of Zachary Hartwell's estate?"

"No."

"It's f.u.c.king enormous. This is no good, Alex. Ethan pays me big bucks to a.s.sess risks just like this one, and I'm telling you this is no good."

She sighed again, her eyes weary. "This is an opportunity to get closer to Abby. I have to take it."

He turned away as embers of anger burned bright in his chest. Her calmness was infuriating. "Are you listening to what I'm saying? You're playing a deadly game here. Why can't I make you see that?" He whirled back as the flames grew hotter. "There's a huge chance none of this will lead to Abby. What if all of this is for nothing but now they have you both? You're not thinking this through. This is madness." He began to pace as fear overtook him. "This is stupid."

"This is not stupid." She took a step toward the door. "I'm trying to save my sister's life."

"And I'm trying to save yours. f.u.c.king-A, Alex."

"Don't speak to me that way. This conversation is over if you're going to be unkind."

"Unkind," he laughed as he advanced on her. "You think I'm being unkind? You have no idea what unkind is. I'm just f.u.c.king p.i.s.sed, but I'm not cruel." He took her arms again and backed her against the door, wanting to send his point home. "But Eric is-and Renzo. They don't give two s.h.i.ts about you. Do you know what you'll be doing tomorrow night when you walk through that door?" He pressed himself against her and yanked her white sleeveless blouse open, sending b.u.t.tons flying.

"Stop," she shuddered.

"Stop? Do you think they respect that word, Alex? Do you think they'll back off and walk away just because you want them too?"

"Why are you doing this?" She pushed at his chest. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Because I'm giving you a little taste of what you're in for. Do you think tomorrow will be anything like tonight? There won't be cops just steps away ready to jump in and save you." A tear trailed down her cheek, but he kept going. "What, can't you handle it? It'll be so much worse," he fired at her. "Eric won't be so gentle with his kisses if and when he decides he'll have a few."

She stopped struggling against him. "You saw that? You saw him kiss me?"