Chapter 25

Christian felt as if his life was out of control with Ana absent for most of the day. She did drive to work with him, but once she got to the office, she was off with her security team. Olivia was able to keep up with him but she wasn't Ana. When it was time to return home, Ana was still missing in action. He hated not knowing what was going on and Taylor was no help. The Marine Code kept him from disclosing any information. Christian returned to Escala to find his fiancé in the security suite with her team using GTECH. She smiled at him as he looked into the room and motioned him to enter. Christian frowned when he didn't get a kiss from her. She just smiled at him.

"So, recon tonight? Go or no?" Ana asked looking over the photographs and infrared images of a building.

"I don't think we need to." Tank said. "We have recon from the drone and no one is risking discovery."

"Uh, Cap'n, this just in." Corporal Swanson said getting Ana's attention. "I've been monitoring some of the local police jurisdictions and I got this hit."

Ana looked up at the screen to see photographs of dead girls along with their last known photograph and she already knew where they came from. Swanson just caught Ray's latest case. "I take it that these are the women found dead in various areas around Montesano and they match our intelligence." She said drily.

"Yes, Ma'm."

"Fuck." Ana breathed deeply. This was not good. Local police did not like it when the Feds came in, and this case was about to catch the big three of federal agencies, the F.B.I., A.T.F. and Homeland Security. "What else do you know?"

"Raymond Steele is the lead detective on the case…and according to my sources; he has leads that points him toward our target." Swanson answered. "It seems we hit a connection."

"Double fuck!" Ana exploded. She rubbed her forehead as that little "v" formed over the bride of her nose. "This is going to get messy and shitty." She knew what she had to do and it did not sit well with her. "Fuck…fuck…shit, shit, shit!"

"You have to tell him." Lt. Marks said drily. He looked down when he got the full "Ana" glare.

"I know." She flopped down into her chair. Her phone sat in front of her. She twirled it with her fingers. "Son-of-a-bitch." She grabbed it and dialed her Dad. He answered on the first ring. "Dad."

"Hey, baby-girl." Raymond was so happy to hear from her. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much. Listen, Dad, I'm putting you on speaker. I have "the team" with me."

""The Team"?" He asked sternly.

"Yeah, Charlie called us in on a case." She grimaced. "Your case, Dad."

The silence in the room was deafening. They all knew that local police did not like the Feds coming in and taking over a case. "Okay." Ray drawled lowly.

"Dad, things have happened that I cannot go into right now, especially over the phone…but trust me…this had to be done. This isn't about your investigation…there are developments…it's complicated."

"I see." Ana closed her eyes knowing that Ray was more than pissed.

"Dad, I know that you are getting to run a raid. I need you to stand down." Ana declared feeling her heart pounding against her chest.

"Stand down? Is that an order?"

Ana could hear the stubbornness in her father's voice. She frowned as she chose her words. "If it needs to be, yes it's an order." The Team sucked in a collective breath. Even Christian and Taylor knew that Ana was crossing a line between father/daughter and Marine/civilian.

"You are pulling rank?"

"Yeah, Dad…I'm pulling rank…"

"Who in the hell gave you the right to supersede me on this case?" Ray's voice was laced with anger. "My guys and I have been working on this for months…and you have what…had it a few hours?"

"Raymond Steele, with the power invested in me by the President of the United States, I order you to stand down, pull back your men, and prepare to hand over your files. You will not jeopardize this mission or you will face federal charges." Ana came to her feet. Her own anger came to the surface. She didn't want this. She didn't ask for this case. She was more than happy working quietly for GEH and being in love with Christian. "I expect you to cooperate with this team and the different agencies that have been appointed to this case. Do you understand, Sir?"

Ray did not answer for a few moments. Ana knew that he was probably in shock and beyond pissed off. "Yes, Ma'm, I understand completely."

Ana stared hard at the phone still sitting on the table which projected the tough and stern voice of her beloved father. "All will be revealed in time, Sir. I cannot give you any more information at this time, but trust me to know what I am doing. You did train me, Sir to follow the chain of command."

"Yeah, I just never thought it would be used against me." Ray choked out.

"Dad, this isn't personal. You have no idea what you are facing..." She wanted to tell him more, but not over the phone. "I will be in Montesano in the morning at your office. I will expect your full cooperation."

"Yes, Ma'm."

Ana set her jaw. "Goodbye, Sir." She reached over and pressed end on her phone. She bit her lower lip as her mind raced with thoughts. "Tank, I will need transport to Montesano for all of us. I want to be in my Dad's office before sunrise. We are moving this operation to Montesano."

"Done." Tank said lowly.

Ana's attention went to the screen that was presenting the case files that came straight from Raymond Steele's computer. She scanned over the photos of the victims that were found in various places around Montesano. "Go back to that forensic report. Enhance." Ana read it quickly. "They have DNA evidence. Why didn't they run it against the databases?"

"It was presented for scan, but there is a backup at the State level. Montesano does not have the equipment at this time, budget cuts have left the department lacking. The request was sent out…but will you know. Steele could have used his own resources but that could put the case in jeopardy due to outside sources becoming involved." Swanson replied. "We can do it ourselves with GTECH. We won't have a problem since we are military and "Feds", you know chain of command and evidence." Ana motioned her to go. Within moments, Swanson had a hit. On the screen was a familiar face. "The DNA matches a Jack Hyde. He was arrested a few months ago here in Seattle for assault against Elizabeth Morgan, a domestic dispute. He was held for twenty-four hours then he caught another case of assault. He is accused of sexually assaulting a twenty year old University of Washington student."

Ana's stance changed when she looked at the mug shot of the man that tried to assault her. His beady dark eyes and that long oily looking hair pulled back into ponytail made her stomach turn. She could feel his breath on her neck as he tried to cop a feel. "Are there any connections between Hyde and the Lincolns?"

"He works for Brewster Lincoln as a driver and assistant. He was employed at SIP until he was terminated for sexual discrimination. It seems Mr. Hyde expected his personal assistants to be very personal with him." Swanson clicked through the police reports from the Seattle PD.

"Run a complete in-depth check on this guy. I want to know what he had for breakfast on his first birthday." Ana ordered harshly. Her eyes went to Christian who remained standing against the wall and silent. He was watching her. "Lt. Marks, we are moving on this tomorrow afternoon. We are taking the Lincolns down and getting that little girl out of there. I just pray that we are not too late if Hyde is involved."

"We are ready, Ma'm." The Lieutenant declared.

Ana only nodded as she began to pace. She stopped in front of Taylor. "You will accompany us. I want another boot on the ground and you know how we operate."

"Yes, Ma'm." Taylor said looking down at the little thing that no one would guess by looking at her was a trained professional agent. "It will be an honor to serve with you."

Ana chuckled. "It's not Omaha Beach, Taylor…just routine "shake and bake"." She turned back to her team. "We will meet downstairs at 0400 hours."

"Yes, Ma'm." The Lieutenant replied.

Ana left the room without saying a word to anyone. She walked past Christian who started to go after her, but Taylor stopped him. He shook his head. "Let her go. She has to resolve this in her own way. She just pulled rank on her own Father." Jason's hand gripped onto Christian's upper arm. "Give her a little time." Christian nodded and relaxed.

The Seattle wind blew through Ana's curls as she stood out on the balcony staring at the city. The lights of the city twinkled against the darkness of the night. She could not deal with the fact that she had pulled rank over her father. She knew she had every right to do so for the good of the mission, but it left a bitter taste in her mouth and a sharp pain in her stomach. She closed her eyes and prayed for this job to be done. She swore that she would never accept another mission.

"He won't stay mad forever." A deep voice said. Ana turned to find Jason Taylor standing behind her. "He understands."

"I know, but I can't believe that I did it." She turned back to stare at the city. Jason joined her. He offered her a cigarette. "Christian will have a fit if he sees me with this."

"Probably." Jason lit the cigarette for her. "But, you need to calm down." Jason lit his own. "You did what you had to do. This case is too big for the Montesano PD to handle alone."

"I know." She clipped as she blew the smoke into the night air. She stared into the darkness. She thought to herself that she probably should get use to it. She knew after this job was complete her life would be darker. She would lose Christian over this. He would hate her for what she will do in the next few hours. He would never see her the same way. He only knew the civilian Ana, the very competent office manager and fiancé. He didn't know the "marine" Ana, that side of her that made her dangerous, cold, and calculating when needed. He had no idea that she could kill easily if that was called upon. "I will lose him, Jason. Christian will never forgive me for what I am about to do."

"What are you about to do?"

"I'm going to kill Elena Lincoln. We both know she will not come quietly. Even if it's not me who pulls the trigger, Christian will blame me. I will be the one who killed the person that he considered his only friend for years."

"I don't think you are giving Mr. Grey enough credit."

Ana had to laugh. "Christ, Taylor we both have studied human behavior as part of our training. He is still tied to her in some ways, even though he figured out that she basically raped him, he still holds on. Stockholm Syndrome at it's finest." She drew on the cigarette again. "I love him. I don't want to lose him, but I can't stand down. There's a little girl out there that I pray we can save before she is abused."

Jason put his cigarette between his lips then placed his hands on her shoulders to turn her around to face him. "Don't put the horse before the cart, Ana. Give Christian a chance and some credit. He knows about abuse. He doesn't want anything to happen to that child."

Ana only nodded. "I hope you are right, Taylor."

xxXXxx

He was already in bed when Ana stepped into their bedroom. She smiled at him then went into their bathroom to brush her teeth, wash her face and slide into one of Christian's t-shirts. She joined him in the bed and cuddled close to him.

"You had a cigarette." He said drily.

"Just one. I was stressed."

"I understand."

They held each other in silence. "Christian, make love to me. Make me forget what will happen tomorrow if only for a few moments."

Christian rolled over onto her. "Nothing will happen tomorrow that will make me love you any less. I love you, Ana, only you."

"I love you, also." She breathed as their lips met. She poured all her emotions into that kiss. "Love me, Christian. Love me like you never loved me before."

"Baby, I do love you." He stared down into blue eyes swimming in tears. He saw fear and despair in those blue depths. "Nothing will change that." He kissed her hard as if trying to make her understand that he loved her now and forever. They made love bordering on savageness until they were both exhausted. Ana cuddled into his body knowing in her heart that this could be the last time she slept beside the man she loved and adored. Tomorrow, Christian would see a side of Anastasia Steele that was not sweet, innocent, cute, or charming. Tomorrow, Marine Ana will take over and all hell was about to be let loose on the Lincolns and their human trafficking business!