Chapter Thirty - Share

George watched them as they came in, hand in hand, and smiling. He didn't mind the delay when he saw the look on Liv's face. She finally seemed to have found some peace. He was happy that Alex could help her find it, too.

"Afternoon, ladies," he said, escorting them into his office.

"George," Alex replied in salutation.

"Hey," Liv stated.

"I am glad to see that you both doing well. Please have a seat. We can get started, if you're ready," he told them.

"I'm ready," Liv said taking her seat on the couch.

Alex sat down beside her. George noted their proximity to each other but didn't comment on it. He knew that their relationship was blossoming and he was happy that they had each other, finally. He knew that Liv would need her, as she told him everything. Liv would need Alex's support and understanding. He knew that in his office as they discussed the case together that Liv would have it.

"Good. Good. Alex, are you ready?"

"Yes," Alex replied, simply.

Huang nodded. Alex was here for support, not to be questioned. She had shut him down before he could press anything. He got her point, made note of it for later, and decided to move on.

"Olivia, last time you told me that you think that you are ready to give your debrief."

"Yeah, I think it's time. I mean, don't you? I've gotten better. I know that talking to you has helped me deal with some issues, but I think that I need to let Dana know so they can start the indictments," Liv told him.

"They already have some indictments, Olivia. They need you mainly for your testimony about what happened while you were undercover. If you do give them more information, I am sure that they will seek more indictments. The authorities in Georgia are awaiting our information as well. They plan on trying them as well, depending on how many years they get federally."

"That sounds good," Olivia answered.

"Are you nervous?"

"A little," Liv stated.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"I'm sure that you do. What happened, Olivia? Why does your undercover information scare you so much? What happened?" George pushed.

"Nothing major, that you don't already know. I don't know what it is, but it is like if I don't talk about everything then I don't have to worry about it. Does that make sense?"

"It does. But, I need you to open and honest with, Liv. I need you to tell everything that happened, good or bad. We need to sort through it all. I know that might be hard for you, but that is why Alex is here. We are here to help you."

"I know that."

"Then, what else is bothering you?"

"Robin?"

"Are you still having the nightmares?"

"Some, yes, but they are getting better."

"Are they still bothering you as much?"

"No, because I know that they aren't real," Liv told him.

"How do you know that? What has changed with the nightmares? What changed with you?"

"I realized how much I love Alex. I know that Alex is here to support me and with that support, I know that I am going to be alright. That with her help, I am going to get through this and be able to testify. She is going to be with and she isn't going to leave me. I know that she loves me, that I love her back, and we are going to be together when we get back to New York."

"That is good. You have a basis to work with and use as a motivator. But, you haven't told me what changed with the nightmares. What is it?" George probed.

"I know they are dreams because it isn't Frankie anymore," Liv stated, grabbing Alex's hand.

"It isn't Frankie? Then who is it? Can you tell me?"

"It has turned into Alex," Liv said, hanging her head.

Alex grabbed their hands with her free hand and held it. She had thought as much, but she didn't want to push Liv. She needed Liv to tell her herself. She knew that she felt safer in the office with Huang and that Liv wouldn't run. She was upset that Liv couldn't tell her these kinds of things when they were alone, together, but somewhere inside she understood Liv's thoughts.

"That bothers you?"

"Of course it does. I am frightened that Robin will try something to Alex. I am scared that I won't be able to get to Alex in time to save her. My nightmares are a mixture of memories and what ifs. I know they are dreams because Alex is in them, but that doesn't make them any less painful to sleep through. When I know that it is Alex in the dream, I try to find something to wake myself up. I look for something else in the dream that isn't real or part of my memories. If I focus on that long enough, I can force myself to wake," Olivia told them both.

"Does it bother you to have to do that?" Alex asked, joining the conversation.

"I guess it should, but it really doesn't. I know that you aren't really in any danger. It is just my mind fucking with me and my memories. I try to decompress before I go to sleep. I try to remind myself that Robin in custody, but sometimes that isn't enough," Liv admitted.

"Why do you think that is, Olivia?" Huang asked her.

"I am scared."

"Of what?"

"Robin," she said simply.

"Why?"

"Because I watched her destroy lives because she thought it was fun. Because I know what she is capable of doing. Because I know that she hates me," Olivia answered.

"Besides the situations with Frankie, what else did she do?"

"She just ruined lives. It was all a game to her. If it brought her pleasure, regardless of who it hurt, she did it."

"Can you give us an example?" Alex asked.

"Alright, one time we are at the strip running the bikes. We were racing each other. There was another biker. Her name was Tini. She was a badass on a bike. Evidently Robin wanted to bring her down a notch or something. She personally challenged Tini to a race. They set up and everything was looking good. Tini had the edge. Everyone there knew that. Robin knew it, too, but she was didn't care. She wanted to bring Tini down."

"What did she do, Olivia?" Huang pushed.

"She hid a stick in bike. As they progressed down the strip, Robin pulled it out. She shoved it in Tini's wheel. The bike skidded and slid. Tini didn't have time to ditch it. She went with the bike. When Robin got to the line, she didn't care that Tini was hurt, stuck, pinned under her own bike, all Robin cared about was that she won."

"Did anyone see her put the stick in Tini's wheel?"

"I don't know. We knew it happened. But, we all learned a lesson that day. It didn't matter how badass your bike was, Robin would win the race. It was safer for yourself, your body and your bike. It had become a silent agreement with the rest of us. Robin got the desired outcome."

"What did you do about it?" Huang asked.

"I knew that I had to help Tini and stir clear of Robin as much as possible. I knew that I couldn't make too many waves within the gang. I had to save those I could and still get the information that the FBI needed in order to shut them all down. I needed to be able to tell them who the big wigs were and who the peons were."

"Why were you worried about that so early in the investigation?"

"I needed to let Russell know. I knew that peons were scared. They weren't in the gang because the wanted to be at that point. They were still in it because they were afraid of Robin. Robin had turned a probably decent biker social club into something twisted. Don't get me wrong, some of the other leaders weren't great, but they were way better than Robin."

"You did turn in the hierarchy to Russell fairly quickly. Dana said that she was impressed with the speed in which she got the information from you in the beginning. What changed? Was it Frankie?" Huang asked.

He watched as Olivia shifted on the couch. She didn't let go of Alex's hand and neither did Alex let go of hers. There was however a silent exchange between them. Olivia didn't seem to be happy with the direction of the conversation, but she knew it was necessary. George needed to push her and he knew that Alex was going to be the only thing that was going to help her now.

"I think it was. I wasn't in a very good place emotionally when I went undercover. I don't know what happened in the beginning with me and Frankie. I mean she did pursue me, but it was something else. I mean, I know I loved her in her own way. But, there was something else about Frankie. It was like we were both lost and searching for something to hold on to, something to keep us grounded. We found each other."

"She helped you get deeper in the gang though. Are you sure that it was a beneficial relationship or was she looking for you to usurp Robin?" George asked her.

"I don't know. I never thought about it like that. She could have been. I don't know. D. J. didn't seem to mind me being there. It was like I was the reasoning for the gang, while Robin was the one that wanted to bust down the doors and plow in without thinking. I was the one always thinking. Logistics were what got me my position."

"I've studied your file, Olivia. You've always been good at planning. Sometimes you push with your emotions, but usually your head overrides your heart in the end. I know that you have gone off half-cocked, but it has only got you in trouble a few times. I trust that you learned from those incidents. But, you still went after Frankie on your own. You didn't tell Russell fully what was going on, then. However, you did take the boots. You were planning on the fly, weren't you?"

"I had to. It had become second nature to me at the time. I couldn't wait for all the red tape to get out of the way. I knew that I had to move and quickly. I didn't know what Robin was going to do to her, but I knew that it would be bad. I just couldn't wait…" Liv stated as she started sobbing, slightly.

"You felt like you were doing what was best for Frankie?" Huang asked.

"Yes. I was more worried about Frankie at the time. I had to save her. I knew that Russell and Ike were going to start the raids soon. I didn't have time to make sure that Frankie would be out of the way when they started. I didn't know exactly what Robin had up her sleeve. I had to find Frankie and get her out. I had to protect her and the baby."

"No one blames you for what you did," Alex told her.

"I do. I blame myself. If I had been paying attention to Robin... If I had seen her leave the bar that day, I could have prevented everything. I could have saved Frankie. I could have saved her if I had been more observant. I failed her," Olivia explained.

"You didn't fail her. You went to her. You went to protect her. You went to save her. The only one that failed her was Robin. Robin is the reason that she was in that warehouse. Robin is the reason that you were there. Frankie's death isn't on your hands. I know that we are going to fight about that until we are all blue in the face, but it is the truth. Olivia, you can't blame yourself for Frankie's death. You were there for her. You did everything that you could."

"I know," Liv whispered.

"What do you think pushed you in the end?"

"What do you mean?" Liv asked.

"You turned in testimony or evidence on everyone in the gang. We have a more complete and comprehensive idea of what was going on because of your work. But, something was driving you, other than Frankie. Something that you saw. There was something besides the drugs, the cartels, and the trafficking. What was it?" Huang questioned.

"I found some papers one afternoon in the office, while I was helping Dominique get the bar ready for some gang party. D. J. had left them there. I don't think that she knew they were there. I don't think she knew what was going on. D. J. was smart. He was so damn smart. He was wicked smart. D. J. was into more than drugs."

"Like what, Liv? What else had D. J. gotten into with the gang? What didn't the FBI know?"

"Robin was sadistic. D. J. was smart. He found a way to get in with cartels. They would come up to Savannah and other places. We would run the drugs back to Atlanta with the bikes. That is why it took so long for the FBI and DEA to catch on, large amounts come in but small amounts being moved quickly and in various directions. It was perfect. Three hundred kilos come in a shipment. The bikers were move maybe a kilo or two per bike per pick up. It was a train. Some of the drugs would go to local dealers but the main portions would move to Atlanta. The only reason that anyone caught on to distribution was because of the strength and purity of the product. D. J. didn't cut it. He would flood the market when needed to squeeze out another dealer and rein it in when he wanted to increase profits."

"But, what else did he start doing?" Alex pushed.

"He needed weapons. He had to protect the product and the warehouses he used. He used the girls to move it. He used the bar to launder some of the money. He would cook the books and get the money back into the local economy. It seemed fool proof, but D. J. always wanted more. He wanted to be the new King Pin in Atlanta. He started moving guns, too. The DEA joined the fight because it wasn't just in Atlanta for the drugs. The ATF gave us the head's up about the guns. They were checking the serials and movements of a lot of guns. They would get me the numbers and I would do what I could."

"Is that all?" Huang questioned.

"No," Liv answered.

Alex watched her. She could see Olivia choke down the bile in her throat. She wanted to reassure her. She wanted to let her know that it would be alright to tell them everything. She had to make Olivia understand that they were there to help. She could see Liv shutting down. She could feel her retreating.

"Liv, honey, it's okay. Just tell us what you saw on those papers. Let us know. We can help."

Liv straightened her back. She let go of Alex's hands, much to Alex's dismay. She wiped the tears from her eyes and stared into oblivion. Huang knew she was trying to remember as much detail as she could. Alex was worried that she would have a flashback. Olivia sighed. Slowly she brought her eyes to Alex's.

When the cerulean gaze met the brown, Alex knew it was something horrible. She knew that Olivia was trying to ground herself. She was trying to find an anchor in the here and now so she could tell her story. Alex could only hope that she would be enough.

"What was it, Liv?" George asked, seeing Olivia anchoring to Alex.

"Women."

"What?" Alex asked.

"He was trafficking women."

"How did we miss that?" Huang asked.

"You did, because I did," Olivia answered.

"How did you find out?"

"From the paperwork. It was all there. It was deceptively simple. He would get certain members of his gang and our gang to recruit some young girls. Usually it was at party or some sort of celebration. I had been to many of them, but I guess I was too old for his clientele. But, that wasn't the sickest part," Liv told them.

"What was it?"

"He was using them as mules. He used them to move product across the country. But, that was just the beginning. He saw the profits that could be made by some of the more attractive recruits. They would be sent to Savannah, Birmingham, Miami, Charlotte, and other big cities. There some of these girls would be raped, tortured and kept in warehouses under gang guard. For the right price, you could sample the goods."

"Olivia, we can stop…"

"He was just as sick as Robin, but he never hit any of us. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I sent the paperwork to Russell. He sent a team to verify. When they found a warehouse in Augusta, we knew that paperwork was real. He labeled them like they were actually product. Each girl was given a sku number, a value and a rate. If she was valued at four hundred, then a client could pay up to a ten thousand for a day with that girl."

"Liv…" Alex tried to stop her, but Olivia needed to get it out. She needed for them to know.

"He started looking for specifics for certain clients. He hired a few pros and turned them into madams, basically pimps for him. He gave them each fifteen percent off the top. He would take the next twenty. The girls were allowed fifty percent of what they made to help them stay fit, clothed, fed, and able. It was a win-win situation for the madams and D. J. until one of the girls got pregnant. D. J. didn't want to kill the baby. No, he was adamant that no babies that were a result of the clientele were to be destroyed. Instead the girls were sent to a small farm in Macon," Liv stated before taking a break.

"What farm in Macon?" Huang asked, taking down notes to pass to Dana.

"It was a small operation dairy farm I think. I am not sure what it was called, but one girl that came back told me that they had special cows. They were rare cows for the US or something."

"Could she describe them to you?" Alex asked, trying to move the story along.

"Yeah, they were black and white, but not like a normal dairy cow. She said they didn't look like the cows on TV. They seemed to be all black with just a band of white around the middle. She heard the farmer said that he bred them special. He was the only farm for miles that had them. Something about the closet one was in Gastonia outside of Charlotte in North Carolina."

"That's good, Liv. What else was there? What else do you need to tell us?" Huang pushed.

"The girl told me that they took her kid after it was born. She wasn't even allowed to hold it. She was sent back to her madam two days later. I don't know what happened to the babies, but I sure as Hell know that D. J. never brought any of them to Atlanta with him. He wasn't a harem master. He didn't care about the kids, but he didn't want them to die. They weren't his blood."

"Do you have an idea what happened to the kids?"

"Yeah, I do. I know exactly what happened to the kids. He sold them to parents that could afford them. He sold them on the black market. He sold them overseas to people for whatever reasons they wanted those children. Those kids never had a chance and there is no way that we can get them all back. Half of the mothers are dead anyway. I couldn't get all their names. I tried, but was almost caught every time. D. J. was smart. He kept moving the money, so no one knew what he was doing. If it hadn't been for that arrant piece of paper and that girl, I would have never known. I tried to write something up about it and get it to Russell or Ike, but I didn't have time. I had to take a trip to Tennessee. I had to go on a run. I couldn't stop business just because I knew it was illegal. No, I had to continue to play the game."

"What did you do?"

"I tried to find more girls. I tried to talk to one of the madams, who was getting a little disgusted with the operation. She loved the money. She loved the concept behind the idea, but she had a problem with the children."

"Do you remember this madam's name? Where she was located? Can you tell us anything?"

"Yeah, I can tell her name. Her name was Mara Ireland. She was based out of Montgomery, Alabama. She is willing to turn, I just know it. If you can find her, you'll find more damning evidence. She told me during a meeting that she had been keeping track of everything that she saw come in and go out of her residence," Olivia told him.

"Mara Ireland?"

"Yeah, you need to find her."

"That won't be necessary, Liv," Huang told her.

"Why not?"

"She's dead."

Liv's head spun from Alex to Huang. He saw the fear and hurt in her eyes. He didn't know what else to say. He knew that Olivia was going to hurt. This case had become too closer for her. All he could hope for was that she would learn to live her life again and move on.

"How?" she asked, quietly.

"I don't know. The ATF and DEA raided her place earlier this week. She was dead along with all the ladies that were working for her. We are still trying to sort it all out. I'll give this information to Dana. She is leading the task force on this case. If we can prove they are related, the more we can throw at D. J. and Robin."

"They did it, but I don't how. But, George, I know they did it. Do you have time of death?"

"The local ME states that is was about a week ago."

"That was plenty of time. They fled Atlanta. They've been on the run. They were dealing with loose ends. She was a big loose end. So was I. They couldn't count on me dying. They heard the sirens. They knew that I would be found."

"Did they know that Mara talked to you?" Alex asked.

"I don't know. Everything happened so fast in the end. I was focused on Frankie. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Liv. We caught them. I'll get with Dana. I'm sure that she'll send someone out there to take a look at the case for Mara. If there is a link to D. J. and Robin, she'll find it. Believe me. Dana has taken to this case like a dog to a bone. She isn't going to give it up easily."

"I know how she feels," Liv stated.

Alex watched her. George watched her. They were waiting for Olivia to turn back into the detective they both knew. It would only be a matter of time.

"I want to go out there," Liv said, breaking the silence.

"Do you think that is wise?" Huang asked.

"No, but I know the gang. I'll know what happened. I need to see it for myself."

"Liv…" Alex started.

"No, Alex, I need to see it for myself. I know that doesn't make sense to you. But, I have to know. I need to see the scene. I need to know. Either you talk to Dana about me going out there, or I'll go on my own. Understand?"