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Opening the door to our home, I hear the murmur of voices in the other room. It's late, and I peak my head around the corner to find Gail and Yuri hunched over documents that litter the dining room table. They look up at me and nod in acknowledgement of my presence, but continue to conspire in hushed voices. I can't hear what they're saying, but it wouldn't matter anyway. I can't understand Russian, or Ringlish as Gail likes to call her attempt at the language. Yuri is Gail's Russian tutor and handler from the International Commission on Human Trafficking. Gail has been recruited to help run the back end of things this time, putting her language skills and knowledge of the inside of the various crime organizations involved in this case to good use. Not only has she been helping to interview the rescued teenage girls that have been slowly filtering through the station, but she has also been playing the dumb blond cop who only speaks English when suspects have been brought in for questioning.
I will never admit to Gail my great relief when it became clear that she would not be going undercover again on this assignment, although I think she knows. It's simply too dangerous. If she were to run into any of DuFort's former colleagues, they would know her for what she is and it would blow the entire operation. They all think she died with Luc on that ship, her body dumped into the sea. If they were to ever find out the truth, she, no, we might never be safe again.
I pick up the menu for the Thai place from the door of the fridge. I'm just too tired to cook anything.
"Hey!" I poke my head back into the dining room, "I'm starving! Did you guys eat yet? I'm ordering out for Thai delivery."
I don't know why I bother asking. I already know the answer.
"Thank you Holly, " Yuri says with a charming smile and thick accent, "We have not. But please, do not worry about me. I can eat when I get home."
"Just ignore him." Gail rolls her eyes at me, "You know what I like, and get Yuri some of those beef noodles you got last time."
"Thank you!" Yuri turns to her, "But I do not wish to inconvenience your beautiful wife!"
Gail blushes a deep crimson. "Yeah, uh, erm, (cough)" She chokes "It's fine."
Gail is so adorable when she gets flustered like this. I realize that she probably has not discussed the nature of our relationship with him, and is now freaking out.
I smile at him and say, "Thank you Yuri! But it's no trouble at all!"
Yuri looks confused. "I'm sorry Gail, I simply meant to complement. I hope I did not offend either one of you! It is a cultural thing. No?"
"No. And really, it's fine! And thank you!" I grin as I watch Gail take a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself.
The food arrives some twenty minutes later, and I'm glad I over ordered, as Gail teases. When we all load up our plates, it becomes clear that they are each as hungry as I am. I open a bottle of red, and offer them some wine. Yuri refuses, and Gail just shrugs. This is new.
"Wait, wait, what's going on?" I say narrowing my eyes. "Don't tell me… Are you guys still on duty, or something?"
"No?" Gail says unconvincingly
"What does that mean?" I glare at them with my hands on my hips, daring one of them to speak.
Yuri looks away, excuses himself, and goes into the kitchen. I can hear water running from the icemaker on the fridge.
"Coward." Gail mumbles beneath her breath, and then begins shoveling Pad Thai into her mouth at top speed.
"Gail?" I ask again firmly.
She finally stops chewing and swallows.
"Well… um… Not really? I mean we're, um, kind of on call, well stand by really…" Gail flashes me a super fake smile knowing I'm probably not going to be happy about whatever this is, at all.
"Stand by for what? Gail?" I push for an answer, "Stand by for what?"
I can feel the bottom drop out of the pit of my stomach.
"Well, you know all those bodies that have been turning up in parks all over the city…" She begins
This case has become a priority for my department too. More bodies of young women that seem to be undocumented, between the ages of twelve and twenty, have been found, with evidence of having been badly abused for months prior to being killed. In spite of budget cuts, my staff and I have been putting in extra hours causing a mountain of new paperwork that has made me come home after eight every night so far this week.
"Ok… " I practically growl at her.
"You know what, I can't really talk about the details of this." She hedges.
I adjust my glasses and give her a hard look. Yuri comes back into the room. He looks helplessly from her to me, and back again.
"You know, " he says, clearing his throat, "It's late, Tatiana is going to be wondering where I am. She worries, you know.."
"Oh no!" Gail snaps at him, "Not so fast!"
His wife, Tatiana also works for the International Commission on Human Trafficking, and is in charge coordinating the undercover part of this op. We all know that she is probable going over some nit-picky budgetary detail and has kicked Yuri and Gail out of the office so she can concentrate, like she has on several other days this week.
He stops and shrugs. "Ok Holly," He says, "What do you want to know."
"First of all, " I fume, "What are you on call for?" I shake my head and glare at him, "And next, when were the two of you planning on saying something about this to me?" I can't seem to help myself from gesturing wildly with my hands.
"Ok Holly," He is holding his hands expressively out in front of him, "Don't be mad…"
"Don't be mad?" I know I'm going off the deep end with this, "Don't be mad!"
There is a soft hand on my arm. I whip around to glare at Gail, who takes a step forward.
"Holly. Honey…" The soft term of endearment used in the presence of another person stops me in my tracks. "I didn't say anything because I had no idea when this raid was happening, and I didn't want you to worry unnecessarily."
"Raid? What raid?!" I hear my voice and know that I must sound like a lunatic. "And what do you mean by worry unnecessarily?" I'm gesturing again.
She and Yuri look at each other no doubt gauging how much they should say. I brush a strand of stray hair from my eyes.
"Come on Gail!" I insist, "I'm not just another one of the wives you can tell some fairytale to. I work with you! I see the results of what happens out there in my lab every day!"
Gail sighs. "Ok Holly, maybe I should have said something sooner, but there really wasn't anything to tell."
"Until now."
She nods. "Until now." She concedes.
"So," She continues, "We have had a tip from one of the undercover teams that a new shipment of girls and possibly cocaine is expected to make it here within the week. There will be a party where VIP pervs, potential buyers, can meet the new batch of girls and place bids on them. We also understand that there will be a number of repeat customers there."
"The only thing we don't know at this time," Yuri interrupts, "Is exactly when or where this will take place. Or what happens with the older girls. We think these perverts trade them in, so to speak, but some of them may murder their older girl themselves. We just don't know. But what we do know is that this is an opportunity to catch all parties in the same place at the same time, and hopefully get there before they are able to do harm to any of the young women in question."
"But you're not going in to this party as undercover…" I say slowly.
"No." Gail says shaking her head. "After our undercover couple give the word, ETF will storm the building. We, Yuri and I, will just be a part of the second tear clean-up sweep."
"What does that mean?" I give her a searching look.
"That means," Gail takes a step forward and runs her hands comfortingly up my arms, "That I won't be on the front lines this time. That I, that we, will only go in to help process the scene after it has been cleared by ETF."
"Oh." I say, not really comforted, but somewhat relieved.
"Listen, our food is getting cold." She continues, "And it's getting to be late enough that it probably won't be tonight."
She cleans up the scattered paperwork, and we all sit down to eat in silence. When we are done, Yuri says goodnight. On his way out the door he turns and takes my hand.
"Your Gail is very special." He says looking me in the eye. "Don't worry. There are many good people looking out for her."
He kisses my cheek and turns to go.
"Thank you Yuri! That means a lot!" I smile at him as he disappears into the night.
As I close the front door, her arms encircle my waist, and her cheek falls against my shoulder.
"I'm sorry." She whispers in my ear.
I rub her hands that are folded across my belly, and sigh.
"I'm sorry." She says again, "I should have told you sooner."
I turn in her arms and drop my forehead against hers. "I'm sorry too." I whisper. "I guess I kind of over reacted."
She laughs softly. "Just a little."
"Ok, maybe a lot." I concede, leaning in to kiss her.
She deepens the kiss in a way I never intended, but can't say I mind. She pulls me closer nuzzling my neck insistently.
"So, now I'm your beautiful wife." I tease, "When did that happen?"
She blushes, and nuzzles me again, "I donno, Holly. It could though. Maybe. If you wanted to…" She murmurs into my neck, and kisses me again.
I feel myself flush, and my breath catch in my throat. She kisses me harder.
"Come on, " Her voice is low, and soft, and sexy, "Let's go to bed." And takes me by the hand to lead me through our dark house.