by CC Dragon
Hiding? I’d never heard of draining someone’s powers or hiding them, but Indigo made it sound like it was nothing. “I may not be as strong as some, but my clan would avenge me. Is that worth it? Being hunted by the most powerful Fae on the planet?” I bluffed.
He looked me in the eye. I could feel his power amping up toward me. I channeled my energy to defense, but a familiar voice pulled me away.
“Dot,” Mitch called.
I heard more gunshots and screams from the cabins. The interruption broke the wizard’s focus.
Following Mitch’s voice, I went into one of them. The women were hiding, the officers were subduing a few more guards than we’d expected.
Another cabin had a smoke bomb going off, and the women were running outside.
The cops were corralling them to safety, but it’d gone from a coordinated effort to chaos. I closed my eyes and saw into the third cabin. The guard had shot one woman before the police controlled the situation.
No operation was perfect, but we had the numbers and the guns.
“Mitch, that guy around back. I need to secure him.” I was no better than any other human in front of them. But when it came to handling the magical beings, I was all we had.
“I’ll back you up,” Mitch said.
“I’m fine.” I went, knowing he’d follow, and I’d have an issue.
But he would’ve come looking for me anyway. I missed Mason some days. He’d been the only other FBI agent I met who was magical. He’d left a few years back.
It was really hard for me to combine my reality with human law enforcement. I just wasn’t giving up yet.
I rounded the cabin, and the wizard was gone.
Mitch caught up with me. “It’s fine. The perimeter team is in place. He can’t have escaped.”
“He was trying something.” I pointed to the ground.
“Maybe he made himself disappear,” Mitch joked. “Back to work.”
We joined the teams and went room to room, cabin to cabin, and into the vehicles. Everything was seized and buses were brought in to transport the victims. We’d be up all night getting statements and processing victims as well as bad guys.
I froze. Something was wrong.
Mitch looked at me. “What?”
“There aren’t enough guards.” I felt for more evil magic.
“These women seem drugged,” Mitch said softly.
Drugged or under a spell, I couldn’t undo it on a mass of people. Not with so many eyes around. It was a zoo of people. The women had to be checked for weapons and injuries. Too many people in too small of spaces. Even moving them outside was dangerous. The women might panic and run.
One of the women lunged at an officer, plunging a knife into his arm.
“Run, they’re going to put us all in jail,” screamed one of the women.
A panic started. I knew it was the wizard.
Some of the women were probably in on the criminal enterprise, and they’d brainwashed the women that they’d be arrested and charged—that no one would believe their story.
As if under a spell, the girls all went limp.
The men attacked, grabbing weapons.
“Call for medical help. They were poisoned,” Mitch said.
Humans.
The police, many of whom had EMT training, started checking the women.
The criminal men were quickly subdued.
Except for one.
Chapter Four
I cut off Indigo behind one of the cabins.
“You missed the men,” I taunted, trying to hold back a smile.
He glared at me. “You’re stronger than you appear.”
He thought he’d knock me out? I was magical even if my powers were sketchy.
I followed as he stormed to the area where the agents were handcuffing all the bad guys.
With a wave of his hand, the agents passed out as well.
I snapped my fingers to send the bad guys unconscious.
Indigo turned on me. “You can’t defeat me.”
I grinned fully. “You didn’t think I could knock out some humans. Maybe I can do more than you think?”
It was a bluff, but I was willing to fight and try to injure him. If he had magical conspirators, they weren’t showing up. I had no backup that wasn’t human, which made me wish Zelda was a field agent.
“I can kill you. Kill them all and start over,” Indigo threatened.
“No one will notice that body count.” I rolled my eyes.
“No one who matters. No one who could ever find me,” he replied.
“Not true, this many dead will be a huge issue. Unsolved, it’ll be a problem. You’d be better off wiping their memories and letting them get rescued. It can be blamed on a bad batch of drugs or something.” I had to try and limit the body count any way possible, or I’d hate myself.
“Or I could kill you, and it’s my problem. My choice.” Indigo conjured a fireball in his hand and whipped it at me.
Dodge or neutralize? I chose to reuse it, catching and flinging it back at him.
He dodged, and I hurled a stunning spell before he could recover. I ran to him and touched his neck—sucking his power while he was stunned. I’d never tried it before. Never even heard of it before, but better me with his powers than him with mine!
Adrenaline surged through me as I heard vehicles approaching. I wanted to kill Indigo, but stealing his power was worth the wait. Maybe I wasn’t as weak as I thought. When I was cornered, powers seemed to flare up. They weren’t consistent, so I never counted on them unless backed into a corner, but right now, I felt like I could defeat all the evil in Alaska.
The trucks that rolled in were escorted by police cars. Then I saw paddy wagons coming in to transport the victims as well as the criminals.
I let go of Indigo’s neck before I could end him, but I’d sucked him mostly dry of magical powers.
“What the hell happened here?” Green shouted from behind a line of fresh SWAT guys with barrier shields up.
“Must’ve been some sort of knock out gas or carbon dioxide leak. I was checking the perimeter,” I said.
Green frowned. “What? What happened to the perimeter of officers? Everyone is unconscious?”
Just then some of the women started to come to. I needed the distraction because no answer would placate Green.
“Ambulances are in route,” said one of the new officers.
“Lock up everyone in handcuffs first. Him too.” I slapped a pair of cuffs on Indigo. It’d take some time for him to recover enough to escape magically.
“You’re completely fine?” Green asked.
I shrugged and played dumb; I was very good at it by now. “I didn’t go into any of the cabins. Maybe I’m immune to whatever they used or didn’t get hit with it enough.”
To escape more scrutiny, I went over to Mitch and helped him up. “Are you okay?”
“What the hell happened?” He rubbed his eyes.
“No one is sure yet. Maybe a gas or a chemical leak or something along those lines. Any operation that involves moving this many women, the captors are going to have weapons and defenses. Are you feeling okay?” I asked.
“Fine. It’s weird.” He shrugged it off.
“Let’s get this all locked down so we can get some answers.” Green shook his head.
Clearly, he was disgusted with the messy execution of the raid.
“No one is dead, there were some injuries and a couple people were shot, but they’re superficial wounds, and no one got away,” I pointed out.
“Let the EMTs clear everyone first. We’ll see. Get back to the field office,” Green ordered.
“We need to collect evidence inside,” Mitch argued.
Green glared. “You two were first on this case. We need to keep it clean and have other agents collect the evidence independently. CSI will come out. Protocols, please, people!”
“Yes, sir.” I suppressed a smirk at how Green acted like we were all newbies.
Mitch a
nd I cared about the case, and I’d keep my hands out of processing evidence, but I could still keep an eye out that nothing was missed. No way would I give them an excuse to let these guys walk or not be prosecuted.
A couple hours later, everyone was medically cleared. The EMTs were unable to explain it.
“We had the cabins and stuff swabbed and sent to the lab for testing. They’re still tearing everything apart looking for drugs, liquor, or proof of trafficking.” Green had pulled Mitch and I into his office.
“No fatalities, that’s good. But we have a lot of people to process and interview. You two need to interview people. Here are the intakes you need to review. Find out what they know and what’s happened to them.” He handed a stack to me and a stack to Mitch. “We’ve got the name of the person who owns the cabins. We’re looking into the trucks, if they were rented, owned, or stolen. We’re getting good evidence, but we need everyone’s statements so we can lock down the charges we want to pursue. I don’t want anyone slipping through the cracks or freaking out.”
“Are any of the women injured other than the one shot?” I asked.
“Not seriously. Hungry and kept in crowded conditions. Some had faded bruises and track marks, but those aren’t related to the raid. Their phones were taken as well as identification by the captors, and now we’re trying to get all that information, so they’re shaken. The men most likely kept the women cooperative with drugs, alcohol, and fear. Largely from the rural south. These women have been trucked all over. It’s insane,” Green said.
“How many women did we save? That’ll look good on your record.” I spun the positive side for my human boss.
He shot me a look. “It’s not about a count. Make sure we don’t miss a thing. If we screw up a big case, we’ll look bad.”
Green meant he’d look bad. I nodded to Mitch. “We’re on it.”
“What about the guy I captured? He said his name was Indigo.” I didn’t want to draw too much attention to him or the magical things that may have happened, but I had to know.
Green nodded. “He’s under arrest like the rest of them. The gas or whatever hit him harder. He’s still groggy.”
He was playing opossum. I itched to go into his cell and torture him for information.
“I want to interview him,” I said.
“No, not the men behind the crime. No one is going to say you were setting them up or that the tip off was abused or not properly scrutinized. Duty segregation.” Green pointed to the door. “Get to work. Those files only.”
“Yes, sir,” Mitch said.
I walked out ahead of him.
“Play nice,” Mitch said to me.
“That guy is dangerous. They all are,” I warned.
Mitch nodded. “I understand, but they’re not on my list either. Protocol to preserve the prosecution. This case is way too big for just two agents to work it.”
Indigo’s powers bubbled inside of me. I could kill all of the men. I could erase memories. If it was only this case, I would. But I’d worked so many cases. There would be more. Plus, Mitch was right. This case was too big to handle alone, no matter how much magic I had.
“Just focus on the task in front of you,” Mitch said.
I nodded, but Indigo could kill every human in the building once his powers were fully restored. Every agent gone... I couldn’t let him do that.
But I had some time. Indigo was weakened. That part wasn’t a lie, however there was nothing I could do to stop his recovery. If I killed him now, the suspicions would be hard to dodge. The magic pulsed inside of me, and I wanted to climb the walls or blow the roof off of the building. None of which would be at all helpful.
For now, I had to be a human FBI agent and pretend that magic wasn’t a big problem. The struggle wasn’t new, but Indigo presented a real danger. A bigger one than I’d ever dealt with on my own. I grabbed a couple of bottles of water and headed to work.
I found the right interview room and the right file. Knocking quickly, I opened the door. “Hailey?”
The woman nodded. She had sunken cheeks and a dullness to her pale skin. There were dark circles under her eyes, but it was the emptiness in her eyes that echoed despair.
“Do you need anything?” I asked.
She shook her head.
I closed the door. “I’m special agent Dot Foster. I just need to get your statement and ask some questions. Are you up for that?”
She shrugged.
“Sorry, I’m going to have to get you to answer verbally. The statement will be recorded.” I pointed to the cameras in the corner. “Are you okay with that?”
“Sure.” Her voice was so soft, it was more like talking to a child.
“You were taken by force by these men?” I asked.
“I met a guy in a bar. I needed a ride home. I’d broken up with my boyfriend and was staying with friends. I was lonely. I should’ve known better than to get in the car.” She fiddled with opening the water bottle.
“When did this happen?” I asked.
“You lose track of time. At least a couple months,” she said.
A wave of nausea welled up, and I took a slow breath to focus myself on the task. I wanted to burst into holding and blow up all of the guilty evil people behind it, paras or not. “Months? Where have you been staying?”
Hailey shifted in the chair. “Different places. They kept moving us. The group would get bigger and they’d divide us up. It was scary.”
“Did you have a chance to run?” I asked.
“You don’t think I would’ve?” Hailey shot back.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. How were they controlling you? Were you beaten? Did they threaten you with weapons?” I asked.
“All of it. They took our phones and purses first thing. It was terrifying. They took our pictures and changed our names, or the name we were supposed to answer to in public. Some of the women were in on it. They tried to tell us we’d be safe if we just followed the rules and cooperated. The guys would take care of us,” Hailey scoffed.
“Which women were they?” I asked.
“Called themselves Raven, Mary Jo, and Ellen. But then again, I saw bruises on them too. Maybe they got a better deal luring people in. Some of the women insisted they didn’t go anywhere with the guys. They were getting help or just talking to a new female friend. Or so they thought.” Hailey finally cracked the seal on her water and took a long drink.
“We’ll check into that. They might be charged if they helped bring women in. However, it might be that they were controlled on some level. Now I have to ask some harsh questions so we can build the charges. Were you prostituted?” I asked.
“You don’t eat for free.” She wiped a tear away and tried to cover her face with her frizzy blonde hair.
She wasn’t dressed for Alaska. Short shorts, high heels, and a slinky top you see through, and a black bra underneath.
“Tell me about how you ended up with them. Where were you taken from?” I asked.
“Oklahoma. Never thought blowing off community college to follow a guy would land me here.” She looked around.
I reviewed her information. “You left the form here with next of kin and family to contact blank. There’s no one we can reach out to?” I asked hopefully.
“I’m not a teenager. Plenty of them are. I just look young. I’m twenty-four. I don’t need someone to come and claim me.” She shot me a scowl.
I smiled. “I understand, but your parents still care if you’re okay. Letting them know you’re safe and you were kidnapped, they don’t need all the details...maybe they can help you resettle somewhere. You don’t need to stay in Alaska forever. You’re young enough, go back to college.”
“After this?” She stared at the stark white table between us like it could absorb her and she could disappear.
“Why not? You can help people who find themselves in situations like you. There are a lot of different ways to do that. Or just succeed at anything you love. That is
way better than letting the bad guys win,” I suggested.
“I need to save people, but no one saved me?” she asked.
“You don’t need to, but you need a goal. I always found having something to fight for kept me out of trouble. My parents died, and I don’t really have any memory of them. We can all find a reason to hate the world or check out. You could be a nurse, work in the ER. Be a social worker. Heck, we’ve had cases where a quick-thinking flight attendant saved young women from being trafficked. Don’t limit yourself because a bad thing happened to you.” I opened my own water and took a drink. “That’s not to minimize what’s happened, but don’t give up more of your power. Take the therapy help and find a way through it.”
“Okay, I’ll think about it. My aunt would be better than my parents. She’s okay. I don’t want to hear anyone say it was my fault, or why was I there at that time...my dad would.” Hailey sniffed and dabbed her eyes with the side of her finger.
I nudged the box of tissues closer to her side of the table. “It’s absolutely not your fault, and I’m glad you know that. This isn’t on you, and we want to prosecute these guys for everything they’ve done. In that area, I have to ask if any of the men in custody raped, beat, or were the ones who initially kidnapped you.”
She pointed to the pad of paper and pen.
“You can tell me,” I said.
“I’ll write it. I’ll write my aunt’s name and info down too.” Hailey looked me in the eye briefly.
She was ashamed. Despite her knowing it wasn’t her fault, the shame clung to her.
“You did nothing wrong. You lived through this. That’s all that matters,” I said.
She squirmed in the chair. “I know, but I don’t want to say it right now. I need to get it down first. I’ll sign it or read it out loud if I have to, but I need to write it first so it’s clear in my head. It was months. I need to make sure I get it all out of my head. Like a diary entry or something. Okay?”
I nodded. “Okay. Be sure to date it. Put dates or whatever you remember even if it’s a partial detail.” I slid the pad and pen closer to her.
“You going to watch me?” she snapped.
“You realize I am on your side.” Taking abuse was part of law enforcement sometimes. Fear gripped people, and they lashed out. This poor woman hadn’t been able to fight back at her captors, and she’d bottled up all the humiliation and anger—it had to come out when someone even irked her a little.