Page 58 of Chasing Justice
“Of course. I have nothing to hide.”
She waited for Josh to return and they asked the woman to step out of the vehicle. Maya opened the front doors and started searching, not really expecting to find anything, but taking advantage of the opportunity to check out the inside anyway. She slid her hands under the seat, looking for signs of hidden compartments, and then worked methodically from underneath the seats to opening different compartments, even pulling down the visors and feeling around.
As she worked her way around the vehicle, she heard the woman say to Josh, “I wouldn’t think a poached animal would fit in such a small spot.”
“Officer Thompson just has to look for any evidence,” Josh answered.
Maya finished her search and stepped back. The vehicle was the cleanest vehicle she’d seen in a long time, but it was a rental. Although drug traffickers often rented vehicles, this lady seemed too smart for that.
After doing a final check in the back, Maya stepped back from the vehicle. “Thank you,” she said.
“See?” said the woman. “Nothing.”
“I appreciate you letting me do my job.”
“Of course. Anytime.”
Josh wrote the woman a speeding ticket. Then he and Maya retreated to their vehicles and watched the SUV drive away.
“I thought about putting a tracker on the vehicle,” she said, “but I think this lady is smart enough she would have minions working for her and we wouldn’t catch her doing anything.”
“I agree,” Josh said. “But I have her information now. Name is Svetlana Egorov. I vote we go research her a little bit more. Maybe if we can figure out how exactly she ties in with the Rays, that will give us a better lead.”
Maya went over to her vehicle and checked on Juniper. She was sitting in her compartment, body tensed up and tail wagging. She gave a few short, loud yips. Maya petted her on the head and scratched behind her ears. Loving on the dog eased some of her tension, but they needed a break in the case—and soon. Before something bad happened to Pops.
“Hang in there,” she said under her breath. “We’ll find you.”
There was a full batch of Krok in hidden compartments in the black truck.
Things were getting rough. Bobbi needed to start thinking about the future of this operation and completing it quickly. She headed for the access road into the national forest. When she was out of sight of Carson, she’d pulled over and grabbed her purse.
She opened the pocket that contained a cell phone and her badge.
Bobbi had placed several trackers in the bricks of drugs. She linked the trackers to her cell phone and the DEA, then texted her boss,This is my last load. Suspects are getting suspicious. I’m out.
Then she placed the phone back in the pocket and zipped it up. She grabbed her Sig Sauer and placed it in her holster. Once she delivered the drugs, she would leave. Carson suspected too much.
Last night in bed, she had come on to him and he hadn’t responded. He’d been distant and aloof ever since she had shown up late with the codeine. Bobbi was beginning to suspect he had an in with the sheriff’s department and knew she had lied to him about the flat tire.
Bobbi put the truck in Drive and started on her route. Sleeping with him had been a mistake. But she’d been undercover for so long now, she barely knew who she was anymore. Sure, other undercover officers probably crossed this line. Could she get out of this and still find her way back to a normal life?
Bobbi fought back tears. She was a tough agent, but this job was destroying her. Back in her real life, she had a son. He was the same age as Jenna, and she had completely lost touch with him. He had graduated from college and was married. Someday she would call him and ask for forgiveness for not being a part of his life.
When this assignment was over, Bobbi planned on turning in her badge. She couldn’t do this anymore.
Bobbi downshifted the truck as she headed down a pass with rough roads. At the bottom of the incline, she would cross a shallow creek and drive another thirty minutes to the interstate, where she would meet Svetlana’s courier.
Lana, or Svetlana, was the reason the DEA was interested in the Ray family. They had been investigating Lana for years. She was smart, and her father was a bigwig in the Russian mob. Lana, with her father’s help, had started producing and trafficking drugs until she had one of the largest drug rings in the United States.
She’d always managed to elude law enforcement, but this time they were going to nail her. Bobbi’s undercover time wasn’t going to be wasted. She would bring this bitch down before she quit the DEA—and the Rays were her best chance of accomplishing that.
Bobbi just needed this last load delivered. Then the DEA could move in and arrest everyone while she moved far away and started her life over.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Maya pulled up next to Josh at the sheriff’s building and opened the door to Juniper’s kennel. The young dog had curled into a tiny ball of fur. She yawned and a little squeak came out.
Maya smiled and petted Juniper. She gave her a treat, shutting the door. “You have to stay here for now, but you’ll be good.”
