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I nodded, scanning the descriptions with a professional eye.“In a few cases, there were witnesses or medical professionals who noted symptoms that suggest regular administration of benzodiazepines.Keeping victims compliant but conscious.”My jaw tightened as I recognized the pattern.“It’s a standard trafficking practice.”
We worked in tandem for the next hour, piecing together the network Mary-Jane had been mapping before her death.The evidence was damning -- a trafficking operation protected by corrupt officials, using legitimate businesses as fronts, with victims disappearing into the system, never to be seen or heard from again.
“Doc, look at this.”Nova pulled out a stack of phone records she’d been sorting through.“My mother made a series of calls to this number in the week before she died.”
I examined the records, noting the frequency of the calls.“Burner phone, probably.Did she note who it belonged to?”
Nova flipped through her mother’s notebook, stopping at a page near the end.“Here.Just initials -- J.M.”
She grabbed another folder, this one filled with employment records from the companies we’d identified as part of the trafficking network.Her fingers moved rapidly through the pages until she stopped, jabbing at a name.
“Jeanette Miller,” she read.“Office manager at Southern Cross Trucking.”
“An insider.Your mother had someone feeding her information from within one company involved.”
Nova was already reaching for her laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard.“Let me check if she’s still there.”
I watched over her shoulder as she pulled up the company website, navigating to the staff directory.The site still listed Jeanette Miller as office manager, her professional headshot showing a middle-aged woman with a tight smile.
“She’s alive.If she was my mother’s source…”
“She might know exactly what your mother found,” I finished.“The evidence that got your parents killed.”
Nova continued typing, her focus intense.“Address, address,” she muttered, then sat back with a triumphant smile.“Got it.1478 Oakwood Drive.”
My heart sank as I recognized the street name.“Nova, that’s in Blood Pagan territory.Less than two miles from where we ran into them last night.”
She turned to me.“This is it, Doc.This is what got my parents killed.Jeanette Miller knows what my mother found -- maybe even has copies of the evidence.”
I ran a hand through my hair, the protective instinct warring with my understanding of what this meant to her.“It could be a trap.If Miller is still working there after your mother’s death, she might be compromised.”
Then again, with others tied to this mess already dead or out of the country, there was a good chance Jeanette Miller had also mysteriously vanished.I wouldn’t mention it to Nova just yet.I’d let her hold on to hope for a bit, but I’d do my own digging on this one.
“Or she’s terrified and keeping her head down,” Nova countered.“Maybe waiting for someone to finish what my mother started.”
She rose to her feet, gathering key documents into a folder.“I need to talk to her.Today, before anyone realizes what we’ve found.”
I stood as well, placing my hands on her shoulders.“Nova, rushing in could get you killed.The same people who murdered your parents are still out there.”
“I know.That’s why I have to do this.For my parents.For those girls.”Her small hands gripped my forearms.“For justice.”
Looking into her eyes, I saw the same fire that had drawn me to her from the beginning -- a determination that burned past fear, past common sense even.She wasn’t going to back down, not when she was this close.
“If you’re doing this, we do it smart.We talk to the President first, get club backup.We scout the location, have an extraction plan.”
Surely by now the Pres would realize Nova wasn’t going to let this go.I knew he was still working on things behind the scenes, making sure they had a decent plan before taking action.But it was time to get things in motion.
Relief flooded her expression.She’d clearly expected me to stop her entirely.“So you’ll help me?”
I cupped her face in my hands, the gesture intimate despite the seriousness of the moment.“I told you last night -- I can’t pretend to be just your bodyguard anymore.But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you walk into danger without protection.”
She nodded, turning her face to press a quick kiss to my palm.“Thank you.”
I dropped my hands, already mentally preparing for what would come next.We’d need weapons, backup, surveillance of the target location.But first, we needed to convince the President this lead was worth the risk.
“I’ll call the President, arrange a meeting.Gather whatever you’ll need.”
As Nova gathered the most damning evidence into a single folder, I watched her movements, efficient and purposeful.The woman who’d walked into the clubhouse looking for help had found her own strength along the way.And somehow, against all my training and better judgment, I’d found something I wasn’t looking for either.
