Read Online In the Still of the Night:Sexy Romantic Suspense (Book 2 The Blonde Barracuda's Sizzling Suspense Series) by Taylor Lee - Free Book Online
Authors: Taylor Lee
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But Paul confirmed he got the message.
“It is an honor to meet you, Sir. I never served overseas. I spent my four years on active duty stationed in D. C. as a JAG associate to General Rodney Peters. But even in the tame reaches of that political swamp, we heard of the mighty Jake Gardner.”
Jake nodded. “Thanks, Paul. And the name is Jake. I only require Brady to call me Sir.”
Following the laughter that greeted his remark, Jake acknowledged the serious young man. “I know General Peters both personally and from reputation. More than once I was on the receiving end of an irate telephone call asking who the hell I thought I was putting the entire future of the United States of America in jeopardy. I can’t remember exactly what I had done wrong that particular time to warrant the General’s ire, but it apparently caught the eye and ear of that irascible man. You may not have been overseas, Paul. But being an adjunct to a guy who has a more colorful vocabulary than mine, you deserve the medals I presume you received.”
Paul grinned. “Yes, Sir. I mean yes, Jake. The General was and is a piece of work. I still have the scars to prove it.”
Grateful for the presence of the young man, Jake looked to him for more information.
“Dalila mentioned some of the difficulties you and your team are having. Fill me in. What makes you think that Brady and I can help?”
Paul handed them each a folder. Jake saw at quick glance it held a thick stack of spreadsheets documenting the rising number of incidents along the U.S./Mexican border.
Paul added narrative to the damning numbers.
“People think the only issue we deal with in Department of Immigration Enforcement is the number of undocumented persons coming across the border. If that was the only kind of person entering this country illegally, we would be delighted. Most of the ‘illegals’ end up being contributing members of U.S. society. No, that is not what worries us the most. You are aware of the activities of the cartels. Again, that is but one aspect of the rising violence we are tracking. The latest bad actors have chosen both the U.S./Mexican border and the U.S./ Canadian border as their pathway to bring in young girls and women for the sex trade. I presume you know that San Francisco is one of the most notorious locus points for the international sex trafficking organizations. They are now so brazen, the exploited women land daily at our airports. They barely try to make their documents appear legal. We are so understaffed, our efforts are minimal at best. What we are missing is information. The kind of information that U.S. officials can’t get.”
Brady smiled and spoke for the first time. “But individuals who can’t be tied to the government can?”
Paul gave him a grateful nod. Jake smiled to himself. The guy was young enough and uptight enough to be embarrassed that he was condoning working with covert agents. Jake exchanged a knowing glance with his partner. Neither one of them—rule breakers that they were—would have lasted a month in the Department that was hiring them. But they likely would be of more service to their country than twenty “legitimate” employees could be. He felt a surge of satisfaction. He and Brady were on the right track. Their company was going to be successful and useful. They would be worth every penny of the exorbitant fees he planned to charge.
~~~
Lexie smiled at Lt. Mark Peterson, and kicked Ming under the table. She hated to fib outright, but how else were they going to get the information she needed?
“No, Mark, I’m sure Dan won’t mind if you update us. He knows that we were coming here this morning—if he remembered that is. But I hoped we wouldn’t have to bother him and that you could help us. I am grateful that we now have a name to put up on our wall of shame. As I told you yesterday, I cannot bear posting a photograph of a young woman without the dignity of listing her name. No one deserves to
“It is an honor to meet you, Sir. I never served overseas. I spent my four years on active duty stationed in D. C. as a JAG associate to General Rodney Peters. But even in the tame reaches of that political swamp, we heard of the mighty Jake Gardner.”
Jake nodded. “Thanks, Paul. And the name is Jake. I only require Brady to call me Sir.”
Following the laughter that greeted his remark, Jake acknowledged the serious young man. “I know General Peters both personally and from reputation. More than once I was on the receiving end of an irate telephone call asking who the hell I thought I was putting the entire future of the United States of America in jeopardy. I can’t remember exactly what I had done wrong that particular time to warrant the General’s ire, but it apparently caught the eye and ear of that irascible man. You may not have been overseas, Paul. But being an adjunct to a guy who has a more colorful vocabulary than mine, you deserve the medals I presume you received.”
Paul grinned. “Yes, Sir. I mean yes, Jake. The General was and is a piece of work. I still have the scars to prove it.”
Grateful for the presence of the young man, Jake looked to him for more information.
“Dalila mentioned some of the difficulties you and your team are having. Fill me in. What makes you think that Brady and I can help?”
Paul handed them each a folder. Jake saw at quick glance it held a thick stack of spreadsheets documenting the rising number of incidents along the U.S./Mexican border.
Paul added narrative to the damning numbers.
“People think the only issue we deal with in Department of Immigration Enforcement is the number of undocumented persons coming across the border. If that was the only kind of person entering this country illegally, we would be delighted. Most of the ‘illegals’ end up being contributing members of U.S. society. No, that is not what worries us the most. You are aware of the activities of the cartels. Again, that is but one aspect of the rising violence we are tracking. The latest bad actors have chosen both the U.S./Mexican border and the U.S./ Canadian border as their pathway to bring in young girls and women for the sex trade. I presume you know that San Francisco is one of the most notorious locus points for the international sex trafficking organizations. They are now so brazen, the exploited women land daily at our airports. They barely try to make their documents appear legal. We are so understaffed, our efforts are minimal at best. What we are missing is information. The kind of information that U.S. officials can’t get.”
Brady smiled and spoke for the first time. “But individuals who can’t be tied to the government can?”
Paul gave him a grateful nod. Jake smiled to himself. The guy was young enough and uptight enough to be embarrassed that he was condoning working with covert agents. Jake exchanged a knowing glance with his partner. Neither one of them—rule breakers that they were—would have lasted a month in the Department that was hiring them. But they likely would be of more service to their country than twenty “legitimate” employees could be. He felt a surge of satisfaction. He and Brady were on the right track. Their company was going to be successful and useful. They would be worth every penny of the exorbitant fees he planned to charge.
~~~
Lexie smiled at Lt. Mark Peterson, and kicked Ming under the table. She hated to fib outright, but how else were they going to get the information she needed?
“No, Mark, I’m sure Dan won’t mind if you update us. He knows that we were coming here this morning—if he remembered that is. But I hoped we wouldn’t have to bother him and that you could help us. I am grateful that we now have a name to put up on our wall of shame. As I told you yesterday, I cannot bear posting a photograph of a young woman without the dignity of listing her name. No one deserves to
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