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  Hanna was impressed by her brother’s abilities, but he soon gave up the chase. The escaping man had had a solid head start. Albert turned and walked slowly back toward her. As he passed the Russian lying in the road, Albert extended his right arm and pumped another bullet into the man’s back.

  Hanna flinched at the sound and at the sight of the man spasming on the ground. Albert’s expression never changed as he walked past her and said, “C’mon, we need to get out of here.”

  Chapter 42

  MARIE AND I huddled behind the heavy planter, listening to the gunshots. As a Miami police detective, I’d heard plenty of gunfights. I once saw two separate gunfights converge, gang members opening up on people they didn’t know or care about.

  We stayed in position for a while after the shots ended and the sound of running footsteps receded. When I heard one last shot long after all the others, I knew someone had executed a coup de grâce.

  Marie had her pistol drawn, but we both felt secure behind the planter. She had called for help, so it was hopefully on the way. But we couldn’t just sit by if innocent bystanders had been injured or if someone was in danger.

  Marie said, “I don’t think those shots were meant for us.”

  “Let’s not risk it. I heard at least two different calibers and it sounded like people were trading shots. At least until the end.”

  Marie stood up and said, “You can come with me or wait here.”

  That really wasn’t a choice. I trotted alongside her to the main street. We paused at the corner to scan for any other gunmen. A crowd had started to huddle around someone lying in the street. That told us the fight was over.

  Marie bowled into the group with her badge out. She checked the man’s pulse, then looked at his face closely. She turned to me and said, “I know this man. He’s an enforcer for Emile Rostoff’s organization. Or, rather, he was an enforcer for Rostoff.”

  I said, “Any idea who’d tangle with him like this?”

  “The better question is whether the Russian interrupted someone. Maybe someone with a gun looking for us.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Just a hunch. Don’t you ever have an intuition about something?”

  “I do. Maybe this means you’re really getting to the traffickers.”

  Marie said, “In that case, it’s time to turn up the heat.”

  I looked at her, now fully convinced that Marie was the total package.

  Chapter 43

  MARIE WAS SUPPOSED to drive me to the airport, but I convinced her to let me see the kids first, since I’d promised them I’d say goodbye before I left. She knew me well enough by now to have built in time for the stop. We parked in front of the main administration building at the child-services facility.

  Marie stayed by the car to make a phone call as I rushed inside. I realized in my haste just how anxious I was to see them.

  A middle-aged man at the front desk looked over his reading glasses and said something to me in Dutch. I didn’t speak the language, but I could understand snotty when I heard it.

  I said, “My name is Tom Moon. I brought the kids from Miami.”

  The man nodded and said, “Ah, Mr. Moon, of course. The children are in class, but if you can wait a couple of hours, they can slip out and say hello.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m on my way to the airport now.”

  “No, I’m sorry. Shouldn’t you have scheduled this better? At the moment, as I said, the children are busy.”

  I just ignored him and walked straight ahead through the unlocked double doors. The man almost fell off his stool trying to get to his feet and stop me. He followed me down the hallway, yammering at me as we walked. “Don’t make me call the police,” he said.

  I looked over my shoulder and smiled. “I’ll save you the trouble. Step outside your front door. There’s a cop standing right out there. See if she’ll do anything.”

  Before we could further cement our friendship, I heard a child yell, “Tom, Tom!”

  At the end of the corridor, beautiful little Michele stood staring at me. She had a wide grin on her tiny face. She ran down the hall and leaped into my arms.

  A moment later, Olivia darted from another room and jumped into the hug without a word. That caused a stir of excitement, and before I knew it, all six of the kids were involved. I felt like I was in a friendly rugby scrum.

  After a few minutes of all of us hugging, one of the teachers gave me permission to talk with them in a classroom. That should please the officious little prick at the front desk, I thought.

  Most of the kids had some piece of hopeful news. Joseph from Poland was very excited that the police had finally talked to him about his missing sister. One of Jacques’s relatives from Belgium had invited him to live with their family.

  The only one without an update was the Finnish girl, Annika, who was quiet. She looked down, her long blond hair hanging into her face.

  I put my arm around her and pulled her close. That earned me a smile.

  Annika said, “My mother was my only living relative. The social worker says she’ll find a family for me to live with. I’ll be okay.”

  I said, “You’ll be better than okay. You’re smart and beautiful. You’re going to do special things.”

  “You really think so?”

  “Absolutely. You can always call me if you need someone to talk to. And Marie will still be here in Amsterdam.”

  That brought a broad smile. I felt better. The kids were safe, and that’s what mattered. When I had to leave, we had another group hug.

  I had to take a quick break to compose myself before I stepped out to join Marie. This goodbye had been harder than I’d expected it to be.

  Chapter 44

  FORTY MINUTES LATER, Marie and I stood facing each other in front of my plane’s gate. She checked the crowds moving around us every few seconds. You can’t take the vigilance out of a good cop.

  She said, “I look forward to hearing from you.”

  “I’ll stay in close touch with you about everything.”

  She smiled and said, “I promise to check on the kids until all of them are back where they’re supposed to be.”

  “Especially Annika?”

  “Especially Annika.”

  “Thank you.” I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to show her how I felt. I swept a strand of hair away from her face and carefully tucked it behind her ear. I knew we had a connection.

  I sprang back to reality and said, “We’ll probably see each other again soon. This case is going to heat up in more ways than we can imagine. If they do try to run a load of people to Miami, just call me and I’ll take care of everything. Maybe we can even scam a trip for you.”

  “I’d love to see Miami. I’d also like to meet your mother and sister. They sound wonderful.”

  “My mom’s wonderful. I’m reserving judgment on my sister.”

  Marie smiled again and said, “I hope this visit didn’t give you the wrong idea about Amsterdam, considering you caught a fleeing felon and almost stumbled into a fatal gunfight with the Russian mob. We really are a friendly city. Writers say we are a tribute to the ordinary man. You just got to see the worst part of ordinary men.”

  I said, “There’s nothing about Amsterdam I didn’t enjoy. Even our crazy first and second dates. And I never thought I’d say this, but I have to get back to the relative safety of Miami.”

  The man at the ticket counter called over to me. “You’re the last one. You need to hurry, sir.”

  Marie patted me on the chest, then pushed me away. “Hurry, you don’t want to miss your plane.”

  Chapter 45

  Miami

  SOMEHOW, THE PLANE ride back to the U.S. didn’t wear me out like the flight to Amsterdam had. Probably because I was able to sleep better when I wasn’t worried about six kids.

  That doesn’t mean I wasn’t tired when I fumbled with the key to get into my house in Coral Springs. When I stepped inside, my mom saw me, and a smi
le washed over her face. I was glad to see her, and she was happy to see me too. She said, “Hey, Chuck.” It was casual and friendly. But Chuck was my dad’s name. This was not a good sign.

  “How was work today?” Mom continued. “We really should have a family dinner because there’s so much to catch up on. Tommy has decided to go to the University of Miami, and Lila is the top student in the fourth grade.”

  I wasn’t sure how to handle this. Usually, Mom didn’t go into this kind of detail when she slipped into the past. I just stood there, stuck. I was hurt. It hurt every time this funny, intelligent woman who raised me slipped out of reality.

  My mom walked toward me with a big smile on her face. “Well, what do you think? Aren’t you proud of your kids?”

  I hesitated. “Yes, I am.” I waited a moment. “Mom, it’s me, Tom. Tommy. Your son.”

  She looked at me. Confusion swept over her face. She wiped a tear away from her cheek, and I wrapped her up in a hug. Even when I was twelve years old, I was bigger than anyone else in the house, and my mom used to say my hugs were like bear hugs. Now she felt particularly tiny as she wrapped her arms around my waist. She said, “I’m sorry, Tom. I don’t know what came over me.” She slipped away and hurried into her bedroom.

  A few seconds earlier, my sister had walked in from the patio. She was wearing a tank top and shorts, and sweat dripped off her; she’d been doing some kind of exercise outside. “Hey, Tom. Welcome back.”

  I looked at her and said, “That was weird, right? I mean, even for Mom.”

  Lila shrugged. She said, “You handled that just right. The doctor says we should try to ground her in reality, that we shouldn’t play along if she gets confused about who we are or what year it is.”

  I shook my head, then looked toward my mom’s bedroom.

  Lila clapped her hands together and said, “So, how was Amsterdam?”

  “You know it was just part of the job.”

  “Really? No fun at all?”

  “I didn’t say that.” I couldn’t help smiling a little, thinking of Marie.

  A grin crept across my sister’s pretty face. “A girl? Did my brother finally start to chase women again?”

  “If I was chasing, I didn’t catch. But I did meet an interesting woman.”

  “Pretty?”

  “Beautiful.”

  “Then you shouldn’t let something like the Atlantic Ocean get in the way of seeing her. You deserve it. You’re a great guy, and between Mom and your job, you don’t have nearly enough fun.”

  It was the nicest thing my sister had ever said to me.

  Chapter 46

  THE NEXT DAY, I slipped into the task-force offices early. I said a few quick hellos and settled at my desk to get my shit in order. I wanted to hit the ground running, and I started by calling some of my contacts in the Department of Homeland Security. They’d help me keep an eye on ships coming into the South Florida area.

  Steph Hall stepped into my small office and gave me a playful little slap on the back of my head. She plopped into the chair by my desk and said, “Rough trip? You look like shit.”

  “You don’t look so sharp yourself,” I said. But that wasn’t true. She always looked sharp, if a little tired today. This was just how we busted on each other.

  “That noticeable, huh?”

  I immediately apologized. “I was just kidding.”

  Steph said, “I’m not. I’m exhausted. My mom came down from Riviera Beach to watch the baby.”

  I said, “Baby up late? Is she sick? And what about Chaz?”

  She waved off my questions. “You know the DEA. If they wanted you to have a family, they’d issue you one. Besides, he’s not the most attentive father in the world.”

  I had to wonder what she saw in the conceited DEA agent she’d been living with for two years. “What about his parents? Don’t they ever help out?”

  She shrugged. “They’re still coming to grips with the fact that their precious only child is shacked up with a black woman. They’re a little old-fashioned.”

  “You mean racist.”

  “Either way, they’re no help.”

  I knew Steph wanted to marry the bozo, but the guy couldn’t see the gold that was right in front of his face. That was enough to convince me that Chaz was an idiot. The fact that he wouldn’t help out with his own kid sealed it for me.

  Steph said, “I’m glad you’re back. The boss tends to focus on me when you’re not here. He had me running around doing all kinds of stupid shit that I’d much rather you would do.” Her laugh positively lifted my spirits. She stood up and said, “What do you think about lunch today?”

  I nodded and smiled as she walked out of my office.

  Two minutes after Steph left, a new visitor surprised me. I heard someone say, “What’s happening, Anti?” and I looked up to see Alvin Teague’s grinning face.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Smooth Jazz?”

  “Just checking out the office I intend to move into once I replace you.” Then he straightened his tie and added, “I was also hoping to run into Lorena Perez.”

  That explained it. “Look, Jazz, the only way she’d talk to you is if you literally ran into her with your car.”

  “Since when do you know so much about women?”

  That was a good question. I pivoted. “I know about smart women, and smart women aren’t impressed by a Brooks Brothers suit—”

  “Armani.”

  “Or that shit you call flirting.”

  Teague looked unfazed. “Tell that beauty I was looking for her and that I said hello.” He winked and was gone.

  Chapter 47

  I NEVER LIKED doing briefings in front of my own squad. Cops tend to ignore any information that comes from someone they know. That’s why a lot of agencies use outside trainers. To paraphrase Jesus, you can’t be a prophet in your own hometown.

  A few years ago, I was in a briefing for a narcotics warrant where an undercover detective, Willie Hodge, went on too long about what a little apartment looked like on the inside. That’s all it took for Willie to earn the nickname “Cameron”—as in James Cameron, director of movies that run way too long, like Titanic and Avatar. One slip-up and you could be stuck with a nickname for your entire career. I still call Willie “Cameron.” And he answers to it.

  Studying philosophy occasionally gives me insights into why people react to certain things the way they do. But philosophy doesn’t help me connect to high-achieving cops who are anxious to get out and work.

  Now I wanted to find a way to make each of these experienced cops understand how important this case was to me, even if I had to begin with an educational seminar. Human trafficking is not a crime commonly investigated by U.S. authorities, and our laws and understanding of the crime are evolving. Too many cops still equate human trafficking with prostitution. There are overlapping elements, but human trafficking encompasses all kinds of exploitation. And it’s not confined to faraway, impoverished places; it’s a growing blot on wealthy countries.

  I wanted to make sure everyone on the task force realized that human trafficking was all I would focus on until we wrapped up this smuggling ring. I recapped everything that had happened to me in Amsterdam. (Almost everything. I might’ve left out a detail or two, like smoking pot.)

  I could tell it would be a hard sell when the smartest member of the task force, our resident CPA, Lorena Perez, said, “Isn’t it mostly just prostitution?”

  “I gotta tell you, Lorena, a month ago I might’ve said yes. We all know how dirty a business prostitution is, how some of the girls work for rough pimps and make almost no money. Prostitution is not a career most people choose if they can avoid it.

  “But human trafficking is bigger and ten times worse. Essentially, traffickers are taking people, both male and female, and turning them into slaves. The victims earn almost no money while they’re trying to pay off what they think their debt is. Pretty girls are often forced to become sex slaves. Someone’
s got to do something about this.”

  To her credit, Lorena nodded and said, “I guess that’s why every strip club in Miami-Dade now has only Russian dancers.”

  “It’s one of the reasons. Chill and I had a talk with Roman Rostoff before I left. He’s wrapped up in human trafficking, as well as all the other shit he’s into. We may end up tangling with his organization.”

  That got everyone’s attention. Good.

  Lorena Perez said, “What are you going to need from us, Tom?” She flipped her dark hair; it looked like she’d spent hours styling it.

  “Lots of surveillance until we can interdict the next load of people being smuggled in. I’m in close contact with the Dutch national police. They have a couple of sources giving them information.”

  After the meeting broke up, Steph Hall caught up to me before I made it back to my office.

  “You have such a good grasp of the issues we’re facing,” Steph said. “But maybe try acting a bit more fun-loving. Not so intense. I’ve seen you outside of work; I know how you joke with your sister and how you take care of your mom. We could use that guy around the task force a little more.”

  All I could say was “Understood and noted.” I thought about it for a moment, then added, “Thanks. Not everyone is so honest.”

  “There is something you could do for me to show your appreciation.”

  I looked at Steph and said, “Anything you want.”

  “Explain to me how you got the nickname Anti.”

  It bothered Steph to no end that I’d never given her the backstory on my street name, and it tickled me that it frustrated her not to know. Still, I was almost about to say something when our supervisor asked me to come into his office. I smiled at the look on Steph’s face, shrugged, and said, “Sorry, some other time. Duty calls.”

  Chapter 48