“Okay,” Izzy said.

Justin got right to it.

While he was doing his thing, Maddox handed her the file folder he’d been holding earlier.  “I want you to memorize the names and faces of each one of these photos. I want to know when they come in, who they talk to, and how long they’re there.  If any of the girls leave with any of them, document who and what time and day.”

Izzy nodded.  “Okay,” she said, setting the file folder on the coffee table.

“Pink,” Flynn said, “any time this becomes too much for you, all you have to do is walk away.  Do you understand that you are in no way obligated to do any of what they’re asking of you?”

Biting her bottom lip, Izzy looked at Justin, who was focused on his laptop, and then at Maddox, who stood silently beside her.  She nodded.  “I understand.”

Several minutes later, with the video downloaded and deleted from her phone, Maddox said,  “Once you have the thumb drive, it goes into Boris’s hands only. Under no circumstances give it to Andre.”

“Okay, but why not?”

“Because we don’t want to chance him freelancing it himself.”

“Okay.” Izzy nodded, her hands trembling as the gravity of what she was involved in hit her.  This was it.  The real deal.  Life and maybe her death.

Maddox took her shaking hands into both of his. “We’ll have eyes and ears in the club while you’re on the clock,” he said, trying to reassure her.  “We’ve got a lot of manpower at our disposal. I’ll be there, and I promise I won’t let you out of my sight.”

“Okay.”

Justin snapped his laptop closed, and standing, he jammed it under his arm.  “Then we’re done here for now.”

Maddox squeezed Izzy’s hands and said, “Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Fuentes.”

“Yes, thank you,” Justin said.  “Lives will be saved because of your bravery.”

“You’re welcome,” she said softly, not feeling brave at all.

“I’ll walk you out,” Flynn said on his way to the door.

Izzy knew from his tone and Maddox’s glare when Flynn said the words that fireworks were going to be going off on her porch.  As the door closed behind the three of them, she started to shake uncontrollably.

What happened if she screwed this up?

Chapter Twenty-two

Pink was being used as bait in a fish tank full of piranhas. Frustrated and angry, Flynn was on the verge of a meltdown. He felt like he was tied up in a straightjacket, watching others manipulate a situation he wanted to control. Halfway down the sidewalk, he called out to Justin and Maddox.  “Is that thumb drive going to have ears?”

Turning around to face Flynn, Maddox said, “You’re not involved, Ryker.”

“I’m involved. Now answer me, will it have ears?”

Justin, who had stopped and also turned around, nodded.

“GPS?” Flynn pressed.

“Yes,” Justin said.

“You have a court order?” Flynn wanted every detail.

“We will. The paperwork is in process. We’ll have one by the time she goes to the club Thursday night,” Maddox said, clearly irritated with the questioning.

“If she gets hurt, I’m hurting you.”

“Ryker,” Maddox, exasperated. “I get that you care about her, and because you do you’re letting that get in the way of this operation, that’s why your request to join it was denied. Your feelings aside, you know this is a golden opportunity. It’s the right thing to do.”

Flynn swiped his hand across his face, ignoring the logic behind Maddox’s words.  “Do you think for one minute Sorlov doesn’t have a bug sweep?”

“The one we’re going to use is state of the art. Undetectable. Bad guys haven’t figured it out yet,” Justin assured him.  It didn’t. “If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t take the chance with an inexperienced CI.”

Grasping Flynn’s shoulder, Maddox said earnestly, “Look, we’re not going to let anything happen to her.”

“Why not use an undercover officer?” Flynn asked.   “Someone trained for this shit.”

“We’ve tried,” Justin said, “a dozen different officers over the course of nine months. Couldn’t get in.”

Flynn pondered that.  “How did Fuentes get in?”

Maddox slapped him on the back.  “Have you looked at her, Ryker?  None of our sworn females look like that.”

And none of them were as motivated as Pink. Or as lucky.  Until now. “Fuck this all to hell,” he muttered.

“Just how involved are you, Ryker?” Justin asked pointedly.

Flynn held his stare.  “Enough,” he said, his meaning crystal clear.

“I’m not as sharp as you FBI boys,” Maddox said, tapping his chin with his forefinger, “But from what I’ve observed of Miss Fuentes, she’s given you your walking papers. So if you’re involved?  I’m betting you’re the only one who thinks so.”

“Don’t get in my way, Price,” Flynn growled.

Maddox put his hands up as if he were under arrest.  “I don’t poach, brother, but when this is all over, if she says she’s not involved, I’m going to involve myself.”

“That’s cold shit right there, man,” Justin said shaking his head.

“Are you kidding me?” Maddox said as he looked from Justin to Flynn, who was a half a step away from punching him.  “She’s a knockout.  And smart, too.  I loved the way she handled Jackson today.”  He threw his head back and laughed.  “Priceless.”

“Stay away from her,” Flynn commanded.

Maddox smiled that million-dollar smile women swooned over.  Shaking his head, Maddox said, “All’s fair in love and war, bro.”  He stalked off, leaving Justin staring at Flynn like he didn’t know him.

“Maddox is yanking your chain, Ryker. All of that aside, I’ve never seen you like this.”

“Like what?”

“Scattered. Out of control. Edgy. What’s going on?”

Flynn glared after Maddox, who strutted down the sidewalk like the cock in the henhouse.  They didn’t call him Mad Dog for nothing.  Dude looked for trouble just for the hell of it.  He’d use Pink up so fast her head would spin.

Turning his attention back to his friend, Flynn shook his head.  “Nothing I can’t handle.”

Justin nodded, but didn’t move.  Instead he continued to stare at Flynn.

“What?” Flynn asked defensively.

“Price might be messing with you right now, but he wasn’t shitting you. If that girl isn’t clearly marked when this comes to an end, he’ll do the honors.”

“She’s not a bitch, Jus,” Flynn said, looking at the house, longing for the woman behind the door.

“There’s an old Chinese proverb I recently heard,” Justin said.  “It went something like: A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets.” Justin grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it.  “I don’t know why you’re hanging on the ropes, but you had better get in the ring, my friend, before there’s nothing left to fight for.”

With those words, Justin strode to the nondescript Government Issue white four-door that he and Price had driven over in.

Long minutes after they had driven away, Flynn stood staring at the empty space the car had occupied. An uncertainty he had never experienced in his life gripped him.  He wanted Pink.  In a bad way.  He didn’t care about her past. In all fairness to Pink, it never did.

Didn’t matter though, because she’d made it clear she was done with him.  His ego refused to accept it.  She wanted him, at least physically she did.  She’d admitted as much in the bedroom. Even had she not verbalized it, her body screamed it.  It had taken an enormous amount of self-control in that bedroom not to strip her down and make her his again.

Jesus. The sex was incredible.  He wanted more with her.  So much more.  He wanted to explore every inch of her while he pushed their boundaries.  His dick swelled just thinking about her digging those nails into his back as he pushed her over the edge.

Swiping his hand across his face again, Flynn turned and strode up the sidewalk to the porch.  She wasn’t going to like his proposal, but he wasn’t going to take no for an answer, either.