DETECTIVE

LIAM'S POV

Dante forwarded the evidence to the FBI. He made sure that a very specific agent got it. Now all I have to do is go to the FBI headquarters here in New York and file my complaint. Headshot dropped me off at the entrance a couple of minutes ago and since I didn't book an appointment beforehand, they're making me wait.

Dante told me to ask for a specific detective. The one he sent the evidence to so I'm going to wait, even if it means I have to wait for ten hours. I'll wait. I guess Dante trusts this detective to do the right thing. After waiting for about forty-five minutes, a woman finally calls me into the man's office.

Normally, meetings with FBI agents aren't easy, but I'm Liam Mathews, a perfect lawyer so I'm sure he's intrigued to see what I'm here for.

I'm sweating as I walk in. Mostly in fear that he'll be able to see right through me and he'll immediately know that I'm lying. Before leaving today, Dante showed me all the ways that I could lie without getting caught. He said to look the detective in the eyes as I speak. He told to remember my pain and cry if I have to. He says a grown man crying can fool anybody. I don't know how true that is but I will do as I ask until the man I came here for believes me.

The woman leads me to detective Kent's office and announces my arrival. As soon as I enter, I notice that he has his head buried in some documents with a haunting frown on his face. Could it be the documents that Dante sent to him, I wonder.

"Please Mr. Mathews. Have a seat." Kent greets me and puts up a nonchalant look on his face but I can tell he's shaken up about something and I bet it has everything to do with what Dante sent him. Dante has so many connections to so many things. It's so easy for him to find any information he wants which means that the trafficking organization must have a very solid security system if Dante hasn't found them yet.

"What brings you here Mr. Mathews?" Kent asks me.

"Please. Just call me Liam." I say, my voice cracking as I talk. He raises his brow slightly as he stares at me. "I will just go straight to the point detective." I start talking, a sad and desperate tone in my voice and I can see already that I have caught his attention.

"I have found myself in a bit of a predicament and talk in this city says that you are the best detective there is." I start.

"You flatter me." He says and leans back in his chair but I know he's just being humble. Take the pile of documents Dante sent me and place them on his desk in front of him.

"My friends are missing detective Kent." I say as he opens the documents in front of him. His eyes widen. He looks through the glass doors of his office, as if to check if someone were coming. "I am in dire need of your help."

Kent pushes his chair towards me and starts whispering, a dangerous look on his face. "Where did you get this?" He asks me and from the look on his face, I'm certain that he received the evidence.

"I got a message to my email anonymously last night." I start breathing heavily as I tell the lie. He looks at the evidence again in front of him along with pictures of Adeline and Naomi.

"I don't know what happened or why I got this but I think someone was trying to warn me. This is my friend, Adeline Fitz…" I say pointing to the picture of Adeline in front of us. "A few weeks ago, I thought she went for a vacation or something and I haven't heard from her ever since. I got worried but, I didn't think much of it. Recently, my girlfriend went missing and last night, I got this anonymous message. Proof of a sex trafficking organization existing. I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I've heard rumors about you. People say you're good and I think this is a job for the FBI. That's why I'm here…."

I suddenly start crying. Kent widens his eyes at me. I can see a contemplative look on his face as if he's second guessing whether he should trust me or not. I know my story is crazy but my emotions are real and I'm hoping that he can see that in my eyes.

"I don't know what has happened to my best friend and girlfriend and I cannot stand not knowing. Please detective Kent. You have to help me. I'm going crazy here because I have no idea what this message that I received means. I have no idea what's going on and I don't trust anyone else to deal with this but you. You have to help me find them. I know this all sounds sketchy but please, you have t believe me. Please I-"

Kent lets out a huff. He has a haunted look on his eyes. He gets off his chair and paces around his office. His windows and door are transparent so he walks towards them and puts the blinds down, and then he walks towards me eagerly.

He grabs a file of documents from a little drawer below his desk and places it in front of me. "I got the same evidence you got. I believe you." I feign ignorance and furrow my brows as u stare at the documents in front of me.

"What does this mean?" I stand up abruptly and gaze at him curiously.

"It means we have a case to solve. Probably the most important and dangerous case I've ever worked on. I can't help but wonder though. Why would they kidnap your girlfriend and best friend? What relationship do they have with each other? Because this all seems like a grudge that a certain person has on you."

I'm taken aback by his question. I don't know how to answer him. Two of us might have the same evidence but what proves that I'm not the one who sent it to him in the first place? What proves that I'm not the mastermind behind all this? I decide to tell him half of the truth.

"I saw Adrian Wellington in the proof I found." I start saying. "Adeline was supposed to get married to him. I don't know what happened between she and Adrian but even Adrian himself has been missing all this while. I think he has something to do with this."

Kent looks at me as he contemplates. He doesn't trust me. That much I know. but he has no reason to doubt me either. Until he can proof that I'm lying to him, he'll just have to trust me.

"You're a respectable and well-known lawyer. You have a clean record. I want to believe I have to reason to think that all this is bullshit and that you're hiding something from me. I want to believe that you're telling me everything you know." He walks towards me and places his hand on the table beside me, staring me down with all the intimidation in the world.

"I'm here aren't I? I just want to find the people I care about and if you can't help me, just tell me so I can take my business elsewhere." I say and grab my documents as I start walking away.

"Wait" He says grabbing my arm. "You were sent the same evidence I was sent. Whoever did it wanted to make sure that we worked together."

"I took a risk coming here today. I can't possibly trust anyone with this. Can you help me or not?" I whisper and put on a deadly look on my face to intimidate him into thinking I'm all serious.

"I've been trying to get my hand on this case for years. About a sex trafficking organization. I just didn't ever have enough proof to make my director give the case to me. But you're here now and I have proof and I think you can solve that problem for me. You're right about not trusting anyone. I'll bring the evidence to my director. He'll have no choice but to hand the case over to me." Kent gives me an assuring look and nods his head at me.

"I'll help you." He says again.