"Damn. I was hoping she told you something."

  "I'm hoping you have something to tell me. There were reports of a shooting at an attorney's office with a man and a woman getting shot at as they ran to their car."

  "That was us. When we were at the Baby Time Boutique earlier in the day, a woman told me about an adoption attorney they worked with, Sergio Molina. We went to his office. His admin, Ivy Sloan, said he'd left abruptly, and people were calling in upset about something. It turns out Ivy is dating Daniel Guerrero."

  Flynn let out a whistle. "I didn’t see that coming."

  "Before I could get more information out of her, Cooper spotted a van pulling up to the building. Two shooters came after us, probably the same ones who were at the safe house. We obviously managed to get away, but I don't know how they keep finding us so quickly."

  "Your life is getting exciting," Flynn said dryly.

  "Yes, but the clues are starting to come together, Flynn. The boutique, the attorney, Daniel, and Kristine. Those are at least some of the players. I think Agent Burnett had a role, too."

  "But he's out of the operation. Someone else is calling the shots. The boutique is owned by Baby Time Enterprises, LLC. We're digging through the levels of paperwork to find the actual owner. Caitlyn and Nick canvassed the neighborhood and were told that two women ran the store: Veronica and Renee. They didn't know the last names. They said there were at least three or four other employees."

  "Did anyone mention a girl named Natasha?"

  "No. Her name didn't come up. Do you think she's involved?"

  "I would hate to think that, especially if she's really Hannah, but she was at the store and she made the drop to Kristine. We have to consider that she's part of the operation. But when this is all over, we need to figure out who she really is, and whether she was forced into this." She paused. "Have you spoken to Neil and Claire?"

  "Yes. They were shocked, horrified, and felt betrayed by Kristine and Daniel. Neil would like to talk to Cooper. At some point, he should give him a call."

  "He will. What about Burnett?"

  "It looks like Burnett had another identity with a bank account, social security number, the works. He moved significant amounts of money through that account. It's going to take some time to put it all together, but it looks like he was dirty."

  "Was Burnett working with anyone else at the bureau?"

  "Damon is investigating that. What's your next move? Or do you feel that you can't trust me enough to tell me?" he asked.

  "I don't honestly know, Flynn. I'm thinking about everything I've learned. I heard two women speaking Russian at the boutique, and I know Kristine was from Belarus. I'm thinking this could be some kind of international baby trafficking ring."

  "But why kidnap a high-profile baby like Elisa?"

  "Maybe Kristine was planted with the Benedicts in order to get access to Elisa, or maybe she was just bribed to look the other way?"

  "But why Elisa?" Flynn persisted. "Her parents and grandparents are well-connected. They have money, a level of celebrity, and public interest. Why not go after a child who would draw less attention?"

  "That's what we have to figure out."

  "We're going to keep working on our end. Are you safe for now?"

  "I think so," she said.

  "You can trust me, Andi. You can trust your team. I realize that some facts are pointing to the contrary, but we have your back."

  "I believe you, Flynn, but my gut tells me that for now, it's better if I just trust myself."

  "What about Bradford?" Flynn challenged. "Are you sure you can trust him? Maybe he's the one feeding your location to people. He hates law enforcement. He had a run-in with Burnett a few weeks ago. Don't forget that."

  At Flynn's words, she locked eyes with Cooper. He gazed back at her as he leaned against the counter, folding his arms across his broad chest.

  "I haven't forgotten anything. I'll check in with you later, Flynn." She ended the call, her gaze still on Cooper.

  "Did Flynn plant a seed of doubt in your mind?" he asked, giving her a sharp look.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  "No," Andi said firmly. "If I didn't trust you, Cooper, I wouldn't be here with you. And we've been through the same barrage of fire. But I do wonder why you're sticking with me, because you could be on a plane to Bora Bora right now and far, far away from this mess."

  A smile lifted his lips. "Bora Bora sounds sweet. You and me on a beach with some fancy drinks. I could get behind that."

  She had to admit she liked that picture, too. "We're a long way from any beach."

  "Maybe we go after all this."

  That was a future she couldn't contemplate right now. "Maybe," she said with a noncommittal shrug. "I can't think that far ahead. I'm going upstairs. Since we're here, I might as well check my boxes."

  "The pizzas will be ready in twenty minutes."

  "Good. After that, we should leave and find another location. In the meantime, let's try not to announce our presence here."

  "I wasn't planning on throwing a party and we have another hour or two of daylight, so we don't need to turn anything on. Most of the blinds were closed already, so unless someone saw us drive in here, I think we're good."

  His logic was sound, but without knowing how they were being tracked so easily, she didn't want to relax too much. But it was nice to take a little breather and regroup and the smell of the pizza cooking was making her hungry. Getting to her feet, she left the kitchen and moved down the hall.

  There were a lot of things that were different in the house. The floral wallpaper and family photographs that had once been up in the hall were gone, replaced by more white paint and minimalistic art. A peek into the living room and dining room revealed the same sensibility. The rooms felt very different now. Her father certainly hadn't put up any reminders of the family he'd once had, the daughter he supposedly loved. She was nowhere in this house, except maybe in some boxes he wanted to get rid of. That seemed sadly ironic.

  As she went up the stairs, more old memories stirred within her. The carpeting was gone, replaced by shiny dark-wood floors, but she could still picture herself running up the stairs after school to drop her backpack in her bedroom, change her clothes, and get ready for the next adventure, which, of course, would be outside this house.

  The master bedroom was the first room at the top of the stairs. It was also white with a touch of gray in the pillows on the white plush bedspread. The guestroom was next, featuring the same white bedspread but rose-colored pillows. She couldn't imagine that her father liked this look, but maybe he did, because it was very impersonal. It almost felt like the house was a luxury hotel.

  Her bedroom had also received the same decorating treatment, which made it easier to walk into. Because with all the white, he'd erased the color, drama, and turmoil of her childhood. She wished she could have done the same erasure inside her head. But she still had her memories and that's what made her feel a little emotional as she walked over to the window and looked out at the thick branches of the oak tree that had been her escape route.

  "Doesn't look the same," Cooper said, coming into the room.

  "No," she said, as he joined her at the window.

  "Our tree is still there."

  She turned her head to smile at him. "We spent a lot of time climbing up and down that tree. I don't think my parents had any idea what was going on. The flip side of them not being involved in my life."

  "I liked your mom," Cooper said. "But she always seemed sad. And that made you sad, which I didn't like."

  "Sad and angry," she agreed, her gaze moving back to the tree. "But when I climbed out this window and down the tree, it felt like I was entering a portal into a different world, a new adventure. And you were part of that excitement. A really good part."

  "We had a lot of adventures. And we still are."

  She glanced back at him. "The stakes are much higher."

  "Well, we're a lot older. We'll get through this, Andi. We will find Elisa and figure it all out."

  "I think so, too." Her confidence swelled with his undoubted belief in their abilities.

  He moved closer, resting his hands on her hips. "I wish—"

  Before he could finish, the oven buzzer blared through the house.

  "Damn. My timing sucks," he said with annoyance.

  She grinned. "You wanted pizza. But you can finish what you were going to say."

  He hesitated. "It will keep. Let's eat. You have to be as hungry as I am."

  She was hungry, but as he let go of her, she couldn't help wishing that the pizza had taken a while longer.

  Cooper pulled the pizzas out of the oven as Andi grabbed plates and napkins. He was relieved that he hadn't said what he wanted to say, because there was too much going on. This wasn't the time for a deep personal conversation, and that's what they needed to have. They couldn't do that now, not with people shooting at them and his friend's daughter's life on the line.

  "I need to call Neil," he said, as they sat down to eat. "He's going to wonder why I've been so out of touch. I'm sure he's called me a dozen times. I'll use the burner phone, but I need to check in. He's my friend, and he must be going out of his mind."

  "That's fine. I'd like to know what he thinks about Kristine being involved. Maybe knowing she had something to do with it will have opened his eyes in some way."

  "I wonder how Daniel and Kristine were connected. Did they know each other before she took the job at Neil's house? Did they come up with the plan to sell Elisa in some way?"

  "I don't believe either one is the brains behind this operation. Kristine was either planted there or paid off in some way. I'm leaning towards planted. She's from Belarus, her employment history is sketchy. I'm not sure why the Weiselbergs even hired her without childcare experience." Andi paused. "I know my team has talked to them, but I haven't heard what they found out. It would be interesting to know what kind of background check they did."

  "I thought they met her at a park through another nanny. Maybe they didn't do a check. They just took someone's word for Kristine being a good person. They probably moved just in time. If they hadn't, it might be their child who's missing." He took a breath. "But if she was planted, then that means this was premeditated. It was in the works for a while, at least four months. That seems like a long time."

  "Or the operation plants young women in the community in areas where they have access to other nannies, kids, pregnant women. I think whatever we're dealing with is big. The baby boutique would have been a point of access, as well as the nanny, the adoption attorney…" Her voice trailed away. "I'm not sure how Daniel fits in. Maybe Kristine pulled Daniel into this. She could have known he needed money and used him to get the baby out of the house."

  "But Daniel's girlfriend, Ivy, is tied to the attorney, which ties Daniel to Sergio Molina. Maybe Daniel was the one who enlisted Kristine's help," he suggested.

  "Good point."

  "I really hope Solange is not part of this," he said heavily, thinking about Daniel's mother. "That will kill Neil. She's like a second mother to him."

  Andi nodded, compassion in her gaze. "I get the feeling Solange has no idea how far down the dark side her son has gone."

  "Okay," he said. "What about the near miss by the bar? Was Daniel in the car with Tyler? Was it Kristine?"

  "Good question." Andi thought for a moment as she munched on her pizza. "I wonder if someone from the bar that night contacted Kristine. I asked questions about her before I sat down with you, TJ, and Naomi. We didn't leave for at least forty-five minutes. Plenty of time for someone to sound an alarm about my questions. Whether it was Kristine or Daniel in the car with Tyler, I don't know. I'm leaning toward Daniel, because I think Kristine was in the house that night, solidifying her alibi of being heartbroken about Elisa's disappearance. But she could have called Daniel in a panic, or she contacted someone else who sent Daniel and Tyler down to the bar to scare me or take me out. I'm not sure what the intent was. But it was sloppy and amateurish, completely unlike the rest of the attacks on us. Which suggests a less experienced, low-level criminal."

  "So, not Agent Burnett."

  "I don't think so."

  "Getting back to him—why would someone kill Burnett? What did he do wrong?"

  "That's a question that keeps going around in my head. He met with me the day before he was killed. He also sent me a text several hours before someone showed up at his house and shot him in the head. Maybe someone thought Burnett was playing both sides or was going to try to save himself. I do wonder what he wanted to tell me. He was very angry and antagonistic the day before."

  "I think he wanted to meet with you to lure you into a trap."

  "Except that he was the one who was killed. From what Flynn said, it looks like Burnett had a double life going for twenty years or more."

  "Which makes me wonder again why take him out now? We weren't that close to nailing him."

  "They might not have known that. The other reason could be the fact that he was taken off Elisa's case. If Burnett couldn't help, then he might not have had any value," Andi said slowly, as she puzzled it out. "He was desperate to get back into the investigation. That's why he fed me information. He wanted me to include him in the case. But I wasn't going to do that, because I didn't trust him."

  "And you didn't trust him because you knew he screwed up Hannah's investigation."

  "I was definitely a concern to him. It was bad timing that I showed up when I did."

  "But even if you hadn't moved back to LA, Damon was going to take him off the case because of Burnett's altercation with me and Neil. He still wouldn't have had the investigation."

  "Maybe not, but it only came to my unit because I was there. Our kidnapping specialist is on maternity leave. Without me, Damon would have probably assigned it to someone else in his office, in which case Burnett would have still had some access to the investigation. He could have manipulated facts more easily."

  "That makes sense. Do you think this operation is being run by a foreign group?"

  "Could be foreign and domestic. I suspect we've only seen the tip of the iceberg."

  Her words were chilling. "But that tip can still kill a lot of people," he muttered. "And I'm worrying most about Elisa. Is she somewhere safe? Has she been sold to some loving family and is happily ensconced somewhere? Or is she being held in limbo? That duffel bag of baby items had to be for her, which implies she's still in transit." He frowned at his own words. "God, I hate to think of that sweet little baby being trafficked. It's so cruel. I don't think Neil and Claire will ever be able to forgive themselves if they don't get her back. They'll blame themselves for bringing Kristine into the family, giving her access to their baby. How can they survive that kind of guilt?"

  "Let's hope that doesn't happen. As you said earlier, we'll get her back. That's what we need to focus on."

  He'd said that with confidence before, but he wasn't feeling that confident now. They'd made some progress, but there was still a lot they had to learn. "And then there's Natasha," he said.

  Andi met his gaze. "Yes. I could be wrong about her being Hannah. But I don’t think I am. Either way, she works at the boutique. She took the duffel bag. She's involved. One way or another, we have to get her story."

  "It would be a huge coincidence for her to have a scar like Hannah's."

  "I agree. But what I don't understand is why she would even be in Los Angeles. If this is a human trafficking operation, then she was kidnapped to be sold to a family desperate for a child. But it doesn't feel like that happened. And with all the media reports at the time, why would anyone have kept her in this area? It would have been too risky."

  "She could have been gone for a long time and just recently returned."

  "True. However it happened, she seems to be part of the organization. She might be complicit in the kidnappings of other kids."

  "Without even knowing that she, herself, was taken," he said, thinking that was a bizarre twist. "They would have had to tell her some story about herself. She's twenty years old. She'd have a birth certificate, a social security number."

  "I'm sure her entire identity has been created for her. But what she knows about herself is really the question." Andi paused. "Part of me wishes we had split up in the park and one of us had gone after her. But when Kristine ran, all I could think was that she was going to Elisa."

  "She was more important than Natasha at that moment," he agreed. "You didn't make the wrong call, and Kristine is alive. With a little good luck, she comes out of this coma and tells us where Elisa is."

  "Good luck?" she asked dryly. "We haven't had much of that."

  "Are you kidding? We've been almost run over, blown up, and gunned down, and we're sitting here eating pizza with only a few scratches and bruises. I'd call that good luck."

  "I can't argue with that." She wiped her mouth and took her empty plate to the sink. "I want to take a quick look through the boxes and see if I want anything. I know I wrote about Hannah's case in my journal. Maybe there's some clue I've forgotten about."

  "Good idea. I'll clean up, so your dad will never suspect anyone was here."

  As soon as Andi opened the first box, she had second thoughts about going through the reminders of her life. But it was Hannah's case that made her dig through the odds and ends of her childhood that she'd left behind. And sure enough, there was a stack of journals that she'd labeled as Andi's case files.

  She smiled at her own silliness. She really had thought she was some kind of girl detective, but she'd accomplished next to nothing as a child. Still, it had prepared her for her current job, which she was pretty good at.

  She found Hannah's case in the third book. She took it over to her bed and sat down.

  Cooper came into the room. "Did you find it?"

  "Yes."

  He sat down next to her. "Let me help—like the old days."

  Cooper sitting on her bed next to her felt nothing like the old days. Not after the night they'd shared. And having him so close felt like a big distraction.