Federal Eyes

Agent Sarah Kim's POV

The phone call came through my earpiece at exactly 3:47 PM, and I nearly dropped my fake water samples into the bay.

"This is Dr. Ryan Archer in Moonfall Bay, California. I have information about a trafficking operation, and I need help quickly. Lives depend on it."

My hands froze on the glasses. After eight months of watching this town, someone was finally ready to talk. But then the line went dead, and I knew Marcus Daniels had just made his biggest mistake.

"Control, this is Agent Kim," I whispered into my radio, pretending to study seaweed while Marcus's police cruiser drove past the doctor's clinic. "We have a possible inside source making contact. Request immediate help."

"Negative, Agent Kim. Maintain cover. Do not break monitoring."

I wanted to scream. For eight months, I'd been posing as Dr. Sarah Kim, marine biologist studying pollution in coastal waterways. I'd rented a small boat, collected water samples, and watched through high-powered cameras as girls vanished from this town like morning fog.

Thirty-seven people in twenty years, according to our files. Thirty-seven young women who'd trusted the wrong person and ended up sold to the highest price.

Through my binoculars, I watched Marcus Daniels park outside the medical center. His face wore the same cold smile I'd seen him use on tourists, but his eyes were those of a hunter who'd just caught his prey making a mistake.

"Dr. Archer just tried to call the FBI," I whispered to my recording. "Subject Marcus Daniels appears to be monitoring neighborhood phone lines. This confirms our idea about his control over town communications."

Movement in the harbor caught my eye. Three of Marcus's men were moving boxes onto a fishing boat while a fourth man stood guard. The boxes were the right size to hide a person, and I'd learned to recognize the signs.

" Possible trafficking operation in progress," I recorded. "Boat registration Delta-Seven-Nine-Two preparing for departure. Estimated cargo: three to four victims."

My stomach twisted. Three girls were about to be shipped away forever, and I couldn't stop it without blowing eight months of research work. The hardest part of being an undercover agent was watching crimes happen while you collected evidence to stop bigger crimes later.

But watching didn't make it hurt any less.

My radio crackled again. " Agent Kim, we're tracking unusual behavior around the private investigator's office. Subject Elena Santos looks to be in immediate danger."

I turned my binoculars toward the bakery where Elena Santos had rented room above Betty Morrison's shop. Elena was at her window, talking on her phone, totally unaware that Marcus's deputy Jake Morrison was circling the building with what looked like gasoline cans.

Elena Santos. The woman who'd walked into this nightmare by chance and become our unwitting bait. She'd been a good cop in Los Angeles until her partner betrayed her during a corruption probe. Now she was about to face something much worse than dirty cops. "Control, Elena Santos is in immediate danger. Deputy Jake Morrison looks to be preparing arson materials."

"Maintain cover, Agent Kim. Do not interfere."

"But she'll die!"

" Agent Kim, Elena Santos volunteered for this assignment. She knows the risks."

My blood turned to ice water. "What do you mean, volunteered?"

"Elena Santos has been working with federal task team for six months. She sought assignment to Moonfall Bay after reviewing David Chen's case files. Check your encrypted files, Agent Kim. Authorization code Seven-Seven-Alpha."

With shaking hands, I pulled up the encrypted files on my waterproof tablet. There it was – Elena Santos, government consultant, assigned to Operation Harbor Clean. She'd been sent here intentionally to flush out Marcus Daniels.

But according to these files, she didn't know other spies were already in town. She thought she was working alone.

Through my glasses, I watched Elena pack a bag in her office while Jake Morrison waited in the alley below with matches and gasoline. She had no idea she was about to be burned alive.

"Control, I'm breaking cover to warn Elena Santos."

"Negative. Do not compromise the process."

"The plan is already compromised! Dr. Archer just tried to call us, and Marcus knows we're here. Elena's about to be killed by a dirty cop with a gas can."

I didn't wait for permission. I shoved my fake marine biology tools into my bag and ran toward the harbor parking lot where I'd left my rental car.

As I drove through town, I saw Marcus's guys everywhere. They weren't just looking for the escaped girl Amy Rodriguez anymore. They were preparing for war.

Two guys with rifles stood outside the fish processing plant. Another group blocked the road heading out of town. Marcus had turned Moonfall Bay into a fortress, and Elena Santos was stuck inside with a target on her back.

I parked behind the bakery and climbed the outside stairs to Elena's office. Through the window, I could see her putting files into a backpack while talking quietly on her phone.

"Elena Santos," I called softly, tapping on her window.

She spun around, pulling a gun from her jacket in one smooth move. Good reactions. She'd need them.

"Who are you?" she asked, keeping the gun trained on me.

"Agent Sarah Kim, FBI. I've been watching this town for eight months. We need to talk immediately."

Elena's eyes went wide. "FBI? But I thought..."

"You thought you were working alone. You're not. There's a federal task group here, and you're in immediate danger. Jake Morrison is downstairs with enough gasoline to turn this building into a bonfire."

Elena looked out her window and saw Jake in the alley, checking his watch. "How do you know about Jake?"

"Because I've been watching everyone in this town for eight months. I know Marcus Daniels runs a trafficking business. I know Dr. Archer just tried to call us. I know three girls are about to be shipped out on tonight's boat. And I know you're supposed to be bait to draw Marcus out."

"Bait?" Elena's voice was sharp. "Nobody told me I was bait."

"That's because the operation is need-to-know, and somebody decided you didn't need to know everything." I checked my watch. "But right now, we have bigger problems. In about ten minutes, Jake Morrison is going to light this building on fire with you inside. Unless we stop him first."

Elena holstered her gun and grabbed her backpack. "How do we get out of here?"

"We don't. We go after him first."

"Are you crazy? He's got gasoline and matches."

I smiled grimly. "Elena, I've been pretending to study fish poop for eight months while watching girls get sold into slavery. I'm way past crazy."

That's when we heard Jake Morrison's footsteps on the stairs outside, and smelled the first signs of gasoline seeping under the door.

Elena looked at me with the expression of someone who'd just realized she'd been lied to by everyone she trusted.

"Agent Kim," she said quietly, "I think we're about to find out just how good the FBI really is at keeping people alive."

The footsteps stopped right outside our door, and we heard the sound of a match being struck.