Chapter 20 The Hidden Identity

Chapter 20 The Hidden Identity
"Her name is Tessa Monroe, age twenty-six. She's one of the Monroe heirs."
The man on the other end of the phone, Dane's FBI supervisor, Barry Neilson, whistled. "How the hell did they get her?"
Dane was parked near the drug store, talking on his cellphone. Eddie had made a beeline for the local pool hall when Dane mentioned stopping to pick up supplies for Tessa. Dane figured he had fifteen minutes at most. He quickly explained the circumstances leading to Tessa's abduction. "Bogen doesn't realize who he's got. But if Bogen finds out, her life wouldn't mean squat. He'd bury her rather than risk a high-profile name. I want her out, Barry. Now."

Barry grunted. "That'll be tricky, especially since she's in your care. She disappears; all eyes turn to you. And we're close, buddy. The signal's coming in strong."
The signal was one of several devices Dane planted on Sanchez's beloved pet greyhounds. The animals went everywhere Sanchez went. If Sanchez decided to go into hiding at the cartel's headquarters, the dogs would accompany him.
"Sanchez is waiting to complete one more shipment," Barry continued. "It should go down between the next two or three weeks. He's got at least ten women ready to move. And get this: at least two of them are under eighteen. Unfortunately, he's got them well hidden. He's already nervous--- if we put the squeeze on him too soon, he'll take off like a skyrocket. And could lose the girls. We've got to let this deal go down as planned."

Dane frowned, scanning the streets. Barry had a point. There were other considerations besides freeing Tessa. The cartel had to be stopped before one more innocent young woman was snatched. This wasn't what Dane had originally signed on for----not that he'd have backed out. What was supposed to have been a routine FBI undercover drug operation for Dane and his partner had quickly expanded once they learned Bogen had connections with Sanchez. Hector Sanchez's elusive association with the cartel's white slavery operation had been a bane to international authorities, who wanted Sanchez's boss: the head honcho, Quinton Ramon.
Dane's connection to Sanchez through Bogen was the first time anyone had gotten so close. Consequently, the scope and duration of Dane's assignment changed drastically. He'd been undercover nearly two years on a job that had initially been expected to last three months. And they were too close to turn back now. No matter how tired of it he was.
"I don't want to take unnecessary risks with the Monroe woman's life," Dane reiterated.
"Agreed. But we also don't want to risk both your lives by acting at the wrong time." Barry sighed. "Let me check on a few things. Make sure we can squash any news stories that surface if she's reported missing. I'll leave word with Michaels---- as soon as I catch the bastard. He was taking a day off to go fly fishing, and I haven't heard from him yet."

Matt Michaels was another FBI agent posing as a local mechanic in nearby Jordan. He was Dane's partner and intermediary. Dane had worked with Matt on many other cases. The men worked well together.
"In the meantime," Barry continued, "keep the woman as close to you as possible. And stay in touch."
After hanging up, Dane punched in a seventeen-digit code. The phone was one Bogen furnished to all his men. An additional computer chip in Dane's phone scrambled his transmissions and allowed only the Bureau to eavesdrop on his conversations. The code changed the billing records to show Dane had indeed placed a call---to his bookie. The same bookie Bogen occasionally used. In fact, while Barry spoke to Barry, someone pretending to be Dane made a simultaneous call of the same duration to the bookie.

Climbing out of the truck, Dane hurried into the drugstore. He'd grab a few things for Tessa, then pick up Eddie and get back to camp. He didn't want to leave her alone any longer than necessary.