Love Lost Read Free Page A

girl.  Now I’m going to show you what happens when you leave me.  You will never leave me again, Selene. Never. ”  
    Carina screamed right before she blacked out completely.
     

 
     
    As Jason walked into the police precinct, there was already someone waiting for him in his office.
    “Good Morning, Captain Kayhill.  What can I do for you?”
    “Morning, Detective.   Close the door, if you don’t mind.” 
    Jason closed the door behind him, wondering why the sudden need for privacy.  The Captain had worked with his father for many years.  Jason knew that he was never one to hide anything from anyone, especially not the men and women he worked with.  Secrets lead to mistrust among colleagues , he always said.
    “Jason, I have a case I want you to take over, but my friendship with your father is making me re-think putting you on it.” 
    Jason frowned.   What did his father have to do with this?   
    “Sir, to be honest, my father did his job and he did it well when he was on the force.  I would like to do my job while I’m here, but I need the opportunity to show you what I’m capable of.  I can’t do that if you won’t let me do my job.” 
    His captain smiled. 
    “I knew you would say that.  I know you’ve started to look into some unsolved cases that your father worked on before he retired.” 
    “Captain, I didn’t mean to-”
    “Jason, I am not here because of that.  We all try to take a second look at unsolved cases. It’s part of the job.  It also shows me how dedicated you are.  Have these cases pointed you toward any suspects?” 
    “All the victims from the few cases that I have looked into have all been tied to a few clubs downtown.  I believe they’re all owned by the same person.” 
    The Captain rubbed his forehead before speaking, as though he was trying to get rid of a headache.   “Well, this specific….person, for lack of a better word, is part of one of the biggest crime families in Brazil.  They are nothing like what I have seen before.  His name is Lucio Cardoso.  Have you heard of him?”
    Jason shook his head no.  The name didn’t ring any bells for him.
    The Captain stood up from his seat and walked over to the small closet in the corner of the room.  He removed a file from the filing cabinet and placed it on his desk in front of Jason.  He opened the file and there was a picture of a man with a tribal tattoo on his neck.  “This is a surveillance photo of him.  He is the owner of several strip joints, but he is mostly attached to one in particular called the Pink Bunny.  The clubs are just fronts for his real business.  This is where we think the operation is being handled.  We have reason to believe that Lucio is trafficking underage children and selling them on the black market to the highest bidder.  His biggest customers are known pedophiles.”
    Jason made a fist.  “How are we allowing this to happen?  Can’t we get the pedophiles to turn on him?” 
    “We have tried everything in our power to catch this monster, but he seems to be covering up his tracks fairly well.  We think he may have someone on the force on his payroll, which is why no one can know you are working on this case.”
    Jason let the information sink in.  The Captain continued before he could say anything. 
    “I was thinking of sending someone undercover on his team.  He is looking for a replacement for one of the men that ran the Pink Bunny.  I was thinking that with your street cred and the fact that he has never met you before, you would be the perfect fit.  What do you think?”
    Jason closed the file.
    “How would this work?” 
    The Captain started to fill him in on the details.
    “Well, I was thinking of having you review the file and get acquainted with the case and how the family operates.  One of Lucio’s men is leaving for Brazil in a few months so he will be looking for a replacement soon to fill in that gap.  That is our opportunity