Page 336 of 5+Us Makes Seven

“Let me come with you. We can do it together,” I suggested.

“No, that would be less safe. Think about it.”

“You’re right,” I said, unable to stop staring at her.

“I’ve been adding to an article as I find more information. This will be the story of my career, Cooper.”

“I believe in you,” I said then kissed her again.

“I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Wait about ten minutes, bro,” Logan said from the door.

“Thanks. I’ll get with you in a few days after things calm down. They have to know something was up tonight.”

“They’re not dumb,” he said.

After they left, I paced back and forth in the dusty lobby of the condemned hotel too shitty for even the poor bastards running amok in the city.

I have to save her.

THIRTY-THREE

Jade

Logan left before we reached my apartment building. I went inside alone, sending Laura a text message on my way up to the eleventh floor.

“Come over. Need to talk.”

The feds were likely listening, but I didn’t care. I had been using the neighbor’s WiFi, so hopefully they didn’t know about my research.

As I found out more about the players involved in the smuggling operation, everything made more sense. Following the money trail had paid off. That is, if they let me get the story out.

A story this big wouldn’t be accepted by many traditional news outlets and most of the bloggers like Huffington Post.

By the time Laura arrived, I had myself worked up, ready to take on the world. She walked in my apartment, glanced at the printed sheets of paper strewn everywhere and whistled.

“You got some serious Erin Brockovich activity going on in here.”

“Close the door. You haven’t been with Max, have you?”

“No…Why?

“You can’t see him again.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” she said, stopping by me as I stared down at the stacks of paper neatly arranged on my glass coffee table.

“Good. He’s a bad man.”

“He’s bad in bed too.”

She laughed, still clueless.

“You don’t understand. He’s a criminal, and there’s no telling what he’s capable of doing.”

“This is Max, the guy you set me up with, right?”

I furrowed my brow, frowning.