Billie Bossa Nova

60

Getting Lexi to trust her was a matter of a week. By then, she was already introducing Billie to people as her best friend and allowing her VIP and backstage passes to her photoshoots and runways. The following week, Billie introduced Lexi to Finneas, who was under the guise of "Alonzo", a child trafficker who "Cassidy" usually did business with.

"I built fifteen schools in disadvantaged areas around the globe," Finneas had said to Lexi that day. "I'm talking Malaysia, Columbia, Mississippi, Mexico. I have my men working on the inside, getting me new furniture within the students and the staff. It's like giving a poisoned bone to a starving dog, it knows the risks but it's so starved it'll take whatever it can get!"

Then, Finneas had shown Lexi pictures on his phone of children ranging in ages fourteen to eighteen and young women from nineteen to twenty-five. All the pictures shown to her seemed like school photographs, but they were all CRO agents who were made to look that way.

"All fresh meat for the lions. And my men are scouting more as we speak. Of course, I have dosens of clients willing to make use of them, but I do wish I had somewhere to put them. The warehouses they stay at are crowded and stuffy, my clients will start complaining that my merchandise is dirty. I won't have that."

It was at this point that Lexi excitedly brought up the island. It was like finally opening a rusted tap, everything flowed out like she'd been wanting to say it for a long time. She knows a guy, Lexi had said, who could connect him with the biggest trafficking ring in the world. Lexi was spilling names, for Christ's sake, people in the business world, the entertainment industry and politicians who all scouted new recruits for Adan to enslave in his island.

"Gabriel Storm, do you know him?" Finneas shook his head in response, but Billie was the only one who could see triumph behind his blue irises. "He owns Storm Stallions, the horse racing Arena that has franchises globally, I can get you a meeting with him and he will connect you with the man in charge."

"Does this man have a name?" Finneas asked.

Lexi shrugged. "I wouldn't know and I don't ask. I've only gone there a few times, it's shit expensive! But I met Gabriel Storm there a couple weeks ago and he told me that he somehow knew the man who owns the island. You know men and their boasting." She referred to Billie at the last sentence, making her chuckle and shake her head. "I could give him a call and tell him. Hopefully I get a discount for helping out, you know?"

And that was that.

Only three days later, Gabriel and Finneas were meeting up in the VIP room that Gabriel had booked. Billie ensured to make herself strictly scarce that day, even to Lexi. She couldn't afford Gabriel recognizing her and blowing the whole thing. While she said that she had to attend a nephew's birthday party, she was up in Finneas' room, recording the conversation and CCTV footage of Finneas and Gabriel.

After showing him the same pictures that he did Lexi, Gabriel had told Finneas to bring in five recruits, and after that, he would get him a meeting with the man in charge to see if he could be considered part of the team.

While Finneas was getting that arranged, Billie convinced Lexi for them to visit the island on the weekend. When Billie offered to hitch her a lift on her private jet, Lexi couldn't refuse. Billie was packing for just that when Finneas walked into her room.

He sat on the bed next to her suitcase while she was putting in the last of her clothes. "It's basically over," he said as he relaxed against her pillows. "I spoke to Adan last night. The whole conversation is recorded, we have solid evidence on him."