Gone Unnoticed: A Kate Reid Novel (The Kate Reid Series Book 3) by Robin Mahle Read Free Book Online

the hour had become late. “Anybody know what time it is?” Rather than wait for an answer, Kate grabbed her phone. “It’s almost midnight. I don’t know about you two, but I’ve got to get some sleep.”
    Jocelyn raised her arms and expelled a pent-up yawn. “Yeah, it’s time to quit for the night.” She stood up and closed her notebook. “Good night, Caison.”
    Will seemed to pick up on the fact that this was her way of telling him to leave. “Right, okay. Yeah, I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” He shoved his laptop into his bag. “Thanks for studying with me.” He was looking at Kate, although Jocelyn answered.
    “No problem.”
    “Thanks for the food and the help. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Kate walked to the door and held it open.
    A quick nod and he was gone.
    “You know he’s got a thing for you, right?” Jocelyn said, pulling her hair back into a bun.
    “Oh, I don’t think so.” She paused for a moment. “Wouldn’t matter anyway. That’s not something I’m interested in.”
    “I know, but he might not.” Jocelyn slid under the light covers of her twin bed. “You might want to nip that in the bud.”
    Kate crawled into her own bed, grunting a reply. “Good night.”

 
     
     
    FOUR
     
     
     
    I n an unassuming house nestled in the suburbs of Baltimore, James Corbett waited for word from the higher-ups, specifically, the man who he had come to know only as the Arranger. No names. That was part of the deal. He understood the nature of the business and didn’t question it. Not when the money was pouring in freely.
    Still, he knew that the FBI was looking for him and had already been to his previous home. They’d tracked him down by his internet service provider. It was then he switched to a proxy server that disguised his IP address, but it had been too late. They knew about the websites and had already shut them down. Not that it mattered much. It was merely a hiccup and several more websites were already in their place. But he was keeping a low profile nonetheless. What he hadn’t wanted was for his boss to consider him too much of a risk.
    So as he waited for the call, he knew he would have to offer the Arranger some assurances to pass along to those in charge. Corbett and his team had gotten sloppy and amends would have to be made.
    The call was coming in. “Yeah,” Corbett said. “Understood. I’ll be there.”
    And that was it. He was to meet someone at a predetermined location and pick up the next set of assets. That was what they were called—assets. The women they found. Usually prostitutes; sometimes young women working at a local dive bar or strip club. They were scoped out, ensuring little to no family and no documentation. That was key. Without documentation, it was nearly impossible to track them down.
    “It’s happening tonight. I need you there by eight p.m.” Corbett barked the order over his cell phone.
    “I got it. I’ll be there.” Stan Kovac was Corbett’s second in command. He handled the transportation and distribution of the assets.
    Corbett ended the call and returned to his laptop. The SD card from his camera slid into the drive and he began uploading the pictures of some of the latest acquisitions. They were beautiful and young. Most hardly spoke a word of English, which was fine by him. He took his time with each of them, photographing every inch of their firm bodies. As he opened the files, he stared at the images. His own private porn site and he’d had the privilege of breaking them in already. It was the best way to instill fear and let them know who was in charge. Heat began to rise in his groin as he looked at their ruby red lips and soft skin. He continued to leer at them while he serviced his growing need for release.
     
     
    » » »
     
     
    Kate was the last to arrive to class this morning. She quietly lowered her laptop bag to the floor and slid into her chair next to Will.
    “Pushing it a little, aren’t you?” he