The stats on this area for human trafficking are abominable and something I hadn't been aware of until now. The shit reads like a seventeenth-century trade log, with numbers of young girls and boys just disappearing off the streets like smoke. Why the fuck it's not being broadcasted on the news every hour on the hour instead of the other brainless drivel they spout is a mystery. I'm beginning to think that dad had barely scratched the surface of what was going on here, but at least he knew enough to call me in when he got in over his head. He, too, didn't seem to know what was going on until he started saving runaways off the streets, which tells me that someone is going to great lengths to keep the enormity of this thing hidden either to avoid panicking the public or for their own personal gains. I'm leaning towards the latter, and since fish always stinks from the head, that's the one I want. That's why I need this to work. Since Calhoun is savvy enough to keep his location hidden,
"How? Did you think she was just going to hop on and go with you without a problem?" He looked at Sam and fidgeted a bit before looking back at me. "Is that how you take all the others to him?""No, this time was different. The kids usually go out to this place for work and a hot meal…""What place?""It's a place in town that went out of business a while ago. Calhoun rents office space there, but there's nothing in there but some phones and computers. It's set up to look like a call center.""Keep talking.""I tell them they just have to answer the phone and such to get paid ten dollars an hour. I don't know what kind of setup Calhoun has after that. I just pick the ones I think he'd like and send them to the place, and they disappear until the next batch.""Now answer me, how were you going to get Silla on the back of your bike?" Something tells me she wouldn't go near his ass if her life depended on it. "Well, see, Calhoun gave me this thing…it's only supposed to knock her out for a
Crap, I can't sleep. Might as well get out of bed. I'd tossed and turned half the night, feeling horrible and wondering if I should apologize to him, but I spent so much time thinking of the right words to say that I fell into a fitful slumber and missed the chance. Now he probably thinks that I'm ungrateful after all he's done. I can still see his cold expression and remember well the way he'd turned and walked away as if he didn't care. When I think of the things I'd said, my face heats up with shame at my behavior. But how was I to know that he wasn't in cahoots with Billy and Sam? What was that phone call I overheard about if not me? I couldn't have misunderstood what I heard. Could I?Either way, I should still say sorry. After all, when you look at it, he'd saved mom and I from a fate worst than death, so it's the least I can do. Plus, for some odd reason, I don't want him thinking poorly of me. Like I'm no better than the rest of miscreants around here. I sat up in the bed tha
My eyes flew open, fully awake the way they have been doing since as far back as I can remember. No matter where I am or what the circumstances may be, I come fully awake with my awareness in check, fully cognizant of the sights, sounds, and smells around me. I thought I heard a sound, but maybe it was just my internal alarm clock going off.I wasn't overly surprised when the pain in the ass down the hall was the first thing that came to my mind. Shit, she was the last thing in it the night before as well. I wonder what fresh hell she's going to get up to today? This shit promises to be long. After the stunt she pulled last night, I'm going to have to reassess my opinion of her. Maybe she's not the timid little mouse I first thought her to be. She couldn't be and stand up for herself the way she did last night.I rolled out of bed and dropped to the floor for three sets of fifty RKC planks before jumping to my feet and heading for the shower. The guys had set up a gym in the basement,
Whoa, talk about sub-zero temperatures. I can still feel the chill minutes after he'd gone. I felt even more self-conscious than I had when I first walked into the room earlier. I'd been halfway down the stairs before I realized there was anyone in here, and with all eyes staring at me, was too gauche to turn and run back up the way I wanted to.Those first few minutes after exchanging good mornings were nerve-wracking, to say the least, and in the end, it was the guys who made me feel more at ease. I got the feeling somehow that they were used to dealing with fractious females, the way they stayed a safe distance away, not invading my space even a little bit.I learned to pick up on stuff like that from living with someone as volatile as Sam had been. The clichéd walking on eggshells comes to mind. And though I didn't feel any imminent danger, it was obvious that they were giving me space, which in turn made me feel bad since I was the one invading theirs.When they went back to talki
I stomped into the kitchen after leaving her on the landing to finally grab that coffee. I felt hot and out of sorts though Mace had the AC blasting already. "Careful, that's…" He held up his hand when I put the freshly brewed cup of java to my lips and swallowed, "hot." Yeah, too late; I remembered that Wolf and he had rigged the coffeepot to make the coffee boiling hot. I was too angry to feel that shit this morning, though. And the kicker, I couldn't tell the most highly skilled psychiatrist what my problem was because I haven't the first fucking clue.I'd stormed up the stairs after leaving her in the gym only to slam out of my room and right into her not five minutes later. Why? Because as soon as I reached the room, the thought of her down there with the two of them made my ass mental for some fucked up reason.I'm not sure what the plan was when I stormed out of the room, but seeing her in the barely-there shorts and that tank that did nothing to hide her charms that had been s
Garrett and Sebastian seemed way more talkative than I remember them ever being, while Mace kept the mother occupied with another one of his digging expeditions. He should've been an archeologist with the amount of old shit he digs up. Wolf, as usual, was minding his own, having not said a word, which means he was taking it all in to decipher later.Even though I knew the other two were just trying to get under my skin, I knew at least that they, too, were on the job. The other team behind the false wall in the barn across the property was probably up and about as well already this morning. They'd have to be in order to begin the early morning torture of the two assholes we were keeping over there. I plan to make both their lives a living hell for the next little while or until I decide whether or not to let them continue breathing. My plan was to get things together for tonight, but now with this friend thing, I'll have to put that on hold until after I'd vetted this person. Mace's q
What the heck? I almost lifted my hand to rub my chest where it hurt. Why should I feel this almost pain in my chest at the mention of some other girl's name? Maybe because of the way his face had softened when he thought of her. It's obvious that he cares for her, whoever she is. She gets warm looks and winsome smiles while I get growls and insults. Oh well, I knew there had to be some blonde bombshell somewhere in his life.That didn't stop me from feeling just a little bit melancholic, though, and the eggs that I'd only just been thinking had got to be the best I'd ever had suddenly lost their taste. I kept my head down for the rest of the meal and was just thankful I didn't cry or do anything more stupid.I excused myself from the table at the first opportunity. "You okay, Silla?" Mom started to get up from her seat at the table where she was working on her third cup of coffee while in deep conversation with Mace, who, as far as I can tell, was the nicest one in this bunch."I'm fi
This is insane. I thought I had it under control, but I didn’t expect the night to be like this. It wasn’t because of all the people that were here in the arena, though it had to be at full capacity, which was around two hundred and fifty thousand people, give or take about ten. No, what was bothering the hell out of me was the fact that my girl was in the middle of this shit. I didn’t think it would bother me this much, especially since I knew that there was no danger here, that the whole tunnel thing was the only thing going on, and the other players had already been taken down, but I couldn’t shake it off. I had this feeling like the feeling you get when someone has you in their crosshairs, but you don’t know which direction they’re in. It could be a case of transferred anxiety because Lyon has been ranting and raving since he got here about some shit going down. It was hell trying to hide my thoughts and feelings from Silla, who was happier than I’d ever seen her. Part
Lieutenant Morgan was more excited about the tickets than even I expected. She was so distracted that that excitement led to her being the one who invited me to tour the tunnels. I didn’t have to use my well-rehearsed speech to talk her into anything. It was so easy I almost grew suspicious until I remembered that this was just like the woman I know. She had no reason to suspect me of anything, and with my clearance, she’d see no issue letting me on site. But as we walked and talked, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone else seemed to know her as well. Namely Lyon’s daughter. But how was that possible? I’m pretty sure the kid never met her in the flesh. While she talked about how excited her kid was going to be I was looking around for anything that would give any indication that there was more going on here and saw nothing. Not that I didn’t believe Lyon, I did, but that’s how good the operation was. We hopped into a golf cart, and she drove deeper into the tunne
“Where did you go? Did you have fun?” I tried not to sound too much like I was grilling her, but Flanagan and Quinn had me a bit paranoid with the things they’d said about their women and the shit they got up to. Not that I expect Silla to do any of those things; my little innocent is too sheltered for that. But there are other issues at hand. Like the fact that I’d only just started to convince myself that with Sam out of the picture, she was no longer in any danger, plus the fact that the mess I’d just waded through was geared toward kids, so she wasn’t in any real danger here. But I don’t know why I get the feeling that the guys are holding something back. I think Lyon might have told them to ease me into it, which begs the question of just how much worse it can get. I still have no idea what it is that they want me to do in the tunnels or even if I’d actually get the chance. Just because I’m military doesn’t mean they’ll roll out the red carpet, especially if they’re using
I guess Flanagan was wrong after all because the places the women drove to just seemed to be the usual tourist traps. They did take a little detour on the way back, but it seemed to be a more scenic route, something anyone might do when visiting a new place. It can’t be overlooked the fact that the mountains here are some of the most beautiful in the country. “I guess they did only go for a joyride after all.” I made the distinction out loud when I saw Flanagan and Quinn mapping the route they’d taken. “It’s good that you think that.” “What do you mean?” “Not sure yet; I’ll let you know when we figure out what they’re up to. I have to get this information to Lyon.” He reached for his phone while I went back to what I was doing, feeling at ease for the first time in hours since she left. Every once in a while, one of my boys would make a sound of disgust from across the room, but since I’d already given them the option to bow out, which they all refused, I saw it a
“What’s wrong boss? Something bothering you?” Mace asked me quietly as I watched the door where the women had just left. “No, it’s not that.” I couldn’t give him an answer because I didn’t know what it was that was making me twitchy about the whole thing. I wasn’t sure if it was my natural sixth sense or my new overprotectiveness where she was concerned. It didn’t help that Lyon’s men didn’t look too settled either at the idea of their women going joyriding in the middle of an Op. Maybe that was it. This whole situation has left me feeling more bereft than my first firefight. I’d rather dodge bullets in the desert than deal with this evil shit that I’d been pouring over for the last few hours. How anyone could deal with this shit day in and day out and not lose part of themselves is beyond me. It's only been a few hours, and my skin is already starting to crawl. Now, I’ve always known that men can be evil monsters; I’ve seen some of the worst they can do to each other, or
Shit, blast and damn. How do I leave her behind without hurting her feelings? She’s so dang innocent; I was sure a rebuff, though not meant to be one, would hurt her feelings. Was I ever this innocent? No, but some of my new sisters used to be when we first met, so I know the signs. I was thinking hard about a plausible excuse when she clapped her hands across her mouth and looked at me like she’d committed a crime.“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean… I just got so relaxed with you two; it’s like we’ve known each other forever. I didn’t mean to overstep; I’ll just go back to the room and leave you two alone.” She rambled off the words before starting to walk away, and both Kelly and I had to stop her. Okay, this one might be more sheltered than the others, and it almost broke my heart. Over the last couple of years, I’d come to recognize the signs of past trauma in women, and she had a boatload. “No, you didn’t overstep. I was just worried about how your man would r
This is happening. Things have been moving really fast in the last few days and the honeymoon was over. True to his word, Lyon had sent in a crew, or squad as he calls them. Two couples, the men seeming just as anxious as I was, having their women close to this shit. I wasn’t sure how we were supposed to do this, keeping the women in the dark, I mean. But I needn’t have worried because Quinn and Shane knew exactly what they were doing when it came to that part of the Op. Silla, I was happy to see, was only too happy to make two new friends, and these women must’ve taken classes or something because they had her hooked in no time at all. I’d barely seen her interactions with Chantal back at the house, but it was good to see that she played well with others. There was no cattiness among these women and I couldn’t help but notice the difference between these two, Arianna and Kelly and Nikki. It’s been days since I even thought about her, but I guess I figured one headach
I looked these people up when I had a chance, and I have to say, Lyon and his kid do get around. I wouldn't have pegged him for the type, but then again, what do I know? Silla was all but jumping out of her skin with excitement ever since I mentioned their names, but I have to count that as a plus since it kept her even more in the dark about what was really going on. I brought my boys up to speed on things later that night once she'd knocked herself out after playing Rodeo Queen on my dick. At least the news knocked the disrespectful smirks off my team's faces, and they switched gears from sticking their noses in my shit and got down to the business we were there for. "I'm only telling you now because it's been finalized on their end. When Lyon called earlier, it was just an idea they were playing around with, but now, apparently, it's a done deal. Here's the thing…" I filled them in on what Lyon had shared in his latest phone call, i.e., the fact that this Ryder person's past con
Penance, it has got to be. I can't come up with any other reason for me to be dealing with this mess right now. I've always prided myself on being at the top of my game in any given situation, but this shit has thrown me for a loop. For what has got to be the first time in my adult life, I find myself in a situation that I'm not completely in control of. Right now, I should be focused on the job; nothing is more important than that, at least there didn't used to be. But now, even with the danger I was sure was here, given the Intel we'd collected so far, all I could think about was her. And not even in a sexual, I wanna jump her bones every time I see her kind of way, but more like how can I put her in my pocket and keep her safely away from all this shit type of thing. It's not something I expected, not to this degree anyway, and no one ever told me that these things could happen, and if they had, I'd have said not to me. But I am living it, so it's real, and that brings me back t