Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

ARCHIE

I wasn’t sure how much they’d let me in by tagging along with Takeshi to the office. Tank had originally told me he wanted the whole team to learn sign language too. That led me to believe he’d be fine with me coming in.

That, plus it being Takeshi’s first day back, had me up and ready to go far earlier than necessary this morning. I wanted to support my husband through everything by being his first line of defense against whatever he came across.

As the team called the meeting to order, I found a spot next to Takeshi in one of the empty chairs. The whole group sat around a table facing a wall of screens. They lit up as Memphis clicked across a keyboard.

“Heads up, Archie. This might get a bit graphic. You good?” Ronan asked.

I shrugged. “It should be fine. My ex-roommate loves a good true crime show and those investigative stories. I’ve seen enough I can keep up.”

And it was the truth. I wouldn’t flinch at the first sign of a little blood.

Not unless it was Takeshi’s. After going through that binder he made me, I’d learned that the only thing I truly despised was seeing his injuries and knowing the pain he’d suffered.

The screen behind Ronan changed to reveal six headshots. Three of them had a giant red x across the photo.

“We’ve eliminated three of the six Gilded Ones leaders so far. We have three to go. While Tank assures me he has a contact set to take one of them down, that still leaves us with two."

Orion drummed his fingers on the table. “What do we know about the three left?”

Ronan pointed at Memphis. “Tell them what you’ve got.”

“It’s not much. I only have what I’ve pieced together,” he started. “The big guy with the beard is Mordecai. He’s into gun running. There’s nothing on him other than arrests and a number of addresses that are all either falsified or empty.”

Cohen scoffed. “Of course they are.”

Memphis continued as if he didn’t hear the commentary. “Beside him to the right is Ajax Lancaster. Yes, I know it’s fucking weird, but I can’t find anything else on him. He’s who we have to thank for that shipment of women and children we just found. Currently, he’s gone underground, but I have feelers out everywhere looking for him if he shows up again.”

“He wasn’t at the warehouse we raided and emptied?” It was Godric that asked, his deep voice skeptical.

“Nope. There is no footage to place him there. Stabler also mentioned he got a hit on Ajax being in Paris during the raid, so he wouldn’t have been in the group. I’m guessing he had a second-in-command there to handle it all.”

“Probably the asshole who peacocked through the place,” Orion grumbled.

“You’re one to talk about peacocking, pretty boy.”

Orion scowled at Cohen’s teasing tone, though he wound up rolling his eyes. I watched it all with an eagerness I couldn’t explain.

These men were family. I knew it the moment I met them all, yet seeing their dynamic now made it even more clear. That, plus I felt the warmth of Takeshi at my side. Having him this close, being around the people he cared for, made up for the disturbing men on the screen.

“Back to what I was saying,” Memphis said loudly. “The last jerk up there is Diestro Lune. If you guessed he’s just as bad as the other assholes, then you’d be correct. Everyone calls him ‘Looney’ — which is soooo original. They say he likes to shoot first and ask questions later.”

I coughed to cover the laugh that came out at his sarcastic retort. Takeshi smirked at me, his eyes knowing. The others gave me looks too, though they were more amused than anything.

“Do we know who Tank’s guy is taking out?” Godric asked.

“And does anyone know who this ‘guy’ is? Doesn’t seem fair he’s got a separate squad of killers on his roster.” Cohen pouted as he finished his outburst. Godric rubbed his back softly, which seemed to melt some of the ice around the other man.

Takeshi remained still throughout it all. His eyes volleyed around the room, bouncing from his teammates to the screen and back.

I loved watching him work like this. I knew he’d take in every detail, coming to his own conclusion while the others hashed out details aloud. His mind was beautiful in that way.

“Tank has lots of contacts, Cohen. We all know this. I have no clue who this person is, but he did tell me it would likely be Mordecai they took down since he was the one supplying the others with weapons. He's also the only one without a second-in-command. If he falls, we’re hoping there won’t be anyone left to pick up the mantle for a while.”

“How does he not have anyone to back him?” Orion’s puzzled expression mirrored my own.

I didn’t know much about the criminal underworld, but I suspected it was the same as the hierarchy of legal governments. That meant someone should be in place to take over should the leader not be able to.

From what Ronan said, they didn’t have this in place for the Mordecai guy.

Memphis spoke up next, drawing me away from my internal thoughts. “Mordecai is extremely paranoid, if the rumors about him are true. He kills for sport and only trusts a select few people. Most of them only last a couple of years before he offs them and starts over.”

“Why would anyone work for someone like that?” I asked curiously. I hadn’t meant to say it aloud, yet it had slipped out before I could stop myself.

Orion leaned back, a grin on his face as he answered, “Because they’re desperate.”

“And they want the money,” Ronan added. “A lot of these men have families who need what they can bring in. Even if it’s just a couple of years, it means getting out of poverty or moving to a better neighborhood.”

“Or sometimes they’re forced into it,” Godric interrupted.

“Forced?” I repeated.

He nodded. “Yeah. Forced. They get blackmailed or threatened into submission. Whatever it takes for guys like this to get what they want in the end.”

I frowned at that thought. I hated bullies, and the idea that there were some in the criminal underworld frustrated me.

Sure, I couldn’t change everything in the world. But I still wanted to see less people suffering if I could. It’s another one of the reasons I learned multiple languages. I needed to know how to help people who may not always be able to help themselves because of communication barriers.

After going over the targets, the conversation shifted to the plan to get to Ajax. According to Memphis, he was the next in line to be taken out since he was easier to hunt down than Lune. Though from the way he spoke, neither would be all that easy to find.

“They’re both drifters in a sense. We need to set a trap for Ajax. Give him something he can’t refuse, so he shows up eagerly,” Cohen suggested a bit later.

The men went around discussing what they thought he might want. Each had something to say. Well, all except Orion. He was unnaturally quiet.

Takeshi tapped my arm, then slid a piece of paper my way. On it, he’d written:

“Orion has an idea he doesn’t like but he thinks will work. Call him out on it.”

I looked at him with wide eyes. “I can’t do that.”

He dismissed my whispered hiss. His finger tapped at the paper again, his gaze firm.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to do what he needed. Part of my being with him also meant speaking up when he needed me to. Not because he couldn’t, but because I could get their attention while he continued to observe.

I wondered, not for the first time, what their relationships had all been like before this. Takeshi seemed to be naturally quiet all the time. If he was that way prior to his injury, how did he contribute to the team in moments like this? Did he have someone else speak up then too, or did he deliver brief, calculated words that would shift the narrative?

“Takeshi has something to say,” I blurted out.

All eyes turned my way. Ronan smiled softly. “What did he notice?”

“He said Orion has an idea he doesn’t like, but he thinks it will work for this Ajax guy.” My gaze moved to the man in question. His jaw was held tight, the muscle clenched in a way that had to hurt.

“Goddammit, Takeshi. You’re not supposed to call me out. Ignore him. I’m good.”

Ronan shook his head. “Fess up, Orion. If it helps us get him faster, then you have to tell us. I’m ready to be done with these fuckers.”

The room went quiet as Orion groaned loudly. “I don’t… it’s fucked up. What’s the one thing he wants?”

Memphis was quickest to answer. “Bodies to traffic.”

“Yes, exactly. Which means he’s only going to come out for the most precious options out there. What age gets trafficked the most?”

At his question, the room got quiet. It was Godric who spoke up next, though his voice was almost too low to hear it.

“Children. Young children. Pre-teens at the latest.”

Takeshi gripped my hand where it lay on the table. I hadn’t even realized I was shaking.

Just the thought of children being taken made me ill. The people I’d helped not that long ago had experienced the terror of being stowed away and herded like cattle. They were only a small number in the large scale of this business. How many more bodies in how many more states did this Ajax guy have?

“What are you suggesting?” Cohen’s voice was more serious than I’d heard so far. He clearly put together the pieces before I had.

Orion looked away. “I’m saying we create a bait and switch like we did before with Kiran. We need to make Ajax believe we have something he can’t refuse. Something so great he has to come approve it in person.”

“And how do we do that?” Ronan said. “It’s not like we’re going to actually sell him children. Besides, why would he want to come see them in person? Photos do someone justice.”

“There are some things a photo can’t show. Some things these men want enough to travel for.” Orion paused.

It was then that it hit me. I gasped, my whole body jerking at the thought. “No,” I whispered.

Orion nodded, though his eyes were still turned away from everyone. “If we make him think he can be the first, that there’s a virgin or two up for auction, then he’ll come. Twins would be best, though triplets would be more than enough to entice him. The unique. The never before seen. That’s what he wants.”

The room was quiet for a long while after that. I wasn’t sure what everyone else was thinking, but I knew where my head was at.

There was little chance of the emotion on Orion’s face being faked. He knew enough about this because he’d lived through it. I wasn’t sure if it was his own lived experience or someone he knew.

Eventually, Memphis spoke to the group as he went back to clicking the keys on his laptop. “I can create realistic enough imaging by mixing different facial patterns to entice him. I won’t use anyone real though. I understand the limit here, guys.”

Orion stood; his posture defeated. “And if that doesn’t work, then we’ll go for the ace in the hole.”

“Ace?” I asked, too curious to keep quiet.

His gaze came to mine. I saw the anguish lurking there. The despair he could no longer hide.

“Yeah. If he doesn’t want something new, then maybe he’ll want the one that got away.”

He left the room, which sent a shockwave of confusion through everyone. Takeshi tapped on the table again, drawing my eyes to the page. It was then reality slammed over me, lighting up the darkness I hadn’t seen before.

‘He’s talking about himself. Orion is going to offer himself to his nightmares if we need him to. We can’t let it get that far.’

Looking at my husband, I agreed. We couldn’t let anyone else suffer at the hands of a madman. No matter what came next, Orion would remain safe. He had to.

He was my family now too.