49. June 25th

JUNE 25TH

TB

Why amI so goddamn tired?

Everyone was waiting for him when TB entered the conference room, including Steel and Demon back from their own garbage run. He looked at Waters. "It's done."

There was a look of concern on his team leader's face, but he said nothing to him. Instead, he spoke to the group as a whole. "Now that we're all here, our friends have some more direct information for us on our missing SEAL." He locked down the room's security measures through the starfish and turned to the telescreen where Loki sat. The background looked like he might have been on a corporate jet of some sort.

"Loki. Thank you, again, for your help with recovering Flame and the other women. Extra hands are appreciated."

"No problem. He had our girl, Medusa, so it was a no-brainer."

Stepping forward, TB added, "She defended my woman. She has my marker anytime she needs it."

Loki gave a head nod. "I'll be sure to tell her. She may need it someday."

Waters added, "My boss said no markers needed. Any of you, anytime, anyplace, we'll be there."

"As will we. I've given your computer guru a way to contact us should you need. But right now, I have something you want more than a marker." Loki shared his screen. On it were photos of two Egyptian men in designer suits, each with a hand on the arm of a tall, blond-haired man who'd clearly seen better days. He was wearing casual clothes as if he were an underling or even a client of the men escorting him, but closer observation revealed an almost healed black eye and several scabbed-over cuts on his face and forearms.

"Lose something?" Loki asked.

"Ka-Bar," Steel confirmed.

"These photos were taken in Sallum back in April when we were there. He was taken into a warehouse that's listed as an import/export company. Chances are they've moved him, but it's a place to start."

"Any chance you know who the two suits are?" Waters asked.

"Hemeda and Pilis Kader. The warehouse is owned by the family business."

Waters looked to Midas for confirmation. "Zahra's brother and a cousin," the computer tech replied.

Loki chimed in, "I take it you're familiar with them?"

"Only by name. Our man has connections to Hemeda's sister."

"I assume they're close connections," Loki surmised.

"Very. Anything else you can tell us?"

They watched as Loki glanced quickly off-camera. He gave off an air of being in charge, but the glance looked as if he were seeking permission to divulge information. TB knew a beta in a pack when he saw one.

He must have received permission to give them another breadcrumb. "Rumor has it that a supplier is using the port of Sallum for an expansion pipeline for moving merchandise. Everything from Egyptian artifacts to designer knockoffs, drugs to slaves. We believe that location is where the bookkeeping is, and maybe some other inconsequential things. We didn't see evidence of any product being moved through there. That would require much higher security and would stand out to both local law officials and the general public."

Midas asked, "Does this have to do with something called ‘Salieri'?"

Loki didn't flinch or look off screen, but his nostrils gave the slightest of flares. "Where did you hear that name?"

"Gendry gave up the name just before we set him free."

"You let him go?" Loki asked.

"Hell, I did," TB grunted. "I set him free from his body."

Waters cut straight to the point. "How does Gendry fit into this, and why would he have held onto these women until he had access to Flame?"

Again, Loki's eye was drawn off camera and TB wondered who was directing the conversation. It could be Gilgamesh, but he was willing to bet it was Medusa.

"The supply chain we've been following is trying to expand. Your man, Gendry, became a new contractor for the supply chain. He came in at a very low and very local level. He was being fast-tracked through the chain's system for the past two years.

"Ten years ago, he was moving drugs for another organization, one based in New York City. He'd made quite a name for himself there, but then just as quickly as he rose in the cartel's ranks, he began to fall out of favor. Fell in love with the lifestyle a little too much, including the product, and started to become unreliable. He was cut loose six years ago when over ten million in drug funds disappeared. Word was he'd managed to cover his losses, and then something went wrong and the money couldn't be paid back. How he wasn't killed for that, I've no idea. I'm wondering if Sylvan Jones doesn't figure into that somehow since she's the common denominator between his two jobs."

TB turned to Waters. "That matches up with what Flame told us. She thought she was being used to cover his debt. But ten million? That's high for a single girl."

"She worth that to you?" Waters snarked.

TB rolled his eyes. "Worth any price to me, but to some guy just out to buy a toy to play with? Too high. I worked the skin trade a time or two as part of my contractor business. Nothing I ever collected even came close to that price."

"He's right, Waters," Loki confirmed. "Ten million for a single girl in 2016? Way too high, no matter who she was. A million, maybe two, if she was virgin and ticked a bunch of other specific boxes for someone. There was something about your girl that the buyer wanted. Fast forward and someone is after her again, through the same seller?"

"This isn't just any supply chain anymore, gentlemen," God interrupted. "This is something bigger. Something far worse than simple trafficking for labor and sex slaves."

Loki nodded. "As I mentioned earlier, the location under the club looked as if it was going to be used for a shipping point. We've seen others, but not ones nearly this sophisticated. This looked new and in the early stages of set up. There weren't nearly enough sarcophagi for it to be an established point of sale. Slime bucket that he was, Gendry's instincts were good, which is probably part of why he was on the fast-track.

"The location is pretty sweet. Easy access to all the main freeways, highways, a small airstrip, and the docks. Not to mention, it's within easy driving of the California border in a pinch. Plus, the location itself is a good hunting ground, but only if used wisely. Too many people go missing directly from there, it would be noticed. However, moving product through that area would have been easy as there are a lot of trendy clubs and businesses in the area. Dressed the part properly, a procurer would be difficult to spot.

"As to why he was holding onto the girls, Gendry needed to test the auction service as well as the supply line. He had a very specific order with an open-ended shipping date: Sylvan Jones. He was also asked to provide proof that the digital system and its pipeline could move multiple persons through it undetected. So, while he waited for the perfect opportunity, he collected a few other samples of his work to run the test. Then your BDSM giant shows up unexpectedly, and his timeline gets all thrown to shit. Gendry was forced to improvise.

"You've stumbled into something we've been tracking through its growth for years. Place an order through a buyer, guaranteed shipping, warehouses of supplies to be shipped internationally. Welcome to the funhouse, gentlemen." Someone offscreen slid Loki a piece of paper. After glancing at it, he looked up and said, "I have to sign off as we're about to go dark. If you need a helping hand in the future, you know how to find us."

The telescreen went dark.

"Wow. They definitely went dark," Midas said.

"What do you mean?" Waters asked.

"I mean, they're nowhere. Usually, I can back channel and see where they are. But I can't see anything. It's like they never were on our server."

"We record everything, though."

"Yeah, well…" Midas clicked a few keys, and static appeared on the screen. "Ghosts in the machine. No recording exists."

"That's ridiculous. It's not possible."

"Well, they found a way."

Waters' brow furrowed. "Keep searching for them in the background. They may be friends right now, but that doesn't mean they couldn't become foes. I want to know who they are."

"Got it."

TB looked at Waters. "We going to Sallum?"

Waters shook his head. "I'm going to send Nemo and Steel as planned. No sense tripping unseen wires before we mean to be seen. Two are easier to hide than six. Until we know where he is, I'm reluctant to go anywhere full force."

Waters clicked out of the security protocols and looked around the table. "Forty-eight hours off for all but Demon and me. We'll be settling, debriefing, and reacclimating the women into everyday life. Midas, keep your programs running, but get some rest. If there's an emergency, I'll text." The men began to file out of the room, chattering as they did so.

TB remained behind looking out the window, considering his next moves. His life was now in such uncharted territory that he had no idea how to proceed.

It was silent in the room for a long time, the sun setting over the city skyline. When he turned, he expected to see Waters or even Steel, but it was neither.

Nemo.

That I did not expect.

TB was wary, but Nemo was standing at the head of the conference room table with a serious expression on his face, holding up his hands like he was being confronted by a man with a gun. "I come in peace," he intoned. Hoisting himself up on the conference table, he locked his elbows and curled his fingers around the edge. "I figured you'd be the first one out the door with Waters' orders. Why are you still here?"

TB shrugged. "She's home, resting. Kubrick's with her."

"That's not an answer to the question. Why are you still here?"

TB opened his mouth to answer, reconsidered, and closed his mouth. He tried a second time but was no more successful. Finally, he settled on, "She's vulnerable. Even though she knew she was a target before I came into the picture, she has been living on fumes. She needs sleep. Quiet."

"She'd probably sleep and rest better knowing you're close."

"Now that Gendry and the danger are gone, she may discover that I'm not nearly as attractive to her."

"That's bullshit, and you know it. She was in love with you before she even met you."

"How would you know?" TB asked, suspiciously.

"The day we set up her house? In the doorway? The whisper? I asked her if she was in love with you. She can't hide anything, which is refreshing, to be honest. There's no subterfuge or masking with her. She shows you everything she's feeling."

TB felt panic pooling in his gut. "I'm going to hurt her. I won't be able to help it. Somewhere, somehow, I'm going to fuck it all up because I have no clue what the fuckall I'm doing."

Nemo laughed. "Dude, no man knows what he's doing when it comes to women. Even I don't, and I've slept with more women than even I can count." He pulled a piece of gum out of his pocket, unwrapped it, popped it in his mouth, and pocketed the wrapper. "It's obvious you care about her. What's the hang up?"

"Caring about her, wanting to be in a relationship with her, and loving her are three very different things. I don't think you get it."

Nemo hummed to himself. "It's interesting to me that you jumped to the end option of loving her. So, ask me again how I know you want a relationship with this woman." He winked. "Look, just tell her what she needs to hear, which is the truth. Tell her you love her and you're never going to let her go."

That's it? I can do that.

TB was thinking hard. "She knows I've never been part of a couple. How do I make her believe I'm serious?"

"Take a piece of advice from her books. Make a grand gesture. Put yourself in a vulnerable position. You're such a big badass; showing her your belly, so to speak, will be a dead giveaway."

"How do I know what will work for this grand gesture?"

Nemo laughed good-naturedly. "You're the interrogator, dumbass. It's the same thing but without the torture angle. Don't watch her. See her. Who she really is. Listen to her. Not just what she is saying, but what she isn't. Should be child's play for you."

"Examples," TB prompted.

His teammate sighed in exasperation. "I don't know. Most of it's instinctual. Do things she needs done, but even she doesn't know she needs done. Button her coat. Read to her. Braid her hair."

"I don't know how to braid hair."

"It's called YouTube. Tons of videos for anything you want. How do you think I learned to tie a tie? But you know, since you are an interrogator with a penchant for restraints, maybe some torture techniques wouldn't be out of the question."

"What the fuck?"

"Not those kinds of torture techniques! Jesus, you really are obtuse sometimes. Your skills. The other ones." Nemo raised his eyebrows at TB and lowered his chin.

TB was quiet for a moment. Then his eyes opened wider in understanding. "Oh." He considered Nemo's words. "Oh." Although the word was quieter, it held much more meaning the second time. And the epiphany of what gesture would reach her came in like a tsunami: fast, fierce, and forceful.

Nemo blew a bubble with his gum, and when it popped, he winked. "Now you've got it."