Page 147 of Merciless Obsession
Four days had passed since I was released from the hospital and this was the first time I’d left the house since getting out of the hospital. We were at the farmhouse, working on what to do next.
Everyone’s eyes went to the screen on the wall. “So we think they’re moving more than just furniture?” Lucas asked.
“Could be. Since they handle everything in-house, it makes sense that they’re easily able to keep this hidden.” Nazai rubbed his chin. “From what I gathered, The Veil is made up of manyrich and powerful people. No one knows who runs it but we know they run the black market. The Paynes are one of the wealthiest and oldest families in the city, so them being involved with The Veil wouldn’t be farfetched.”
“I’m confused. So there’s no way of knowing who’s part of this organization?” Inaya asked, sitting straight.
“In essence, no. They’re like a secret society. Supposedly not even people in it know who’s all involved. All communication is done digitally and it’s all encrypted. They all fall under an umbrella and the actual leaders stay hidden.” Looking up, I was surprised Dominic had made an appearance. He walked closer to the table. “The reason why The Veil has never been taken down is because the families and mercenaries who work with them are like pawns. If anyone ever discovered them, they would be the ones taking the heat, not whoever is pulling the strings. Plus, they leave no stone unturned.”
My eyes narrowed. “You seem to know specific information about an organization you’re not a part of.”
He looked at me with an unmoving stare. “People talk. When you’re in the kind of business we’re in, you learn to keep your cards close to your chest and play your cards when it’s time. I needed to check some things out first, and according to a source of mine, The Payne brothers have been on the FBI watchlist for some time now. They were disowned by their grandfather for reasons unknown, but once he passed away, their parents brought them back into the business.”
“What got them on the list?”
“Smuggling illegal goods.”
“How has nothing been done about this? If they’re being watched, then the FBI has to know about the girls.” I slammed my hand down. This was why I loathed the law and people who were supposed to uphold it. It was all one big joke.
“The Paynes would only be the middlemen. If they’re working for The Veil, it’s more than likely that they just help store and transport whoever they’re holding. No one is going to question a furniture store transporting furniture. Swapping out a couch with bodies would be easy and no one would blink an eye seeing the truck on the road or a ship leaving the dock. Once they get ‘the goods’…” He made quotations with his fingers. “Then the job is done, money is paid out, and the cycle starts again.”
“So a supply and demand chain, but with people.” Ezra spoke up for the first time since we’d been here.
“To sum it up, yes.”
My stomach twisted. The thought that people could do something like this without a care in the world caused knots to build inside me.
“They say money is the root of all evil. This proves some people will do anything for a dollar,” River declared.
He wasn’t wrong. At the end of the day, the girls and whoever else might be victims in this were just cash cows. Their suffering was making who knows how many people a lot of money. The worst part was even if we were able to shut this down, it would only be a small fragment. Who knew how many other people and companies were working with these people and just hadn’t been noticed.
“The underground world is a scary place,” Dominic continued. “Before Silver Stone was cleaned up and rebranded in a sense, it was one of the largest crime cities on this side of the country. A lot of blood money moved through this city and just because it’s been remodeled to be this grand city of opportunities doesn’t mean the crooks disappeared, they just learned to hide themselves better.” His eyes focused on me. “You wanted to make a difference, that’s why you started your blog, correct? To inform and expose? This family might not have clean hands but we do what we do to make sure justice is served insome way. You wanted to bring awareness and attention to the shady shit harming those around us, now is your chance.” His eyes turned to his oldest son. The two seemed to be having a silent conversation. “I’ve always told you, hijo, the easiest way to catch a rat is to smoke it out. It’s a long shot trying to take The Veil down, but even if you take down a small part of their operation, it’s a win.”
Nazai’s face hardened and he nodded. “Which is what I plan on doing. Listen up.” Authority dripped from his voice. I would never admit it out loud, but it was hot hearing his voice deep and booming with authority. “We’re going to schedule for a girl. We’ve been sitting on Winston’s phone and now it’s time to make a move. We know how the girls are being transported to buyers, but we need to find out where they’re being held and shut them down. It might not get us to the big fish, but we’ll catch something.” His eyes moved around the room. “The Bloodline’s main goal before all the extra shit is to protect those who can’t protect themselves. Now is the time to do that.”
I glanced at Dominic who was watching his son with pride.
A hand landed on my leg, I glanced down and grabbed it, decidedly tossing it off. Ezra was still in the doghouse. Although I was in his house, I was giving him the silent treatment. He didn’t seem to mind and would find ways to still touch or kiss me when I didn’t ask for it. In some ways it was like he was enjoying my annoyance, which only pissed me off more.
“Ziora and E, do you two think you can get into the Comfort Homes system and hack their network? I want to know everything they have going on, down to where they buy lunch.”
Me and Emmet shared a look and nodded. “One of you focus on the brothers, the other the business. River, did you locate Rock’s cousin?”
“I did. My guys are keeping an eye on him.”
“Good. I don’t want them to know anything is up. Just keep watch on him. If he knew that he could get the girl sold for a profit, then he must be close with the brothers. That’s not something they would let every employee know.”
“Speaking of, I think he met the Paynes in prison. Specifically Steven,” Emmet interjected. He tapped his laptop. “They both served time, Eugene for insurance fraud and arson, Steven being caught with drugs for the third time. Eugene was released a year before Steven and started working at Comfort Homes the same month.” Eugene was Rock’s cousin.
“So Steven is a junky or rebel.” Nazai nodded.
“That’s why he was disowned?” Lucas asked.
Emmet shrugged. “Could be.”
“Either way we have a connection and we need to act soon rather than later.”
Ezra planted his hand back on my leg again. When I went to grab it, he rolled it palm up and gripped my wrist, giving it a slight squeeze. I cut my eyes in his direction. He was focused on his brother, listening to him talk. His body remained relaxed and calm. Attempting to pull away, I bit down on my back molars when he tightened his hold.
