Page 42 of Free
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Jeremy handed the flash drive to D. "Everything is on there. Links to the videos, photos, and a timeline of events as best I can piece together. I wasn't able to identify the girls, but the police can deal with that."
"They will. Once they are saved, our job is done. We'll move on to the next." D took the flash drive in his gloved hand and wiped it down with a towel dipped in vinegar and water. He then placed it in the front pocket of his hoodie. "You're comfortable with the cameras?"
"Yeah, there weren't many in the neighborhood. I'll have them down before you arrive and back up once you call me when you're done. You're coming straight back here after?"
"Once I dispose of the knife and stuff. There are several smaller lakes in the area. I'll try one tonight and can always change if it's not private enough. I'll always come straight back here after a sting unless I think I'm being followed. Either way, I'll be in touch. Don't panic if I take a few minutes longer than we planned, things can go slower depending on what I find in the house. I've got everything memorized. I should be in and out without a problem." He gripped Jeremy's shoulder. "Try not to worry, okay?" Where he was excited and anxious to get going, he saw Jeremy's hesitation and worry.
"Yeah, I'll try." Jeremy gave him a weak smile. "I'll feel better about the whole thing once you're back home."
"Won't be long at all. You can follow the events on the scanner once I put the 911 call in. You'll feel differently about it all once you hear those kids being saved. Hopefully, a couple of families will get their kids back tonight." He wasn't about to mention how it would also put the police on high alert finding out that a new 'castrator' was active in their city. D double checked that he had everything he needed. The torch, knife, string, lockpick, spray paint, and flash drive were in his pocket. He grabbed the burner phone and the syringe, shoving them into his pocket before he took off his gloves. He then made sure his mask sat on the top of his head. The hoodie would cover it until he needed to pull it down over his face. He snagged three more sets of gloves before nodding to Jeremy. "Okay. I'll call when I'm going in. Remember the codes?"
"Yep. Be safe and if anything feels off, get the fuck out."
"I will," he promised, though he had no plans on stopping once he got inside the house. The rush of adrenaline that was hitting him reminded him why he loved doing this. It was all about saving the kids, but there was also a rush from the risk. Even though he'd gone to jail the last time, there was no fear. He was confident and ready to start taking down pedophiles again. "See you in a bit." He patted his pocket, triple checking he had everything, then headed out to his car.
Jeremy had come through, getting three new cars for the team. D picked the dark blue one, liking the look better than the black ones. As he climbed in, the scent of new car hit him, and he smiled, savoring the smell because, in just a bit, the scent of burning flesh would be in his nose, and it would take hours to rid himself of that stench.
As he pulled away from the house, D turned on the radio, going through his pre-sting habits, working through the process in his mind as he made his way to the location. Jeremy had been amazing. It had only taken two days to get the cars, of course paying cash helped put a rush on anything. They'd picked them up at a location outside of town where someone Carter had put them in contact with had left them, the keys under the floormats. Once they had the cars, the rest was up to Jeremy. He had managed to track all the information he could and collect evidence to leave for the police. He'd also secured the area as best he could, and proved that he had the talent to do what needed to be done. Not that D had doubted that. Carter wouldn't have set him up with anyone who couldn't handle the job, and beyond that, the time he'd spent with Jeremy over the last week or so had shown him that Jeremy was almost as good as Carter at hacking systems. He was lucky to have him on his team.
Now, he just needed to find others to join them.
He couldn't bother thinking about that. He pulled into the neighborhood where the pedophile lived. It wasn't the best neighborhood, but he'd seen much worse. The houses weren't right on top of each other, which was nice. He was less likely to be seen with space between the homes. Not that he was worried. The layout of the house made things easy. There were three doors leading outside. He hoped to use the side door by the garage to give him more cover, but if he needed to, the backdoor would work. There were a lot of trees, and that helped shade him from the neighbors.
He parked the car a few houses down the road. Once he turned off the engine, he inspected the neighborhood. It was dark, and only one light was on, and it was at a house at the end of the block. Not close enough for him to worry about.
He quickly tapped out a message on his burner phone and sent it to the burner phone that Jeremy had.
Arrived, waiting on go. STK
He didn't have to wait long for the response that let him know all cameras in the area were off and he was good to go.
Confirmation. Proceed. STK
Shoving the cell phone into his pocket, he took a deep breath. It had been forever since he'd been out doing this. It was probably wrong to be so excited, but he loved his job. There was a satisfaction that came with stopping the sexual abuse of a child.
He gave the neighborhood a final look, confident he was safe, and casually got out of the car. His hoodie was drawn over his head, shading his face from view, and once he got to the location and out of plain sight, he would pull the mask over his face.
He made it to the driveway and was pleased to see that there was nothing blocking the side door near the garage. He quickly dropped his mask, and pulled out his lockpick set, only to be surprised that when he tried the door, it was already unlocked. While that should have worried him, it didn't. It was amazing how many people didn't lock their doors at night. More than a third of the homes he'd gone into had either left windows or doors open as if welcoming him in.
He quietly pushed the door open, cautious, and alert that the man could be right inside, but he wasn't. The house was dark as D stepped into the kitchen.
As he turned on his flashlight, he saw the home was a disaster. Old food packages and dirty dishes cluttered the kitchen counters. He hated houses like this. He never knew what he was going to find when things were such a mess, and it made the threat of tripping over something a much bigger risk.
Having memorized the layout of the house before he came, he focused on finding the main bedroom. It was nearly two in the morning, and hopefully, the man would be asleep. The floor creaked under his weight and he paused, making sure he hadn't woken anyone.
D smiled when he heard a snore come from the main bedroom. He loved it when the perpetrator was asleep. It made the job so much easier. Careful to remain silent, he turned off his flashlight, giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the dark. He'd turn on the lights once he'd subdued the man, but until then, he needed the advantage the darkness gave him.
As he stepped into the room, he tried not to gag as the smell of sex overwhelmed him. It disgusted him, making him more determined than ever to put a stop to this man's evil. As he neared the bed, he paused, cursing silently as he saw two people on the bed. Moving closer, he realized how small the other figure was, then in the shadows, he saw the chain that held the person to the headboard. It was one of the girls.
It wasn't the first time he'd had to deal with a victim in the vicinity, but it did complicate things. He didn't want the girl to witness what he needed to do. The last thing he wanted was for her to have those visions in her mind for years to come.
Praying that the girl didn't wake up right away and scream, he took the syringe out, uncapped it, and jabbed it into the man's neck. The sooner he had him controlled, the sooner he could deal with the girl beside him.
The man jumped, but just as quickly the drugs took effect and he was left unable to move, lying motionless on the bed.
"Mmmfff." The girl made a sound as the chain rattled.
