Page 23 of Taken
"We'll handle things." Noam's gaze met Xander's and they both nodded.
As much as she wanted to ask to go with, she was sure there was no way anyone on the team would let her. Even though she was an adult now, they still tended to treat her and protect her just like they did when she'd been younger. Needing something to do, she stood. "I'll make a quick lunch for everyone, then I'm going to head upstairs and make sure the clinic is fully stocked. If he's hurt, we'll need to be ready.
It was stupid really. The clinic was always ready to go. Too many times someone's life had depended on it. Beau wouldn't leave anything forgotten. She prayed they wouldn't need it, but feared they would.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The office building was a simple one-story building set in the middle of town. Next door was a small coffee shop, and to the other side, a tire center. There was nothing suspicious about it, but he hadn't really expected there to be. He'd driven by this place thousands of times and never thought much about it. Today, he was looking at everything. It wasn't as if he expected black-op snipers on the roof to welcome him, but he was sure they would not let this woman, Katie, put herself at risk without having some security around.
Coming in, he was the enemy and he understood that. They could easily kill him once they got all the information out of him. They had every right to. He'd let their friend suffer and didn't act right away. Hell, he'd let a lot of people suffer, and many die because he stood by thinking he was doing his job. Some job. He'd never felt right about this. It wasn't like his last undercover job where he'd watched drug deals go down and kept silent. This was way worse. He should have stopped it as soon as he'd learned just how bad it was.
Sweat dripped down his spine even though the air conditioner was on in the car. He was nervous. It was five minutes to six, and he was sure they were aware he was in the parking lot. No point in putting it off. His fate was sealed. This would either go well and they'd rescue Trenton and the others or this would be the last thing he ever did, and hopefully, they'd still rescue everyone.
He was going in unarmed. He didn't want to come across as a danger to anyone. He wanted to help. Anything he could do to ease the tension, he would, so they could focus on what was important.
Leaving the car, he slowly walked inside, carrying a small, wrapped gift. He'd actually taken time to think about what a psychologist might like. He ended up getting her a simple paperweight with an angel on it. He wanted this to appear as real as possible, and that meant him going out shopping for a gift.
The main door was unlocked and he opened it to step into the lobby. He looked around, finding the main reception desk empty. But that wasn't a shock. It was a weekend. Even if she was taking clients on a Saturday, the receptionist would be taking the weekend off.
The sound of a door opening had him turning. He found an older woman standing in the doorway, looking him over. "Aunt Katie." He forced a smile to his face. "Happy Birthday." He took a couple of steps toward her and offered her the gift.
"Come into the office." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She turned, without taking the gift.
His pulse raced. Once he was in that office, his fate was sealed. He took a deep breath and followed her in.
The moment he was through the door, strong arms grabbed him. The gift went flying as he was flung hard against the wall, and a strong arm was up against his throat.
"Pat him down," a gruff voice commanded.
Hands traveled over him, searching for a weapon. His wallet was pulled from his back pocket and tossed onto the desk. Ben tried to focus, but the muscular arm was blocking most of his view. He saw tattoos and what looked like a thick beard, but nothing else. He knew better than to fight. This was their show. He'd do whatever they said.
"Do you know where Trenton is?" Another male voice asked from his side.
He tried to turn his head but couldn't. "Yes, I'm here to tell you everything." His words came out raspy due to the pressure on his throat.
"Ease up, Xan. Let's hear him out. He's clean. No weapons or anything."
"What's your name?" Katie's soft voice surprised him.
As the pressure eased on his neck, Ben saw she held his wallet and was looking at his driver's license. "On there, I'm Ben Radcliff. In the real world, I'm Detective Benton Sills." He rubbed his neck.
"A fucking cop." The large, tattooed guy shook his head. "Just great."
"I was a fucking cop too at one point, remember that." The other guy moved into Ben's line of sight.
"Noam…" Ben gasped in shock.
"Hey, Ben. Not quite how I thought we'd meet up again." Noam waved his hand. "Take it easy, Xander. I know this guy. We've worked together in the past." Noam nodded to a long couch. "Take a seat. We have a lot of questions."
"I have a lot of answers." He took a seat, still on full alert, but calmer having someone he knew around. "You retired."
"In a sense. I work with a contracted team made up of mostly off-duty cops who pose as kids to catch online pedophiles. It's sanctioned through the department." Noam stared at Ben, taking in every inch of him. "What they got you doing now?"
He had no reason to lie or even think about what he was going to say. If he was going to do this and try and save everyone, he had to tell them everything. "Trafficking ring. A big one. Was supposed to be in and out, but it's lasted several months now with no sign it's ending. That's why I'm here."
"Trenton is there?" The tattooed guy asked.
"Yeah, brought in a few weeks ago. He's weak and been abused, but okay otherwise. He knows I'm here. Told me how to contact you guys when I asked."
