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"He told you about us?" The big guy narrowed his eyes.
"He told me to research Dyson and I'd know who his team was. He caught on right off that I was a cop. When I learned the department planned on continuing the undercover sting even longer, I told him I'd contact you guys to put an end to it."
"So you know what I do?" The bearded guy asked in a dangerous tone.
"I do and it's nothing more than the bastards deserve." Ben met his gaze and held it. "The shit I've seen makes me sick. I thought we were taking them down within a few weeks, but now it's been months and they told me yesterday they are continuing the sting for a few more weeks at least. Then Trenton tells me that Chief Jones is involved and was one of the men who has raped him this week."
"Fuck," Noam growled.
"I can't do it anymore. Either we come up with a way to save them all or I go in and kill them all so they don't suffer anymore. I can't keep watching this go on." Ben fisted his hands in his lap.
"Boys, if I may…" Katie moved closer then took a seat in one of the oversized chairs. "How about we start at the beginning so we don't miss anything?" She nodded to Noam and Xander to sit. When they did, she continued. "Where is Trenton being held?"
"One of the large mansions up near the observatory. It looks like any big home, but the rooms are all used for…" He sighed. "The basement has large chain-link cages. Women, men, and kids. Young kids too. We're talking toddlers. I can give you the full layout, let you know where all the security cameras are that I know about. I'll tell you everything I know."
"Who runs it?" Noam asked.
"A guy named Isaac Rodriguez. He's Mexican and has ties to cartels just over the border, but he also trades with Canada, and I hear there is a man from Spain coming in soon to make a large purchase." Ben noticed the two other men exchange glances.
"Address of the place?" Bearded guy asked.
"Open the gift I brought. I wanted to make sure you got everything even if you killed me first thing. The address is there with names and maps I drew. There's also a list of rich and elite customers who frequent the rooms upstairs. Including several governors and senators." Ben watched as Katie got up and picked the gift off the floor. "If you have someone that's good with maps, I can give you more info. I'm afraid my drawings are a bit elementary, and I don't know if my devices are tapped so I don't dare search for stuff online," Ben told them.
"We'll handle it as long as we know the address, but I might have you sit down with someone for the inside layout," The tattooed guy said.
"What is your name or what can I call you?" Ben asked him.
"My name is Xander."
Ben nodded.
"How bad of shape are the hostages in?" Noam asked.
"Physically, it's what you would expect, bruises, tearing, malnourished. They drug them with a mixture of heroin and something else to keep them calm. It knocks them out for a few hours usually, but eventually, they start to crave it. Some of the guards use it more than others, but everyone there has been drugged a few times." Ben glanced at Katie. "Mentally, they're all pretty fucked up. Most have given up hope and just do as they're told, but there's no light in their eyes. The kids are the worst, at least to me. Trenton's held up better than most. He keeps quiet, does what they tell him, so he doesn't get beat or drugged as often as some. Most of his injuries come from when he's called upstairs for the night."
"How do they decide who goes upstairs?" Katie asked.
"There's a binder of photographs. The clients pick who they want and what they want them for. Some like to buy two women together for the night, others like bondage, others like darker things." He looked at the men, unable to say more in front of Katie.
"You mean snuff fantasies?" She asked.
He swallowed hard and nodded. "Only one or two clients are into that, one being a senator. Still, I worry every time they take someone upstairs, it's for one of them."
Katie wrote something down. "Ben, I've heard it all. I've counseled these men for years and also helped many victims. I appreciate you trying to respect me and all, but we need to know everything."
"Sorry, Ma'am." He sighed. "It's hard enough for me to come to terms with what I've seen, let alone tell others about it, but you're right, you need to know everything."
She smiled. "And when this is done, you're more than welcome to come sit with me and I'll help you talk through all you've seen. Free of charge."
"Thanks." Ben couldn't imagine sharing half of the things he'd seen with her, but he respected the hell out of her for offering.
"Back to Trenton, did he say anything else? Give you any messages for us?" Xander asked.
"Only one if I needed to use it. I guess he knew they'd send you and he told me to tell you he said to back off. He knew you'd be out for blood and figured you'd take it out on me."
Noam and Katie laughed, but Xander looked stunned. "I just had to make sure that you weren't armed, nothing more."
"Which I expected. Also why I didn't relay his message." Ben stared at Xander. "I know you guys are pissed, and you have every right to be. I should have done this months ago when I first started wondering why the sting wasn't ending and I was watching people being shipped out of the country. I don't have any excuse other than I trusted my superiors and I shouldn't have. I will still go in and do my job, act like I'm there for the sting, but I'll be there trying to find a way to rescue everyone and shut the whole operation down. My loyalties are not with the department, they are with whoever is going to put a stop to this."
