Page 25 of Wed
"You're all too little for him," Xander said, trying to keep calm. He just wanted to go save that little boy but didn't dare do anything until Kacey had these two safely away from the house. "Grab whatever Eric might need and hand it to Kacey."
The older boy gathered a few things, shoving them in a plastic grocery bag. When he pulled a small stuffed animal off one of the beds, it tore at Xander's heart. These kids were so young. He was glad he'd never had to deal with the kids in the past because seeing them did something to him. His anger flared.
"Let's go." Kacey still stood at the window, taking the bag that Andy passed him, then helped Andy as he slid out the window.
As Xander helped the older boy out the window, he met Kacey's gaze. "Get them safe. Don't worry about me. If you're not here, I'll find my way back."
"I'll be here," Kasey promised.
The car with Noam, Archer, and Ben was about a block away. It wouldn't take long for Kasey to get the boys to them. They'd be getting nervous. They'd already been at the house longer than they'd planned. It didn't matter. There was no way Xander was going to leave a child being victimized when he could stop it.
"Be safe." Kasey led the boys away.
Xander didn't respond or stay to watch. He turned and made his way through the small house, remembering the map of the house Lenora had helped them draw. He knew the master bedroom was at the end of the hall. As he made his way down the dark hallway, he noticed a light coming from under the door of the main bedroom. He took a deep breath, preparing for what he might see when he slammed the door open. Knowing what was happening and seeing it were two different things.
He held his knife in his hand but wouldn't need it. If the man was hurting a child, Xander could kill him with his bare hands. He wasn't sure if killing the man would cause more problems than leaving him broken but breathing. He honestly didn't care. The team tried not to kill the perverts, knowing life after castration was a better punishment than death could ever be, but he didn't have the tools to castrate this man and keep him alive. He could easily cut off his cock and balls, but the bleeding would probably kill him. Not that Xander cared if the man bled to death. His only hesitation was how it would affect the team and their safety.
Dressed in all black with a hood over his head, he blended into the shadows. Not that it mattered. He wore thin gloves that would keep him from leaving prints. He was ready for this. He took a deep breath before he reached down and slowly turned the doorknob. He wasn't shocked to find it unlocked. This man thought he was safe. The boys were too scared and too small to fight back.
As the door slid open, the man didn't even notice. He was completely naked, straddling a young boy on the bed.
Xander saw the child, the duct tape over the boy's mouth, the tears on his cheeks, and he lost control. With anger blinding him, Xander came up behind the man, and quickly, without hesitation, placed his hands against the man's head just as he'd been trained to so many years ago. He gave a jerk and twist, and the man went limp in his arms.
With the man out of the way, Xander moved his body off the bed and dropped him to the floor, then focused on the boy. His heart broke with what he saw, but he didn't have time to dwell on it now. He needed to get this boy out of here and to Beau who could help him. There was blood, but not enough to worry him that the boy was in immediate danger. "I'm a friend. Lenora sent me to help you and her brother. I'm going to get you out of here. The others are outside waiting for us." Xander tried to keep his voice gentle, but anger and adrenaline caused it to shake. "I'm going to take the tape off your mouth. Please don't scream. I'm here to help, not hurt you. The man isn't going to hurt you anymore." He reached down, hating that he had to do it. He quickly gripped the edge of the tape and pulled fast.
The boy cried out, then covered his mouth with his hands.
Xander wasn't sure if it was to keep quiet or ease the pain of the tape being taken from his skin. Tears still fell from the boy's eyes.
"Eric, my name is Xander. Andy and the other boy are with my friend outside waiting for us. We're going to take you someplace safe. Lenora is there waiting for us. Do you remember her?"
The boy nodded but didn't stop crying.
"I'm going to wrap you in a blanket to keep you warm. Once we're safe, we'll get you dressed. The boys already grabbed your stuff from the room." He didn't wait for a response as he quickly wrapped the boy in the blanket that was underneath him and cocooned him. He then lifted the boy up in his arms and held him against his chest.
As he stepped over the body on the floor, he glanced around the room, looking for anything that might help them hunt down the men and women buying these children from the foster system. Seeing a cell phone on the nightstand, he pocketed it, then quickly turned and left the room. If there was more evidence, he didn't have time to search for it. He had to get this child out of there.
He made his way down the hallway, watching the windows as he passed by them, making sure there weren't headlights out front. At the boy's room, he turned and went back in, relieved to see Kacey at the window waiting for him. "Eric, my friend is outside. I'm going to pass you to him. Don't be scared. We're going to meet up with your friends in a few minutes, then go see Lenora." He passed the wrapped bundle to Kacey.
"Problems?" Kacey asked as he tucked the boy against his chest.
"Eliminated." Xander climbed out the window. "We're going to need Beau as soon as we get to the house."
"Others are in the car and ready to go. No signs of problems so far." Kacey started walking away from the house.
Xander thought about the body inside and wondered how long it would take before someone found him. He hoped the guy laid there and rotted for days. He jumped one fence, then took Eric from Kacey so he could jump it. They quickly made their way to the car, relieved to see they hadn't seemed to draw any attention. As he slid into the backseat, he was glad they'd gotten the SUV with two bench seats in the back. He glanced up at Noam. "Get us home. Call ahead and let Beau know he's going to be needed."
"Is he okay?" Andy looked over at Eric, who still sobbed.
"He's going to be just fine. We're going to go back to our house so you two can see Lenora and we can have a doctor look at Eric and make sure he's not injured," Kacey told them.
"You're not going to hurt us too?" The older boy stared at Eric, then glanced up at Xander.
"Never. You're safe. We're going to protect you. Your foster father won't be hurting anyone again." Xander met the young boy's gaze, hoping he understood. It was hard to judge how old the kid was. He was so thin that he could easily be years older than he appeared. "When we get to the house, Lenora can show you around and we'll get you something to eat."
"Do either of you two need to see a doctor?" Noam asked from the front seat.
"I'm okay." The older boy glanced at Andy.
