Page 4 of Cuddles for the Bear
“Excuse me,” Devon said. He was thrilled that Python had found Cyrus. All of their lives had benefited from that mating, and besides that, Python had been Devon’s colleague for years. “Can we get back to the little matter of BlueKnight64? You said his existence is being measured in days. I don’t even know where he is.”
“That’s where being part of a super-secret agency works for you,” Python said. “We have friends, mysterious people in the clouds…or some other similar place. Goodness knows why they watch us, but it’s been useful before. Let’s just hope they enjoy the scenery if they pop in while we’re busy ‘mating.’”
“You can shut up now,” Cyrus said, slapping Python’s arm in exasperation. “We were waiting on you, Devon. All online communications by our agents are monitored, not because we’re interested in seeing your personal stuff. That’s private. But if theword assassin is mentioned, it triggers an alarm at the agency, and you were picked up then.
“Then one of the back-office boys worked out you were interacting with a victim in a case that we had been, or rather, they had been actively monitoring, trying to get more information about the asshole with too much cash.
“Put simply, we were letting it play out, assuming that BlueKnight64 would take the gift you’d pretty much handed to him, and ask you to come and save him.”
“Instead, he asked me to kill the man.” Devon’s shoulder slumped. “Does that mean we can’t help?”
“Oh, no,” Cyrus said with a smirk “That means we can. As I said, the agency would’ve just preferred if we had an insider, so to speak, to work on this, which is why we were waiting on you.”
Devon let out a long breath. “Thank goodness. But how do I find him? What do I do? Do I rescue him? Do I just take the other guy out? Who is this guy? Why is he buying people in the first place?”
“You know, this isn’t a movie, even if we do have random gods and others watching us on occasion,” Python said with a chuckle. “You can’t just fast forward to the end, and we’re not just going to hand you a folder of information so you can be the hero and go in to save the day.”
“That’s what Storm did with Pax,” Devon said. “I’m not asking for that, but maybe a bit of guidance would be helpful here. I understand Storm and Pax’s meeting was nudged by those on high.” He pointed at the ceiling. “I’m not expecting that out of this, but an address would be helpful.”
“I guess none of us will know until you find your BlueKnight64. We just know he needs saving,” Cyrus said, but then he paused, and Devon knew he wasn’t going to like what he was going to betold. “It has been suggested that you go and check out the guy holding BK first. Try and get close to him. See what his motives are.”
“Er…excuse me? That doesn’t sound like the sort of thing we do. We’re assassins, not undercover federal agents. If I see him, I’ll just want to kill him.”
“You’re missing the point,” Python said. “It is almost certain this person has a body count and not in the sexy way. It’s hoped that if you trail the man responsible, he’ll lead you to your online warrior, and hopefully we can find out where the other bodies are.”
“You’re right, I am missing the point. You’ve already said my friend’s days are numbered. Why don’t you let me know where he is? I’ll go in and rescue him and get him somewhere safe, and then, if you can’t spare anyone else, I’ll go back and take out the asshole for free. But BlueKnight64’s safety has to come first, surely?”
“If you take your BK, then asshole – commonly known as Michael Wheeler at the moment - will just buy, steal, or kidnap someone else. In other words,causeharm and danger to someone else. If we can stop him from doing that, then that’s a bonus. There doesn’t need to be any more victims in this situation.”
Devon could see that. He even understood it to a point, but knowing now that his worries about Blue Knight64 were actually grounded in reality, he just wanted to get the man out of there. “You promise me that my friend and this Michael aren’t mates?”
“Definitely not.” Cyrus shook his head. “Your BlueKnight64 was sold into servitude when he was still a child. He’s a slave. He has no rights to his person. He’s not allowed to leave the house. He’s expected to cook, clean, and look after this person, and when allthe chores are done, he’s expected to start doing the same things all over again.
“As I said, there’s nothing of a sexual nature going on, which could be another reason why BlueKnight64 has managed to survive for so long. Michael has a long and varied history with women, however, he never takes them back to his apartment, which is where he lives with BK.
“Going back through financial records, it seems at one point Michael thought that your online friend might be able to help him if he got a college education. But Michael got angry when he realized how long the courses would take and how expensive they were, so he refused to pay for them beyond some entry-level online classes.”
“I think that’s what he was doing when we first started exchanging messages,” Devon said, saddened that his friend had an opportunity for a better future and then had it taken away.
“Michael’s shopping history shows clothes bought in smaller sizes, so it seems BlueKnight64 at least has something to wear, but he seems to have absolutely nothing else of his own. Even the laptop he was contacting you on was registered in Michael’s name.”
“All right.” Devon filed the information away. He could think about it later, but if he had his way, his friend would never go without the things he needed ever again. “So BlueKnight64 is twenty-five, and now…what? Does Michael have an age limit on the people he abuses?”
“We don’t know.” It was Python who answered, and he seemed annoyed. “From what we can see, Michael’s just got tired of having the same person around and wants to swap him out for someone younger.”
“Michael’s a snake shifter,” Cyrus added. “He’s been around a long, long time, and we know that BK’s not his first victim. But Michael’s not silly. He sets up house, usually with a slave boy, keeps him a few years, and then the boy disappears, and so does he. Months later, Michael turns up in a new town, in a new state, with a new identity and a new boy. The agency has been primed to pick him up and dispatch him twice before, but he disappeared before that could happen.”
“It’s almost as though he has insider information on the agency,” Python grumbled. “I know, I know, that can’t happen. But this guy’s sixth sense seems to be wired to when he might be caught, and he listens to his gut every time.”
“Which means moving quickly.” Cyrus tilted his head slightly as he looked at Devon. “Do you want the information about Michael, so you can track him down, or should I send Calvin and Levi instead? It is their turn on the roster.”
“No, I’ll go,” Devon said. “I don’t care where it is or how long it takes, I’ll go. But saving my friend, actually rescuing him from where he’s being held, has to be a priority. There is no point in me taking this guy out just so he doesn’t do it again, if BlueKnight64 is being left holed up in an apartment with perhaps no way of getting food or any outside contact, help, or being able to do anything... I won’t let that happen."
“I think you’re being a tad dramatic,” Python said with a smirk. “Your little warrior knows how to use a computer. He’s been talking to you online for months.”
Devon felt his face flush, but joking was Python’s default setting. He knew that if he needed help, Python would be the first one there, complete with guns, claws, a devilish smile, and a cigar. But everything in Devon was screaming that what was happening with BlueKnight64 was serious.
“I need to make him safe. I’m not going to apologize for that. I don’t understand why. I don’t think for a second that this is a situation of me saving my mate, not like it was for Storm with Pax. But I have to be able to do something. I have to make things right. This guy has been my friend. I won’t let him down now.”
