Page 96 of Crave Me

Urgency was infecting the space by the time they made it down the stairs to join me and Asher.

As I reached him where he was typing away rapidly, all monitors fired up, he told me without looking up from what he was doing, “You and Frank identified two new safehouse locations Wheeler has access to. My program was able to discern a pattern when combined with all the other various pieces of intel input to determine another three.”

“I’ve got something else,” Bastian’s voice sounded from the top of the stairs.

We all turned to see him barreling down the stairs with his laptop in hand.

As he rushed over, he reported, “I was able to find a money trail based on where Asher’s program determined those girls were picked up from and from us speaking with Sven and getting his take.” He reached us and pushed his laptop onto the desk, showing us his research and walking us through what he’d found so we could verify its legitimacy immediately. “That group of girls were being held at a brothel that Caleb had identified and was in the process of researching to determine if they were being held there against their will. While he’s been gone, Sven confirmed as much. If Caleb had still been here, it would’ve been his next target to liberate the girls and bring them to one of his facilities.”

“They were specifically taken and killed to hurt Caleb,” I realized aloud.

“A method of psychological reconditioning,” Asher posed.

Bastian took a breath, then went on, “I was able to ID who took them to Elijah. Not Elijah’s men, technically. These aren’t Bane Industries employees. They’re a mercenary group. I managed to trace the funds to Wheeler. He must’ve been in a rush when he paid them because he didn’t cover his tracks properly. It enabled me to track a weapons supplier that’s fueling Elijah to Wheeler as well.”

I looked out at Frank. “Work with Luke and get me the IDs of this group using your ex-military connections.”

“Mancini Syndicate connections can help with that,” Dante spoke.

“No. I need you with me.”

He looked more than a little surprised. “In the field,” I clarified, before he got any ideas and took it the personal route. Something I really couldn’t afford to entertain with him right now. I needed my head clear, not awash in all that drama and fucked-up revelations.

“We enter the field now with five locations in play and it will tax your home territory resources like before,” Dante warned me. “It will leave you open to attack, Caspian.”

As if I wasn’t already well fucking aware of that fact.

I looked at Asher and Bastian. “Twenty-four hours to narrow it down, or we hit all five regardless. Caleb can’t wait any longer.”

“He won’t have to,” Asher spoke.

A split-second later, an alert began flashing on one of the screens warning of a breach.

A file was forcibly opened by the attacker and then binary code was appearing on the screen.

“Hold on,” Asher said, a few moments before he deciphered it to reveal a cartoon worm.

“Caleb,” I breathed. “A gummy worm.”

Asher frowned.

“It’s his safe word,” I explained.

“Fuck,” Bastian breathed in wonder.

“There’s something else,” Asher said. “He’s planted something else on the system. Source code.”

I studied what he was seeing. “Longitude and latitude.”

“Oh my God, he’s sent us his coordinates,” Skylar cried, coming to us.

Before I could respond, Luke burst into the sub-level, eyes on me instantly as he reported, “We’ve had a total system breach. Financial networks are being attacked, King. Money is being siphoned.”

Asher and I exchanged a look as I determined, “Caleb trying to maintain his cover.”

“Agreed. He’s obviously convinced Elijah that he’s helping him to come at King.”

“How?” Bastian asked.

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