Page 48 of Hemmed

“Another mother takes their kid,” whispers Miller. “This is fucking sick.”

“Kids trust moms. They often don’t trust men, but these women have figured it out,” said Krauss.

“How many are there?” asked Gaspar.

“Eleven head up the group, but they get other women to help by giving them some fucking sob story. They tell them that the kid was taken from their real parents or stripped from the father and is now being abused. There’s nothing like a group of angry fucking mothers.”

“Most of these women have no clue what they’re actually helping with,” said Ghost.

“We’ve got the site up,” said Ace behind them.

“Shit!”

“Son-of-a-bitch!”

“Fuck me!”

“When did you two get here?” asked Gaspar.

“We came in behind the others. We’ve been listening to everything. I’ve got the site up, and I can shut it down. I’ll place a message on the site telling women who log in what it is. I’ll also let them know that they can expect a visit from the FBI.”

“We need to find the women that are in charge of the site,” said Ian.

“That’s easy,” said Krauss. “They’re all located in one neighborhood outside of Philly. They have a social media site as well.”

“Found it,” said Code. “Looks like the mommies are enjoying a girls’ weekend in Charleston.”

“I guess we’re going to Charleston,” said Nine. He looked at Krauss, and the man just shook his head.

“I get it. You can’t leave me alive. Yulia was right about one thing. There will be dozens more to pick up where we left off.”

“And there will be dozens more of us,” said Rory. “Dozens and dozens of men and women who have the same sense of justice, right and wrong. We will never stop until all of you are dead.”

With a final search to be sure that nothing was left behind, they bound the men in the basement, leaving Krauss and Yulia side by side in their chairs. It would appear as a murder-suicide if they recovered anything at all from the fire.

As the home behind them erupted in flames kissing the sky, the men looked back to be sure that no one would leave. Satisfied with their work, they headed to the airport, where Chipper and Doug were waiting for them.

“Gentlemen. We’re clear for South Carolina.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Mo stood outside the glassed conference room, watching his daughter spill her soul to Ashley and Bree. Ophelia was seated beside her, holding her hand.

“She told you,” whispered Hayes. Mo stared at the young man.

“You knew?”

“Please don’t be mad, sir. I promised I wouldn’t say anything. I knew she was safe here and that I could leave without worrying about her. Now, maybe she can leave as well.”

“Hayes, I’m not mad at you, son. I’m glad that she had a friend she could trust with such a secret. But we try not to keep secrets here. We could have helped her. We could have found her parents and taken care of this matter months ago.”

“I know that now,” said Hayes. “I just didn’t want her mad at me.”

That’s when it hit Mo. Hayes was in love with Victoria. They might only be seventeen and eighteen, but for Hayes, he knew this woman was the one for him. One day.

“You love her?” smiled Mo.

“I’m not sure I know what love is, sir. My parents left me as well, but I don’t remember anything about it. Poor Victoria, she remembered it all. Sometimes, she would remember the beating her mother gave her and cry in my arms. It would kill me, sir. Just kill me. She was afraid that she’d have nightmares and wake you and Miss Ophelia.”

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