Page 14 of Fate's Unseen Shadow

“Another fucking human trafficker.” Xavier shook his head. “What made Jerry come here?”

“Met the organizer in an online gaming room. What are we going to tell her?” Ryker lowered his voice. “We can only hope they haven’t sold him yet since he’s still listed on this website.”

Damon studied Jerry’s picture on the screen. “Do we have a location?”

Ryker pulled up a second window. “Yes. I know where the person who posted this is. I need to do some surveillance to see if the kids are at the same location.”

“We’re going to have to get the police involved.” He couldn’t avoid having Slater come over. “Slater, come here. Mrs. Livingstone, please give us a moment to talk.”

She looked torn between following Slater over there or staying put, but finally she turned and walked a few feet away.

Slater joined them at the car and set his hands on his hips. “For fuck’s sake,” he muttered, looking at the website. “I don’t know if I’m glad we found him or furious there’s another one.”

Damon shared his sentiment. “You’re gonna need to call Detective Moore.”

“I know. When do you want me to do it?”

Xavier rubbed the back of his neck, twisting it to the side. “Last time, he got pretty pissed we waited so long.”

Damon shook his head. “Well, go ahead and call him.” They wasted time standing there at this point. “I’m not waiting. We need to find the kids and not only her son. That’s our goal. How many kids are listed on this website?”

“Seven with Jerry. They’re all missing from South Carolina area based on the facial recognition program I used.” Ryker pinched the bridge of his nose. “The youngest is nine.”

Damon set his hand on Ryker’s shoulder, aware he fought with his own demons.

These were kids, but Ella was damn lucky nothing like this had happened to her while living out of her car the way she was. With a shake of his head, Damon stepped back away from the group. “Xavier, you hot?”

He leaned down and patted his calf. “Always.”

“Come with me.”

Ryker drummed his fingers on the back of the car. “I’m getting the address from that post. It’s near the docks.”

“Of course.” Half the shit they handled was on that side of town. “Text me the exact location. No time to waste. The police can catch up to us. Let’s go.”

6

It didn’t matter about the vintage or winery, drinking an entire bottle of wine after not drinking for a month had been a mistake. But the twelve hours of sleep afterward were incredible—minus the nightmare. She never stopped seeing the face of her stalker. Every single night, it tormented her until she awoke sweaty and shaking.

But the nightmare was long gone. Ella stared at the clock on the side table on the nightstand. Same as the last time she looked at it and it displayed nine o’clock. Was that banging in her head? A light headache throbbed at her temples, but where were those distinct thumps coming from?

Was Damon hitting a punching bag? She’d expected him to return last night, but he didn’t. His parking spot still stood empty before the wine forced her to stumble to bed. Probably for the best he didn’t have to deal with a drunken Ella on his first day meeting her. She’d have embarrassed herself, without a doubt. Either by crying again from the stress of her life or forgetting her situation and his generosity and solely focusing on her attraction. Incredible thatnowshe was attracted to a man.First time in her life a man could smile and her stomach do a little flip.

She’d been with a man before, settling for a casual relationship with Matteo for the past few years. It’d made her feel less alone. But she never made an effort with him. Never dressed cute. Never flirted. They simply existed. If shetriedto get Damon’s attention in that way, would she make a fool of herself?

She rolled over, flopping onto her back, and realized she hadn’t moved all night because of the aches in her joints. Sitting up, Ella looked around the bedroom. First thing on her agenda this morning was another shower. This time, she used her own shampoo and body wash. Shortly after running away, she’d discovered that gyms had showers in their locker rooms. Convincing the front desk that her sister had left something in the locker room, while her luxury car sat on the curb, was easy. Once they glanced at it, they let her inside, allowing her to take a quick shower.

And no matter what he said, she’d pay Damon back for this. She’d find out the rent on this place and write him a check for this and everything else he’d done for her. It didn’t matter if the guys normally did this sort of thing for free. She’d personally hand each of them a check equal to the FBI’s reward because they’d saved her life. Even Slater.

Ella left the shower and realized the punching below had stopped. Was he still there? Rushing to catch him before he left, she put on a light layer of makeup, brushed her teeth, and dried her hair a moment before a knock sounded at her door.

“It’s me,” Damon called.

She double-checked the peephole before opening the door. “Good morning,” she said, smiling.

His eyebrows lifted. “Wow. This is a different woman than the one I left last night.”

“What? The fact I’m clean, well-rested, or finished with my mental breakdown?”

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