Page 37 of Anything But Convenient

Ronan shook his head. “Fess up, Orion. If it helps us get him faster, then you have to tell us. I’m ready to be done with these fuckers.”

The room went quiet as Orion groaned loudly. “I don’t… it’s fucked up. What’s the one thing he wants?”

Memphis was quickest to answer. “Bodies to traffic.”

“Yes, exactly. Which means he’s only going to come out for the most precious options out there. What age gets trafficked the most?”

At his question, the room got quiet. It was Godric who spoke up next, though his voice was almost too low to hear it.

“Children. Young children. Pre-teens at the latest.”

Takeshi gripped my hand where it lay on the table. I hadn’t even realized I was shaking.

Just the thought of children being taken made me ill. The people I’d helped not that long ago had experienced the terror of being stowed away and herded like cattle. They were only a small number in the large scale of this business. How many more bodies in how many more states did this Ajax guy have?

“What are you suggesting?” Cohen’s voice was more serious than I’d heard so far. He clearly put together the pieces before I had.

Orion looked away. “I’m saying we create a bait and switch like we did before with Kiran. We need to make Ajax believe wehave something he can’t refuse. Something so great he has to come approve it in person.”

“And how do we do that?” Ronan said. “It’s not like we’re going to actually sell him children. Besides, why would he want to come see them in person? Photos do someone justice.”

“There are some things a photo can’t show. Some things these men want enough to travel for.” Orion paused.

It was then that it hit me. I gasped, my whole body jerking at the thought. “No,” I whispered.

Orion nodded, though his eyes were still turned away from everyone. “If we make him think he can be the first, that there’s a virgin or two up for auction, then he’ll come. Twins would be best, though triplets would be more than enough to entice him. The unique. The never before seen. That’s what he wants.”

The room was quiet for a long while after that. I wasn’t sure what everyone else was thinking, but I knew where my head was at.

There was little chance of the emotion on Orion’s face being faked. He knew enough about this because he’d lived through it. I wasn’t sure if it was his own lived experience or someone he knew.

Eventually, Memphis spoke to the group as he went back to clicking the keys on his laptop. “I can create realistic enough imaging by mixing different facial patterns to entice him. I won’t use anyone real though. I understand the limit here, guys.”

Orion stood; his posture defeated. “And if that doesn’t work, then we’ll go for the ace in the hole.”

“Ace?” I asked, too curious to keep quiet.

His gaze came to mine. I saw the anguish lurking there. The despair he could no longer hide.

“Yeah. If he doesn’t want something new, then maybe he’ll want the one that got away.”

He left the room, which sent a shockwave of confusion through everyone. Takeshi tapped on the table again, drawing my eyes to the page. It was then reality slammed over me, lighting up the darkness I hadn’t seen before.

‘He’s talking about himself. Orion is going to offer himself to his nightmares if we need him to. We can’t let it get that far.’

Looking at my husband, I agreed. We couldn’t let anyone else suffer at the hands of a madman. No matter what came next, Orion would remain safe. He had to.

He was my family now too.

CHAPTER 14

TAKESHI

I knewthe day would come.

It didn’t make it any easier.

Orion’s secrets weren’t mine to share. They never had been.

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