Free (Save The Kids Book 4)

by E. M. Leya

  Hiding sucked.

  All he wanted to do was head to the nearest club, pick up some sexy, easy, hot thing, and fuck him until he lost his mind. His cock was aching, and no amount of self-pleasuring was taking the edge off. He needed to grip someone, hold on to them as he thrust deep inside a tight ass. He needed the feeling, the scent, the sounds of real sex. Waiting for it to be safe before he went out was going to kill him.

  He found his laptop on the kitchen table and sat down, quickly going to Amazon and ordering a bunch of clothes that fit his style, but were different enough from what he usually wore. It wasn't too hard as the climate in Colorado was a lot different than it was in California.

  Remembering to enter his new name and address, he again cursed his new name. William was on everything now. There was nothing he could do about it. It wasn't like he could get another identity overnight. He was sure it took years to build a background as strong as the one Bryon and Carter had given him.

  He needed to start thinking of himself as D, not Dyson. It would be too easy to slip up if he didn't get used to the new name. It was so hard to erase years of identity, erase the person he'd been for so long, but he didn't have a choice.

  Vowing that he would call himself D from now on, he glanced up at the clock. He was meeting Jeremy at the team house at noon to talk about how to start recruiting. He wanted to get things moving as quickly as he could. The way he figured it, they would need at least four of them to do a sting, two on the computers and listening to the police scanners, and two to handle the stings. While one person could do a sting, there were many that were too dangerous to go solo and it took a team.

  He hated the thought of not having a doctor around, but that was one position that would probably take time to fill. He could handle minor injuries, even stitching up small cuts, but anything major like a gunshot wound and they'd be fucked.

  He wished he could call Bryon, but he was under strict orders not to call them at all until things settled down. Bryon would show up sooner or later, he wouldn't let him handle all this alone, but waiting for him when he had so many questions he wished he'd asked was hard.

  As he left home, he thought about Jeremy. He wondered what had brought him here. Several times he thought Jeremy was going to tell him, but he seemed to change his mind at the last minute. He obviously wasn't in jail, so that made him wonder how severe things were. Had he bailed out or were charges still pending? It really didn't matter. He was here for a reason and it wasn't his place to question why. They both had to move forward, leaving their pasts behind.

  It was only fifteen minutes from his home to the team house. He was glad he didn't have to take the freeway. The drive gave him a chance to look around the area closer and see what businesses were around him.

  It was a nice area. It had a much smaller feel than where he'd been raised. Being just outside Denver was good. Things moved a bit slower and that was one change he was going to enjoy. He looked forward to getting out and seeing more of the area once he was able. Being cooped up all the time was going to be hard. At least he wasn't alone in his suffering.

  He wasn't surprised to see Jeremy already at the house when he pulled into the driveway. He got the impression that Jeremy didn't like being alone. He wasn't sure why. The man was a total mystery to him. One he hoped he would slowly figure out. The team would work best if they were close and leaned on each other for support.

  As he walked into the house, he heard an old Metallica song coming from the computer room. He smiled. At least they shared a like of the same kind of music. He could tolerate almost anything, but hearing one of his favorite bands put him in a good mood.

  He headed down the hallway and tapped on the open door as he watched Jeremy working on the computer.

  Jeremy jumped at the sound, turning around, and smiling when he realized who it was. "Hey."

  "Expecting someone else?" D teased as he made his way into the room.

  "No, just focused and wasn't expecting you." Jeremy shrugged. "We're the only two with keys, so you'd think I wouldn't be so jumpy. Your hair looks much better."

  "Thanks, feels a hell of a lot better too. I feel more like myself." D glanced at the computer screen, seeing still photos of a naked little boy. "Already working?"

  "Yeah, figured the sooner I started getting files put together, the more evidence we'd have when this gets going. Some of this shit makes me want to run out and bang down doors the moment I find it."

  D gripped Jeremy's shoulder. "It's hard, and being patient and waiting until we build a case could be the hardest part. Promise me, if things get to be too much, you'll back away, take some time off. Go watch some Disney movie or something to bring some innocence back into your mind." As he said it, he was thinking about the need to find a therapist for the team. It was one more thing he needed to discuss with Bryon. How did you find a therapist willing to listen to their fucked-up nightmares and not call the cops on them?

  "Yeah, I can see how someone would need to step away for a bit. I've been at this an hour and already feel sick to my stomach." Jeremy sighed.

  "Well then, how about we get to work looking for others to join us?"

  "Sure, but how? It's not like we can put an ad in the paper for help wanted."

  D grinned. "No, but we can look through current court cases and arrests. We are looking for anyone who has been charged with assault or murder of a sexual predator. Or, we are looking for someone abused in the past that shows violent tendencies, but not so violent they can't control them. We'll know when we find the right people." At least he hoped they would. Bryon had always been great about knowing who to approach. D wasn't as confident in his own skills.

  "Okay, where do I look?" Jeremy asked.

  "Let's start with keywords and just search. Try sexual assault and Denver. Let's see if that gives us anything." D moved his chair closer so he could see the computer screen better. That was a mistake, because he caught a whiff of Jeremy's cologne, and now, he wanted to bury his nose against his neck and inhale him.

  He forced his thoughts on what they were doing. Jeremy wasn't someone he could fuck. They were partners, and they had to keep things professional. Besides, the last thing he needed was to hit on Jeremy and have him freak out. He couldn't get a good read on him to tell if he was straight or gay, which usually meant the guy was straight. Though, he'd been wrong before.

  One thing was for sure, if he didn't get laid soon, he was going to lose his mind. It had been over a month and with all the shit that had been going on, he was losing his control. He needed the escape he found through sex, even if it was just a quickie in the bathroom at one of the clubs.

  He wondered if he covered his tats, maybe wore a pair of glasses or something, if he dared go out just for a few hours. He could use a few drinks, and getting his cock satisfied would take the edge off and help him to focus on the job he had in front of him.

  "D?" Jeremy touched his thigh. "You okay?"

  "What?" D shook his head. "Sorry, was thinking. What did you say?"

  "I said, what about this guy?" He pointed to a current news article.

  D leaned in to read. It was about a man who had caught a soccer coach forcing his niece to fondle him. The guy had attacked the coach, stabbing him in the groin. Charges were filed on both men, the pedophile for sexual assault, and on the man for assault for stabbing the guy. "Shit, he might be perfect." D didn't dare get his hopes up. It was one thing to react to something you walked in on, but another to make a career out of cutting peoples' cocks off. "Search his name and see what else you can find. Print off each article so I can look them over."

  Could it be this easy? No. Approaching anyone scared the hell out of him. He had to be sure they would be willing to join before talking to anyone. He couldn't assume anything.

  "Hey, check this out." Jeremy sat back, allowing D to see what he was looking at.

  D read the short article about a doctor who had attacked a man who had brought a child into the emergency roo
m. The child had shown undeniable signs of sexual abuse, and when the man had told the doctor to mind his own business and just fix the child's broken leg that he'd been brought in for, the doctor had beaten the man.

  Seriously, it couldn't be this easy.

  "Print that off. How long ago is that dated?" D asked.

  "The doctor? That's from almost two weeks ago. The doctor is on leave pending an investigation. He's facing charges for beating the man, but the man and his wife were both arrested for abuse and two other children were found in the home with evidence of being abused also." Jeremy grinned at D. "I shouldn't be smiling about this, but I thought it would be a lot harder to find people to work with us."

  "It's still not going to be easy. Just because he had a quick reaction this one time doesn't mean he's willing to do what we do." D took the printed paper that Jeremy handed him. "It is a start though. I'm going to have you start running background checks on both of these guys. We'll see what we come up with. If there is nothing in their past to worry us, then we'll start watching them and seeing what they are up to now."

  "I'm glad I'm behind the computers and you get to do all the leg work. I'd be scared as hell to go out there admitting to people what we plan to do." Jeremy clicked away on the keyboard.

  "Oh, I'm not looking forward to it. I don't know how to even begin. I just know I want to get hunting again. I'm worried that once we do start hunting and have our first castrated people left behind, it will draw the cops to this area looking for me. I mean, I escape California and suddenly new attacks start happening here. It's going to be pretty obvious that it's me, right?"

  "Probably, but from what Carter said, the group is untraceable. Only if you get caught on the scene is there a risk." Jeremy turned to him.

  "True, as long as we do our jobs as well as Bryon and Carter do theirs. One mistake and we're all in trouble." D sat back. "How worried do we need to be about them hunting you down?"

  Jeremy shrugged. "I don't think too worried. I was facing murder charges, but I'd managed to bail out since I had no criminal record and it was a crime of passion so to speak. I think the fact that I worked for the government also helped. There were a lot of people who didn't think I should face charges at all, but the law is the law, and I did kill a guy."

  "Some people deserve to die," D told him. "I've been tempted to cross that line with some of our more extreme cases, but in the end, knowing they will suffer the rest of their lives is enough. Sometimes I think it's better than murder." He was still curious what caused Jeremy to commit murder, but again, he wasn't saying. "Let's grab some lunch and look these papers over, what do you say?"

  "Sure." Jeremy closed down his computer. "We've got bread and meat for sandwiches."

  "That works." D walked into the kitchen. "We can make a run to the store tonight. Get all that shit we made a list of yesterday."

  "That works. Can we get beer or is that not allowed in the house?" Jeremy asked.

  D laughed. "We are getting beer for sure. I want everyone sober when we're doing stings, but I don't mind everyone having a beer every once in a while, and some nights, after a very long day, it's something we all will want."

  "Look at you talking like we have a team already." Jeremy pulled the meat and mayo out of the fridge. "Mustard?"

  "Please." D worked the twist tie on the bread open. "The sooner we start thinking like a team, like a group, the better it will be. One or two for you?"

  "Two, please." Jeremy started to make the sandwiches.

  "So, tell me more about you. Not the new you, but the old. What did you do for fun?"

  Jeremy shrugged. "I worked a lot. Didn't have a lot of time for hobbies honestly. I binge watch TV on my days off, I liked going for runs every night after work, but once all this shit happened, I couldn't even go out. The media and other people were always following me, asking questions, or tossing accusations at me."

  "Family?"

  "No, my parents have both died. I was never close to my aunts or uncles. The few friends I've had to leave behind weren't anyone that mattered enough to miss. The only person who mattered in my life was the one I killed." Jeremy didn't look up from what he was doing. "I'm hoping now that I'm here, I can maybe focus on some new apps that I have ideas for, and maybe start going out more. I used to go to off-Broadway type shows with my parents, and I miss that a lot. I don't know what Denver has to offer, but I'll look into it once we get settled. I also am a huge baseball fan and excited to see about maybe getting Rockies season tickets."

  D nodded. "I'm up for that. I love baseball. I play a lot of basketball too. Was hoping there is a rec center or something close where I can join a league."

  "There's one not far from my house. I pass it on my way in."

  They started talking about their homes and what was in the area. D noticed that Jeremy seemed less tense talking about ordinary stuff than he did talking about himself or what had happened, but D was still curious. "So how'd you become a computer nerd?"

  Jeremy narrowed his eyes. "Nerd, really?"

  "Geek?" D grinned.

  Jeremy shook his head. "Whatever you say, Blondie."

  "Hey, not any longer." D ran his fingers through his hair. "Seriously, I don't know what to call you. IT tech feels too snobby, and computer guru sounds just as nerdy as nerd does."

  Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Do I call you Cutter?"

  "No, you call me 'The Muscle', at least that's what the other team calls us."

  "We'll have to come up with something new." Jeremy stared at D's arms as if mocking his arm muscles.

  "Fuck you." D laughed. "Seriously, we are all going to be part of the team. No need to differentiate one or the other. The whole process won't work without all of us. It's too dangerous." D skimmed the papers. "I want to talk to this guy who stabbed the coach if his background check holds up. I don't care if he's been arrested for minor things, what I don't want is someone who won't work well with others. We all have to be team players. I'm not as confident about this doctor. I don't know why, but my gut is telling me he's not our guy, even if he did have that reaction to the abuse."

  "I have to let you take the lead." Jeremy took a drink.

  D smiled, wishing he could take the lead with Jeremy. He was so fucking horny that watching his lips curl around the water bottle had his cock getting hard. He forced back his need and focused on the job. "Before long, you'll be handling everything just fine. It's just a matter of us learning what the other does. I never paid attention to the guys in the computer room before. I didn't have to, but now, leading the team alongside you, I want to know how to at least do some of the easier things."

  "Fair enough. Carter told me it could take years to build a good team, so don't worry about it happening overnight. If these guys don't work, someone will come along that will."

  "Easy for you to say. I want to get out there working again. It might sound horrible, but I miss the rush."

  "No, I get it. I can see how doing what you do would be addictive. Knowing you're saving kids, stopping perverts. Not doing it would be hard."

  "I feel worthless. Like I'm letting it happen when I could stop it."

  "You're not though. You're building a team that in the long run will stop a lot more of them. You'll save more kids if you build a good group." Jeremy got serious. "It doesn't freak you out cutting off a man's cock?'

  D grinned. "The first time I saw someone do it, I walked around with my legs crossed for a week. Seriously, it was all I could think about, but then Bryon took me in and showed me one of the videos they'd found. The kid was four years old. I was so pissed that two nights later, I went in with the team and cut the pedo's balls off myself without another thought about what I was doing. Now I look at it as if I'm disarming the bad guys, but instead of taking a knife or gun from them, I'm taking away another weapon."

  "That's actually a great way to look at it. Still not sure I could do it. I cringe thinking about it."

  "Maybe that's why I like sex so much. I'm
confirming my parts are still there and in working order."

  "Yeah, I'd probably be the same way."

  D glanced at the paperwork again, reading about the man who'd stabbed the coach. He wasn't facing huge charges, probably nothing he'd serve time for. He needed more information. Once Jeremy did a full background, he'd decide if he would approach the guy. "You in the mood to get out of here for a while?"

  "Fuck yes." Jeremy looked up with interest.

  "Let's go drive around, check the area out. Then we can stop and pick up groceries or whatever. I just can't sit here anymore without anything to do. I ordered a bunch of stuff that's going to be delivered here this week, but nothing will come today. Tomorrow we can focus, but today, I'm just not in the mood."

  "Sounds good to me. You driving, or am I?" Jeremy asked.

  "I might as well learn my way around." D pulled his keys out. "I might even buy you dinner."

  "I'm a cheap date in every way but food. It might cost you," Jeremy warned.

  "As long as I get a big, juicy steak, you can cost me anything you want." He headed out the door with Jeremy behind them. If this was going to be his new home, he would make the best of it.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Jeremy focused on the man's face, trying his hardest not to pay attention to the kids he was abusing. He swallowed hard as bile rose in his throat. He had the sound down to drown out the children's screams. There were two girls, neither looked to be over ten years old. He had one tied up, lying on one side of the bed, the other he held down as he raped her. It was the most violent video he'd found so far, and it made him sick being unable to do anything about it.

  Making sure he got screenshots of the man and facial photos of each child to save so they could try to identify them, he shut off the video, turning his focus to trying to figure out its source. If he could track the video back to a starting location, then he could hopefully find more information on the man and where he was holding the kids.