Free (Save The Kids Book 4)

by E. M. Leya

  "Yeah, I'll try." Jeremy gave him a weak smile. "I'll feel better about the whole thing once you're back home."

  "Won't be long at all. You can follow the events on the scanner once I put the 911 call in. You'll feel differently about it all once you hear those kids being saved. Hopefully, a couple of families will get their kids back tonight." He wasn't about to mention how it would also put the police on high alert finding out that a new 'castrator' was active in their city. D double checked that he had everything he needed. The torch, knife, string, lockpick, spray paint, and flash drive were in his pocket. He grabbed the burner phone and the syringe, shoving them into his pocket before he took off his gloves. He then made sure his mask sat on the top of his head. The hoodie would cover it until he needed to pull it down over his face. He snagged three more sets of gloves before nodding to Jeremy. "Okay. I'll call when I'm going in. Remember the codes?"

  "Yep. Be safe and if anything feels off, get the fuck out."

  "I will," he promised, though he had no plans on stopping once he got inside the house. The rush of adrenaline that was hitting him reminded him why he loved doing this. It was all about saving the kids, but there was also a rush from the risk. Even though he'd gone to jail the last time, there was no fear. He was confident and ready to start taking down pedophiles again. "See you in a bit." He patted his pocket, triple checking he had everything, then headed out to his car.

  Jeremy had come through, getting three new cars for the team. D picked the dark blue one, liking the look better than the black ones. As he climbed in, the scent of new car hit him, and he smiled, savoring the smell because, in just a bit, the scent of burning flesh would be in his nose, and it would take hours to rid himself of that stench.

  As he pulled away from the house, D turned on the radio, going through his pre-sting habits, working through the process in his mind as he made his way to the location. Jeremy had been amazing. It had only taken two days to get the cars, of course paying cash helped put a rush on anything. They'd picked them up at a location outside of town where someone Carter had put them in contact with had left them, the keys under the floormats. Once they had the cars, the rest was up to Jeremy. He had managed to track all the information he could and collect evidence to leave for the police. He'd also secured the area as best he could, and proved that he had the talent to do what needed to be done. Not that D had doubted that. Carter wouldn't have set him up with anyone who couldn't handle the job, and beyond that, the time he'd spent with Jeremy over the last week or so had shown him that Jeremy was almost as good as Carter at hacking systems. He was lucky to have him on his team.

  Now, he just needed to find others to join them.

  He couldn't bother thinking about that. He pulled into the neighborhood where the pedophile lived. It wasn't the best neighborhood, but he'd seen much worse. The houses weren't right on top of each other, which was nice. He was less likely to be seen with space between the homes. Not that he was worried. The layout of the house made things easy. There were three doors leading outside. He hoped to use the side door by the garage to give him more cover, but if he needed to, the backdoor would work. There were a lot of trees, and that helped shade him from the neighbors.

  He parked the car a few houses down the road. Once he turned off the engine, he inspected the neighborhood. It was dark, and only one light was on, and it was at a house at the end of the block. Not close enough for him to worry about.

  He quickly tapped out a message on his burner phone and sent it to the burner phone that Jeremy had.

  Arrived, waiting on go. STK

  He didn't have to wait long for the response that let him know all cameras in the area were off and he was good to go.

  Confirmation. Proceed. STK

  Shoving the cell phone into his pocket, he took a deep breath. It had been forever since he'd been out doing this. It was probably wrong to be so excited, but he loved his job. There was a satisfaction that came with stopping the sexual abuse of a child.

  He gave the neighborhood a final look, confident he was safe, and casually got out of the car. His hoodie was drawn over his head, shading his face from view, and once he got to the location and out of plain sight, he would pull the mask over his face.

  He made it to the driveway and was pleased to see that there was nothing blocking the side door near the garage. He quickly dropped his mask, and pulled out his lockpick set, only to be surprised that when he tried the door, it was already unlocked. While that should have worried him, it didn't. It was amazing how many people didn't lock their doors at night. More than a third of the homes he'd gone into had either left windows or doors open as if welcoming him in.

  He quietly pushed the door open, cautious, and alert that the man could be right inside, but he wasn't. The house was dark as D stepped into the kitchen.

  As he turned on his flashlight, he saw the home was a disaster. Old food packages and dirty dishes cluttered the kitchen counters. He hated houses like this. He never knew what he was going to find when things were such a mess, and it made the threat of tripping over something a much bigger risk.

  Having memorized the layout of the house before he came, he focused on finding the main bedroom. It was nearly two in the morning, and hopefully, the man would be asleep. The floor creaked under his weight and he paused, making sure he hadn't woken anyone.

  D smiled when he heard a snore come from the main bedroom. He loved it when the perpetrator was asleep. It made the job so much easier. Careful to remain silent, he turned off his flashlight, giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the dark. He'd turn on the lights once he'd subdued the man, but until then, he needed the advantage the darkness gave him.

  As he stepped into the room, he tried not to gag as the smell of sex overwhelmed him. It disgusted him, making him more determined than ever to put a stop to this man's evil. As he neared the bed, he paused, cursing silently as he saw two people on the bed. Moving closer, he realized how small the other figure was, then in the shadows, he saw the chain that held the person to the headboard. It was one of the girls.

  It wasn't the first time he'd had to deal with a victim in the vicinity, but it did complicate things. He didn't want the girl to witness what he needed to do. The last thing he wanted was for her to have those visions in her mind for years to come.

  Praying that the girl didn't wake up right away and scream, he took the syringe out, uncapped it, and jabbed it into the man's neck. The sooner he had him controlled, the sooner he could deal with the girl beside him.

  The man jumped, but just as quickly the drugs took effect and he was left unable to move, lying motionless on the bed.

  "Mmmfff." The girl made a sound as the chain rattled.

  "Easy, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm going to make sure you get out of here, but first I need to deal with this bad man. Can you stay still and quiet for me?" He flipped on the lamp beside the bed, sure that the girl would panic when she saw his masked face, but she didn't. Instead, she stared at him with wide eyes as she nodded.

  He longed to remove the tape over her mouth, but it was a rule the team had that they never touched the children in any way unless they were at risk. The police would be there soon, and he had to trust they would work quickly to take care of the children.

  With light filling the small room, D quickly pulled the man off the bed, trying to ignore the naked child on the other side. Tears filled her eyes, and she seemed to be trying to say something through the gag that was in her mouth.

  "I know you're scared, but I promise help is coming. The police will be here shortly." His focus was on the man now at his feet, even though he spoke to the child. "Let me make sure this man is tied up so he can't hurt you anymore." He kneeled down beside the man, glaring at him. Usually, he had a lot to say to the person he was about to castrate, but with the girl in the room, he stayed silent.

  The fear in the man's eyes brought joy to D as he took out the zip ties and tied one of the man's hands to the base of the mattress fr
ame, then the other to the leg of the nightstand. He didn't waste any time stripping the man of his pants.

  He saw when the man realized what was going to happen. It was the moment D lived for. Usually it happened when he tied the string around the man's cock and balls and then pulled out his knife. He nodded to the man as he held up the curved blade knife for him to see. "Never again." He pulled the strings tight, away from his body, then without hesitation sliced through the man's flesh, detaching them from his body.

  Blood poured from the wound, but that was natural. There were a lot of vessels in that area. That was what the torch was for. First, he managed to insert the catheter tube into his urethra. That was the hardest job of all of it. Working through the blood and mess made it hard to find at times, but he'd done this enough to know what he was looking for. With the tube in place, he took out the torch. "You're going to smell something really bad in a minute, but don't worry. It's just some stuff to make sure this man doesn't escape and hurt you again." He wanted the girl to stay as calm as she could.

  True to his word, the smell of burning flesh filled the room as he cauterized the wound. That done, he took the man's cock and balls from the floor and held them up for the man to see. It was times like this he wished the perverts could talk or react. The medication subdued them enough that he never got the reaction he wanted from them.

  Making sure he'd pocketed everything, D stood and turned to the young girl. "The bad man is tied up and won't get away. I need to go and call the police. They will come to get you so you can go home."

  She shook her head frantically.

  It was almost enough to guilt D into helping her loose, but he couldn't break the rules that kept him safe. He needed to get out and let the police handle the rest. If their information was right, there was another girl down the hallway. D pulled out the small spray paint can he had on him and headed down the hall. He paused, carefully trying to open the door. When he found it locked, he spray-painted a heart on the door, hoping he was right and the girl was in there. He then sprayed arrows from the main bedroom to the door so that the police would know to follow the path. It wasn't like they wouldn't clear the home anyway, but this way they would hopefully be aware that there was another child in that room and do what they could not to scare her.

  With his work done, D made his way out of the home, pausing only to make sure that there was no one around before hurrying to his car. He pulled the mask off his face as he started the engine, then slowly pulled away. He waited until he was a few blocks from the home before pulling out his burner phone and calling the police to let them know kids were in danger and there was a single perpetrator tied up inside the home. He then sent a quick text to Jeremy.

  Task completed. STK

  Once he'd let Jeremy know he was safe, he headed to the small lake in the area. It wasn't the ideal place to dump things, but it would do for now. In time, he'd find other locations in the area that would work as well. He liked that there were several lakes in the area so no matter where the job took them, they would hopefully have a dump site.

  Pulling up beside the lake, he shut off the car. Taking time to make sure he got everything, he bagged all the items he'd used, including the burner phone, and tied it tightly. Being so late, there wasn't anyone around, and Jeremy had already checked the area for cameras. Confident he was safe, he walked to the edge of a small bridge and dropped the bag into the water. He wasn't exactly sure how deep it was, but it would hide what he needed to hide.

  Once that was done, he headed back to the house, high on adrenaline and feeling good about finally getting back to work. Tonight, the abuse of two girls would end, and one pedophile would never rape another child again.

  He wanted to celebrate. He usually went out and found someone for a long night of sex, but since he was trying to keep a low profile, he wondered if Jeremy would be up for it. While they hadn't discussed the sex they had, they had flirted a lot while working the case the last few days, and there was no denying how great sex was between them.

  Bryon had always warned them about getting involved with a team member, but this was just sex. D didn't see a problem as long as they both agreed with what they were doing. Besides, Bryon didn't have room to make rules like that, for one, this was now his and Jeremy's team, not Bryon's, and Bryon had broken his own rule when he started seeing Becca.

  He wasn't going to overthink things. Hopefully, Jeremy would be up for some fun, if not, he'd have to head home and find some good porn online. One way or another, he'd find his release.

  He wasn't sure why sex eased his mind. He'd always used it for an escape. Even back when he was younger, he'd found sex with men to be the only thing that could take his stress away. It didn't matter if it was with a partner or solo honestly, but having a good orgasm seemed to cure things for a while. It never lasted long, and usually after a day or two without he was on the hunt again looking for more.

  When Xander had been single, it had been easier. He always had his wingman to go out with. They'd been best friends since meeting in the Army, and Xander was the only person who knew exactly what had gone on in his past. It was a secret he was sure Xander would take to the grave with him. Bryon knew a little, but not the graphic details about the hell D had been through. He never asked Bryon how he knew, but then again, Bryon always seemed to be able to figure things out somehow. It's why he was so good at recruiting for the team. It was as if he could read peoples' souls.

  D turned up the radio. He wasn't going to let memories of the past get him down. He was back to work, running his own team, and life was going to be good again once things settled. He had a good future to look forward to. He just needed to focus on that. The past was the past and better left there.

  Pressing the gas pedal down, he headed to the house, hopeful that Jeremy would be ready to celebrate.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Jeremy let out a sigh of relief after receiving the final text from D. He was now listening to the police scanner, hoping it didn't take the cops very long to get there and save the kids.

  Even though he wasn't there, being part of something like this was amazing. It didn't matter if he was the one to go into the home or not, he had a part in making sure two kids were going to be safe and hopefully go home to good families.

  The sudden ring of the doorbell sent his heart racing. It was nearly the middle of the night. No one should be at the team's door. Hoping it was nothing more than D making good time and forgetting his keys, he looked out the peep hole, praying it wasn't police.

  He saw a tall, dark-haired man standing there, looking tired. "Can I help you?" He called through the door, wishing D and he had gone shopping for guns. They'd talked about it before doing the sting, but D wanted to hold off a bit longer, and hopefully find someone else to purchase them since his prints were on file and his face was still in the news.

  "Is William in?" the man asked.

  "No." He wasn't sure what to think. No one should know that name other than people who knew D.

  "My name is Beau. I work with Bryon and Carter."

  Jeremy had heard the name before, but he still wasn't secure in opening the door. "Prove it."

  "STK and penguin." The man stared at the peep hole as if he knew he was being watched.

  The password was right, and that eased his mind. He quickly unlocked the door and stepped back. "Sorry, but I had to be sure."

  "I don't blame you. I wasn't going to stop by this late, but when I saw lights on, I hoped I could catch William. Can I come in for a few?" Beau asked.

  "Sure. William should be here soon." Jeremy closed the door once Beau stepped inside. "Only he goes by D. If you call him William, he might punch you."

  Beau laughed. "Sounds like him."

  "Come on in. Would you like a drink or something?" Jeremy led him into the kitchen.

  "Yeah, I'd love some water. Like I said, I didn't plan on stopping by. My plane got in about an hour ago. I was on my way to get a hotel room, but decided to
drive by and check the place out first. When I saw the lights on, I hoped Dy… D would be here." Beau sat down and stretched his long legs out.

  "You're the doctor, correct?" Jeremy handed Beau a bottle of water.

  "Yeah." Beau twisted the cap.

  "Then you'll understand if I go grab the police scanner so I can listen and make sure D is safe?"

  Beau narrowed his eyes, but just nodded.

  Jeremy ran and got the handheld scanner. They had a bigger one in the computer room, but the handheld was nice if he needed to move around. He paused to listen for a moment, relieved the police were on scene. Confident that D hadn't been caught, he headed out to the kitchen, setting the scanner on the table.

  "I wasn't aware you were doing stings yet," Beau said.

  "We weren't, but when we found two kids on site, D decided it was worth the risk." Jeremy shrugged. "I couldn't argue. I mean, I did a little, but when it comes down to it, the risk was worth saving the kids."

  Beau smiled. "You don't have to tell me. I got suspended from the team for doing nearly the same thing a while back. I'm not happy he's going out without a full team behind him, but I've heard great things about you from Carter and know you did all you could to make sure he was safe."

  Jeremy relaxed. He was sure they were going to get their asses handed to them for acting so quickly. "Thanks. I'm nowhere near as good as Carter, but I'm learning. Finding a doctor and a couple more guys to help D is our priority. I can handle the computers until we find someone for that. I just hate that he might take risks he shouldn't until we have a team behind us."

  "I might be able to help with that. It's one of the reasons I'm here." Beau paused as headlights shined through the window. "Might as well wait and tell you both at the same time."

  Jeremy nodded as he stood and went to the door. The relief at seeing D pull into the driveway was stronger than he'd thought it would be. It was as if until he saw D he couldn't be sure he was okay. As he opened the door and D walked in, he blew out a relieved breath. "Police are on scene with the kids," Jeremy told him.