by E. M. Leya
"I don't know. I've seen talk of raids, but honestly, it's too big. These people move constantly. I'm sure it's impossible to keep up with them. And they don't trust anyone. I've had to create a whole new identity and hack into my system to change my information, so they can't track my location and find out who I really am. I've broken the law doing this, but like I said, it doesn't matter if I don't get Faith back." Matt leaned back in his chair.
"This is insane."
"A nightmare," Matt agreed.
Trish sighed. "You still have to take care of yourself. Please eat just a little. I can't have you get sick too. It's too much. Please, for me?"
Matt stared at the food, his stomach turning, but Trish was right. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten anything. He'd lived off coffee and water for the last few weeks, only eating when he started to feel dizzy because he hadn't. Even then, it was only a cup of soup or crackers. He forced himself to take a bite of the potatoes, hardly tasting them. The smile of relief on Trish's face was worth it. Maybe, just maybe, she would lay off now and leave him alone to do the things he needed to do.
As he forced himself to eat and listened to Trish talk about her week, his mind drifted back to the dark web. If Faith was out there, he would find her, and he would stop at nothing to bring her home.
CHAPTER THREE
Xander glanced over at Becca, watching as she set a stack of files down on the desk. As much as he appreciated the work she did with the team, he longed for a day where she would drop by without any files in her hands. Files meant work, and in his business, work meant kids were being hurt. "That's a large stack."
"Two cases. I'll brief you when the others arrive." She swept her long, blonde hair back from her face, tying it in a ponytail before falling down onto the couch across the room. "What a long day."
"Judge Harrison again?" Xander asked.
"Yeah, I don't know what I did to end up in his courtroom this week, but I'm done with it. He needs to retire. He spends more time snapping at the court clerks than dealing with his caseload." She pulled her vape out of her pocket and took a long drag off it.
"Is he running for reelection?" Xander asked.
"He hasn't decided. He has to submit the paperwork next week if he is." She stretched her legs out on the couch.
"At least with him being so lost in his own head, it gives you time to dig through the cases for us." He admired Becca. She risked everything alerting them to every child abuse case that came through the local courts. It was one way they were made aware of pedophiles who had been charged multiple times or given light sentences for horrible crimes.
His team only dealt with the worst of the worst, but once someone was on their radar, his team made a file on them to keep watch. Sadly, most would offend again, often taking things to another level.
Becca was only one of eight on the team besides Xander. Carter was their computer expert. Xander hadn't found a system Carter couldn't hack into. He was a genius when it came to programming, and they were lucky he was on their side and not the other. Beau was their physician. He trained them in how to handle the surgical side of what their team did and made sure they had the drugs they needed to keep the perps compliant. He was the one who trained Xander on how to cut off a man's balls and penis. It had taken practice, but after doing it so many times, Xander was nearly as good as Beau would be if he went out and did it himself.
Kasey and Dyson also worked with them. Like Xander, they were the ones who made contact and dealt justice to the men and women they hunted. They were called the muscle of the team because they did the dirty work, the physical part of the job that many others couldn't stomach.
Trenton and Bryon spent most of their time online, researching and building their cases, and saving information. Trenton was in charge of making sure the files and information were accurate, possibly the most important member of the team. Bryon had the hardest job of all of them. He was deep into the dark web, a well-trusted member of some of the worst circles that existed. He put himself into the sex trafficking community, personally taking the time to appear an active and interested member. It was because of him that the team got the information they were able to. They did everything that they could to keep him safe and make sure that when they did take down a person or group of traffickers that Bryon stayed protected. They couldn't risk him being exposed. They would lose too much information if he was uncovered as a spy.
Together, they worked hard to take down pedophiles and the underground rings that exploited children. They focused mostly on protecting children under twelve, finding the men and women who desired them to be the most dangerous and vile people alive.
There were other teams who hunted the others, but most of them stayed within the boundaries of the law. They gathered information and handed it over to the police. Xander's team was glad the other teams were out there, hopefully stopping and scaring most pedophiles before they got to the level that STK needed to get involved.
STK only took on the worst of the worst. Those who kidnapped, groomed, and sold children to others. It was a disgusting community of men and women who would spend months training young children on how to submit. Xander had no regrets being part of the team, and he was proud of what he did to the men and women who destroyed these children's lives.
"Hey, boys and girls." Beau walked in carrying a box. He set it beside the files Becca had brought in.
"Hey, Beau." Becca waved.
Xander nodded his direction. "What's up?"
"Glad to finally get a couple of days off. I swear it's been crazy this week at the hospital." Beau grabbed a beer from the small fridge that sat to one side of the room. "Anyone else?" He held the bottle up.
"No thanks." Xander needed to keep a clear head. He wasn't sure if he had a job to do tonight or if Dyson was going to take it.
"I'll take one." Becca sat up on the couch.
Beau took her the beer and sat down beside her. "Everyone else late?"
"I said six o'clock. I've got three minutes." Carter walked out of the other room, where they had all their computers set up.
Trenton, Bryon, and Carter spent most of their time locked away in that room, digging for information and tracking the men they were watching. It was a job Xander couldn't handle. Not only did he like to be active and keep moving, but he didn't have the stomach to look at the photographs and videos all day. He wasn't sure how those who had to deal with it day in and day out handled it. He would lose his mind.
Maybe it was too close to home.
"Like these meetings ever get started on time." Bryon stepped out of the other room, followed by Trenton. "Where's Kasey and Dyson?"
"Dyson won't be here, but Kase should be here." Beau told them.
"So, if Dyson's busy, who's doing tonight's job?" Xander asked. He didn't mind doing two jobs in a row, it would hardly be the first time, but the team agreed to split them up, so it never became too much for any one person.
"Kase is doing it. I talked to him this morning." Carter twisted open his beer. "I've got a bit more information to add to the file." He glanced at Trenton.
"Just get it to me. I'll add it in. I've got everything ready to go. Three convictions, one of child rape. Served five years, released and on parole, but he's been looking into joining a party." Trenton's words were filled with hate.
Xander swallowed his disgust. A party was where several men would get together and take turns using a young boy or girl. Some believed it was an important part of training a child, but to Xander, it was one quick way to get your name added to their list. As far as he was concerned, anyone who took part in a party deserved what his team would bring.
The front door opened, and Kasey walked in, his arms filled with pizza boxes. "Howdy." He set the boxes on the coffee table. "I needed to eat, and figured I'd feed you fools too." He flipped his long, dark hair back from his face before opening one of the boxes and pulling out two slices. He took a seat on the floor, leaning back against Xander's chair. "So, what are we doing?
"
Bryon leaned over and grabbed a piece of pizza. "I've got a lot of information. Get comfy, we may be here a while."
Xander stood, grabbing the bottle of beer he'd dismissed earlier along with two slices of pizza before sitting back down.
"I've got two new cases to give you also. One male, one female, both with priors. I don't think they are ready for us to move on, but this female needs watching." Becca nodded to the files she brought. "Forty-year-old woman found guilty of sexually abusing her grandsons. Served three years. Finished two years of parole, but has just picked up another charge of grooming young boys online. The judge found her guilty, but gave her probation on the charges. The male has been charged with attempted kidnapping, served ten years, and was caught stalking a local elementary school. He got six months, with credit for time served. He'll be out in two weeks."
"I'll make sure we have them in our system and check out their internet activity," Carter promised.
"Kase, you've got tonight's case. Sixty-two-year-old, Benji Ferguson. He's got a child held in the home, so be careful. You know the routine, get in, take care of Benji, mark the house so the cops know the kid is there, leave the file, and get out. Let the cops do all the work."
Xander blew out a long breath, glad that Kasey was taking this one. He hated working stings when there was a child in the home. When it happened, it took everything he had to not rescue the kid. The only thing that kept him going was that the cops would be there within ten minutes most of the time, and if they were lucky, the child would be returned to their parents.
"I read the file earlier. I'm good." Kasey nodded to the team. "I'll call Carter once it's done."
"Everything go well with your sting last night, Xan?" Bryon asked.
"Yep, not a glitch. The guy was active when I entered, took him down, took care of him, and called the cops." Xander pulled a piece of pepperoni off his pizza and popped it into his mouth.
"A small article in the paper today about it, but like always, they kept most the details out of the media as best they could." Trenton smiled.
That was normal. By now, STK had done enough jobs that the police were more than aware of them. Maybe not STK, but that there was a group out there taking care of business. It seldom made the news. Carter said he figured it was because the police knew that if what they did made headlines, the public would stand behind them and more groups might try to take a vigilante approach when dealing with pedophiles.
Xander figured the cops were privately supportive of what they did, though they couldn't state that publicly. There was no doubt that if STK was ever caught, they would face hard time for what they'd done. It was a risk Xander was more than willing to take. The lives he'd saved were more important than his fear of sitting in a prison cell the rest of his life. He guessed the cops weren't digging too hard to stop them. The people STK took down deserved what they got.
"I have a case I need some advice on." Bryon sighed. "I started tracking a new profile. The guy has hidden his true identity well, but I had Carter do some of his fancy work, and found out that this guy is the father of the ten-year-old girl who went missing in Cedar Oaks a couple months ago. He's worked his way into the circles quite quickly. He's not deep enough yet to gain access to any information, but he's close. Even with the backgrounds these groups run, I think he's smart enough to infiltrate the circles."
Carter nodded. "I was impressed. This guy is almost as good as I am at hacking, hiding his identity, and creating another. He's good. One of the best I've seen in a long time."
"The issue with this is, we all know that a grieving father isn't stable enough to handle what he is going to find once he gets a little deeper. He's a loose cannon at this point, and we all know what will happen if by some miracle he finds his daughter on one of those sites." Bryon reached for another slice of pizza. "So far, he's doing everything right, but it's only a matter of time before everything he is seeing gets to him. We've all had those emotional breaks. We've learned how to support each other and get through them, but he's on his own. When he loses it, it's not going to be pretty."
"Not to mention the number of cases he could disrupt should they catch on that he's a fake," Beau said. "They'll all shut down and relocate. We'll lose every lead we have."
Xander nodded. They'd seen it happen before. One hint of someone infiltrating their rings and everything went black in seconds. It was like the power grid had been shut down. Everything was gone. "So, what are you thinking we should do?"
"I don't know. Normally, I would suggest we shut this guy down, but with this one, he is so deep already that I'm almost thinking he should stay." Bryon shrugged.
"He can't," Becca spoke up. "Not if he's a risk."
"This guy is good. Almost as great as me. Good enough that he could work with us." Carter held up his hands as everybody in the room turned to stare at him. "I know, I know. We haven't brought anyone inside for years. I get that. But the truth is, since Jeff left, I could use the help. This guy is really good. I know his head is in the wrong place right now, but if we bring him in, even just enough to guide him, make sure he doesn't go off the deep end, I think he'll gain their trust. Think about it. Not only can this guy hack, but he's gaining trust with the perps. He'd be a combination of Bryon and me. I'm not saying we have to bring him all the way in. We don't have to let him know exactly what we do, but I think someone should talk to him. If nothing else, we need to keep an eye on him."
Kasey set his empty water bottle on the table. "And if he reports us?"
"So what? We don't give him any information. We give him fake names. Just feel him out at first, see where his head is," Carter suggested.
"I can guess where his head is if he just had his daughter kidnapped." Becca stood, walking across the room. "This doesn't sound safe."
"Any information on his daughter?" Xander asked.
"No, she was taken less than half a block from home on her way from school. No one saw anything. No cameras other than the ones that show her leaving the school. I haven't seen any sign of her online, but that doesn't mean anything. We all know they can hold a child for years grooming them before they offer them to the public." Bryon shrugged. "She might not even be out there. There are so many possibilities that it's impossible to go through them all. They have no leads. The family has been cleared. The girl's mother is deceased. No reason or signs of her being a runaway. It's just one big dead end at this point."
"Which is why this father is delving into the dark web hoping for just anything to hold onto, no matter how sinister it might be." Kasey sighed.
"Right, but with our help, with us watching him, keeping him from going off the deep end, he might be able to help us with a lot of other cases," Bryon replied.
"The whole time with him thinking we are searching for his daughter?" Xander wasn't comfortable lying to anyone, especially an already hurting father.
"No, we'll be honest with him. We'll help him search for his daughter, take any information he gains on any of the pedophile rings. With him working with us, we can keep an eye on what he's doing and stop him from going off the edge. If things get too bad, we'll have Katie talk to him," Bryon suggested.
There was a loud groan around the room. Everyone hated talking to Katie. It wasn't that she was a horrible person, but talking to Katie meant someone in STK thought you needed to let off some tension. Katie was the group's therapist. Wife of one of the older members who had died, she was well aware what the group did, and offered her services to any of them when things got too bad or one of the other members felt you were ready to snap.
Xander hated the mandatory visit every three months that Bryon insisted they all have. He understood how trying this job could be, but he hated talking to anyone. With his past, he'd sat through enough therapy sessions in his life. He didn't want to do it as an adult.
"As much as you guys might hate seeing Katie, think of how she might help this guy. I'm guessing up until now, he's been leaning on family, maybe a pas
tor, or some friend. He might need something a bit more professional," Bryon said.
"What do we know about the guy?" Becca asked from where she leaned against the wall.
"Matthew Springton is thirty-four-years-old. Married at the age of twenty-two. Had his daughter Faith at twenty-four. Mother, Jill, died of pancreatic cancer five years ago. Matt has raised his daughter alone since then. He's an IT specialist for a local software company. From what I can tell, he is way underpaid for the skills he has, but makes a comfortable enough living from his job to raise Faith. His sister, Trish, is a big part of their lives, filling in on the motherly role when Faith needs it. His mother lives close, and is also active in their lives. No signs of any major family issues. Faith does well at school, has a lot of friends. No issues were found on her side either." Carter stood and disappeared into the other room for a moment. When he came back, he passed a printed photo of Matt and Faith around the group.
Bryon reached for another beer. "Since she's been missing, Matt's withdrawn. He spends every free moment he can delving into the dark web. He got the information from Darren Richter. The father of Danny Richter."
Everyone in the room nodded. They all remembered the young boy who had been kidnapped and sold online several years back. It was a case no one could forget. The father found the proof his son had been sold, but by the time he did, there was no trace of the young boy.
"So, would we include Richter in this too?" Kasey asked.
"No, even though I'm sure that Darren is more than willing to help us, the fewer people who know about us the better. The only reason I'm even suggesting Matt is because of his hacking ability, and the fact that he already has an online persona that is gaining trust. It's got to be a group choice. We all know how one wrong move could take us all down. I, for one, am not ready to skip out of the country. I have too many kids still to save." Bryon looked around the circle at the rest of the group. "Think about it tonight. We'll talk tomorrow and vote on it." He stood. "Kase, will you be okay tonight?"