CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Lucas
HIS PHONE beeped with an incoming message and when he saw Gemma’s answer to his text, he felt like throwing his phone at the wall. No progress. Almost two weeks and there hadn’t been a single sighting of the truck, the men, or the girls. They were no closer to finding them or shutting down the ring.
He would never complain about the time he’d gotten to spend with Akio, but he’d be lying if he claimed that this case wasn’t niggling at the back of his head the whole time.
“What’s wrong?”
He snapped his head up to see Akio standing in the doorway, his brows pinched in concern.
“Nothing. It’s alright.”
He didn’t want to put any of that on Akio. Since becoming an agent, he’d never been good at leaving work at work. The very few boyfriends he’d had after Chris hadn’t exactly appreciated it. One had gotten mad he wouldn’t share what was bothering him and in a fit of annoyance, he’d shared enough to make the man never look at him the same again.
Akio took a step closer, one hand lifting until he was pushing two fingers against Lucas’ forehead.
“You frown when something’s weighing on you,” Akio said, smoothing out said frown and leaving Lucas fighting a smile.
He wrapped his arms around Akio’s waist and tugged him closer. Akio tilted his head back, his fingers sliding from Lucas’ forehead into his hair until his hand was against the back of Lucas’ head.
“It’s work stuff. It’s not… most people don’t―”
“I’m not most people,” Akio said with a small shake of his head. “Or did you forget my last name?”
“Yokota or Sato-Walsh?”
The corners of Akio’s mouth creased.
“Either will do it.”
“True.”
He lowered his head, nose finding the crook of Akio’s neck. He drew in a breath, Akio’s scent filling his nose. It was mixed with the soap he had in the shower and a pinch of his cologne. Despite the bag full of his own clothes and his washing machine, Akio was still mostly wearing Lucas’ clothes, and it drove him fucking crazy. He liked it more than he would ever be brave enough to admit.
When he pulled back, Akio was staring into his eyes with such unwavering determination he felt his heart skip a beat.
“Tell me about it?”
Akio looked so genuine. So invested. He couldn’t have kept his mouth shut if he wanted to.
“In the past few years, a new trafficking ring has sprung up. We’ve had a hell of a time trying to shut it down. We only catch a few of the lowlifes involved. Save a few girls. No matter what we do, they’re always ten steps ahead of us. We don’t know who’s at the top. No one talks.”
Akio was looking down at his hands as he spoke low, “They filled the void my father left behind.”
The guilt lacing Akio’s voice was like a sting to his heart.
He grabbed Akio’s hands, making him look up. “This is not your doing.”
Akio’s lips trembled.
“He’s dead because of me,” he whispered.
“No.” Lucas shook his head. “He’s dead because he was a monster. He’s dead because Diesel killed him.”
“He wouldn’t have if I―”
“No,” he snapped, cringing when Akio jerked at his harsh tone. He raised his hands to cup Akio’s face, thumbs brushing across his cheeks. “There was no way he was getting out of that situation alive. If it hadn’t been Diesel, it would’ve been Chris or me. Do you understand?”
There were tears in Akio’s eyes as he nodded slowly.
He knew the second Akio’s mind went into the past, the look in his eyes far off. It had happened a lot in the beginning when he’d still been in the hospital, just after escaping his father.
He tugged Akio toward the couch, making him sit down next to him.
“It was cold and dry,” Akio muttered.
Lucas kept his mouth shut, staring at Akio who was wringing his hands.
“My skin would get so dry and dusty, and it would get really scratchy.” Akio looked up, meeting Lucas’ gaze. “Why is that the thing I remember?”
He reached for Akio though he didn’t touch, didn’t want to cross any boundaries Akio might have as he recalled his trauma. Akio smiled softly at him and then he was crawling into Lucas’ lap, knees on either side of him, arms wrapping around the back of his neck while Akio hid his face in Lucas’ chest.
He listened to Akio’s breath as he held him tightly, not letting go until Akio pulled back. He brushed Akio’s hair out of his eyes, loving the sweet smile Akio gave him.
He knew exactly how to bring Akio out of this damaging mindset. He’d done it hundreds of times before.
“You want some chocolate?”
Akio’s smile turned almost bashful as he nodded. Lucas leaned in for a kiss, stopping a hairsbreadth from Akio’s lips to let him press their mouths together in a soft brush of their lips.
He turned to put Akio onto the couch so he could get up and headed toward the kitchen and the chocolate bundt cakes he’d bought for him.
“Maybe my father didn’t just leave a void,” Akio said, voice low.
He turned to look at Akio with creased brows and confusion.
“What do you mean?”
Akio met Lucas’ gaze. “Maybe they’re using his places. His methods.”
He blinked at Akio. That wasn’t farfetched at all. In fact, it would make a lot of sense.
“It has to be someone who knows. Someone who was there,” he said, arching a brow at Akio.
“One of his men,” Akio said while nodding.
“Do you know the locations?”
Akio’s eyes widened and his lips parted before he nodded.
Lucas got up and walked to the sideboard behind the dining table. He rummaged through a drawer, coming up with an old tourist map of the city he’d bought when he’d moved here. He brought it to the coffee table where he opened it up and laid it down.
Before he could point to the building where the traffickers had last been, Akio placed his fingertip on it.
“That’s one of his places. He had several in the city. He used to rotate between them.”
His pulse was picking up fast as he said, “They were there recently. They got wind we were coming and took off before we could get them.”
“I guess they didn’t change how they do things.”
“If it ain’t broke,” Lucas said with a raised brow.
Akio shrugged, then pointed at another part of the map.
“This is the place they use for the girls they keep in the city. There’s a basement connection to a few of the other buildings and I think that’s maybe how they keep the place from being discovered.”
Akio pointed out several other locations and Lucas made sure to write them all down.
He nodded slowly, taking a step back. “I’m gonna have to check it out.”
“What? Now?”
“If they’re actually using that place, then I need to get to them before they move on. I can’t risk losing them again.” He pressed a kiss to the top of Akio’s head and said, “Thank you,” before heading toward his bedroom and his gun safe.
“Be safe,” Akio said, smiling up at him though it didn’t hide the worry in his eyes.
He walked back to cup Akio’s face and pressed a kiss to his lips.
“I will. I promise.”
∞ ∞ ∞
Traffick wasn’t the best, though it could’ve been worse if he’d gone just an hour before. The sun was going down, the lights on the cars on the road turning on. It took a good hour to get to the address Akio had pointed out. It was a commercial area with lots of people coming and going. It was perfect for assholes who ran trafficking- and prostitution rings. No one would suspect anything when people came and went from the building that looked just like any of the other commercial structures surrounding it.
He parked at the closest spot he could get to the address, knowing he might need a quick getaway if he was discovered. He would be cautious and careful, but he wasn’t one to keep away from doing the dirty work. He’d been through a dumpster or two in his day. He’d run surveillance days on end, barely able to move from his position. He would gladly put himself in the line of fire if he needed to.
He did it all for people like Akio. Those caught in terrible situations with no means of escape. Those who were taken and trapped against their will.
He stayed on the street across from the front of the building, taking his phone out as he leaned against the outside wall of a closed store. He put his phone to his ear, pretending to take a call while he surveyed the building.
The building’s windows were all covered from the inside though that wasn’t uncommon in this part of town. The only way to see who came and went was by the front door but knowing there were underground connections between the buildings told him that was likely where they brought people in and out.
He knew there was vehicle access to the back, garage doors in almost every building. No one would look twice at a truck arriving to unload their wares there.
He needed to get closer.
He ran his gaze across the buildings on either side of the trafficking ring’s. He settled on the one to his left and slowly made his way down the street, crossing it to walk down the driveway that led to the side door of the building.
There were no cameras to be seen, nor any people when he looked up and down the street, so he reached for the door handle. It was locked. He wasn’t surprised.
He didn’t have any tools on him and kicking the door down wouldn’t do.
He cursed under his breath and took off toward the back of the building. He was moving into dangerous territory. While there were plenty of roads leading in and out from back there, he would be wholly exposed with only a few cars to hide behind if necessary.
He pulled a cap out of his pocket, kept there for purposes like this, and tucked it over his head, keeping his gaze low as he walked down the street.
The only access points he found were either boarded up or fenced in. It was a damned fortress.
He was close to heading back when he heard a car approaching. He dropped behind one of the parked cars, hand on his gun as he watched a blue pickup truck driving down the street, heading toward him. It stopped in front of the garage door leading into the ring’s building, two men jumping out.
He kept his hand on his gun as he watched them unlock the padlock on the garage door and push it up. One of the men turned, giving Lucas a good look at him.
It was the guy from the other location. The one who’d seen him as he was closing the back of the truck. He was certain. This was it. This was the place. They could finally take out at least one big part of the ring’s operation.
He snapped a few pictures for the warrant but stayed where he was, watching as the pickup drove inside. He damned near held his breath when he watched those men drag a woman out of the backseat. She was wearing a short skirt, her white top barely in one piece, and she looked absolutely strung out. Her black hair was matted and in a bun on top of her head.
He made sure to get pictures of her, too. He had no doubt she was likely on that ever-growing missing person’s list at the Bureau.
When the garage door was pulled back down, he got up and made his way back to his car where he called Edmunds.
The second the call was picked up, he said, “I have a location for the trafficking ring. I’m sending you the address. Meet me there with the team.”
He hung up before Edmunds could protest and texted him the address and then he sent Akio a message, too.