Chapter 17
Seventeen
After checking to make sure the boy was truly asleep, Carver laid the clothes on the bed and went out into the hall. Slayer was posted there as he’d been instructed to do. One glance at Carver had him striding closer.
“What’s wrong, Boss?”
Carver shook his head. “No need to panic. I’m fine. The boy is fine.”
“Then why do you look that way?”
“What way?”
“Like I need to go to fucking war with someone.”
“No war necessary, Slayer. I’m good. Swear it. Things are just tense. I need to talk with Doc and Fury for a bit. Can you keep watch? He’s asleep. You need to call me the second you hear him moving around.”
“You got it Boss,” Slayer replied easily, slipping back into guard mode.
Carver paused before stepping away. “Don’t go in unless you think he’s a danger to himself. He’s not in his cage, and he fell asleep before he could dress.”
Raised brows met his gaze. “Understood, Boss.”
With the boy safe in his room, Carver took off to find the two men he needed. The main area was full as usual. They all greeted him cautiously as he made his way towards the med bay. He knew he’d been more of an asshole than usual lately. It was just that he couldn’t seem to help himself.
None of the Angels were a threat to the boy. He didn’t keep men like that under his authority. Still, he couldn’t put away the protectiveness he felt over the young man.
Eventually he would have to. The boy might decide he wanted to explore the world or maybe even become an Angel himself. Carver doubted the latter would ever happen. He couldn’t picture it, though it wasn’t something he’d put off the table long-term.
Time would have the answers.
He was almost to the med bay when he heard his name being called. Trix was jogging down the hall with a stack of papers in hand. “I need to talk to you.”
His urgent tone had Carver’s hackles rising. “You can come with me while I talk to Doc and Fury. Whatever you’re about to say is probably something they should know as well.”
Trix nodded.
“Go get Slash and bring him to the bay. We’ll meet there instead of my office. I have a feeling I shouldn’t be in a small space.”
“Definitely not,” Trix replied quickly before turning and jogging back the way he came.
“Get Hex too!”
“Already on it, Boss.”
He smirked at the reply. Having men who were smart enough to read his mind was a blessing and a curse. This time was definitely more blessing than not. He needed everyone ready for whatever the fuck Trix was about to drop on them.
For a moment, Carver wondered if the news would mean the boy in his room had to leave. Could this be the end of something that hadn’t even truly started?
He shook his head at the notion. It wasn’t fair to assume anything more than the facts. And to get those, he had to have all his men together.
In the med bay, he found Doc and Fury huddled over a table. “Men,” he said as he entered the room.
Both turned his way, their expressions grave. He didn’t have to ask what was going on before Doc dove in.
“We’ve been looking over the X-rays I took when our John Doe arrived,” Doc said. It was a new way to clarify who they were speaking about since they didn’t have an official name. Things would get confusing otherwise.
Carver hated them calling the boy something so generic. Still, he wouldn’t interrupt.
“The scans show far more damage than someone his age should have. Each break is healed, though in some cases, it appears the area was broken more than once through the years. It’s a wonder he can even walk or function.”
At the words, Carver saw red. His body vibrated with a need to hurt someone.
Fury picked up on his mood right away. “You’ve got to keep calm, Prez. There’s more.”
“Fury is right. The issue isn’t just the healed bones.
His bloodwork shows he’s deficient in damn near every vitamin possible.
He’s going to need an I.V. for a while to get a rotation of things in his system quickly.
His immune system has got to be shit with how little he takes in.
The healing process is going to be long for the physical side of things. ”
Doc sighed, then wiped his brow. He gave Carver a cautious look. Maybe he worried the anger prevalent in Carver’s energy would be directed at him. The man should have known better. Carver only ever tussled with those who agreed to it.
“As for the mental side, this only adds to the struggles John Doe will face,” Fury said.
“Not John Doe.” Trix stormed into the room with Slash and Hex on his heels. They closed the door behind them, then marched over to where the other three men stood.
Six Angels in one space. All of them focused on findings answers.
What a dangerous energy they created together.
“Tell us what you know.”
At Carver’s demand, Trix dropped the papers in his hand on the table. They spread out, revealing a series of news articles, missing child posters, and a few familiar faces in some candid photos.
“Someone tell me how that fuckwit Varr is involved.”
Trix snorted. “Boss, he’s not the one you need to worry about. It’s the guy beside him.”
Carver frowned. “Senator Straube?”
“Yes, him. That’s our John Doe’s father. Or rather, he was. The man hiding in your room is the long-lost son of the U.S. Senator who just announced he’s going to run for office during the next election.”
“Tell me what I’m missing here,” Slash said. “Because this seems fucked up. Isn’t Varr into the kiddie porn shit? Wasn’t he on our radar once?”
“He was. We turned our focus to Mordecai because she was the supplier of kids for him. Plus, with Memphis on the case to track everyone involved in the TGO, I knew Jackie Varr would wind up in their crosshairs.” Trix smirked at the update.
Carver hummed as he shifted the pages around. “Give me the rundown. How is this all connected?”
Trix clapped his hands together. “I’d love to, Boss.
As you see here based on the birth certificate, Senator Straube fathered a child years ago when he was running for mayor of his small town.
The scandal of him cheating on his wife and getting another woman pregnant was swept under the rug.
His team paid the woman to have an abortion, then ignored the issue like all was fine. ”
“Except she didn’t get one,” Slash interrupted.
“Nope. Stephanie Gratz decided she wanted to keep her baby. All was fine up until people around her started digging into Straube’s history. You see, he was running for office again and the vultures were ready to uncover the truth.”
Carver grumbled, already unhappy with where this was all going. “How did it connect with Mordecai?”
“Well, since the whole small world of evil folks in this area are freakily connected, Straube asked his buddy Varr for help getting rid of the kid. He wanted no one to know he was connected, despite the birth certificate listing him as the father. Varr was all too happy to take the boy. Though he promised Straube he wouldn’t touch him, he decided to bring the boy to his friend and fellow TGO member, Mordecai, to keep his prize away long enough for Straube to forget about the kid. ”
“Then what’s with the missing posters.” Hex held one up, the image showing a younger version of the boy upstairs.
Trix clicked his tongue. “Stephanie Gratz may have slid into the shadows when it came to the affair, but the woman was fierce about her child. She filed a missing person’s report after he was snatched from a playground.
The police drug their feet, so Stephanie went to the local news.
Not once did she say who the father was, but those vultures put two and two together. ”
Carver’s heart sunk. He already knew where this was going. Men like Varr and Straube didn’t keep people like Stephanie around to continue to cause problems for them.”
“Do we know where she wound up?” he asked the silent room.
“Not really. I can tell they decided to sell her in the trafficking ring. From what I could follow, she ended up overseas. After that, it’s murky at best. I can dig deeper if you want me to see if she’s still alive. It’s been twenty-some-odd years. I doubt it, but I can hunt.”
“Do it. We need to know.”
Trix nodded at the reply. “I’ll get to work on that. As for the rest of the story, Mordecai took a liking to our John Doe. Rather than letting Varr have him, she hid the boy from him and told Varr he’d been sold. Since Mordecai held more power, he couldn’t really question her.”
“And when we busted Mordecai, we wound up finding him in the mix,” Hex finished.
“What’s his name?”
Fury’s question had Carver reaching for the birth certificate. He read the line, then looked up to the men around him.
“Gideon Gratz.”
Gideon.
What a befitting name for the boy. He was indeed a “great warrior” like the name’s meaning suggested.
A former Angel had the same name and used to regale everyone of how he was the best enforcer out there.
He’d been gone before most of the current Angels came along, which meant only Carver would connect the memory of the past to the events of the present.
“What do you want to do now, Boss?” Slash’s question drew Carver from his wandering mind.
“Do?”
“Yes, with Gideon. We can’t send him to Straube. And Stephanie is in the wind. Even if she wasn't, I doubt she’d be able to take care of him. She’ll likely need therapy of her own if she’s alive. How old was she when she disappeared?”
“She was twenty-five,” Trix answered. “Which puts her in her forties now.”
If she’s alive.
The thought was sobering. Carver both wanted the woman alive for the sake of reuniting Gideon with his mother, yet he also hoped she hadn’t had to survive years of abuse. It was a catch-22.
“There's nothing to do right now. Not until Trix finds out about Stephanie. We continue on with Gideon as we had planned. I see no need to make adjustments until we have to.”
Each man nodded, though Fury and Doc eyed him as if to question his motives.
“Hex and Slash, do another run to get more clothes and supplies. Now that we know he’s staying, we need to get him more than the few items that were purchased. I’d also like to set up appointments with other doctors. Dental, vision, the whole nine.”
The pair nodded, then left. Trix perked up as he reached to gather the pages and go track down Stephanie. Carver put a hand over his.
“Leave these with me. I want you to look for Stephanie, but I also want you to focus on Straube. See what the fucker is up to now. He’s officially at the top of my shit list.”
Trix grinned. “It’ll be big work to take down a senator that’s running for president.”
“Then maybe it’s time to outsource. I know a few guys who would love to take him out given his strict policies. We set it all up, and they take the hit.”
It was actually one man whom he could call, however, he didn’t even know if the number still worked.
The last time he’d crossed paths with Pip had been by chance.
Though they’d exchanged contact info, Carver knew the other man was usually in the wind working contract after contract to keep his demons at bay.
“Fair enough. I bet we can find a hole in his security. I’ll let you know as soon as I make progress.”
With a quick salute, Trix pivoted and left through the open doorway. Carver walked over, closing it behind the man before turning to Doc and Fury.
“Gideon,” he said softly as he tasted the word on his tongue.
Fury nodded. “It’s a lovely name. Very befitting of his classical features.”
“I agree.” Doc waved his hand towards Carver. “Now that we know his origins, the wounds and treatment make sense. I still advise we keep a close eye on him. What he’s been through is horrendous. I have no clue if he’ll ever be able to function like the rest of us. If so, it will be a miracle.”
“Good thing he landed with us Angels. We’re in the business of making miracles,” Carver said with a grin.
He’d do everything in his power to help Gideon Gatz.
In the meantime, he and his men would rain down hellfire on all those who hurt him. There would be no stone unturned to get retribution for the sweet boy in his care.