Chapter Three #2
Devon could see that. He even understood it to a point, but knowing now that his worries about Blue Knight64 were actually grounded in reality, he just wanted to get the man out of there. “You promise me that my friend and this Michael aren’t mates?”
“Definitely not.” Cyrus shook his head. “Your BlueKnight64 was sold into servitude when he was still a child. He’s a slave.
He has no rights to his person. He’s not allowed to leave the house.
He’s expected to cook, clean, and look after this person, and when all the chores are done, he’s expected to start doing the same things all over again.
“As I said, there’s nothing of a sexual nature going on, which could be another reason why BlueKnight64 has managed to survive for so long. Michael has a long and varied history with women, however, he never takes them back to his apartment, which is where he lives with BK.
“Going back through financial records, it seems at one point Michael thought that your online friend might be able to help him if he got a college education. But Michael got angry when he realized how long the courses would take and how expensive they were, so he refused to pay for them beyond some entry-level online classes.”
“I think that’s what he was doing when we first started exchanging messages,” Devon said, saddened that his friend had an opportunity for a better future and then had it taken away.
“Michael’s shopping history shows clothes bought in smaller sizes, so it seems BlueKnight64 at least has something to wear, but he seems to have absolutely nothing else of his own. Even the laptop he was contacting you on was registered in Michael’s name.”
“All right.” Devon filed the information away. He could think about it later, but if he had his way, his friend would never go without the things he needed ever again. “So BlueKnight64 is twenty-five, and now…what? Does Michael have an age limit on the people he abuses?”
“We don’t know.” It was Python who answered, and he seemed annoyed. “From what we can see, Michael’s just got tired of having the same person around and wants to swap him out for someone younger.”
“Michael’s a snake shifter,” Cyrus added.
“He’s been around a long, long time, and we know that BK’s not his first victim.
But Michael’s not silly. He sets up house, usually with a slave boy, keeps him a few years, and then the boy disappears, and so does he.
Months later, Michael turns up in a new town, in a new state, with a new identity and a new boy.
The agency has been primed to pick him up and dispatch him twice before, but he disappeared before that could happen. ”
“It’s almost as though he has insider information on the agency,” Python grumbled. “I know, I know, that can’t happen. But this guy’s sixth sense seems to be wired to when he might be caught, and he listens to his gut every time.”
“Which means moving quickly.” Cyrus tilted his head slightly as he looked at Devon. “Do you want the information about Michael, so you can track him down, or should I send Calvin and Levi instead? It is their turn on the roster.”
“No, I’ll go,” Devon said. “I don’t care where it is or how long it takes, I’ll go.
But saving my friend, actually rescuing him from where he’s being held, has to be a priority.
There is no point in me taking this guy out just so he doesn’t do it again, if BlueKnight64 is being left holed up in an apartment with perhaps no way of getting food or any outside contact, help, or being able to do anything. .. I won’t let that happen."
“I think you’re being a tad dramatic,” Python said with a smirk. “Your little warrior knows how to use a computer. He’s been talking to you online for months.”
Devon felt his face flush, but joking was Python’s default setting. He knew that if he needed help, Python would be the first one there, complete with guns, claws, a devilish smile, and a cigar. But everything in Devon was screaming that what was happening with BlueKnight64 was serious.
“I need to make him safe. I’m not going to apologize for that.
I don’t understand why. I don’t think for a second that this is a situation of me saving my mate, not like it was for Storm with Pax.
But I have to be able to do something. I have to make things right.
This guy has been my friend. I won’t let him down now. ”
Cyrus nodded, and perhaps he understood more than what Devon was saying. “I’ll send Michael’s details to your phone. One more thing I should mention is that the agency boys think there’s a possibility that Michael is involved in some kind of network.
“The ease with how he seems to find people to buy – it’s not like he can go onto a regular social media group and broker a deal that way, so logic dictates he must be a part of some group that specializes in this sort of shit.
If that’s the case, the agency wants to bring that down, too.
This is why you can’t go off half-cocked.
This one case has the potential to save so many people like your friend. ”
“I can’t see BlueKnight64 knowing anything about Michael’s dealings outside of the house. You said yourself, he’s basically a prisoner. He’s the innocent in this. He’s never mentioned anything odd or out of character in our chats before today.”
“I know,” and Devon realized Cyrus probably did.
“Just find Michael, suss out the situation, and Devon, be prepared that once you do save your online friend, there’s a good chance our agency boys are going to want to interview him.
Every indication is that this is a lot bigger than one guy asking you to kill somebody on a whim in an online chat. ”
“Let me make sure he’s safe first.” Devon would deal with everything else after that.
“One last thing,” Python said as Devon got up from the floor and went to leave.
“Don’t go getting in touch with your little friend until this job is done.
You can’t give him any hope or anything like that, because you know anything he hears has the potential to change his behavior.
This Michael shit already seems to know when people are looking for him.
Any hint or the slightest change in his attitude or behavior could be the death sentence for your online warrior.
No matter how much you might want to, do not engage.
Find Michael and go from there. Understood. ”
Oh, Devon understood all right. That didn’t mean he had to like it.