Chapter Eleven #2
Julio fought to hide his astonishment as they herded a group of children in nightclothes toward the middle of the room.
Fury filled him as he saw the fear and desperation in the poor kid’s faces.
He gripped the glass tightly in his hand as the kids lined up and peered at him as if he were a monster.
Jameson entered the room and shut the door.
Julio gave him a brief glance, noticing the tick in his jaw, and it appeared like he gritted his teeth.
This must be what he tried to communicate to Julio earlier.
Gerard clapped his hands in delight, making Julio want to pound him to the floor.
“What the hell is this?” Julio growled. “Do you think to test me?”
One of the little girls sobbed in fear and one of the guards backhanded her across the face.
Julio couldn’t take it. He slammed his drink on the table and knelt before her. He picked the little one up and rubbed her back. “It’s all right, he won’t hit you again.”
“I see you’ve picked your prize, may I?” Gerard asked.
“I didn’t choose anything,” he sneered. He felt the little girl tense and he turned his attention to her as the butler handed him a plate of petite fours and other small desserts. He picked up one of the tiny cakes. “Do you like chocolate? It’s my favorite.”
The little girl sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. She glanced at him warily before accepting his offering. “Bring me some milk. In fact, bring all of them a glass.”
The butler turned to Gerard, who glanced uneasily at Mr. Presley.
“Why not?” the snake replied.
“While you’re at it, get them some of these cakes,” Julio demanded.
Mr. Presley nodded.
The butler returned, handing him a glass of milk.
“Here you go. Be a good girl and drink it all. The chocolate’s rich and we don’t want it to hurt your tummy. Do you feel better?” Julio asked.
The little girl nodded, glancing at the dessert plate. Julio guessed her age to be around six or seven, but she weighed hardly anything. The bastards barely fed any of them.
Jameson coughed, gaining his attention. Shit, he went off script. “Why don’t you take the plate and sit with your friends?” The little girl slid off his lap and cautiously took the plate as if she expected him to yank it back from her hands. When she settled on the floor, Julio stood.
“May I have a word?” he asked Mr. Presley.
Mr. Presley walked to the other side of the room. “Do we have an issue, Mr. Garcia?”
“I expected women, not children. Give me my money back,” he said, his voice going deadly. “I don’t have this particular taste, and Gerard knew this before bringing me here.”
“Sometimes, our clients don’t know the extent of their needs. Children can be pliable, and you can mold them to what you want—”
Julio grabbed him by the throat, “I didn’t order a child. Let me be clear, I paid double for a first viewing of women. If you can’t fill my order, then I’ll find someone who can.” He pushed the man away from him in disgust.
“I have another auction next month. You can have first choice, and I guarantee you’ll win,” Mr. Presley said, not wanting to lose his money.
“I’m not waiting another month. You’ve wasted my time traveling here for this. Surely you have a supplier close by who can fill my order by tomorrow,” Julio said angrily.
“I’ll make some calls. Since it’s not a proper auction, they might require an expediting charge,” Mr. Presley countered, not missing his chance to line his pockets.
“Money is no object,” Julio growled. “I believe you already know that.”
“My apologies,” Mr. Presley said. “Since you paid for a first viewing, we can have them here around midnight. I’ll have them brought to your room.”
“No. I’ll come down here. If you disappoint me, I plan to leave and take my money with me one way or the other.
” Julio stormed out of the library. His nostrils flared as he fought to control his temper.
He clenched his fists as he returned to his room.
Knowing it might be bugged, he put on running clothes and tennis shoes, pretending to go for a run.
He made it down the driveway and a quarter of the way back when he heard the familiar whistle of Jameson. Kneeling, he bent to tie his shoe as Jameson talked.
“What the fuck, man. I gave you a warning. You nearly blew the whole op back there,” Jameson growled.
“Did you call Leo’s team? We’re getting those kids tonight,” Julio said, peering down at his shoe. He rose and bent, holding his knees as if out of breath.
“Dude, I feel the same way. If we let those kids leave, we can’t catch the sick bastards who purchased them. If we arrest them, they can testify they came for a tea party,” Jameson argued. “We can quietly arrest them as we did in Charlotte.”
“We’re not risking kids. Get Leo on it,” he snapped.
“I’ll buzz when I get word they landed,” Jameson sighed.
Julio continued with his jog. He wanted to rage at the sky about the unfairness of it all.
The poor kids ripped from their families, the people sold without their consent, and he waited all day for Rebecca to walk through those doors.
He thought about all those years he worked for the FBI and went by the book to catch the assholes.
Most of them got off with a slap on the wrist. Hell, they probably bribed the judge with their unlimited supply of funds.
He quit the FBI to work for Leo and take down these rings.
What if he stepped into a morally grey area?
How would Leo feel about it? It appeared he needed to have a tough conversation with his friend.