Chapter 28 #2
“When I was taken, they wanted me as a breeder. I wasn’t sold off like the others.
” My chest tightens at her words, but I don’t interrupt her.
“So, we were in close quarters to the assassins. Those that ‘graduated’ received a number, and their whole identities were stripped. If they were worthy enough to get a number, Saconne wanted them to breed with us.” Tears stream down her face, but she seems mostly calm, thanks to the Lorazepam.
“I remember listening to one of their trainings from my cell. I think his number was Five? DeLuca called him her ‘pet,’ but she certainly didn’t treat him like he was special.
He went through horrible things, and they even cut out his tongue. ” Her voice cracks, and I pat her knee.
I understand that time was horrible for her, but now that we don’t have John’s input, maybe she could shed some light on what might be happening to Damien. We need to find out how he’s connected to this, and hopefully that can give us some answers as to where he is.
“I know it’s hard, Leanne, but we have to know. If anything you know could help us find them, then you need to tell us, okay?” I plead.
She nods and takes a deep breath.
“They were forced to take out targets after hours of torture. It was a way to ensure they could carry out their missions, no matter the conditions. John said that training like that was just another way for DeLuca and Saconne to show their power over the assassins…”
“So, you’re saying that this was probably a training target for him?” I ask, and she nods in response.
That little movement of her head breeds a lot of mixed emotions for me.
We’re getting answers, and now we that we have some clues, maybe we’re closer to finding him.
But then there’s the dread of knowing that he’s in excruciating pain…
I knew he was. There’s no way to describe it, and I would sound insane if I tried, but I’ve felt it, somehow.
Every random ache or twitch I knew was connected to him, and my heart breaks even more.
I’ve dreamt of him being in pain. It’s little flashes, and I barely remember them when I wake up, but little blips still remain in my mind.
I picture him tied up, just like I was. His screams echo in my head, and I swear I hear him the moment I wake.
He’s in insurmountable pain, and the need to find him is overwhelming.
I can’t wait to bring him home and help him heal.
I want to run my fingers through his hair and hold his head to my chest like he always does for me.
Anything he needs, and I’ll do it. He needs to feel love and warmth, not whatever horrific things they’re putting him through.
It makes my eyes water just thinking about it.
Carter’s phone beeps, and then he opens his laptop.
“We got the shot trajectory back.” Carter pulls that up on the large screen beside everything else, along with a picture of the bullet. A symbol of a shattered skull with a snake slithering through it is etched into the metal, and my blood boils.
It’s just like Hugo’s tattoo.
“It is them…” Alex whispers.
“Kade, where did they find Damien’s fingerprint?” Zeke asks.
“On the touchscreen of the refrigerator, of all places.”
“So, they may not have even known he touched it,” Zeke implies. Kade just shakes his head.
“They must not have, unless they either left it on purpose or just didn’t care. According to John’s files, they never leave any evidence behind. That’s partly why it’s so hard to find them.” Kade informs us.
“Yeah, but Damien isn’t one of them,” Alex points out.
“Exactly.”
“I want to know everything about that area. I want surveillance, door cameras, and street views. Get me everything from the past twenty-four hours,” I demand. There’s newfound optimism blooming in my chest, and while I don’t want to get my hopes up, I just can’t help it.
“I’ve already started gathering it,” Kade says.
“Carter, pull up the digital map, please.” I walk over to the board as Carter does what I ask, and I mark the spot of the murder before marking the Attic on it as well.
“What are you doing, Ash?” Carter asks, and I can’t help but cringe at myself.
“I’m not sure, really. I saw it on ‘Criminal Minds.’”
Zeke bursts out laughing, and I cut my eyes at him before flipping him off.
“To Ash’s defense, geographic profiling is definitely a thing,” Kade says, and then he walks up to the board with me. “The issue is, we need at least three points, and even then, we would have to widen the search significantly.”
“If that was a target, what makes you guys think they’re anywhere near here?” Alex argues.
“Well, they just shot John. So, there’s that,” Serena retorts, and the room goes silent—all except for a small hiccup from Leanne. “Shit, sorry. That was really insensitive…”
“No, but that’s a good point,” Carter says and points to her. She grins just a little at him, and I’m shocked to see him do it back.
“So, what’s our third reference point?” Zeke asks in a surprisingly-angry tone.
I know he’s just as anxious to get Damien back as I am.
Well, they all are, and the thought of him being in their hands any longer is torture in itself.
I know the guys miss him too, and we’re all desperate to get him back.
“We don’t have one yet,” Carter says regrettably.
“Where did you say you caught Popov at that toll?” I ask Carter.
“The Dulles Greenway, coming in from Maryland,” he replies, and then he puts it on the screen for me to see. I start to follow the map to think of where he could’ve come from, when something snaps into place.
“Why are you assuming from Maryland? The Dulles Greenway splits off, doesn’t it?” I look back at him, and he subtly nibbles on his bottom lip.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you said his original operations in the country were in New York, right?” He nods back at me as a reply.
“So, why would he come from the west? Wouldn’t he travel down the major highway into D.C.
if he was coming from the north?” Carter’s face relaxes, and he steps up to the map with me.
“Because if he’s coming from Dulles Greenway, you know where else that easily leads to, right?
I mean, it’s a bit of a loop around, but if he didn’t want someone to trace him back, he could’ve easily taken route seven from—”
“West Virginia…” Carter says softly, and it’s like both of our light bulbs flicker on.
“West. Fucking. Virginia,” I say pointedly, and Carter practically jumps back to his laptop. He starts typing away, and Kade leans over his shoulder to watch.
“I was so focused on anything north from here to New York, I didn’t even think of—”
“Don’t harp on it now, just keep looking,” Zeke demands and starts to pace. It’s dead silent now, and after a few moments, Carter stares intensely at his screen, but he stops typing.
“There’s nothing under Victoria or John Avery…”
“What about Hugo?” They all raise their brows at me, like they’re shocked I said his name. It tastes like sulfur, but if he can somehow still connect us to Popov, then it’s necessary. “Well, if he really wanted to lay under the radar, why not under a dead man’s name?”
“It’s worth a shot,” Kade says, and Carter goes back to typing like a mad man.
Saconne and DeLuca wouldn’t be stupid enough to put anything under their own names, and the same goes for Popov, but it would have to be someone they could easily access.
And for Popov? The easiest person for him was Hugo.
Even if he can’t get any new properties using his name, there’s a good chance he’s still got some old ones.
Carter stops typing, and his eyes widen.
“Holy fuck…”
“We got him?” I ask, almost desperately. I need him to tell me this is it. I have to know that we’re getting closer to finding Damien. He can’t have been in all of this pain for nothing. John can’t be fighting for his life in the hospital for nothing. We have to find him.
“We fucking got him,” Carter confirms, and the energy around the room changes. There’s a violent determination, along with some hope that we haven’t had recently.
I let out a shaky breath and look back at Damien’s intake photo.
Even though I’ve done nothing but stare at pictures of us, it seems like forever since I’ve seen his face look so stern and stoic.
It reminds me of how strong he is, and everything we’ve already endured.
I know he’s holding on, no matter what he’s going through, and I have to make his fight mean something.