Chapter Thirteen
This is sick.
It all makes sense, but it’s downright evil.
It took me digging up everything I could on the Sutton’s in a short amount of time to put all the pieces together. Their relationship with the department runs deeper than I ever could have imagined. Two generations to be exact. It all started there, and that alone makes my skin crawl.
That’s where Phillips came into the picture. It turns out his old captain is tied into a massive sex trafficking ring. Caden, though he’s a Lieutenant for the patrol division, has started to secretly gather more intel on that situation until I’m ready to take it over. Which will be very soon.
The moment we dug deeper into Mr. Sutton, we found out instantly where she was going tonight. They were notified of Hayley’s death an hour before Mariana went missing from her apartment. I’ve watched the security footage, and I know she walked out of the apartment on her own, but the look on her face was empty. It was like she had no other choice, or so she thought. She should have called me the minute that she thought this was the only way.
It was also in that footage that we were able to see Hayley the night she was murdered. Someone met up with her at the apartment, and then an hour after, they left. He was the one to return. He had blood on his shirt and looked like someone scratched his arm and face. That's when I called for the sample under her nails to be run immediately, and we got a match. Our suspicions were proven. Hayley Sutton was killed by her own brother, who was her pimp. The rabbit hole this family has dragged us into is insane.
Oliver Sutton was born during Henry Sutton’s first marriage. He’s also the biggest kept secret throughout the family. Not even Hayley knew he was her brother. At least that's what we’ve put together. He runs things under the name Robert Hughes, who was an old associate of Henry’s who died almost seven years ago. Funny how the dead can’t seem to stay dead.
With everything we found, we were able to track down where Mariana is, which leads us to where we currently are. Some of our county’s most trusted detectives and patrol officers have been discovered to be in communication with our bad guys. Caden took the liberty of talking to a few of them, and the younger ones sang like canaries. They all said Natalia/Mariana was due to be sold off to the Cartel. The very Cartel she was born into. This could go either way, but I'm not willing to risk her life to find out the end result of this war.
My partner was on the payroll of the Sutton’s, which explains a lot of his behavior. He was also one of the officers who talked when Caden got wind of him. He sat down with both Caden and I and told us everything we needed to know. Which is how we ended up at the Sutton’s cabin.
Deep in the woods, where Mariana and Hayley both grew up sits a small cabin. The outside looks dull and lifeless, but what happens on the inside is an actual nightmare. So many girl’s last moments were within these walls, and none of them were good.
Sneaking through the front door, I survey the area. I need to get inside and notify Caden with what I find. So far, all I see is an out of date house. Nothing on these walls has been updated for decades. Even the furniture looks like it’s from the nineties. How did she never find this as odd behavior? I’ve never met a woman alive who doesn’t want to meet the current trends.
Not a soul shows their face as I keep moving forward. It’s so quiet in here that I’m not sure anyone is actually here. That is until I round the corner to the staircase and freeze when I hear soft voices whispering upstairs. I get as close as I can to hear them but only make out the words ‘selling’ and ‘virgin’. Surely, he wouldn’t be that sadistic, would he? Mariana never told me she was a virgin, and I never asked, but my thoughts instantly go to her, and I start to panic. No way he would do that, right? I hope my thoughts are wrong, but I need to move faster no matter what.
I follow the voices up the steps after I call for backup. Caden isn’t far. Someone else will come in just as quiet as I did and follow in my footsteps. I just have to make it to her before anyone else can.
The closer I get to the voices, the harder my heart beats. I can’t hear her, but I hear them all talking about her. The Virgin. It has to be her because that’s what my heart is telling me. They’re trying to defile her and take a part of her that isn’t theirs to take.
But the part that confuses me the most is that it’s the Cartel going after her. I have a guy still working on the details of the Cartel and their involvement, but until then, I have to keep myself composed. One wrong step and everything is fucked.
One of the voices shushes the other before I hear them moving quickly away from their spot. The noises make it sound like they’re rummaging through something to busy themselves. “Anastasia, is she ready to go yet?”
“Yes, sir,” a soft, shaky voice replies. “She’s being taken now.”
No. No, no, no! She can’t be gone. We were supposed to have time to save her. We had the timing perfect. Only a few of us knew about this mission. We had everything planned down to the second, so how did it all go so badly? Where did it fall through our fingers?
“Good, it’s about time we got rid of her. It took me getting rid of the problem child to finally throw away the Cartel princess. Now, I can live in peace.” He sighs like a weight is being lifted off of his shoulders. It makes the thin wires inside my brain go haywire. Before I can think about it, my gun is already out, and I’m closing in on the room as a hand comes down on my shoulder stopping me. I turn to see Caden shaking his head with dark eyes.
I can’t just walk away from her. From what the two of us could be. I won’t let her think that nobody cares, and that she is alone. I won’t. I go to step again, but he stops me again. I really can’t stand him and his logical thinking right now. I can’t. We should be knocking the door down and demanding to know where she is.
Only Caden is right.
Sometimes, if a person waits long enough, the answer comes without a war before we’re prepared for it.
And when I see the man round the corner with a grin on his face, I know that until I find her, she will be safe. Because that man just found his lost gem.
I spin around and take off down the stairs as fast as I can. I have to find her before he can leave with her. She deserves to know she won’t be in danger, and I will find her. I want her to know that I’m not giving up.
But when I land on the outside of the house and look around, I’m met with emptiness. Not a soul in sight. I keep running until I reach the road at the end of the driveway. Only the sounds of wildlife can be heard until Caden comes behind me. “You’ll find her.”
“Fuck you. Fuck this place. Fuck everything. I will find her on my own. I know where she is, and who he is. I don’t care if I lose my job. You should’ve let me go after him.” Caden steps closer, but I turn around and step away. “I’m going to follow her.”
“I won’t stop you this time. But I’m not letting you get yourself killed. I know a guy that you can take with you. I trust him with my life, so I trust him with yours. This is the only way I’ll agree to help you get your leave of absence, Detective.” He raises an eyebrow at me. “I’m not going to let you lose your job.”
“Then, it’s a deal. Fuck, I’ll sell my soul to know she’s safe. What’s a deal with another devil?” I shrug as I start moving to my unmarked vehicle. “You know my number. Tell him to find me. I’m finding my girl.” Without waiting another second, I take off until I’m behind the wheel and squealing tires.
It’s time to go get my girl .