6. Caden
6
CADEN
I made my way through the dense woods behind Anastasia's house, seeking refuge from the scorching sun beneath the shade of the trees. Waiting until nightfall would have been a better option, but I needed to see her before I went on my new mission.
William Shepherd, the influential head of the leading family, had assigned me the task of extracting vital information from an enemy soldier.
Shepherd had his hands in various military and government associations, and he also owned a mercenary company. Recently, his soldiers were dispatched on a rescue mission to retrieve the kidnapped daughter of a Russian politician. However, when they arrived at the location they were told she was in, everything had been wiped clean and only a few guards remained to guard the property. Shepherd’s men had eliminated all the guards except for one, who they handed over to Shepherd, but he wasn't talking no matter what Shepherds’ men did to him.
I halted right before the sun’s rays broke through the trees and looked up at her bedroom window.
There she was . Hair pulled back in a ponytail sitting at her desk, studying probably. Only her side profile and a glimpse of her upper body were visible to me from this angle. She wore a red tank top, her tits looked all too delicious in. She was even more beautiful in the light. I watched her study for about thirty minutes when a car pulled up to her driveway. A car I recognized, Nathan fucking Hawke, stepped out of the sleek black Porsche. his denim-clad legs striding purposefully towards Anastasia's house. As he rang the doorbell, he casually ran his fingers through his hair, as if he hadn't already invested hours in perfecting his appearance. I glanced back at Anastasia and watched as she stiffened, her head snapping up from her desk. She stood up and disappeared from my view.
I stealthily moved along the house so I could get a better view. What the fuck was Nathan doing here? Was he, her boyfriend? A red haze descended over my vision at the thought. He better not have touched her. I’d kill him if he had. I knew what the fucker was into. His polished frat boy persona was just a cover up. Nathan had disturbing and sadistic interests, ones that involved inflicting pain. Anastasia was too pure for that.
Yes, I was planning on hurting her, but only because she would beg me to. Only because it would bring her to the heights of ecstasy. It would be nothing like what Nathan would do to her.
My plan was to gently introduce her to the realm of pain and pleasure. My heart stuttered as she swung open the door with a smile so bright it could thaw the hearts of even the coldest, most heartless men. My eyes couldn't help but wander down to her legs, fully exposed in her matching red cotton shorts. I wanted to be angry at her for opening her door dressed like that in front of that monster. But she looked so fucking sexy and adorable that anger was the last thing on my mind.
What did piss me off however, was Nathan's reciprocating smile as his gaze devoured every inch of her revealed skin. I would have walked up and chop the fucker's dick off if it wouldn't ruin my plans. She stepped back, allowing him into the house. My hands clenched into fists as I peered through the partially open curtains of the living room, waiting for them to appear, she walked in, Nathan trailing behind, his eyes glued to her ass. He casually plopped himself onto the couch and put his feet up like he was fucking king of the town or something. They were having a conversation and something he said made her laugh and I wanted to kill him for that alone. My phone buzzed, and I whipped it out in need of a distraction before I walked in there and sliced Nathan’s throat.
They are ready for you.
Shepherds’ men were ready for me. Fuck. I didn’t want to leave her alone with Nathan, but I had to go. I made a mental note to talk to Reece about setting up cameras in her house. I hated not knowing what she was doing and who I needed to protect her from. The town was filled with bad people from top to underground. I pulled out my phone and dialed Reece’s number.
“What's up?” Reece asked.
“I need you to come to Anastasia’s house and watch her while I’m gone.” I said in a low tone as I kept my eyes on Nathan and Anastasia. They were watching a something now, their eyes glued to the tv.
“Caden, I don't want to stalk your girlfriend for you.” He replied, faux exasperation in his voice, but I knew he was secretly amused.
A muscle in my jaw ticked. “Reece…Nathan Hawke is here with her. I don’t trust him and need you to make sure he doesn't hurt her.”
There was a shuffling, then a low feminine moan of protest followed by a wet popping sound. Great, I interrupted him while he was getting a blowjob .
“ Jesus, what’s that psycho doing with her?” Reece finally said as he moved around, clearly getting dressed.
“I don’t know. That's what you're gonna find out.” I replied.
No more than twenty minutes later, Reece emerged from behind a tree, strolling towards me as if he would rather be anywhere else—like back home probably finishing what he started with whichever girl he was with. With a swift motion, he casually slid his phone into the pocket of his ripped black ripped jeans. A gentle breeze brushed past, rustling his gray cashmere sweater and tousled blonde hair. Somehow, he pulled off the combination of grunge and prep boy aesthetics quiet well. I wasn't even going to let myself be surprised by how he found the exact spot I was in. I knew he used the tracker he had on me. He moved silently, not making a single sound as he approached with a backpack in his left hand. He dropped it on the ground.
“What’s in the bag?” I asked with a quirked brow.
He smiled. “Cameras. I’m going to install some around the outside perimeter. The inside however you're going to do on your own,” He continued. Pointing at me.
As usual, his thoughts went in the same direction as mine and he was one step ahead of me. If Nathan was sniffing around Anastasia, that wasn't a good sign. My phone buzzed again. I had to go.
It took me two hours to drive to the facility they were holding the Russian soldier in. I sauntered into the building, pissed that this was getting in my way of getting to know more about my little red. A man whose name I think was Bruno led me to a heavy-looking metal door. I waited as he punched in numbers on the keypad beside it, a mechanical hiss sounded, and then the door slid open. I walked into an observation room with a one-way glass window that revealed the Russian soldier sitting alone in a room, his hands cuffed behind his back. His right eye was marked with a deep black bruise, his bottom lip split open, and cuts lined his arm. I nodded to the man waiting in the observation room.
I looked through his belongings. A few credit cards with obvious fake names and one photograph. It was of a young girl, no more than sixteen years old at the time the photo was taken; the picture wasn't recently taken. His daughter maybe? The photograph had scratches and signs of wear and tear. I examined everything in the photo including the girl. I looked at the girl, then back at the soldier. No resemblance. Perhaps she takes after her mother?
Although the girl was smiling, her eyes told a different story. I stared at the picture. Something about the background of the image seemed familiar. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had seen it somewhere before. Fixated on the picture, my attention was caught by something in the background, and anger surged through me. Clutching the photograph tightly, I entered the white-walled room where the soldier sat. Taking a seat across from him, I noticed his handcuffed hands fidgeting, trying to alleviate the discomfort of being restrained for hours. Then, something caught my eye - a glint from his hand. He was wearing a wedding band. I maintained a neutral expression.
“я вижу, ты женат” I see you are married. I said in Russian. I spent a half of my childhood in Russia with one of my father's business associates. After beating me nearly every day and telling me to kill myself, he got tired and decided to send me away, no longer wanting me anywhere near him.
The soldier didn’t respond.
“Does your wife know you bought a girl young enough to be your daughter from a human trafficking organization?” I said this time in English.
He tensed. I slid the small photograph on to the table and towards him, I tapped a spot in the lower right corner. On the floor, barely noticeable, there was a piece of crumpled up duct-tape and written on it the words “SOLD”. You could only see the letters -OLD. I knew one person who most likely had a hand in this. It was his MO. The Seeker. The Seeker was a man that was deep in the trafficking world a lot of his auctions happened online on the dark web and I had seen many videos with the girls tied up standing side by side, every time one got sold, a figure covered from head to toe would step in and place the tape over the girls mouth with the words “ SOLD ” written on it. Reece had been trying to track him down for years, but whoever the guy was, he was extremely cautious and crafty. He’d up and leave at the slightest hint of trouble.
The soldier squinted but probably didn’t notice what I noticed.
“Tell me where the politician's daughter is as well as this girl,” I pointed at the photo. “Or I’ll slice your dick off and send it to your wife along with a file containing everything I know about you, every dirty deed you’ve ever done.” I said, losing my patience.
The fucker started sobbing. His shoulders shaking with the sounds.
After a few minutes, he finally spoke. “I never touched her, I never touched her, I paid for her but he trick me.. He only allowed me to see her once then he took her away, I was able to take that picture but that’s all I have. I don’t know where she is.” He paused, wiping his nose on his shoulder. “The Russian’s daughter is on her way to Bangladesh where they were going to keep her till the boss got what he wanted from him. "
I looked at him for a moment longer and then stood and walked out into a now full observation room. About 12 sets of eyes assessed me as I shut the door on the man, who was now sobbing again. They all just stared. I knew they were curious and impressed that I didn't even have to touch him to get all that information.
Bruno stepped up. “How the hell did you know? We thought that was his daughter.” He said pointing to the picture still in my hand.
“You heard him, get to Bangladesh and get the girl” I said, ignoring his question and tucking the photo in my pocket. I was going to try my damndest to find the girl, no matter how long ago she was taken. I walked out of the room and out the already open metal door.