Secrets (12 page)

One of the men ran an electronic device over
both men. Walker decided he didn't like the hospitality and swung
wildly. The giant punched him in the face, a cracking sound split
the air as Walker spun and hit the ground. When flipped onto his
stomach, he didn't move. Someone placed a booted foot on his neck
as his arms were stretched downward next to his side. Other
operatives checked the car with the electronic device while Kenton
downloaded the information from each of their cells to a device
he’d received from the giant, before smashing the phones. Later, he
and Sven would check the phone logs to get a handle on the players
involved. One of Sven’s men placed some papers and a briefcase
retrieved from inside the car on the hood.

Satisfied there were no tracers other than
Sven's, Kenton strode toward the car, staring at the briefcase.
Slowly he eased it open, his eyes widening at the pictures of
Chastity as a little girl. His stomach tightened as each shot
revealed more of the hell and degradation those assholes had heaped
upon her. Small glassy eyes and listless features gave testimony
that they'd drugged her, and from the change of clothes in the
pictures, it happened often. There were large, masculine hands
holding and gripping her, marking her skin. There were glimpses of
men, obscene in their enjoyment of this abuse as they licked her
skin.

His flesh crawled. In some, her eyes were
swollen or her lips bruised. How had she survived the beatings? His
fingertips traced whip marks on her legs and back. Someone had
taken pictures of this brutality, and then sent these assholes
after her.

Anger roared through him and he shook from
the force of his rage. Itching to beat the shit out of the two men
on the ground, he grabbed the case and papers for Sven to go
through later. Before this ended, someone would pay for the abusive
shit that had happened to Chastity. Finally, he understood with
utmost clarity, his uncle's thirst for vengeance. No man wanted to
see any child, let alone his own, treated in this manner. Now,
Sven's blind commitment made sense. His uncle's vendetta was larger
than his mom's greed, larger than Chastity’s horrific beginning.
This was about stopping the systematic abuse of children by those
who use them for no other reason than profit and selfishness.

Furious, he stalked to the back and opened
the trunk. The damn thing was empty. He waved the giant over. “Did
they stop?”

“No. But we can back-track their movements
with the tracking device.”

“I'll do that.” He picked up the case and
left, ignoring the pleas from the men on the ground.

“You'll never find him without me.” The
words rose and expanded on the air, snaring Kenton as surely as a
spider's web.

Placing the briefcase down, he stopped,
turned and stared. No this motherfucker didn't just admit to
touching his son. “Excuse me?” Moving forward a few feet, he bent
down and pressed the barrel of the Sig behind Spice’s ear. Sweat
from his forehead landed on the man’s face, the thought of Jonah
being bound or hurt somewhere clouded his head and he cocked his
weapon.

“I know where he is.” The dead man
whispered.

“Who? Who are you talking about?” He needed
the extra minute to think, to calm down before he capped these
government masqueraders himself. Inhaling, he centered his energy
and focused on Jonah, pushing the pictures of Chastity to the
background in his mind.

The man tried to lick his lip, the boot on
his neck pressed slightly. “The boy,” he whispered and sealed his
fate.

Kenton removed, and secured the gun, then he
leaned forward and lifted the man in one swoop. He cocked his fist
and slammed it into Spice’s face. The man spun, Kenton caught him
before he hit the ground. Grabbing both lapels, he snarled into the
man’s face, ignoring all pleas for leniency.

“For that you will die.” He punched Spice in
the stomach, doubling him over.

Spice bent over, one hand on his knee, the
other trying to ward off another punch. “Wait, wait, let me tell
you…”

“The only choice you have right now is this.
Do you die alone or will your wife and children die with you? You
have thirty seconds to tell me exactly where you left him.” All his
life he'd played by the rules, but with those two words, the rules
flipped. These men worked for people who abused and prostituted
children. They breached his world and snatched his son. They spent
two hours antagonizing a woman he respected more and more each
hour. Oh yeah, the rules changed and he'd use all the knowledge
Uncle Sam taught him to make those responsible pay.

Spice's eyes shut tight at the click of a
gun. “Your word. Your word nothing happens to my family?”

“I haven't seen the condition of the boy and
that will be the deciding factor.”

“I didn't hurt him, just tied him up until
we could come back later and pick him up.”

“And I don't give a damn. Your time’s about
up. Where is he? And be specific.” His gun joined Levi’s pointing
at Spice’s heart.

The man swallowed hard. “I left him near
some trees where he'd been playing a game of hide and seek. I
marked the path with some red paint. Reverse our trail until you
come near the edge of Baxter's property and veer left in the woods,
you'll see the red paint on the ground. Walk straight ahead, he's
covered under some bushes. There. Now give me your word.”

Bushes
? Kenton pointed his gun at the
man's head. Images of Jonah rolled across his mind. The boy was
almost eight, he had to be terrified at being tied and stuffed
under leaves. Steady handed, his fingers tightened on the gun, his
mind in the midst of a war. Kill the bastard or go get Jonah. The
need for retaliation, not just for his son but for Chastity as
well, rode him hard. Seconds passed as he debated his next move.
Finally, the need to find Jonah overruled everything. Turning, he
ran to his car and left. In the rear view mirror, he saw the giant
lift Spice and tear off his shirt. Knowing his uncle, those men
were dead the moment they touched Jonah. Sven probably gave the
order as soon as he left the ranch. He dismissed the fate of those
assholes and retraced the path to find his son.

As soon as he reached the ranch, he called
and gave Sven an edited update. Seeing the path, he jumped out the
car and ran alongside the barely noticeable trail until he came
upon the red paint. Walking slowly, he searched the area for
anomalies. To the side, off the trail a few feet, he spotted a
small quivering mound of leaves and bushes. Rushing forward, he
pushed away leaves and found Jonah. Rope bound his arms and legs.
Gray tape covered his mouth. Quickly, he untied him and peeled away
the strip from his face.

“Owww,” Jonah yelped as the tape pulled
small hairs from around his mouth. He then collapsed into Kenton's
arms.

“It's okay, son. I've got you.” Pain
radiated from the middle of Kenton’s chest, leaving him breathless.
He hugged the boy close. Jonah sobbed, his small body shaking in
anguish.

“He...he snatched...me. I was...I was
p-p-p-playing with Miiicah.”

“I know. I know.” His breath hitched as he
stroked Jonah’s hair, holding him tight with his left hand. Sharp
pains shot up the right side of his body as his son hugged his
right arm pulling the cast. “You're safe. Micah came and got me.
He's home with your mom and Mariah, waiting for you to come
home.”

Jonah nodded and held him tighter. He sent
up a silent thanksgiving for the quick retrieval. Thinking of
Chastity's past, it could've been so much worse.

“Let me get you home, your mama is scared
and worried.” He picked him up. Jonah wrapped his arms around his
neck and his legs around his waist as he walked to the car. The
entire time tears soaked his shoulder and intermittent shudders
went through his son's body. Physically, Jonah seemed okay.
However, today's experience was a basic ingredient for nightmares.
If his son didn't need the comfort of his mama and familiar
surroundings right now, he'd return to the intersection and pull
the trigger on Walker and Spice.

After placing Jonah in the car, he called
Chastity. Mother and son talked all the way back to the house where
she greeted them at the door. Jonah hopped from the car and
launched himself, crying, into his mother's arms.

“Baby,” Chastity cried, holding him tight
and placing kisses all over his face.

Jonah's head lay on her shoulder as she
moved inside, Kenton nodded as his son stared at him. He and Sven
stayed outside near the car.

As soon as she was inside, he pulled out the
briefcase and handed it to Sven. “Look at these and then get rid of
them. It would kill her to know these existed, let alone that we
saw them.”

Sven eyed the case and then looked at him.
“You care about her, don't you?”

Kenton met his piercing gaze. “Yeah, always
have. I was too much of a chicken-shit to do anything about it
before, but not now. I plan on being in her life permanently.”

Sven's brow rose.

He ran his hand through his hair, the long
length brushed the top of his shoulder. “I know.” He sighed.
“She'll fight me all the way, but I'll still be here.”

Sven’s heavy hand clapped his back. “She'll
fight, but you're halfway there already. Notice she allowed you to
comfort her, the boys turned to you for help. Your family's
forming. don't fuck it up.”

Micah had sought him out, not Sven, not
Chastity. And he'd called him daddy. A satisfying heat wormed its
way through him. Daddy, he liked the sound of that.

Chapter
10

Congressman Justin Winters leaned back in
his chair, thinking over the conversation he'd just finished. His
friend, Mike, had a new girl he wanted broken in. She was six, and
if the picture he'd received on his phone was accurate, very
pretty. A knock on his office door broke the erotic images
developing in his mind. Placing his private cell phone in his
pocket, he took a sip of the bottled water on his desk before
responding.

“Come in.” He expected Molly, his
administrative assistant. Instead, a tall Hispanic male and thin
white female entered his office. Frowning at the intrusion, he
stood and greeted them.

“Hello, I'm Congressman Winters, how can I
help you?” They didn't look like his constituents. Their erect
postures and bland faces pegged them as some type of government
officials.

“I'm Special Agent Green and this is Special
Agent Morales. We're here to ask you some questions about some
information that has been brought to our attention.”

Mind spinning, he returned to his seat.
“What information?”

Morales walked to the desk, pulled out a
picture from a folder and handed it to him, face down. Sweat beaded
on his forehead as their eyes locked. Morales reminded him of a
bully from high school. Always so calm, so confident, so cocky.
He'd hated that punk and made sure his dad's friends made life hell
for the boy's family. He laughed the day the family moved away
after losing their home.

Snatching the picture, he flipped it over
and froze. His heart stopped and then raced at the face of his
Irish Rose. Eyes closed, shiny tears on her face, she lay on the
bed with her small hand tangled in his hair as his puckered lips
placed a kiss on her stomach. It was a beautiful picture. She'd
been his favorite until she turned eight. Idly, he wondered what
had happened to her. Not that it mattered.

“Is there a reason you're showing me this
picture?” He threw it down on his desk and snarled at the
agents.

Morales smiled. A toothy please-push-me
smile. Without answering, he handed him another picture. This one
was of Rose Petals, an Asian child who had pleased him for a year
or so. In this picture he lay on his back, eyes closed, her tiny
hands wrapped around his thick cock. A nearby mirror showed the
diminutive doe-eyed beauty’s concentration, and if he remembered
correctly, fear. There was no doubt she was a child. He shifted in
his seat to ease his erection. Damn, he'd never thought to have
pictures, these were hot.

He threw the picture on the desk. “So
someone's found someone who can Photoshop pictures. Is it Macanis?
Is this what he came up with to ruin my re-election chances?” He
glanced at the pictures and then at the hulking agent staring down
at him.

Instead of responding, Morales pulled out
another picture. Justin's palms sweated as he reached for the
photo; part of him was aroused and the other afraid of who this
might be. He glared at Morales, refused to look at Green, and
turned the photo over.

His stomach dropped.
Heidi
. He'd
wondered what happened to her after their last time together. She'd
refused to have anything to do with him. In anger, he'd gotten
carried away with her punishment. If she'd been obedient, he
wouldn't have disciplined her. Everyone knew children needed
discipline to stay in line. This picture showed the pain and agony
on her face as he whipped the small child with his leather belt.
Welts and beads of blood ran across her reddened thighs and
stomach. Her hands were tied to the bed and his other hand pinned
her legs. He'd been under stress to get married during that time,
and he'd taken it out on her. There was a gleam of determination in
his eyes, his face a mask of fury, jaw tight and teeth clenched. It
wasn't one of his prouder moments. He cringed in shame. Heat
scorched his face and neck. For moments, no one said anything.

“Do you need to see more?” Green asked, her
voice low and filled with loathing.

He studied the picture. Instead of
responding, he wondered what a jury would say if they saw these
images. He didn't fool himself, he knew there were more, and if he
didn't handle it right, these pictures could make the evening news.
Everything would be lost. His wife, his daughters, his home and
career. Hell, those things were probably beyond his reach now.