D-Boy

by Edward Kendrick

  Derek wasn’t certain he believed that. Being dragged on a treadmill would certainly leave abrasions on a kid’s wrists and knees. But he didn’t question Mario about it.

  “And that’s all for now. Tomorrow morning you’ll meet the rest of the staff,” Mario said as they left the building, heading to Derek’s new home. “Sleep well.”

  Right. Not. Derek nodded, letting himself in with one of the keys Mario had given him. The others unlocked the back and front doors of the house and most of the rooms inside.

  Now what? He considered it as he checked out the place. There was a living room, nicely furnished with a sofa, chairs, a table, and a small entertainment center. Off of it on one side was the bedroom. He checked the closet and dresser and found, as Mario had said, all of his clothes, plus several new shirts and slacks. Those were in basic browns and grays and he had the feeling they were what he would wear when he was working.

  The small kitchen was well stocked with food and drink. The bathroom had a shower rather than a tub. His personal items were in a box on the sink.

  There’s no way I can get in touch with Brad unless they let me out of here. I wonder if I do get days off? It hadn’t sounded like it, but they wouldn’t keep help for long if they were forced to stay here twenty-four seven. But some of them have to leave, to take the kids into the city and keep guard over them. He remembered seeing three vans in the parking lot and figured that’s how they were transported. Now if I could get the job of driving one of them…

  But that would come later. First he had to do whatever it took to get the information the Company needed to shut down the operation.

  * * * *

  “You’re too soft on them.”

  Derek turned to see Max, one of the larger men who worked there, standing with his arms crossed, frowning at him. “That boy at table one was sitting too close to the girl next to him.”

  “For God’s sake, he’s a big kid, it’s not like he has a lot of room, when you put four kids to a bench.”

  “If it happens again, you’re to take him to one of the cells. Understood?”

  Derek nodded. It was his third day here, so he was still on probation, according to the supervisor. He needed to get past that if he was going to have any freedom to walk the around the place and get into the main offices.

  “Understood,” he replied.

  When the meal was over, he escorted the kids who weren’t going into the city back to their rooms. It was like herding a batch of mistreated animals. They moved slowly, shoulders slumped, heads down, arms hanging limply at their sides. He wanted to kill the people responsible.

  Tonight. Tonight I’m coming in and getting into the offices, one damned way or another.

  * * * *

  Derek didn’t have keys to the office he wanted to explore. That was the least of his problems however. He had to come up with a reason to be in the house in the first place in the early hours of the morning. He thought up and rejected several ideas. No one would believe he was looking for something to eat. He had a fully stocked kitchen at the cottage. The same went for his saying he’d left something behind when his shift was over. He wasn’t allowed to bring anything in with him other than his keys and the clothes he was wearing. He could just take the chance that no one would see him, but that was flirting with danger because the one thing he did know was he couldn’t unlock the outside door and walk in. There were security codes, a different one for each of the staff, and he only knew his. When he punched it in, it would record that he was there.

  But, suppose I went in when someone else did. They’ll be bringing the kids back soon. How can I take advantage of that?

  For sure he couldn’t if he wasn’t out by the side door to the parking lot when that happened. Going into the bathroom, he took the can of shaving cream from the medicine cabinet. A quick series of twists and the bottom came off in his hand. Taking out the set of lock picks, he pocketed them, put the bottom back on the can, and returned it to the shelf.

  Next, he went into the kitchen. There was a set of steak knives in a drawer. He took one, slipping into his waistband under his shirt. Not much of a weapon, but better than nothing.

  As prepared as he could be, he moved silently through the trees from his cottage to the wall surrounding the property. From there, he made his way as close to the house as possible then dashed the last few yards to the shadows surrounding it. He was infinitely glad they trusted the security on the doors and the barred windows to keep the kids inside, and didn’t resort to bright spotlights and security cameras on the exterior of the building.

  He inched his way to the corner closest to the parking lot fence. There were three cars there, plus two of the vans. He slipped inside the fence, dropped to his hands and knees to keep the lowest profile possible, and crawled to the van that sat a few feet from the door, hunkering down beside it. And just in time. He heard the sound of vehicles coming up the drive.

  The two vans parked and the drivers, plus the men assigned to watch the kids, got out. They opened the sliding doors, ordering the kids to exit one by one. One of the drivers went to the side door of the house, unlocking it then punching in his code.

  Derek heard a man order one of the last kids out of the van to move it or she’d be hurting worse than she already was. She sobbed, grabbing his arm, trying to stay erect. Instantly, two of the three other men were there, dragging her toward the door. One of the boys tried to come to her aid and was quickly subdued.

  Derek took a chance, standing and striding toward them as if he’d just come from his cottage. “Need a hand?” he asked.

  “Yeah, take this one to one of the cells,” one of the men replied, shoving the boy at Derek.

  Derek quickly twisted the boy’s arm behind his back, trying not to hurt him too much as he marched him inside and down the hall. “You’ll be dealt with in the morning,” he told him tightly. After locking the cell door, Derek quickly left. For a moment, he was the only one in the hall since the other kids were being herded upstairs to their rooms.

  He ducked into the dining room, locking the door after him. Then he waited, praying that no one would realize he hadn’t left the building.

  When he figured enough time had passed, he unlocked the door and inched it open. The hallway was quiet with only the dim nightlights illuminating it. Step by silent step, he made his way down to the main office. Taking the lock picks from his pocket, he set to work, every sense alert for any sound or movement that would tell him someone was coming. After what seemed like hours, the lock clicked open. He quickly slipped into the room, closing the door behind him.

  Then he began searching, using the screen of his cell phone for light. The desk yielded nothing of interest other than a small key ring well hidden in the back of a top drawer. From the look of the keys, Derek thought they opened the various file cabinets. He was right. As he went through them, he used his phone to take pictures of any information he thought would be useful. At one point, he froze when he heard footsteps in the hallway, then quickly ducked into the desk well. They paused for a moment outside the door then moved on. He crossed his fingers, hoping whoever it was hadn’t seen something to alert them someone was in the office.

  Once he felt it was safe, he went back to what he was doing. He almost shouted in relief when he found a file with information on the locations of the houses in the other cities. He snapped three pictures to be certain he got a clear one of the lists then closed his phone, dropping it into his pocket.

  Now all he had to do was wait it out until morning then act as if he was just coming on duty—but not in the office. Carefully, he opened the door, listening for any sounds. Hearing nothing, he stepped into the hall, making certain the door locked behind him.

  * * * *

  “You’re here bright and early,” Ted, one of the other staff members, said when he came upon Derek standing at the door to the training room.

  Derek shrugged. “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep so I figured, what the hell.” He’d ma
de it a point, a few minutes earlier, to go to the back door, unlock it as if he was just coming in, and punch his code in. He knew that if he didn’t, someone would ask how he got in. He had already hidden the lock picks and his phone in the staff washroom where he knew they’d be safe until he left.

  “I have nights like that.” Ted chuckled. “When it happens, I get one of the girls to help me relax.”

  “I’ll have to remember that,” Derek muttered.

  The rest of the day progressed as normal. After lunch was over, Derek took his break, stopping first to retrieve his things from the washroom before going back to his cottage. He wanted to send the pictures he’d taken right away but knew all phone calls were monitored.

  The lock picks went back where they’d been hidden. He put his phone where he always kept it, in the pocket of a pair of jeans, carefully folded with the rest of them in a dresser drawer. It wasn’t that Mario didn’t know he had it with him when he’d been brought to the house. That was a given. But since it was useless to try to make a private call out, he’d just stuck it in that pocket when he’d undressed his first night at the cottage and left it there.

  Now comes the final problem. How the hell do I get away from here without them knowing?

  He could go over that wall, if he didn’t mind his hands and legs being cut to bits on the razor wire. He could try hiding in one of the vans but he knew that wasn’t really an option. Still…He tapped his lips in thought. The guards were free to come and go. It was their cars he’d seen in the parking lot. Their shift change was right at ten pm. By then he would be off for the night.

  Yeah, that could work.

  He returned to the house to finish off his day by watching the kids at supper. He noticed the girl from last night was still missing. She had been all day, as had the boy who’d tried to help her. He hoped to hell they were still alive.

  By nine thirty, Derek had changed into jeans and a T-shirt. He knew he couldn’t take much with him, only what would fit in his pockets, because he wanted to make it appear as if he was just out for an early night’s stroll around the grounds if anyone saw him. His wallet and keys went into one pocket, his phone in another. He retrieved the lock picks, since he’d need them to open the trunk of one of the cars.

  As ready as he was going to be, Derek left the cottage, strolling casually down the path toward the house, as if he didn’t have anything more in mind than getting some fresh night air before going to bed. He nodded to one of the other staff members when the guy went past him in the other direction, getting a half-hearted nod in return.

  Just as he turned the corner into the parking lot, someone grabbed his arm.

  “What are you doing here?” one of the guards asked.

  “Going for a walk. Last I heard that was allowed.”

  “In back. Nowhere else. Now move it.”

  “Just a damned minute. I’m not one of the kids that you can order around.”

  “Do you want me to report you to the men in charge?” the guard asked tightly.

  “Okay. Okay, message received.” Derek turned away, heading back toward his cottage. He could almost feel the guard watching him. Stopping halfway there, he knelt as if to tie a shoelace, glancing over his shoulder as he did. The guard was nowhere in sight and Derek heard a car start up. Seconds later headlights lit the driveway, telling him the guard had left.

  “Damn it to hell,” Derek muttered, standing again. He walked back to the lot, just in time to see the second guard take off. So much for that plan. He frowned, wondering why they left ahead of schedule. Maybe something’s going down?

  He looked around the lot and saw there were only two vans there at the moment. It’s too early for anyone to be picking up the kids. But if there is trouble…

  Smiling grimly, he hurried to one of the vans. Keeping an ear open for the sound of anyone approaching, he used the lock picks to open the door then slid into the driver’s seat. Told you I knew how to steal a car, Brad. He grinned when he got the van running.

  He took his ID badge from his wallet, clipping it to his shirt, and drove down the drive to the gate.

  The night guard stepped out, asking perfunctorily, “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “There’s a problem with a couple of the kids. They told me to go pick them up. No one told you?”

  “Yeah. That’s why I’m here early but they already sent a couple of guys.”

  “All I know is they told me to get my ass into town with a van,” Derek replied, letting worry tinge his voice. “Maybe it’s more than just a couple. There were a lot of problems with them today. Must be the full moon.”

  The guard chuckled at that comment then frowned at Derek. “You’re not a regular driver.”

  “They assigned me early today. Beats the hell out of watching the brats eat.”

  “Guess it would.” He glanced at Derek’s badge. “Get them to change that out for the right one.”

  “Shit, they did. I just grabbed this one by habit. Sorry.”

  “Yeah, okay. Remember next time. I shouldn’t let you through without it, but from what I heard, it is an emergency, so go ahead.” Stepping back inside the guardhouse, he pressed the button to open the gate.

  Derek saluted as he drove through onto the lane. Then he stepped on the gas. Soon he was at the road. Coming to a stop, he glanced both directions, uncertain for a moment which way to go. Then he remembered Mario had turned right to get to the house, so he turned left and kept driving.

  As soon as he felt he was far enough from the house for it to be safe, he took out his phone and called Brad. When Brad answered, Derek told him, “I’m sending you some pictures.”

  “Vacation shots?” Brad asked with a small laugh.

  “I should have been so lucky.” He started sending them. When he’d finished, he realized he had no idea where he was. Putting Brad on hold, he went into the GPS function on his phone. “Damn, I’m halfway to nowhere,” he muttered. Getting back to Brad, he asked, “Where can we meet?”

  Derek knew Brad had checked the tracker when he replied, “Stay on Mayfield, heading west.” There was a long pause and Derek figured Brad was using his map function. “Got it,” Brad said when he returned. “Like I said, stay on Mayfield. You’ll come to the Mayfield Shopping Center. What are you driving?”

  “One of the vans from the house. White, no lettering.”

  “All right. You’d better park it behind the center just in case, then go to the burger joint. It’s open all night. I’ll meet you there. It’ll probably take me longer than you to drive out, so don’t panic if you don’t see me.”

  “I won’t. Much.” Derek chuckled and closed the phone.

  He did as Brad had said, parking the van out of sight when he got to the center then going into the burger place. He realized how tense he was when the woman behind the counter asked, “How can I help you, Mr. Parrino?” and he wanted to turn and run because she knew his name. Then it occurred to him he was still wearing his badge. He took it off, pocketing it, and ordered a burger and a soda.

  Finding a booth in the back, well away from the windows, he started eating, looking up every time he heard someone come in. He only relaxed when he saw Brad.

  “If you were any farther back, you’d be in the restroom,” Brad said, sliding in across from Derek.

  “I might feel safer there.”

  Brad smiled, reaching over to grip his hand for a moment. “You’re safe now. I forwarded the pictures you took to Samson. He’s one happy camper. He’ll be here in the morning to debrief you and talk to our people here about what comes next. Then we can head home.”

  Derek nodded. “There’s one thing I want to do first.”

  “Which is?”

  “Be there when Tony Benini’s taken down. That bastard deserves to be put in the kind of cell his people forced the kids into when they ‘misbehaved’.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  “Tiny, no light, barely room to sit down, and for sure they couldn�
�t lie down, unless they curled into a ball. How soon will they be rescued?”

  “Not soon enough from the sound of it. All I know is what Samson said, that they want to coordinate things so it all goes down at the same time in each city.”

  “Our people or the police?”

  “I got the impression he’ll be passing the info you got on to the police. They have the manpower.”

  “Probably for the best. Still…”

  Brad smiled tightly. “We could pay a personal visit to Mr. Benini.”

  Derek thought about it. The idea was tempting. “No,” he finally said. “If we do that, it could tip off the others. I want every last one of them locked up. Forever, if it was possible.”

  “It could be. Enough kids died at their hands. We’ll see. Are you going to finish that?” Brad asked, looking at Derek’s half-eaten burger. “If not, let’s get out of here.”

  “And go where? They know about my apartment.”

  Brad smiled, putting one arm around Derek’s waist when they got out of the booth. “But they don’t know about mine.”

  * * * *

  “I’ll admit,” Brad said half an hour later when they were in his apartment, several miles from Derek’s, “I was damned worried when I realized there was no way you could contact me while you were at the house, and no way I could get inside to help if you needed it short of breaching the front gate.”

  “That would have been impossible.”

  “Yeah, I figured that out when I made a ‘wrong turn to visit a friend’ and ended up outside the place. The guard was not the friendly sort, to put it mildly.”

  “No one there is. It’s like an armed camp but without the guns—or at least no guns that I saw other than on the guards.” Derek leaned back against the arm of the sofa, closing his eyes.