Bisset pointed to the chair and panic spiked through Brandon. He wasn’t sure he could maintain his act while sitting in a chair that moved so easily.
“Not that chair. He needs a regular chair. No wheels, no spinning,” Raul said.
Bisset tilted his head at the chair. “That’s all we have.”
Raul shrugged. “C’mon, Brandon, we’ll set up our own operation. We don’t need these morons.” He used a hand on Brandon’s shoulder to turn him away from the chair.
“Wait.” Bisset turned to face Bob and nodded. “Get him what he needs.”
Bob nodded and disappeared down a hallway. Apparently, greed was going to win out over posturing. Brandon heard a door open, some bumping and banging then the door closed again. There was more thumping, and Brandon barely choked back his laugh in time, that would’ve blown their cover for sure. Bob carried an overstuffed wing-back chair in front of him to the desk and dropped it onto its legs with a huff. He kicked the other chair away from the desk and shoved the sturdy wing-back into its place.
“See?” Raul gave Bob a small, smug smile. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Brandon began to wonder if he was going to be able to keep a straight face during their ‘presentation’. Raul gave Brandon a gentle nudge toward the chair. He gripped the chair arms and carefully lowered himself down, settling slowly into the seat. Brandon didn’t lean back and tried to appear cowed and anxious. Neither was difficult. They’d practiced their control method, which in turn led to more sex. Brandon was genuinely drained and tender in a few key points on his body and these people scared the hell out of him. So, looking the part of a downtrodden prisoner wasn’t difficult.
Bisset and Bob exchanged wary looks, but it was Tala who rolled her eyes, reached out and hit the power button on the computer, powering it up.
“Let’s see what they have to offer,” she said.
“You need to give him something to find,” Raul pointed out.
Brandon carefully kept his gaze forward, don’t make eye contact, focusing on the monitor.
Bisset sighed and Brandon heard him move away, returning a few minutes later. A file folder was dropped onto the desk in front of Brandon. Bisset leaned over Brandon’s shoulder, close enough Brandon felt the heat from his body. Brandon’s shiver was almost impossible to suppress. Bisset flipped the folder open and spread three photos out across the desk beside the keyboard.
“What can you find on these kids?”
Bisset’s breath smelled of garlic and cheese.
Raul stretched his arms in front of him, clasped his fingers together and cracked his knuckles.
“Move,” he growled.
Brandon glanced far enough to the side to see Raul push Bisset away. Raul situated himself behind Brandon and said roughly, “Okay, Sparky, get to work.”
Brandon shoved the keyboard away, dragged the computer tower closer and scooted the chair as close to the desk as possible before he put one finger over a USB port and another against the modem port. Raul put his fingers in position around Brandon’s neck and waited while Brandon extended his electrical field outward. The gasp and nervous snicker from their audience told Brandon they’d seen the blue haze begin to pulsate between Brandon and Raul.
He let his shoulders slump and body relax into Raul’s connection with his electric field. As long as he concentrated on his task and not how his body reacted to Raul’s phantom touch, they’d be safe… he hoped. He gave himself a mental shake and studied the photographs in front of him.
From the first photo a girl smiled out at Brandon. He went to work on that one. Pretty hazel eyes twinkled and wavy blonde hair framed her face. She had that fresh scrubbed, girl-next-door appearance nicely complimented by tasteful make-up in all the right colors.
She was easy, Brandon could’ve found a pile of information on her even without his skills. He struck social media and her school records first, being cautious to filter out anything the general public with a little better than average digital knowledge wouldn’t be able to find. Images began popping up on the monitor. Her name was Gloria, fitting, Brandon thought.
Gloria’s social media was filled with signs of her wanting to fit in and belong, but always on the fringes. She had tried out for the cheerleading squad and despite getting high scores still didn’t make the team.
Brandon could relate.
He avoided showing them her school detentions but did reveal her multiple truancy charges. There was no avoiding giving them an address, so Brandon found public offices in a residential neighborhood near Gloria’s real home. He pulled that address and a random picture of a house from another state, pairing them on the screen. It was the best he could do with his limited time. Yearbook photographs, selfies and some images taken in a park appeared on the monitor.
“That’s enough.” Raul broke their connection and took a deep breath.
Brandon let his hands slide away from the tower and drop to his lap. He shifted in the chair. The sudden break of their connection sent gentle waves of heat through his body. No doubt Raul was feeling the effects as well and needed a minute of breathing space.
Raul leaned around Brandon and moved the other two photographs, so they were next to Gloria’s. Another girl and a boy. Raul got back into position and they reestablished their contact.
The second girl, this one had dark hair, bright blue eyes and no make-up, came from a seriously wealthy family. She had the beginnings of a spectacular criminal record, multiple runaway incidents, ditching school completely, car theft, burglary and if Brandon had to guess, drug charges would come soon with prostitution likely not far behind.
Bisset picked up that photo and handed it off to Bob.
Lastly was the boy. Dark brown eyes, light brown hair, sort of skinny with more pictures of his three dogs and their accomplishments on his social media than anyone or anything else. On the surface he was a loner, but he wasn’t really. He simply had a social circle that didn’t include other teens who weren’t involved in sporting with dogs. He’d never be the sort of target the traffickers were after.
The second girl was their most likely mark and was probably nearby. The other two were plants to test Brandon.
Raul cut their connection again, this time announcing, “He’s done.”
Brandon slumped back against the chair, his body twitching, breath ragged and head spinning. He heard Raul and Bisset talking, they seemed far away, but Raul stood with his hand on the chair back, fingertips barely brushing against Brandon’s hair a few times.
All Brandon could really do right now was concentrate on his breathing in an attempt to swim up to the real world. When he shuddered, not once, but repeatedly, Raul’s hand came to rest firmly on Brandon’s shoulder and squeezed.
There were a few more words exchanged between Raul and Bisset. Brandon could tell by the way Raul leaned to the side he probably shared a quick handshake with Bisset. Raul’s hand left Brandon’s shoulder, sliding down to grip his arm and pull Brandon out of the chair.
“Time to recharge, Sparky,” Raul announced. He guided Brandon around the chair and drew him close. “We’ll be in touch.”
Brandon wondered what parts of the conversation between Raul and Bisset he’d missed. There was something said about a car, but Raul turned down the offer. Brandon understood why, but damn he would’ve liked a ride back to Raul’s van.
It was a much longer walk back than Brandon remembered taking to get there. When he realized they’d passed the same store twice, he understood Raul was backtracking and circling the same blocks more than once, presumably to evade anyone who might be trailing them. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t help leaning on Raul’s hand around his biceps as he plodded along beside him. Most of the people they passed didn’t seem to pay any attention to them, but a few cast odd glances in their direction. Brandon could only imagine how they appeared to onlookers. If anyone thought he was in danger, they didn’t do a thing to assist him. He had no idea if it was the image R
aul projected or the general public’s penchant to not become involved. Whatever the reason, it was a sad commentary on those they encountered, even briefly.
Brandon had never been so happy to see a building in his life. He barely mustered the energy to zap the bay door, opening it.
“Do you think we’re in with them?” Brandon asked then yawned. “I need sleep.”
“I know.” Raul unlocked the van and rolled the side door open, holding Brandon’s elbow while he climbed inside. They’d left the mattress and bedding set up in the center of the vehicle. “Bisset was impressed. Bob less so.”
“Is that going to mess us up?” Brandon stripped down to his underwear, stretched out on the mattress and pulled the lightweight blanket up to his shoulders.
Raul sighed and arched an eyebrow. “Bob’s a werewolf.”
“But the other two—?”
“Human. Not even magical humans,” Raul confirmed. “The bigger question is, does Bisset employ him because he’s a werewolf, or for other reasons and werewolf is a bonus?” He reached out and patted Brandon’s arm. “You get some sleep, recharge. Then we’ll get some supplies, dinner and wait for Bisset to call.”
Brandon reached out and took ahold of Raul’s wrist. “The information I gave them, they can use some of it. I dumped everything I dug out for Bisset into your e-mail.”
“I know. I’ll send it all to Janey, she’ll get it to the right people, get those kids protection or off the streets or—hell, I don’t know, arrested if need be. I don’t think they’ll have to be off Bisset’s radar for too long for him to move on to others.”
“There’s always going to be others,” Brandon said.
“And someone will eventually take Bisset’s place, we can’t get them all, but we can get Bisset,” Raul pointed out.
Raul’s sadness was palatable. It was clear to Brandon that if they couldn’t stop Bisset Raul was going to be devastated. So would Brandon.
◆◆◆
While Brandon slept, Raul transitioned to his werewolf form and took a trip around the outside of the building. He found another entrance to the inner rooms and prowled through again, putting enhanced hearing and olfactory senses to good use once more. There was nothing more to be learned than the first time he’d explored the area. He checked their improvised barrier; it was still holding fast. Satisfied they were still safe and secure for now, he returned to the van.
Brandon hadn’t moved and Raul took a few minutes to watch him sleep. Only then did he notice how Brandon twitched in his sleep. They’d spent plenty of hours sharing a bed while sleeping, but in all honesty, during their time asleep, Raul had slept, not observed. He wondered if this was normal for Brandon or simply a side effect from their last day’s activities. Raul thought it unlikely he’d never noticed any unusual muscle tremors from Brandon before now.
Raul’s next task was to forward all the information they’d found to Janey. After he finished with that he made a list of what foods and other items they’d need for the next day or two. They had a cooler, but no refrigerator. Their other option was to rent a room or apartment somewhere, which if they were going to be here more than another day or two was probably going to be a necessity. Living out of his van in an empty loading dock was fine for the short term, anything more long term would require different arrangements.
He’d have to wait until Brandon was awake to discuss their options.
Normally, werewolves, once fully mature, didn’t require the amount of sleep a human did. However, Raul discovered each time he and Brandon connected through Brandon’s electrical field when they’d finished, he felt more drained and needed more sleep than normal. Raul stripped and changed into t-shirt and sweatpants before he climbed into the van, settling in the driver’s seat for a short nap.
Raul snapped awake to the sound of scratching and pops near the barrier. A quick glance at the dashboard clock told Raul he’d slept about an hour. He heard Brandon stirring behind him. Raul twisted around and slipped to the back of the van.
“Do you hear that?” Raul whispered, putting a hand on Brandon’s shoulder. When Brandon nodded Raul continued, “Stay here for a minute.” Brandon nodded again, and Raul quietly left the van.
He crept close to the barrels and pressed his back to the wall beside them, hoping anyone trying to see over the barrels wouldn’t see him. Raul didn’t need to shift his form to a werewolf for more than a few seconds before he relaxed and retook his completely human form. He jogged back to the van and met Brandon as he climbed down.
“Did you see anyone?” Brandon asked.
Raul shook his head and chuckled. “No, but I did smell cat. More specifically lactating cat with a rodent.”
“Mom feeding her kittens?”
“I think so.” Raul sighed. “At any rate, not someone trying to get in here. This time.” He retrieved his phone. “No messages from Bisset or his people.”
“What do we do now?”
“I think our only move is to be patient. We gave them a demo; they’ll confirm the data we provided.” Raul shrugged. “Whether they like what they have or not, is yet to be seen. Let’s get out of here, find somewhere to eat and plot out our next steps.”
“Let’s drive this time,” Brandon said. Raul was inclined to agree.
Once the van was packed and ready, Brandon connected with Raul’s laptop and guided them to a small diner a few miles away and closer to downtown El Paso.
“I could get real used to having you as a guidance system,” Raul said as he parked the van.
Brandon glanced sideways and smiled softly. “Me too.”
They found a booth near the back of the diner that gave Raul a clear view of not only the door but the whole customer area.
“Is camping out of your van in a big garage feasible for the long term?” Brandon asked as he ate.
“I was thinking the same thing earlier. It served our purpose of finding their operation. We now need to think about setting up our own longer-term operation,” Raul said.
“We could find a motel,” Brandon suggested.
“I’d like more security and I think an actual residence, a condo or apartment, would be a better front and make more sense,” Raul explained.
“That’s going to take time. Credit checks, references for the landlord after we locate somewhere.”
“Ah, you forget.” Raul held up one finger and grinned. “I’m not working under an alias and I have the El Corazon name and my own family name behind me.”
“A better option might be one of the types of places that rent furnished apartments short term?”
Raul nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
“More of my navigation skills put to good use?” Brandon’s eyebrows bobbed up and down a few times.
“It would make this easier and faster,” Raul agreed. He paid their bill and they headed back to his van where Brandon set to work finding them prospective places to live for the next however many days or weeks it would take for their plan to be fully implemented.
“I started with a radius of about a ten-minute drive to Bisset’s headquarters.” Brandon turned the laptop around so Raul could see the list.
“Okay, not too cheap but not too pricey either, we need something that’s in the middle.” He pointed to the screen and the fourth apartment listed. “Let’s try this one. Costs enough to have mostly legitimate renters, security doors—”
“And a pool,” Brandon finished.
“And a pool.” Raul started the van and pulled onto the street. “Lead the way.”
Brandon leaned back in the seat, stretched his legs out and put his fingertip to one of the laptop ports. “Go back to the highway, get off after two exits and take a left.”
As they had before, Brandon provided directions for Raul to follow and they arrived at an apartment complex. There were a variety of cars in the parking lot, all average. The grounds were nicely kept, but nothing fancy and none of the people Raul saw piqued any immediate suspicion. There was a sign nex
t to the front door advertising the units for rent and move-in ready.
Raul pulled out his phone and sent a text to his grandmother and Fahim with basically the same message, “Back me up if someone calls to check my background.” He didn’t wait for a reply, but he didn’t need to, they’d confirm anything someone asked about him. As he stepped out of the van he said to Brandon, “Let’s do this.”
The rental office was bright and cheery with hanging plants in front of all the windows and abstract paintings on the walls. A young man wearing a suit that didn’t quite fit him as well as it should’ve, obnoxious cologne and a name badge that said ‘Ed’ sat behind a desk. As soon as Raul and Brandon were inside the office Ed immediately stood up and walked around with his hand extended toward Raul.
“Good afternoon. How can I help you?”
“Um, well, we’d like to, you know, rent a unit.” Raul shook the offered hand.
Nodding, Ed glanced from Raul to Brandon and back again. “We have some very nice one bedrooms and I have one studio unit.”
“Do you have a two-bedroom apartment?” Raul asked. “We’re up here from Green Valley. I’m Raul Fierro. My family owns the El Corazon adult club and we’re looking to open a new branch.” He nodded to Brandon. “This is my location scout.”
Brandon stuffed his hands in his pockets and nodded politely.
Ed’s eyebrows shot up and he smiled broadly. “An El Corazon Club here in El Paso would be dope!”
“So.” Raul walked around and leaned one hip on the desk. “You’re familiar with our little establishment?”
“By reputation only, but if there’s one opening here I might be able to change that.”
Raul smiled. “Enthusiasm like yours is what makes us such a success, thank you.” He pulled out his wallet and extracted a business card, handing it over to Ed. “Can we take a look at the apartments?”
“Of course, sure.” Ed looked over the card and pocketed it. “Is this the administrative office phone number, or yours?”
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