by TL Reeve
“You do. His name is Henry Appleton. He is the guidance counselor. You’ll also have a West Hollywood detective as your contact. His name is Gaspar Higgins. He’s been tracking the drug activity within the school for the last year.”
“Are they c-connected?” Bex flipped to the information the detective provided.
“The police department believes so. Detective Higgins stated in our initial contact, there is a Molly ring in the school. Those who can’t pay their debts are indentured to the dealers. Some have disappeared. Where they go is anyone’s guess, because there is never a trail left and no one is talking.”
“Does Sergio believe his sister is part of this?” Alex asked.
“He does. He told Detective Higgins the last time he saw her, she was scared. She said she felt trapped and then two days later she disappeared. Their parents are kind of flaky. They’re rich so they spend more time away from home than home,” Asher replied. “So, you’ll have your hands full.”
The whole situation left Bex uneasy. If it’d been Raul’s cartel, the women would have been placed in a sex trafficking ring and never heard from again. The thought repulsed her. A year ago, it could have been her. She understood Sergio before she even met him. The fear and worry alone must have ate away at him. Then to have parents who were gone more than home. Anxiety didn’t even cut what he must have felt.
“When do we leave?” Alé hedged.
“Tonight. Pack your shit and get ready to go. The quicker we can get you on the ground and embedded in the school the better off all of you will be. Alé you’re on point with this. AJ and Scotty are going with you. Noah will be your Commander for the mission. Mateo will be in constant contact with Mr. Appleton. Noah and Mateo will be running the op from here.”
“Remember, to take your time. For this mission, your contact knows you’re coming. It’ll be easier to get him to talk. All information you receive from him, run it by Scotty and AJ first. Any other questions?” Noah stated.
When no one said anything, Asher dismissed them. Bex started for the apartment so she could pack, but stopped when Asher called her name. She turned, waiting until they were alone to address the leader of R.O.O.T.. “Y-Yes, sir?”
“Did you receive something from Noah today?” He cocked a brow.
She grinned. “My t-tags.”
“Yes,” he replied. “Welcome to the team. For this mission, your job is to run the numbers. I also want you to watch your teams back. This assignment can go bad fast. Anytime you have to attend one of those parties, I want you in a perch relaying real time information, which also means carrying your rifle with you, understand?”
“I do.” Bex stood a little taller. “I’ve got their back.” The trust he instilled in her, had a welling of pride bursting through her chest. She was still new at all of this, but she trained hard and was determined to prove herself.
“Good to hear. You have three hours to be ready to leave. Make sure you have everything you’ll need. Good luck.” Asher held out his hand to her. “I know you’ll make your parents proud.”
She shook his hand. “Thank you. I hope so.”
When she returned to her apartment, Mateo and Noah were waiting for her. Both appeared worried. Were they concerned about her? Silly question, of course, they were. They always worried about her. “Hey.”
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay doing this?” Mateo said jumping the gun when she joined them.
“I am, dad. I think this is perfect.” Since she’d also been seeing Doc Joiner, she’d been receiving speech therapy to help her speak without her stutter. Some days were better than others.
“You’ll be careful?”
She smiled. “Always. I plan on not putting myself at risk or my t-team.”
“Mateo’s reaction is normal,” Noah said, taking the edge off. “He says the same to me whenever I leave.”
“It’s her first mission. I am allowed to be worried.” Mateo tugged her into his embrace. “For four years I have watched over you the best I could. Now, I can’t be there to protect you.”
She breathed in his fresh scent and the spice of his cologne Noah helped her pick out for Father’s Day. Mateo loved her as much as he would a biological child. For her love was new. She hadn’t understood it until Bronx and Alé, and now, Mateo and Noah. “Bear and you will be watching m-me. F-From a distance. I-I’ll Skype or whatever w-when I can.”
“We’re both extremely proud of you, Bexley,” Noah said. “You’ve come a long way.”
“He’s right, we are.” Mateo placed a kiss to the crown of her head. “When do you leave?”
“Three hours is what Asher said.” Three hours and she’d be leaving the safety of the base for the first time in what felt like forever.
“You know how Asher feels about the rules. He likes the whole dark thing when it comes to taking off. It keeps our place safe.” Noah went to the kitchen. “Which means Bex has enough time to pack and have dinner.”
“Then go pack, mija. We’ll get everything ready for you.” Mateo let her go and for some reason, she didn’t want him to.
Bex held onto his arms a moment longer then went to her room to pack. This was her new life. Her new set of challenges. She didn’t know how long they’d be gone, but she knew every day she was gone, she’d miss her family and she’d look forward to coming home too. Because this time, she had a home to come back to with loving parents and friends who cared about her.
Three hours later, Noah and Mateo saw her off. She climbed into the ass of the C-130 and waited at the ramp as the doors closed. When she turned around, her friends were with her. Mr. Escobar was with them. They would be staying at his home in Los Angeles. The primered Impala she’d crashed several months ago, had been strapped in as well. It was Alé’s prized possession. She’d spent almost as much time helping him repair it as she did training. All it needed was a paint job, something Jacolbi planned on hooking him up with when they got to L.A..
As they lifted off, she stared at the ground as it grew further and further away. Sadness washed over her. She couldn’t explain why she experienced such a visceral reaction like she did other than it swamped her almost immediately. She wanted the pilot to take her back. She needed to go home. Bronx came up beside Bex and tugged her into her side. A moment later, Alé took a seat to the right of Bex. She gave a watery chuckle when the others finally joined her.
“It’s called being homesick,” Bronx said. “I saw it in your eyes the minute the doors closed. I should have joined you sooner. You’re in luck too, because it goes away with time.”
Homesickness? Is that what it was called. Why silent tears tracked down her cheeks. Why she yearned to go home? She’d never experienced it before. Then again, she’d never had a family to miss or people she considered friends to go back to. “I-I d-don’t understand.”
“You will.” Alé pressed a kiss to Bex’s temple. “But, as much as we’re going to work on this mission, we’re also going to have fun, something you’ve seriously been missing.”
“Yeah, I’m taking you to meet my pops,” Jacolbi said.
“We’ll see about that,” Mr. Escobar stated.
“You can meet my dad,” Bronx said. “He sent me to Jamie so I could have a better life. I know he’ll like you.”
“We’ll go to the beach too,” Alé said. “You’ll see Bex, before this is over, it’ll be like no time has passed, and we’ll be home.”
“Until then, Noah will take care of Mateo,” AJ added. “Knowing that man, he’ll sit in your room, just to be close to you. Mateo is a rare gem.”
“Yeah, he is.” Bex gave a watery laugh. “He’s the best. If it wasn’t for Mateo, I’d never have met any of you.” She wiped away her tears and smiled. “You’re my family now.”
“Yeah we are,” AJ replied. “And family sticks together. Always.”
“Always,” Alé agreed. “We love you, Bex.”
“Hell yeah, we do,” Bronx added.
“Speak for yours
elves,” Eito said. “We tolerate Bex.” He gave her a wink. Then he continued his conversation with Alex.
“Don’t mind them,” Jacolbi muttered. “They’re assholes.”
She didn’t. Truth be told, she knew Alex and Eito cared about her. Alé told her everything Alex and Eito had done to get information to help her and to protect her. It’d been Alex who figured out the video and Eito who talked to Jannie. She didn’t deserve any of them, but she hoped every day she’d become worthy of them.
“Anyway,” AJ said. “I heard from the pilot we can watch movies back here. We have an almost eight-hour flight and I know we won’t be able to sleep the whole time. So, what do you say? Movie night?”
“Hell yeah!” Bronx thrust her fist into the air. “Let’s do this.”
Bex laughed. Hell yeah. She was right where she needed to be. With her new friends and her family. After years of yearning for a better life, she finally found it, and she’d never take it for granted.
Excerpt: Exploiting AJ
* * *
AJ “Two-Hands” Hoover took a seat next to her best friend in the whole world, Scotty “Ears” Reisner. They’d been together since they were fifteen, drifting from foster care house to foster care house—victims of a fucked-up system. Her parents were both heroin addicts. She didn’t believe the bullshit she heard on the news about pill-poppers needing something stronger, which then caused the heroine epidemic in the country. Her parents were not necessarily up-standing citizens to begin with, but both held down jobs and provided for her. Then when the recession hit, they took to the hard stuff. Meth first then heroin to combat the stress of losing everything, never once considering how their actions would affect AJ.
On her fifteenth birthday, she’d been shipped off to a home with a sexual abuser. She knew, because she checked the system—scratch that, she used her budding hacking skills to check the system before leaving CPS. Though the reports from other children who’d been removed didn’t spell out the issues with the home, AJ put two and two together. She blamed the system for the lack of care. There wasn’t enough money or enough social workers to combat what was rampant in the system.
The Travises had eight foster kids in their home—nine—if she counted herself, and were receiving six-hundred dollars a month, per child, to feed, clothe, and shelter each of them. The wife was the quintessential “Suzy Homemaker,” while the husband worked for some tech firm in Simi Valley. According to the statement of a child removed from the house for destruction of property, every night, they had computer tech classes in the basement. If Samael Travis thought one of the kids didn’t pick up the concept fast enough, he ‘encouraged’ them with a little ‘pop-goes-the-weasel.’ The evidence, even as thin as it was, had been there. So, whether it was laziness on the social workers’ part or the system being irreparably broken, no one lifted a finger to help those kids and due to some well-documented behavioral issues with the particular child, he wasn’t believed, either.
Thankfully, after AJ arrived, she caught on rather quickly to his shenanigans, and Mr. Travis noticed her hacking skills weren’t half bad. However, she hadn’t done it well enough on one particular occasion, and she, too, became one of his victims. Afterward, when he pulled up his pants and whispered, “you’ll get better at this as time goes on,” she swore she’d raze the house and ground Samael walked on.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t quick enough to prevent another incident. Rage consumed her the night one of the boys returned to their cramped, shared bedroom, bleeding and crying. She hadn’t been thinking when she hacked the Travises’ computer and set a timer for the camera to begin recording when he turned it on. It’d been emotion driving her. Since there were eight kids, beside herself, AJ knew when he’d go into his ‘special room.’ All she needed was proof of what he was doing to those kids and then the state would be forced to step in.
It’d only taken three days to capture the video she needed. Instead of going straight to the police with it, she posted the video of what he’d done to the boy to CPS’s website along with sending a copy with an email filled with information on the husband and wife to the local media. Nobody likes a child molester and rapist, however, no one liked being caught giving a free pass to a known child molester and rapist.
AJ had been removed from the home next morning. While all of the other children were sent to local hospitals for evaluation, she’d been sent to a clinic to be tested for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The humiliation of laying on a cold, sterile table while people she didn’t know examined her body and took photographs of her, was worse than what Samael had done to begin with. When the doctor finally gave her the all clear, thankfully, she’d been handed a trash bag filled with her clothes and items from the Travises’ house and sent to another foster care family. The whole incident had been treated as business transaction, instead of a group of abused children needing a little compassion and love.
When she arrived at the new foster home, Scotty had been the first person she met. She took an instant liking to him. He’d been geeky in a way, a hacker like herself, and he was deaf—not that it was a bad thing. Sometimes, she enjoyed the silence. Nevertheless, she’d been a voracious ASL learner, so they could talk to each other without having to constantly write statements back and forth. She ate up every morsel of information he’d given her and, in the end, became his official interpreter, after he’d been caught trying to hack the NSA.
He’d have done it, too, hacked the NSA, if he hadn’t been sloppy. AJ warned him. He didn’t defrag or wipe his history every time he began a new conquest. He also didn’t like virus protectors. He’d gotten all the way through until the virus which attached itself to his signature, was detected. Within hours, Scotty was in handcuffs and being read his rights. The foster family, just like her last one, didn’t give a shit. To them, the kids were meal tickets. Since Scotty and AJ would’ve been aging out soon enough, the family didn’t allow them to return. She figured two weeks after Scotty and her were gone, two other kids took their place, and once again, she’d be alone.
However, being caught by the CIA, had its perks. The CIA had a diversion program for kids like her and Scotty, and if they completed the terms of the program, their records would be cleared. It’d been a no-brainer for both of them. AJ and Scotty went through the program at the top of the class. By the time they were finished, they were given entry-level positions within the State Department. By the time they turned twenty-one, both of them had benefits and more money than they knew how to spend. Plus, they were together and that was all she cared about. The only downside? They did more traveling than they did being stationary. The apartment they shared was more a home in name than in use. It’d become abundantly clear when they were put on loan to Wolf and Tex a year ago, Scotty and she were destined to be nomads.
However, since joining R.O.O.T a few weeks ago, they’d felt more at home than usual. Downside, she waited for them to be dismissed and sent back to California. She tapped Scotty’s hand. What do you think this is about?
He shrugged. He’d been a little too wide-eyed for her liking. Don’t know.
She glanced up at Thomas Kaine and shivered. Not because she was cold, or because he repulsed her, but he made her feel things she shouldn’t for a man his age. Yes, she’d half been in love with Scotty since the moment she met him, but they were like siblings, better to leave it there than to lose him forever, especially if he didn’t like her back.
What are you, ten? she chided herself.
At that moment, watching Frazer exit the room while Asher stood at the head of the table, yes, yes she was. She swallowed hard. None of it made sense. They were only supposed to finish one mission with R.O.O.T and then they’d be put back on a plane to San Diego, AJ knew it was coming. But, by the looks of things, they might not be leaving.
Noah sat across from her and Scotty as did Thomas. He stared at both of them. His expression had been unreadable. His body, unlike hers was relaxed. It was as though he’
d been through a million scenarios like this one and didn’t have a care in the world. She, unfortunately, never had. Everything she and Scotty had done for Tex was done remotely or from California with Wolf. This, she had a feeling, might change everything.
“As you know, Scotty and AJ were brought in to cover for our unit member, Murray Jacob while he went in search of his sister,” Asher said, more for Thomas’ benefit than hers and Scotty. “He’s made contact, and he needs a little help.”
Anything. Scotty signed.
“I’m glad you’re so eager,” Asher said. “It’s a little more complicated, though.”
“What is it?” AJ pushed.
“You’re all going to go undercover as a sexual Dominant”—Asher looked to Thomas— “and his toys.” His gaze fell on AJ and Scotty.
“Say what now?” AJ cut her gaze to Noah first then Thomas.
“They’re kids,” Thomas snapped. “They’ll be eaten alive.”
Hey, we’re older than you think, old man. Scotty scowled.
“It’s why I’m giving you two weeks to investigate your roles to make sure you’re ready for the job and to get you comfortable with each other,” Asher revealed.
“I’m not sure I can do this.” Fear clogged her throat. Her hands trembled as she lowered them to her lap. “I didn’t sign up to be a-a sex slave.”
“We’re all behind you,” Noah said. “No one will allow any harm to come to you, besides neither one of you are sex slaves.”
She frowned. “Unless he dictates it.” She arched a brow as she stared a hole through Thomas Kaine. “He is the boss in this, right?”
Thomas snorted.
“We’ll give you some privacy for a minute. In five, we have a video conference with Murray.” Noah stood and exited the room, closing the door behind him.
“I am not doing this.” AJ stood and began to pace. “I’ll assume you’ll both have... Have to see me naked and...” Heat filled her cheeks. “No.”
