by TL Reeve
He continued past a short hallway to a mudroom of sorts. On the left, was a washer/dryer set. A long countertop against the back wall held a few folded towels and an assortment of laundry products. On the floor to the right, a hand-braided burgundy rug. Jaq went straight to it. She pushed it back, revealing a trap door then pressed a code into the pad, before pressing her thumb to the small biometric pad. The door snapped open, and she pulled it up the rest of the way, exposing a smaller version of what he could only compare it to as Asher's C&C at the base.
He whistled. “Damn.”
“Welcome to my security system.” She motioned for him to enter.
He ambled down the stairs and stared at the equipment. Like the base, she had several screens set up. Instead of different missions being projected, the monitors showed multiple angles of her property. “Damn, this is fancy.”
“Thank you. Sit. We’ll talk.”
Murray sat in the chair she offered. “I’m not hoping for much.”
She nodded, sitting beside him. “Ten years is a long time. I can understand how you feel. I wouldn’t get my hopes up, either.” She hit a few buttons on the keyboard in front of her, and an aerial view came into view. The black and white photo showed Murray a building about three stories tall and dilapidated.
“What’s this?”
“Where your sister is,” she said. “I’ve reconned the area.”
Murray stared at the picture. “You’ve lost me.”
“It looks abandoned, yes?”
He nodded. “Very much so.”
“It’s not. Inside is a high-end club for men and women who are interested in the unique.” She showed him a few photographs of the inside. Sure enough, the inside wasn’t what he’d been expecting. Even though they were in black and white, the richness of the interior showed through.
“The unique?” His stomach twisted. “What do you mean?”
“It’s a fetish club, for...” She lowered her gaze. “Freaks.”
Irritation skimmed across his skin. “Okay, but I still don’t understand why my sister is there.”
“Freaks,” Jaq said. “You know, those with abnormalities.”
Murray blinked. “Are you saying?” His stomach pitched. Bile burned at the back of his throat as he gagged. He stood and began to pace, willing himself to keep from puking. “They’re using my sister as a freak? Because she had AMF?”
Sorrow filled Jaq’s chocolate-colored eyes. “Yes.”
Murray shoved out of the cramped C&C and raced outside. He heaved the meager contents from his stomach the minute his knees hit the hot sand. Tears burned behind his eyes. The idea of his sister being used for someone to get their rocks off, caused him to vomit once more. Ten years she’d been stuck in that cycle. He trembled as the first tears began to roll down his cheeks. Oh, God, Hannah. I am so sorry.
A long shadow appeared in front of him, seconds before Jaq placed her hand on his shoulder and handed him a bottle of water. “I’m sorry, Murray. I know this is a shock. My tact is lacking.”
Murray gave a watery laugh. “Don’t think there’s an easy way to break this kind of news.”
“True, I could have eased the blow a bit more, though.” She kneeled beside him. “If you’ll give me a chance, I’d like to explain more.”
“Sure.”
She sighed. “Three years ago, my autistic brother disappeared.”
Murray lifted his gaze to her. “What?”
"Yeah." She rubbed her forehead. "I've been trying to get into that fucking place since I found out Christian was there. Unfortunately, due to the rules, singles aren't allowed in there, it's a couples-only club."
Murray groaned as his stomach pitched again. “Fuck.”
“I have gone to the police. The government. I have tried everything to close this place down.”
“Let me guess, the cartel owns it, and everyone inside is corrupt?” Murray cocked a brow.
“Good guess,” she said. “It is run by the Nieto Cartel. All government officials get kickbacks and membership. They're sick mother fuckers.”
Bebito sat down in front of Murray and whined before licking his face. “Is your brother still in there?”
She nodded. “I've caught a couple of glimpses of him over the years. It's why I called Tex. I saw this girl, she was white. Pretty thing. In a purple wheelchair. She didn't fit the norm. All the...”
“Freaks,” he grunted.
"They're Mexican. She stood out. I don't know how long she's been there. Physically, she appears well. Mentally..." Jaq shrugged. "Anyway, I told Tex what I saw, and he jumped on it."
“So, what’s your plan?”
She grinned. “Now that I’m not alone...”
“We’re going in? But won’t they know you?” Murray drank down the water then grimaced when his stomach cramped due to how cold it was.
“No. No one on the inside saw me. Together, we’ll pose as a couple looking for a little entertainment,” she stated. “However, I have one favor to ask of you.”
“Shoot, you’re doing this for me,” he said. “Ask away.”
“Can you get another couple out here? Patrons are only allowed, one person... Toy. Your sister and my brother are our priority, but...”
“Say no more,” he said. “I’ll make the call.”
Jaq helped him up. “Let’s go inside. I have some information for you to go over, and then we’ll start coordinating with our new team.”
“Lead the way.” Murray glanced out over the property as they made their way back to the house. Hang on a little longer, Hannah. I’m coming.
Chapter 1
The office just outside of C&C appeared on the screen accompanied by the common chatter he'd realized he missed since arriving in Juarez, Mexico. There'd been a few new faces added to the team, too, and two, in particular, appeared a little wet behind the ears for a mission like this. Murray grinned as Asher took his seat and folded his hands on the table. The idle chitchat came to a close and it was all business.
After the initial shock of Jaqueline’s words, he’d worked day and night to figure out a way for them, his R.O.O.T brothers, and Jaqueline to infiltrate the fetish club. He also woke several times a night due to night terrors, something he’d thought he’d gotten under control the minute he kept his mind occupied. It’d been a forced trick that took several years to perfect, and more so after his parents died. Murray ran sequences and numbers in the moments before he’d fall asleep. Most of the time, it’d been how to break code. He’d gotten good at it, too.
However, this time, when he fell asleep, his subconscious turned all those violent, vicious dreams back on, he didn’t have his numbers or codes to occupy his mind. The terrors gripped him by the throat and squeezed for all it was worth until he thought he’d succumb to them. Several times, he woke to Jaqueline shaking his lumbering frame, trying to get him to open his eyes and speak to her. Shit... It still embarrassed the fuck out of him.
“Long time no see, asshole,” Noah grumbled.
Murray laughed. “You missing me already, precious?”
“Blow me,” Noah scowled. “Murray, these are the three new members of R.O.O.T Asher and I were telling you about.” He pointed to each of them before naming them. “This is AJ, Scotty, and FBI Agent Thomas.”
Murray nodded at them in greeting. The young girl appeared uncomfortable being there while the men across from her appeared bored. "This is Jaqueline. She is the one who found Hannah and her brother Christian for us. It's also why I took off as quickly as I did."
The woman beside Murray smiled. “It’s good to meet you. Thank you for agreeing to take on this mission. Murray and I understand it’s daunting, but if we can pull this off, we’ll be returning family members back to their families after who knows how many years.”
“Can you tell us what you’ve found and why we need this kind of dynamic between the three of us?” Thomas asked while also signing to the man beside him.
Jaqueline gasped. “I had no
idea.” She held her hand up. “What I meant to say, without being so rude, is, I didn’t know your team has a deaf member.”
Noah smirked. “When you called in, they were already here.” He gave AJ a curious look. “Although, she’s usually the one interpreting for Scotty.”
AJ frowned. “Yeah, about that...”
“I’ve taken over,” Thomas said. “I think from here on out while we’re on this mission, I should be doing the interpreting.”
Jaqueline nodded. “It’s for the best. The club deals with men more than women and if they believe they have two deaf subs, they’ll be more apt to let you in or allow you to bid on another person or sell both of them.”
AJ jerked. “I’m sorry what?”
“Which brings us to the mission itself,” Murray said. “Jaqueline, can you please tell everyone where you found Hannah and how you did so?”
The woman nodded and the surveillance photo filled the screen. "The building you are looking at is called the Emporio de Monstruo—Emporium of Monsters. It is bankrolled by the Nieto Cartel along with several others. It's a specialty sex club, dealing in freaks."
The word freaks, still made his stomach twist in disgust, even though they’d been working on the case for two weeks. Murray snorted to himself. He’d probably never get over the connotation of the word.
“Freaks as in?” AJ swallowed hard and cut her gaze to the red-headed guy, Scotty.
“Exactly what you think,” Murray said. “This club’s clientele list is filled with scum that get off on exploiting people who are disabled.”
“What the fuck? No.” Scotty pushed away from the table while Thomas relayed everything he said. “Fuck you all for thinking this is okay to do.”
“Scotty,” Thomas said. “Sit down. We won’t let anything happen to you.”
“What’s going on?” Murray asked.
“Scotty doesn’t like the idea of being bait,” Thomas said.
“Scotty doesn’t like the whole fucking idea. Level the fucking building. No way in fuck I am going in there to watch people be debased because someone gets off on raping disabled people,” Thomas interpreted for Scotty.
“Well, at least he had the same reaction I did,” Murray murmured.
“Did he puke?” Jaqueline added.
“Not yet, looks like he might,” Thomas replied with a shrug.
"Look, kid, I get it. I had a violent reaction to it, too. My sister is in there. Jaqueline's brother as well. We can't not do this. If you can't perform for this mission, we can get Thomas and AJ in there," Murray said. "It's okay. It was a crapshoot asking to begin with."
Scotty sat down beside AJ. His eyes were wild with rage. His hands clenched and unclenched on the table as he fought to sit still. Everyone, Murray knew from experience, dealt with situations differently. To be the type of person who could be taken from everything they knew and turned into a fetish, couldn’t be easy.
“I’m fine. I’ll do it.” Scotty wouldn’t meet any of their gazes as Thomas spoke for him.
“You’re not acting fine,” Thomas pointed out while signing.
“Continue,” Asher said, staring at AJ and Scotty.
"From the outside, it appears to be abandoned. The club members use none of the original entrances and exits, instead opting for a building down the block. The Hispanic Heritage Museum has several below-ground entrances to a system of tunnels leading through Juarez. One of them also happens to end at the basement entrance of the club. Events at Emporio de Monstruo coincide with the museum exhibitions and on the days when club members want to sample the merchandise, they can use the tunnel connecting the buildings—accessed through the parking structure located behind the museum."
“How does no one see into the building? Can’t the... I don’t know, music or screams or whatever, be heard from outside?” AJ asked.
"The windows are blacked out on the bottom floors. Most of the activity is done there. However, higher up windows are clear. Those floors house the victims. It's where they are kept during the day unless they're being put through their paces. It's how I saw Hannah and my brother Christian."
Another series of photos filled the screen. "As you can see, the space is immaculate. They can't have their merchandise getting sick or getting hurt. They'd lose money and clients."
“Well, at least there’s that,” AJ muttered.
"I have been to the government, the Federales, everyone I can think of to have someone acknowledge this wretched business," Jaqueline said. "However, money talks in Mexico. The cartels have a stranglehold on everything here. If you utter their name without it being in kind, you're hanged. Steal from them? Dead. The police are so afraid of their own shadow, most places can’t keep a police force and if they do, you can bet some part of the cartel has put their men into positions of power.”
“How have you not been killed?” AJ hedged.
Murray asked himself the same question while sitting in her security office. Jaqueline pushed the line of sane and stupid. She’d jumped headlong into trying to get her brother back, she’d forgotten about her safety first. Thinking about it, pissed him off. “I’ve asked the same question.” He shook his head. “I don’t think she has a lick of self-preservation.”
Jaqueline rolled her eyes at Murray. “I live in the middle of nowhere with a topnotch security system, plus I am ex-Cuerpo de Fuerzas Especiales—Mexican Special Forces.”
"Kind of a badass name," AJ said.
"Thank you," Jaqueline replied. "I can protect myself, despite what Murray believes, but at some point, someone will come at me for trying to get my brother back. I have to take down the Nieto Cartel and Raul Iniguez before that happens. And, this is the first step."
"Raul Iniguez, you said?" Thomas sat forward. "As in the drug runner and money launderer Raul Iniguez?”
“Yes,” Jaqueline answered. “But, he’s also the Jefe for the Nieto Cartel, a fact he’s tried to keep hidden for years. It keeps the target off of his back from other cartels who want his territory. Let me guess, he’s on your radar, too?”
Thomas chuckled, but it wasn’t a pleasant sound. “I’ve been working the Nieto case with my regular partner for the last five years, and we never put two and two together. We thought he was low-level.”
“Well, now I know why Tex brought us all together,” Jaqueline murmured. “Slick bastard—Raul. He prides himself on keeping his title hidden. Heard a rumor he had a child.”
"I'll tell you like my husband told Thomas and Duncan," Noah said. "Bex is off-limits for now. She is an abused kid who is struggling to just make it, let alone having some FBI or ex- Cuerpo de Fuerzas Especiales whatever-the-fuck, creeping around her, causing her problems. You want her, we do it Mateo’s way.”
"Understood," Jaqueline said. "The girl is off-limits."
“So, what are the mission parameters?” Thomas asked.
“The mission is this,” Murray stated. “There is an auction coming up soon. When you arrive here, we’ll work in conjunction with the Federales. We have two men on the inside for us. One is Miguel Ángel, he has infiltrated the club as their bartender for events and on nights when members want to partake. Then there is Santiago Vasquez. He’s one of Tex’s guys—”
“We know of him,” AJ said. “Never ran an op with him, though, or met him.”
"Good reason you haven't," Murray stated. "He's been embedded with the Nieto Cartel for about a year or so now, according to Tex. He'll be the one supplying us with passes."
“Once we’re in the auction, the mission gets easier.”
AJ laughed and shook her head. “I’m not sure your definition of easy and mine are the same.”
Jaqueline snickered. It was warm, inviting and full of life. “All we have to do is pretend we’re enjoying the scene. Fulfill our obligation of being couples and bid on my brother and Murray’s sister.”
“See, so simple.” AJ’s words dripped with sarcasm. Thomas narrowed his eyes and shook his head. AJ shrugged. She wasn’t lying.
It wouldn’t be easy.
Murray and Jaqueline had already talked about all the intricacies of the club, the three new additions were only now understanding the vile den of debauchery they would be entering. What made it harder for them was Scotty. Putting him into a position of vulnerability couldn’t be easy for any of them. Hell, exposing himself to a dynamic he never thought he could get into, threw him for a loop, but he’d do anything for his sister, including call Jaqueline Mistress, even if it went against his proclivities. “When the auction is over, we’ll collect Christian and Hannah and be on our way. The minute all of us are free from the building, the raid will begin.”
“I’ll be running the mission from C&C,” Noah said. “Then two days before the takedown, I will meet up with all of you in Mexico.”
"Now that you are all properly aware of the mission," Asher said. "I want you to take some time—a day or two at most—and figure out if this is the op for you. I won't lie and say we don't need you because we do. Scotty, I understand the idea of being seen as a pleasure object because of your deafness repulses you, but I'd be remiss if I didn't say you have the ability to save those who are locked up in that building suffering. And, as selfish as it sounds, I need you to look at the bigger picture."
The guy sighed then signed as he said, “I understand and appreciate your care. I need to sleep on it and get it right in my head before I can place myself or AJ in this situation.”
Thomas smirked.
"Fair enough," Asher replied. "You're all dismissed. Murray, I'll be in contact with you soon.”
“Copy that,” Murray answered. “See you all soon.”
Not two seconds after Murray disconnected the call, Jaqueline turned to him. “We need to talk.”
“That sounds ominous.” Murray turned in his chair, giving the woman he’d been living with the last two weeks his full attention.
