Trey nodded. “Yeah, right, except how do we know which way he swings? Unless…” He leaned forward as the idea snapped into place. “On the theory that any lawyer a pimp would use might be also a customer, someone he came across while running boys, maybe this Murphy is known to the boys.”
“You’re thinking Mateo,” Karl said, right before stuffing a cookie into his mouth.
“Right. That’s the kid who gave us the description of Cadoc,” he explained to the others, because he hadn’t actually bothered to name him before.
“Yes, the one your vice cop friend is holding somewhere safe,” Alex offered. “That would be convenient if he recognizes this lawyer. Can you print out a picture of him, Val?”
“On it.” A few seconds later, Alex’s printer whirred. Val got up to take the picture off and handed it to Trey.
Murphy was middle-aged and non-descript, not that it mattered. Trey had learned a long time ago that some of the worst criminals looked like your typical mild-mannered uncle. He folded the paper and tucked it into his inner breast pocket. Then he glanced at his watch. It was late, but not too late. So, after pulling out his phone, he called Craig. The fucker’s number was still in his contacts.
“Trey, this is a surprise.” The guy hadn’t lost his silky phone voice, either.
“I need to see the kid,” he said without preamble. “I have something to show him.”
Craig blew out a breath over the line. “It’s hardly the shank of the evening, but I suppose you wouldn’t be asking if you didn’t have a hot lead.”
“We hope so.” This is where it got tricky. No way he could allow Craig in on the kill. The last thing they needed was yet one more person in on the big secret. “Tell us where the kid is and Karl and I will meet you there.”
“Sorry. I’m not giving that out over an unsecure connection. I’ll meet you and drive you there.”
Trey mulled that over. He didn’t want to have to explain why he was at the club. “How about we meet in front of the station instead?”
“Fine. Thirty minutes?”
“Sure. See you.” Hanging up, he spoke to the room. “We’ll go meet Craig and speak with Mateo.”
“We heard,” Val said.
Of course, alien hearing. “Right. Let’s go, Karl.”
His partner slurped up the rest of his coffee before going to wrap a fistful of cookies. At Trey’s look, he said, “What? I figured it wouldn’t hurt to bribe the kid with something sweet.”
“I’ll call you later, Alex.”
“We’ll be waiting with bated breath, Sergeant. And, in the meantime, we’ll plan the assault on the pub. We’ll only get one shot at it, so we must take our best one. Cadoc never had his father’s intelligence but he has a cunning for survival that makes him less than an easy target.”
“Awesome. At least it’s not a fucking castle,” he said as he walked out of the door.
* * * *
Mateo munched on his cookie as he stared at the grainy photograph. The kid was clearly more interested in his treat than in helping the investigation. Still, he could hardly refuse, given that the police were all that stood between him and a murderous pimp. The boy’s eyes shifted to one side before going back to stare at the picture. It was all the ‘tell’ Trey needed.
“Who is he?” he asked before Mateo could try to weasel out of the truth.
“Um-m.”
“Come on, Mateo,” Craig urged from where he stood over the boy’s shoulder. “You know our deal. We need the truth, and the faster we get this guy off the streets, the safer you’ll be.”
Mateo crunched noisily on his cookie. “Yeah, okay. I recognize him,” he added, handing the piece of paper back to Trey. “He’s a customer.”
“You’re sure?” Trey pressed.
The boy nodded. “He’s kind of a mean dude, you know?” He made a face. “Makes you cry sometimes.” His gaze flitted up to Trey’s. “I think he wants the boys not to like what he’s doing. Gets off on playing at rape.”
“Charming,” Karl observed.
Just Cadoc’s type. Trey almost said it out loud before remembering that he wasn’t with the in-the-know crowd. Christ, I’m tired.
He rubbed his eyes. “Okay, anything else?”
The boy shrugged. “Not really. I don’t know his name or anything.”
“That’s okay. We do.” He motioned to Karl that it was time to go.
Craig stepped forward. “Give me the name.”
Trey shook his head. “Sorry. This is still a murder investigation. The vice element is peripheral at best.”
“Don’t be an asshole, Trey. However you might feel about me, we’re cops. I’m protecting what is currently your only source of information. The least you can do is keep me in the loop.”
Karl moved on ahead, leaving Trey to deal with the awkward mess. “All I can tell you is that an informant of mine led us to this guy.” He rattled the paper. “We think he’s the legal side of the prostitution ring, but we needed leverage, and your boy here just gave it to us. If it leads anywhere, I’ll let you know.”
There…some truth with a lie slid in. When Murphy rolled—and he would—Trey and his alien friends would shut Cadoc down and make up some excuse as to why there was no body to pick over when he brought Craig in to deal with the trafficking victims.
Craig stared at him suspiciously, knowing him too well. Trey kept his expression as open and blank as he could. Finally, Craig nodded. “Okay, fine. Do it your way. Give me a minute with Mateo then I’ll drive you back to the station.”
Relieved and trying not to show it, Trey followed his partner out.
* * * *
“I’m sorry,” the young man huffed out, “Mr. Murphy can’t be disturbed.”
Trey bared his teeth at the receptionist. “My badge says otherwise. Either you buzz him or we go straight in.”
Of course, Trey intended for both to happen. The moment the flustered guy pushed the intercom button, Trey surged forward and opened the door to Murphy’s office. It took no more than a few strides. This wasn’t some swanky office in the financial district. Murphy obviously didn’t have well-heeled clients. No surprise there. Cadoc went with someone both vulnerable to blackmail and easily co-opted with the lure of illegal sex.
The lawyer sputtered in outrage, the phone in one hand, as they entered. He stood from behind his desk. “What is the meaning—”
“Mr. Murphy, sir. I’m Detective Sergeant Duncan and this is my partner, Detective Anderson. Please sit down, because we have a lot to discuss.”
“I have no idea what I could possibly have to say to you. If this is about one of my clients, I have to claim attorney-client privilege. You have no right to that information.”
As Karl shut the door firmly behind them, Trey approached the desk. “Very true, sir. Fortunately for us, we’re here about something that isn’t protected.”
Murphy sucked in his chest and stood straighter, not that anything was going to make the man taller. The picture hadn’t shown how short the slender man was. What did Mateo say about this guy liking to hurt the boys? Bet it strokes all sorts of inferiority complexes in you, doesn’t it, fucker?
Out loud, he said, “We have some questions for you regarding soliciting boys for sex, some of whom are undoubtedly underage. That really adds to the charges and the prison sentence, doesn’t it, Karl?”
“Yes, sir.” Karl grinned evilly as he said it.
Murphy sputtered. Trey cut him off. “Fortunately for you, Mr. Murphy, we come with a solution that should please us all. Why don’t we sit down and discuss it?”
Murphy flapped his lips a few times and swallowed noticeably hard before doing as told. Then, Trey and Karl did the same. The plan had been worked out over the past day with Alex et al. They were going to strike fast, that night. All they needed to do was put the fear of God in this asshole and keep him under control until it was time to move. He hoped like hell it would go smoothly. At least the boys they loved would be out of th
e fray this time. That one bit of news made Trey happy enough that he was able to put aside the problem of what to do with Demi in the future.
“So, Mr. Murphy,” he began, “here’s what you have to do to keep from spending the rest of your life in a cage.”
* * * *
Demi uttered a squeak as he was grabbed by the arm, a sound quickly muffled by someone’s hand over his mouth. Mackie’s, as it turned out. The boy dragged him into the very storage room where Trey had delightfully ravaged him. They weren’t alone, however. Quinn and Jase were also there, the first one standing on top of an old high-top table that Jase was holding steady. When Mackie shut the door, he released his hold.
Demi frowned. “What are you doing?”
“Sh-h-h,” the others admonished him in unison.
Demi asked again in pantomime, spreading his arms out and popping his eyes.
“We’re trying to listen in on the meeting in Alex’s office,” Mackie said in a whisper.
That’s when Demi noticed that Quinn had his ear to a vent on the wall. He opened his mouth in a silent O, even as he realized that if sound could travel that easily between the rooms, it was entirely possible that Papa and the others had had an earful of what he and Trey had done in there. Oops. Better for Trey to never learn about that.
“I didn’t know there was a meeting,” he whispered back.
Quinn climbed down with Jase’s help and the two came over to huddle in a tight circle. “That’s because Alex and the others have decided to keep us in the dark.”
“Seriously?”
Quinn nodded. “Ever since I agreed to take classes at community college with you, Alex and I have reconciled, as you know.”
Demi did. Quinn had gone back to sleeping in Alex’s bed, and Demi was surprised to find that he missed the company. With his virginity gone, that overwhelming need to come every five minutes had left.
“So, I didn’t find it too weird that he encouraged me to dance more over the last couple of days until I realized that there were closed-door meetings going on. That got my suspicions going. Even during our epic fight, he still insisted I stick close. He’s never shut me out of his office before. When I asked him about it, he distracted me by fucking me silly.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Now, Demi understood how that could happen. He was able to join in with the others with playful sympathy.
“Anyway,” Mackie picked up the thread, “Quinn told Jase and me and we’ve both tried to ply information out of our men. Val strapped me to the Saint Andrew’s Cross and that was that.” He looked at Jase.
“Emil baked me my favorite cake, Black Forest. I forget my own name with that inside me. Oh, then I had Emil inside me.”
Everyone sighed in appreciation. Demi wished he’d known, except he hadn’t seen Trey since their time in this very room. “Is my man in there now?” he asked, liking that he could refer to the cop that way, at least among this group.
“He is,” Mackie confirmed. “We’ve been trying to hear what’s going on, but none of us can, not even me with my enhanced senses. We’re hoping you’ll have better luck.”
Without any further coaxing, Demi broke away and leaped onto the table. He pressed his ear against the vent and opened up his hearing to the maximum. Murmuring came through that got clearer the more he concentrated. While full sentences were allusive, he heard enough to get the gist—Cadoc, the name of some place and that there was going to be a raid later that night. He listened until the topics turned to fueling and arming up for the fight, then he jumped back down.
Once more, he and the other boys huddled. “It’s on for tonight. I know the time and the place and basics about what they’re going to do.”
He licked his lips as he thought about it. “I know the natural inclination is to follow them, but I propose we leave before instead. We tell them we’re having a boy’s night out. That will hopefully cause them to put their guard down, because it plays right into their misguided attempt at keeping us safe.”
He shook his head. “Those dopes. Haven’t we proved that we can take care of ourselves and help?”
The was a general murmur of righteous agreement before Mackie said, “That is diabolical, Demi.”
He grinned. “Thanks. I agree, even if I do say so myself.”
“Right,” Quinn echoed. “Now, we have to plan it out. We need somewhere that the men can’t possible overhear us.” He peered up at the vent. “The problem is that none of has a private space.”
“No,” Demi added, “we don’t. But there is a place in the building that we can be sure the men won’t disturb us—or think about at all, really.” He hated doing it. Dafydd’s domain was his for a reason. Demi had already breached it and had been lucky to be welcomed. Would the Welshman do the same for the others and help to plan a way to bring down the man’s son?
He explained to the others what he meant. “Give me a few minutes. I need to see if it’s okay with him.”
Surprisingly, Dafydd didn’t bat an eye over it. He’d sanctioned the use of his room as a staging area for their machinations. He stood by his window, staring out through a crack in the drapes at the world below. It was only when the boys had finished and were heading out to change into nicer clothing to make their story more believable that Dafydd brought the hammer down.
“I’m coming with you, then.”
Startled, everyone froze and turned to stare at him.
It was up to Demi to say what they were all thinking. “That’s probably not such a great idea.”
Dafydd pulled back from the curtains. “You think so? Why? To protect me the way the men here are doing for you?”
Ouch, hoisted on my own petard. “Well, um…it’s kind of different, isn’t it? You’ve been so isolated and to go out for this? Plus,” Demi added dropping his gaze. “You know how this is going to end for your son.”
“Cadoc is Dracul’s in every way. He is a monster who will do monstrous things until he’s stopped. Please don’t worry on my account. I-I need to do this for my own sanity. I won’t interfere.” He huffed out a laugh. “It’s not like I’m going to try to save him or anything.”
That actually hadn’t occurred to Demi. It did now, except he’d come to know Dafydd quite well first in Wales, then in this very room. He couldn’t imagine that this damaged man would really do anything to perpetuate the misery Dracul had started.
“No, of course you won’t. And you have as much right as any of us to come.” He didn’t dare look at the others as he spoke for them all. No one disputed him, however.
In fact, Mackie said, “You know, in a way, it gives us more cover. What’s better than us helping Dafydd go out in the world?”
Dafydd’s lips quirked. “That settles it, then.” He looked down his front. “I don’t think I’m dressed right for it, though.”
“That’s okay. I have something you can borrow from when I was younger and shorter. Come back to my room with me.” Dafydd hesitated, and it took Demi a moment to realize why he might not want to do that. “Or, I can bring it to you.”
Dafydd shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll come.”
And that was that. None of the others said anything other than hasty goodbyes and promises to meet down in the garage in an hour. Mackie was taking them out in his vehicle so that they would have maximum flexibility of going where and when they wanted. And, they really did need to go out and eat, given how early they were leaving. Demi could only hope that Dafydd wouldn’t freak out during what was likely his first experience in a restaurant.
They all scattered, once in the hall, Demi electing to take the stairs up to his family suite, Dafydd on his heels. When they entered, their luck turned because there was Dad pacing the living room with a fretting Idris. He stopped the second he spied them and rocked side-to-side.
“Hello, Dafydd. It’s good to see you. Have you come…?”
“He’s here to try on clothes, Dad,” Demi jumped in because he could see the color rising o
n Dafydd’s cheeks. The man was flustered and getting upset. They didn’t need the extra drama.
The man surprised him. “Is he…? Is he all right, then?” he asked with a nod toward the baby.
Dad gave him a gentle smile. “He’s teething. That’s all.”
“Oh.”
Demi thought Dafydd might actually go to the child, but no, he stood there, not looking at his son anymore or saying anything.
“All right, let’s go look in my closet.” Taking Dafydd by the elbow, he steered him around the living room and into his bedroom.
He swung the doors to the walk-in wide and stepped into the jungle of clothing. “Let’s see what might fit.” He went farther in to where his older stuff was tucked away.
Dafydd didn’t follow him immediately, however. He stood staring in the direction of the living room, as though he could see through the walls. Demi thought he might go back, but then with a slight shudder, he turned in Demi’s direction and joined him.
* * * *
“This is a fire lane, Mackie,” Quinn said from the back seat. “You can’t park here.”
“I’m not. We’re merely sitting.”
“I don’t think a cop will appreciate that distinction.”
“It’s a risk we have to take. This is the only spot where we can see the entrance to that pub without also being easily seen by our men. We don’t want to fuck up their plans because they abort to get us back to ‘safety’, like the overprotective jerks that they are.”
Mackie was right. It was still risky given that it was late and the crowds in the area had thinned significantly. They had had hours to kill while waiting, lingering over their dinner. They had chosen seafood, at Demi’s suggestion. It was food Dafydd was familiar with, and the guy had weathered his first time in a restaurant with surprising ease. Maybe centuries of keeping up with Dracul’s capriciousness had left him quick to adapt to any situation. Regardless, he seemed to enjoy himself, albeit in an almost silent way. He sat quite still between Quinn and Jase.
A familiar figure approached the pub, catching Demi’s attention. He leaned forward to stare out of the windshield. “Hey, it’s Dr. Paz.”
Mating Dance Page 19
