The Billionaire(29)

This was turning into more than I'd expected or planned for, but I knew  my wife would want us to help the other victims. For her I would leave  no stone unturned. I already had a growing list of missing children and  corresponding flights to Southeast Asia, which told me these particular  kids had been taken there. All I had to do was pick up the trail over  there and find them and return them to their homes if possible.

The thing is, they'd been doing this shit for a very long time some of  these kids will be adults by now, if they were still alive.

One way or the other, whether I ended these monsters or brought them to  justice first I'm going to find a way expose them to the world for what  they are. I just have to figure out how to do it without her name ever  coming up.





Chapter 24



I asked my parents to come sit with Ashley, there's no way I'd leave her  on her own, not even with topnotch security in place. I had to let my  father in on a little of what was going on. To say he was displeased  would be a great understatement. Not only because of the horror that I  shared with him, but because this was his daughter-in-law.                       
       
           



       

If there's one thing you can be sure of with us Thorpe men, it's the  fact that we hold our women in the highest regard, we don't take any  slight or infraction against them lightly.

Mom was kept in the dark, all she knew was that I had something of great  importance to attend to and didn't want to leave my young injured wife  unattended. I had no idea how long my little chat with the asshole would  take but I wanted to give myself as much leeway as possible. This way I  was sure that Blossom would be in good hands.

Mom was all excited to be spending time with her new daughter seeing as  how I'd been hogging her this whole time her words not mine.

"Oh Gideon have you heard, Lynn passed away, some kind of freak  occurrence. She apparently got an air bubble or something and died, can  you believe it, what a shame such a young woman and with so much  potential.

The look dad sent my way told me he had put some things together from  what little I'd divulged and was coming up with some pretty accurate  answers. I just gave him a slight nod to acknowledge him and kept my  mouth shut.

"Blossom's still asleep, I wrote down the instructions for her medicine.  She needs to eat as soon as she wakes up. Don't let her do too much mom  no matter what she says, I'd prefer it if she stayed in bed for at  least another day. You guys can shop online or watch one of the hundred  movies I got her. No heavy discussions I don't want her to worry about  anything until she's back on her feet."

"Gideon good grief I'm a mother, I've taken care of a sick person  before. I promise not to have your Ashley running a marathon while  you're away. Now give me your list of instructions and be gone with  you." Dad laughed at her put upon attitude.

"Thanks mom." I kissed her brow before heading back to the bedroom to kiss my babies goodbye.

"I'll be back soon baby, be good for mom okay." I kissed her before  kissing her tummy. "Bye baby Thorpe. Take care of mommy for me while  daddy's gone."





Gage had thought it might be better not to use one of my warehouses for  this particular meeting. Somehow he seemed to think things might get out  of hand so he'd found an out-of-the-way place in which to conduct our  business.

We had to be very meticulous, it wasn't exactly the easiest thing  snatching a city official off the streets and spiriting him away. First  we had to time it so he wouldn't be missed, his day off would've been  ideal but I didn't want to wait the few extra days until then. I wanted  this thing over and done with so I didn't feel like my wife was going  through life with a big target on her back.

It helped that Sanders was known for his disappearing acts even in the  middle of a shift. We played around with the idea of luring him out on a  false call but that would leave too much of a trail not to mention the  call would be documented and when he didn't return or call back in,  someone would most likely be dispatched as back up.





We took him in the parking lot of the local diner. How my man broke into  an official law enforcement vehicle and hid in the backseat was  anybody's guess. The fact that there was no guard up between seats made  it easy for the assailant to then place a syringe under the chief's chin  and give him orders to drive to the abandoned warehouse.

I'm not sure how smoothly or not that whole process went since I was  already waiting at the warehouse with some very pissed off men. If I'd  foreseen any trouble with taking care of him myself, I had a line of  bodies ready willing and able to do the job.

I watched as my man walked him towards the building. Sanders didn't look  too good, in fact for someone into the kind of shit he dealt with he  looked downright scared. It didn't help his case that the mere sight of  him had me wanting to taste his blood in my throat. If I didn't need the  information to help locate what I was beginning to suspect could be  hundreds of missing children I would just end him, but that would be  purely selfish.

I waited in the middle of the room for him, hands clasped behind my  back, business suit on, stern countenance. I wanted to put fear in his  heart and it's been my experience that most people were intimidated by  me in this guise. His steps faltered when he first caught sight of me  but then his bravado kicked in and he tried to play it off.

"What do you want Thorpe? You've already taken my only child away from me..."

"Shut up, don't even mention her name you fuck, sit down." He was pushed  into the only chair in the room. Intimidation one o one, always tower  over your enemy.

"Do you know why you're here?" I unbuttoned my suit jacket and placed my hands on my hips.

"Of course not how could I?" He kept looking around at the men in the room.

"Fine, my wife has brought certain things to my attention, things that  you and a certain senator and a very well-known prominent doctor have  subjected her to." I saw the flash of anger quickly tempered by fear  that flitted across his face.                       
       
           



       

"I don't know what you're talking about, she's lying."

"Stop, before you say another word, know that I believe her all the way  and if you fucking call her a liar again or say anything against her,  I'll make sure you never fucking walk again. Do we understand each  other?"

One of the men walked over and put his hand on Sanders' shoulder making  him tense up. His legs started to shake as he played with his hands  nervously, sure signs of fear.

"I want to know what he's doing."

"I don't..." I didn't let him finish the lie but clocked him across the  face causing blood to fly from his busted lip. He righted himself before  he fell out of the chair.

"I can do this all day."

"You can't do this, I'm a cop." He felt his tender lip while scowling  around the room, his eyes running from one to the other. Gage, Maurice  and Stefan were standing back against the wall while the beefy muscle  flanked Sanders.

"Are you stupid, what the fuck did I just do? Now are you going to tell me what the fuck I want to know?"

"You can't make me tell you anything and what's to stop me talking once I leave here?"

"Go ahead I would love to explain to the district attorney just how you came to be here."

"I don't take kindly to being threatened."

"I could give two fucks what you like or don't like, what I do care  about is what you did to my wife, now I want to know what they're  doing."

"I don't think I'll be telling you anything." He sneered at me; I guess he thought I was pissing in the wind.

"Fine, you can take that knowledge to the grave with you, I'll figure it out some other way."

"What do you mean take it to my grave?"

"Well, if you're not going to talk you're not serving any purpose, I might as well end you here and now."

"You're bluffing."

"Suit yourself." I pulled my suit jacket back and reached into my back  for my piece. His eyes widened in fear as I took the safety off and  aimed it at his head and I swear he pissed himself.

I didn't even blink as he held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay I'll tell you what I know."

"Go ahead."





Chapter 25



He fidgeted around in his chair for a bit before answering me, I knew  the bastard was stalling for time but his had run out along with my  fucking patience.

"Don't have all day here Sanders, either talk or let's end this."

"Do you understand that these people would kill me if they found out I talked to you?"

"Do you understand that I'll kill you if you don't? At least with them  you might get to live another day, who knows? If you're that afraid of  them, of their retribution you might even have time to make a run for  it. With me you won't make it out of this room with your life, now start  talking."