Sanders' funeral was another headache because there's no way I'm taking her out in the open until this shit was cleared so we'll have to keep him on ice. She hadn't said much about it and I didn't push. At night when she cried over him I held her until she as dried out or until I loved her to sleep.
Now she wanted the children out as soon as possible so I would give her that but it was going to take some planning and organization. The senator was still trying to keep a low profile while scouring the city for Ashley. So far he didn't seem to know where we were since he hadn't been seen anywhere near any of my buildings. I still wasn't taking any chances though because I wasn't sure what he knew. I had too much shit going on at once and there was an overwhelming feeling of impending doom, which I tried to keep from her. I knew one way or the other this shit will have to come to a head but there was no telling how or when. The doctor was still a no show and no one seemed to know where the fuck he was. I'd sent men to his home but there was no sign of him there. That made me very uneasy.
I called the guys in for a meet since she was going to be out for at least an hour and the doctor wasn't due here for her checkup until the early evening. Brushing her hair back gently so as not to wake her I left the room and headed downstairs.
Intel had been coming in for days now since we got the first lead and pulled on that string. The children were spread out in different places, which would make things difficult but not impossible. Still there were no guarantees one wrong move and shit could blow up in our faces. Men were already on the ground in Southeast Asia scouting out the places we'd traced some of the stolen kids to. Something I'd thought would take weeks to put into play my wife now wanted done overnight, and since I'd promised to always give her what she wanted I had to find a way to make it happen. I know her well enough to know that each day that went by was harder on her.
The men showed up ten minutes later and we got to work.
"We're moving sooner than planned guys." I knew I wouldn't hear any argument from them they were ready to move from day one. "I need the guys to be ready to go in, what's the word from that end anything new there?" "They're ready whenever you are just waiting for the word from you. It might take longer for some arms of the operation but we feel pretty confident that we can move." I kept an eye on the monitor where I could see that she was sleeping peacefully. How many will we be able to save? How many can we get home to the comfort of their own beds? I'm hoping for all, for her sake and theirs because I know if we lose even one of them it'll hit her hard.
My phone went off with a text. Fuck. "The doctor's finally landed in the city boys I guess they've found what they were looking for. Either that or he's here to help. I'll make the call let's start this shit rolling."
We started coordinating and getting a team together on both sides. There was a lot of manpower needed to do what we needed done. Halfway through she started making waking up sounds on the monitor so I made my excuses and went to her. I filled her in on what we were doing and answered her questions before heading back down.
Eight and a half hours later I gave the go ahead to rescue the kids that had already been found. It was going to be a very delicate undertaking which I wished I could be there for but I couldn't leave her, not while her monsters were somewhere in my city searching her out. I had some of my best men on it although Gage and his immediate crew refused to leave; not while the senator was lurking they said. I accepted their loyalty to my wife and I and was secure in the knowledge that the men we'd handpicked to go would get the job done.
I kept things opened on my end so that I could monitor every step of the operation. It had been decided that the teams would storm the private residences, neutralize the captors by any means necessary, and remove the children.
This part of the operation was taking place in five separate locations. As to the brothels and flesh houses where some of the others were being held that would take a different approach. The children we were looking for there had already been found, well some of them anyway, but we agreed it would be unwise to storm such places where there was so much in and out traffic until we had more Intel. One option was to free everyone being held in those places, but first we needed to know where to send them, where they belonged. So far we'd gotten ears and eyes inside two of the three places to try to keep track of what was going on but it wasn't the best choice to move right now, maybe in another day or two. Not much longer than that because there was no doubt that word might get back to the senator if all his victims started disappearing at once, and we still didn't know if he stayed in contact with the people he'd sold the children to.
Ashley had wanted to know all that was going on but hell no. I'm keeping her as far away from this end of things as possible until it's over and everything went well. I have in front of me on my makeshift desk where I'd been sitting for the last half hour, up to date pictures of the six children being rescued at this very moment on the other side of the world. One brother and sister had been kept together in the home of a sick and twisted couple into every sexual vice under the sun. I couldn't begin to imagine what these poor babies had been through in their three years of captivity. I looked over at the bed where she was turning in her sleep, her leg and arm were healing nicely thank goodness though it will be almost three months before she could lose the cast on her leg, not so long for the wrist. And though her pregnancy was nowhere near evident the knowledge of it made it very real for us. She hasn't shown any signs of morning sickness or any of the usual maladies that seemed to befall women in her condition, except maybe for her sexual appetite but then again that could just be her natural sensual nature. The doctor had said it was too early anyway, but all in all she'd said everything was coming along nicely. Watching her now I tried to imagine her being taken, being subjected to the atrocities her father had described, that too made me want to murder the bastard all over again.
My phone vibrated on my desk and I snatched it up to answer, it was barley five in the morning and I didn't want her getting up yet she needed her rest.
"Thorpe."
"Uh boss there's some kid down here says he's Starks' son and he needs to talk to you."
"Are you shitting me, did we know he had one of those?"
"Nope, completely off the radar."
I looked back at Blossom, did she know and if so why hadn't she ever mentioned him?
"Keep him on ice I'll be right down." I eased onto the bed after ending the call, using my fingers to lightly play with her hair I kissed her awake. "Wake up baby."
"Hummm?"
She was barley awake but still her lips sought mine in answer. I couldn't resist deepening the kiss until she came fully awake.
"Is it morning already hubby?"
I rubbed noses with her; "Not quite but I have a question; did you know that Keith Starks had a son?"
"Jason?" She scrunched up her face and I thought she was going to tell me this kid had done some horrific shit to her as well and if so I was going downstairs and put a bullet in his fucking head no joke. I was way pass sick of this shit.
"I guess that's him, so he does exist."
"I haven't seen him in a long time, he ran away when we were kids. Jason's younger than I am; he's like sixteen now I think. Why, did you find him? He was nice when we were younger nothing like his creepy dad."
Okay then I guess the kid could live. "Go back to sleep love I'll be right back."
She was out before I cleared the door. I looked over my shoulder at her once more before leaving, and made my way downstairs to the offices where my guys had taken up residence in the rooms down there until this thing was over. I'd told them it was perfectly fine for them to go home at night because my security was impenetrable but Gage and Maurice especially wouldn't hear of it so I'd given up arguing with their hardheaded asses and let them do their thing. It was for her they were doing it anyway so how could I find fault with that?
This kid was sixteen? Ashley must be mistaken or this was an imposter. Those were my first thoughts when I caught a side view of the stranger standing in the middle of the room surrounded by my men. It was only as he turned around that I saw the adolescence in his features.