“I ran his financials, personal and business, in the past week he's had a fire sale, everything had to go, his pharma company is shuttered. He has three remaining properties. All under Transcendence Corporation, two storefronts that are listed as rental properties, but the electric hasn't been connected to those for around three years. And a derelict factory that’s been abandoned for about thirty years. But a friend…we will not name names because he's useful…he checked satellite imaging, and for a factory that hasn't been in use and condemned for safety reasons, there's a lot of movement. Also, their electric usage is off the charts. If I had to say, that's his main operation hub. There's no digital blueprints for it.”

  “I got this,” Graves said as he pulled out his phone and connected a call. “Flo, my beautiful cougar, what would I have to do to get some blueprints…now, now, I'm at work…” He read off the address and waited. “Thanks, I'll be over in twenty.” He disconnected the call.

  “We need to hook him up with the pansexual Dominatrix. She’ll eat him alive, and he will love it.” Vega had an almost maniacal glee in her voice.

  “Still not taking the bait on setting me up. I'll be back within the hour. Someone needs to call Sharp.”

  “That's all on Daddy. Sharp hates everyone, and I'm not butting heads with him. I'm gonna get us a warrant.” Remy walked away from the table and exited the room.

  Robert crossed the room to his desk and took a seat on his chair.

  “I'm headed out. Let me know what's going on so I can patch into communications and listen in.” Vega picked up her messenger back and left the room.

  Zero and I were the only ones left at my desk, and I backed up the video just before Gerrickson took him. “He looked happy.”

  “He was. I've known Doc a long time. There's always been a little something broken about him. I mean, fuck, he hides it well behind his sassy attitude, but you pay close enough attention you can see when the mask drops. Don't blame yourself. Men like this Gerrickson? He would've gotten Doc one way or another. And Doc would rather deal with the unknown than lose you. That's gotta mean something. Vega and Remy have my number. Let me know.”

  “Thanks, man, for…all of this.”

  “No thanks needed. Family has each others’ backs. If you need anything else, Vega can track me down.”

  I nodded as he gathered up his things and left, but I looked around before I pulled out my phone. I unlocked it and swiped up to get to my apps, tapped on gallery, and opened the last picture I took of Morgan and I. He was cuddled back against my chest, his doll hugged tightly to his bare chest, and he was shyly smiling at the camera. We'd slept in.

  “Stevenson?” Robert called my name, and I glanced to my right to find him smiling at my phone. “You did good.”

  “It was Sunday, we were being lazy, and he wanted Daddy cuddles with his doll. That was one of his birthday presents. I wanted him to know I respected his Little. He acted like I'd given him the world.”

  “For him, you probably did. You may not have thought you could make him happy, but look at that smile. I live for Remy's. Sharp is putting together a small unit to come with us to the factory. If I know Remy, within the hour, he'll have a warrant sent over.”

  “What if my baby’s already…”

  “We're not going to think about that. Doc is fine. If they'd wanted him dead, they would've killed him where he stood. If something does go down, I don't want to know what Remy and his people are going to do. I need plausible deniability.”

  “They do take care of their own.”

  “They do. You see how quickly we got answers from Remy and Vega's people. Between Vega and Zero, those two could bankrupt countries with a few keystrokes. It's good to have friends that sometimes don't have a lot of respect for authority.”

  “I'm going to take a short walk. Text me when everyone is here.”

  “You got it.”

  I slipped my phone into my back pocket and grabbed my jacket. I needed some air. But I wouldn't breathe free again until Morgan was back with me. When I got him back, he'd be lucky if I didn't move my office into the morgue.

  “My team is set up to breach at the rear and front. We're going in heavy. We don't know what's waiting for us,” Sharp said where he stood at the back of the SWAT van. “You and your team stay behind us. You can search as we clear rooms.”

  “You're the professionals,” Robert said as he adjusted Remy's vest like he always did.

  “We don't know if there are any friendlies in the mix, so try to maim.” Douglas was dressed similarly to the SWAT team and seemed ready for anything. With his past military experience, they'd approved him to enter first.

  “When we go, we're going to go fast, blitz attack. I don't want them prepared.”

  We all stood back. I could see all of us were dreading what we'd find. All of us tried to be positive, that Morgan was fine, but Gerrickson had tried to kill Morgan before. I barely heard Sharp ordering three of his men to circle the building. There were no lights, and as far as the scan of the building showed, there were no exterior cameras. Yet that didn't mean they weren't there.

  The next ten minutes were a blur as we jogged towards the front of the building, Sharp had the ram ready, and one of his men counted down from three. The door flew open, and shots rang out as we all identified ourselves. One man after another went down as we cleared the front rooms and then entered a large room filled with metal crates. I stayed behind Sharp as men were taken down and cuffed.

  Each room we passed, we stared through the window to find them empty, and that pit in my stomach became filled with despair. Morgan wasn't anywhere to be found, and by the time we reached the last door, this one was wooden with no lock. Sharp and I positioned ourselves on either side. Once more, he counted down from three. I stood in front of the door and kicked, and as the door opened, I entered with Sharp behind me.

  “Ah, you arrived quicker than I anticipated.” Gerrickson sat behind his desk, his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose, and he looked very much normal. You couldn't see any of the monster we knew he was.

  “Where's Morgan?” I demanded as Sharp dragged him out of his chair and cuffed him.

  “Did you lose something, Detective?”

  “I don't have time for your games. We have you on video taking him. We have a warrant to search this entire building and seize any and all records and computers.”

  “Your Remy has very powerful friends, I hear. I heard he earned those favors on his back.”

  My trigger finger flexed, and the only thing keeping me from squeezing was the fact I may need him to find my baby.

  “It seems you've got me, but my lawyer will have me out in no time. Please, inform Joseph that I'm being arrested. But since we've already established my guilt, why don't I show you to Morgan. He's been waiting for you.”

  Gerrickson's smile never fell, self-satisfied, and I wanted to wipe the arrogance away. I wanted him lying in a pool of blood, a single shot between his eyes to make sure people were safe from his cruelty.

  “Please, follow me,” Gerrickson said as he left the room with Sharp holding onto his hands that were cuffed behind his back.

  He led us back out to the main room.

  “Stevenson,” Graves whispered as I passed. “We have a huge problem.”

  “What's wrong?”

  “Aiden Maxwell, he's over there with a shoulder wound. He's the only one I recognize, but if he's alive…” He didn't have to finish that statement.

  I was bringing Aiden home. But who was I giving back to Mary? Remy and Robert, as well as Graves and Douglas, joined us at a crate. Gerrickson chuckled as he recited the code for the electronic lock. I opened it and lowered to my knees. A blast of freezing air hit my face. And if I wasn't already knelt down, the sight in front of me would've dropped me to the floor.

  “Baby,” I whispered, and my voice cracked as I crawled inside. Morgan was covered in blood and too many cuts to count. My hand shook as I touched him, and his skin was frozen with a hint of frost as if he was wet. “Medic, I need a paramedic now! Baby, hey, look at me.” I cupped his chin and lifted his head to find his face just as bloody as the rest of his bare body.

  I frantically slipped the pin from the shackles to release his wrists, and he fell forward against my body. I quickly unclipped the chain from his collar. I wrapped one arm around him and eased him from the box. I cradled him against my chest as tears streamed down my cheeks. I combed his hair back from his face, and his head fell backwards.

  “What the fuck did you do?”

  “He held out so much longer than I thought. If I could've kept him a little longer, I would have repeated the process.”

  “Remy, take him,” I ordered as Remy appeared with a blanket and wrapped it around Morgan.

  I stood, grabbed my weapon, and approached Gerrickson. I leveled the barrel right between his eyes. My finger caressed the trigger as I looked into cold dead eyes. I waited for weapons to be drawn on me, but everyone, even Sharp, stepped back.

  “What are you going to do, Detective? Would shooting me bring your boy back? With all these witnesses, a violation of my rights, I'll make sure to inform my attorney of your actions.”

  I flinched as arms wrapped around me, hands gripping my wrists. “Carter, listen to me,” Graves whispered in my ear. “He's not worth your career, your freedom, the years you'll miss with Morgan. You want to be free when you tell that beautiful boy that you love him. Look at Gerrickson. This was a good bust. We have evidence. Carter, put it down. What would your baby want?”

  “But he needs…” My voice broke, and I felt no embarrassment for that.

  “And he will, one way or another, he'll get sentenced by judge or jury, or he learns Strip justice. One way, he'll pay. Your baby needs you right now. Give me the weapon, Carter.” He slipped around me, curling his hand under the barrel. “Let it go and go keep your baby warm.”

  I reluctantly surrendered my weapon.

  “You disappoint me, Detective.”

  Sharp told him to shut up and jerked him away, leading him out of the building. I turned and dropped, taking Morgan out of Remy's arms. His body started to shake, and his eyes opened as they rolled back.

  “Get him on his side,” Remy said, and I rolled him. I stretched out behind him, and I held him firm to keep him from injuring himself.

  “Baby, you just gotta hold on, the paramedics will be here in a few minutes, and they'll fix you right up.”

  Time seemed to stop as we waited for his shivering to stop, but it didn't, not when the EMTs took him, accessed him to make sure he was stable, and I was on the move behind them. I was riding along. I didn't care what they said. I left my friends behind to deal with the chaos and whatever horror Gerrickson had hidden away.

  38

  Stevenson

  The room was eerily quiet, and the only sound was my baby’s deep, even breaths. They'd taken him off the ventilator the day before and stopped the meds keeping him in the medically induced coma. His body temperature had dipped so low he'd gone into hypothermia, and his other wounds had weakened him. When he'd arrived, they pushed two bags of fluids.

  I hadn't slept peacefully in days. All I could see was that box with Morgan secured to the floor by a chain attached to the collar around his neck. We'd found videos of what Aiden and another man had done to him—the slow torture as he'd thrashed on the metal table. Aiden and his accomplice had discussed technique as if a teacher were instructing a student. There had been no emotion at all and no hesitation.

  A knock sounded on the door, and I glanced over my shoulder to find Robert. “Hey.”

  “Hey, you okay for a visitor? It's just me. Remy’s trying to keep Vega from going to jail or kicked out. Doc's doctor called security on Vega because she told him he was incompetent and demanded to know where he got his medical degree.” He entered, and the door whooshed closed. “We called Cash to distract her Mami.”

  “Sounds like Vega.” I leaned forward and stretched out my arm to sweep Morgan's pretty silver hair away from his forehead. My thumb traced along the perfect arch of a brow.

  “How are you? Have you tried to sleep?” Robert asked as he took a seat on a chair in the corner of the room.

  “I just lay my head on his bed and hold his hand, power naps.”

  “You need more sleep than that. You'll need your energy when our Doc wakes up.”

  “I don't want to miss him waking up. I want to see his pretty eyes. The way he smiles when he first wakes up and sees me.”

  “What did they say?”

  I sighed heavily as I held his limp hand in both of mine. “Hypothermia and blood loss, he went into shock. The reports said that Gerrickson and his people alternated between freezing and trying to cook them. He has some blisters from the metal getting too hot. His fingers and toes will be fine. They were worried about frostbite. Only a few of the cuts actually needed stitches. It was the first step in the conditioning process. I think they were using him as a teaching aide. Have you seen Mary?”

  “Remy called her. Aiden has been taken to a facility. Gladys said that she was working on a deal that Aiden and the other men were to be assessed for a recommendation to a long-term facility to see if they could work to reintegrate them into society. It's special circumstances. Mary wants to see you and Doc when he gets out of here.”

  “What about the other boys?”

  “We found records of them. Marx died at the age of eighteen. He was a failed experiment. Apparently, a target he was sent to take out, well, he developed feelings. Gerrickson had him euthanized…his words. Lowell is in Brazil somewhere, and they're still looking for him. Farrier, he was shot and killed when the team breached the back exit. He wounded one of the SWAT guys. Gladys sent a request for the records to have the ladies released.”

  “I wanted to bring them all home.”

  “I know, but look at what you did accomplish. You gave them answers…fuck, man, you gave them their freedom and redemption. Gladys told me the other children were informed and were coming here.”

  “Intellectually, I understand that. I feel closure that I could mark the case as solved, but look at all the damage Gerrickson has done.”

  “We can't change what he did. I heard Joseph dropped him as a client when he learned why Gerrickson hired him.”

  “Joseph is a cut-throat in the courtroom, but he does respect the law. But more than that, he worries about his image. Gerrickson is talking too much.”

  “Gerrickson was denied bail. With his resources and the nature of his crimes, the judge considered Gerrickson a danger to society and a flight risk. We found several IDs and passports under different names.”

  There was another knock, and Graves walked in and approached the bed. “How's our sleeping beauty?”

  “It's just a waiting game now. When his body and brain are ready, they said he'd wake up. Where have you been?”

  “I was helping go through the records. He documented everything. Day one of conditioning until they graduated to active status. He's definitely a mad scientist, but those records are going to sink him.” Graves lifted onto the ledge in front of the window. “It showed his process of choosing his candidates.”

  “What was that?”

  “Medical records. He had an operative that was a pediatrician. He tested them. Knew their family situation. He chose boys between eight and ten with no genetic conditions and were in perfect health. Having the excuse of exams, they took blood samples, and because the doctor suggested it, no one questioned them.”

  “What about the other crates?”

  “There were ten boys. Only two were local. They're on the Peds floor being treated for dehydration, pretty much the same as Doc. Parents were called. You did good, Stevenson.”

  “I almost shot him.”

  “I would've shot him, but I don't have anyone to stay out of jail for. You, on the other hand, have someone you love.”

  “Thanks, Graves.”

  “As I said before, family takes care of family. And as weird as it is, I'm rather fond of all of you…on most days.”

  “We finally corrupted him,” Robert said with a smile, and Graves flipped him off. “We're getting out of here. Roo called to make sure I was going to be home for storytime. Is there anything you need or something for Morgan? We'll bring it or have someone drop it off.”

  “Bring his doll. She's on his pillow. My overnight bag is in front of the dresser. A change of clothes would be good.”

  “I'll have th—”

  “Daddy.” My baby whimpered, and I was out of the chair with my arms braced on the pillow on either side of his head. He looked at me and covered his mouth as an anguished sob slipped past his lips.

  “Look at my beautiful baby, finally awake.”

  “Are you real?” He placed his hands on my cheeks and stroked my beard, and tears flowed heavy from the corners of his eyes to fall into the hair at his temples.

  “I'm very real, baby.” I gently pressed my lips to his repeatedly. That feeling of coming home was back. Morgan was safe. “I missed you.”

  “I pictured you in the box. You made everything okay.”

  “You know how much I love being your safe place.”

  “Did I lose my toes? My feet hurt.”

  “No, you're going to be just fine. Nothing that won't heal in time. God, baby, I love you so much,” I whispered as I fisted my hands in his soft hair. “All I could think was that I was never going to be able to tell you. That you'd never know.” I hushed him as he sobbed and shook on the bed, snot bubbles in his nose and his face red from crying.

  “I-I love you, too. I want to go home.”

  “You're here for a little bit, but soon we can go home to our little cottage.”

  “I really want that.”

  “Hi, Doc, Vega and Remy are going out of their minds. They're going to give you shit for scaring them like that. Graves is off to inform everyone you're awake. Be prepared. Vega is going to Mami you so hard.”

  “She does it anyway. Aiden, Aiden was—” He shook his head.