Jake looked back down at the pictures. “Why would these guys be meeting with Cetro? He their supplier or something?”
“In a manner of speaking." Ryker’s lips thinned, and Jake couldn’t help but take note of the disgust he saw in the other man’s eyes. “According to my source, these men hire Cetro on a regular basis for the sole purpose of abducting, holding, and transporting women who suit their clientele’s...unique tastes.”
Ryker tilted his head toward the pictures. “These bastards set up the auction. Each one is held in a different location to avoid detection. Clients come from all over the globe under the guise of a political-based meeting or, even worse, fundraising efforts to help those less fortunate.” The agent’s mouth twisted, nearly spitting out the ridiculous words.
“The women who are being held are auctioned off to the highest bidder. The winner pays, takes possession of his prize, and goes on his merry way. These assholes split the money, and Cetro gets a nice cut for his trouble.”
“Jesus.”
Stomach turning, he leaned back in his chair again. He ran both hands through his hair before grabbing fistfuls of it, holding on so tightly, he was surprised he didn’t pull every damn strand out of his skull.
“Liv mentioned an auction,” he said quietly. She’d most likely already told Ryker about it, but Jake offered the information anyway. “Said they had her shower and dress so she’d be presentable. I”—Jake took a breath, his eyes never leaving the pictures of those four men—“I understood what it all meant, but Christ...” he trailed off.
Seeing these men’s faces somehow made it all the more real. Just the thought of these bastards selling Olivia to some sick fuck made Jake want to find each one, rip their dicks off, and shove them down their throats. In that moment, he realized Ryker’s angle.
Dropping his hands, Jake’s eyes shot to the man sitting across from him. “You want me to go after them.”
Ryker shrugged. “I thought you’d like to be the one to take them down, considering.”
Fuck, yeah, he did. No question there, but they’d just gotten back. He promised Liv he’d be with her to help get her life going again.
Jake thought for a moment. He supposed he could still help her get settled and then go find these bastards. Once that was taken care of, he’d come back home and focus solely on her. They could—
Ah, shit.
“Wait. Did you say this meeting is tomorrow morning?” Jake’s heart thumped hard in his chest, praying he’d heard the man wrong.
Ryker nodded. “Cetro and these men always wait until the last minute to choose the location. Again, to avoid being caught. It’s why we have to hold off before we can grab them. We need to catch them in the act.”
Jake ran a hand down his face. “Hell, Jason. Olivia just got back. She needs me here, to help her cope with all the shit she went through. And you want me to pack up and head back out tonight?” Jake shook his head. “No. No way. I can’t I leave her. Not now.”
“Okay.”
Suspicious as hell, Jake stared back at him. “Okay? That’s it?”
The other man shrugged that damn shoulder again. “You said it yourself. You don’t work for me. If you don’t want to go, I can’t make you.”
Steepling his fingers, Ryker then leaned his elbows onto the table. Speaking too fucking casually, he added, “After what they did to your girl, I just assumed you’d want to be there. To look them in the eye when they realize their privileged, sick-as-fuck lives are over. I mean, if it were my woman they’d taken and tried to sell as a fucking sex-slave, I sure as hell wouldn’t trust someone else to do the job. But hey”—he relaxed back into his chair—“that’s just me. If you’re comfortable with someone else taking care of your—”
Jake shot out of his chair and slapped his hands down onto the table, locking his arms at the elbows. He let his anger towards the agent fly.
“Fuck you! You really think that reverse psychology bullshit is going to work on me? Jesus, man. How long have we known each other?”
“Long enough for me to know I’m right. That woman means a hell of a lot more to you than just a friend, or you wouldn’t have risked everything the way you did to extract revenge on those assholes. Well, guess what, McQueen?” The agent leaned forward again. “I’ve just handed you your golden fucking opportunity.”
He waved his hand out over the mess of papers and pictures. “I’m giving you and your team full access to the men who caused your girl so much pain and grief. This time, with full, government backing.”
When Jake didn’t respond, the Homeland agent stood, pointing at the pictures. “These bastards are the sole reason Olivia was taken, Jake. They’re responsible for her being beaten and nearly sold. Had that happened, she would’ve been assaulted, over and over again. Then, when her buyer finally got tired of her, he’d have either traded her off for someone else, or put a bullet in her brain.”
Jake swallowed back vomit, his body battling against the images Ryker’s words created in his mind while the other man kept on.
“What do you think they’ll do when they find out she’s still alive? Sick fucks like these will probably see her as a hot commodity. After all, she’s the one that got away.”
The agent paused, the edge in his voice softening slightly. “Look, Jake. I know you don’t want to leave her, but these men have long fucking arms that reach clear across the globe. Now, if they were smart, they wouldn’t even think about coming after your girl again. Especially not on U.S. soil. The question is, are you really willing to
