Kidnapped
Main Characters - Chris, Vin
Beta - Thanks to Linda for going over this
Warning: depiction of sexual assault
Based on the episode Inmate 78.
Chapter 1
Two ATF undercover agents stood in silence several steps back from the huge mahogany desk. Behind it sat a large older man without any emotion showing on his florid face, his dark eyed stare on them.
The immense three-story Victorian house dripped silence as the older man studied the two men in front of him. ATF agent Ezra Standish, aka Ed Simons, dressed in an impeccable dark gray Gucci suit, his handsome features and green eyed gaze on the man in front of him. Beside him stood agent Vin Tanner, aka Kevin Taylor, his bodyguard. Vin's navy blue jacket and slacks were in contrast to his long brownish blond hair that swept back over his shoulders. His sky blue eyes were also fixed on the man behind the desk.
Adolph Dietrich, comfortable in his large desk chair, wore a bored look on his heavy face. This was the third meeting with the two men. As was his way, they had been checked out thoroughly and Simons appeared to be who he claimed to be. A go-between for a man wanting to buy a hundred German sniper rifles. A rich man with money to throw away. Dietrich kept his face blank as he thought of the money he would be making, and never having to give up a single gun. Simons buyer would never know until it was way too late to do anything. He motioned with his hand and one of his men handed him a pen to sign the paper that would bring the, supposedly, guns to the exchange.
As he signed the paper the side door opened and a tall, well built woman in a dark red formfitting dress strolled into the room. Her long blonde hair swirled around her face as she smiled at the two in front of the desk. Bending over Adolph, giving the two agents a view of barely covered breasts she whispered into the man's ear, "Ona uzun saçlı bir tane istiyorum." She straightened as one of her hands rubbed over Adolph's chest, turned, and with a toss of her head walked out of the room.
With a small grin, Adolf reached for his phone and quickly spoke into the receiver. Plans had just changed, he'd make more money this way.
Ezra and Vin exchanged glances. Neither one of them understood what the woman or the man said.
Adolph hung up the phone and rubbed his hands together. "Now gentlemen, I have signed the papers to get the guns delivered. Your down payment is accepted. They should be here the day after tomorrow. I will have them inventoried and you will be able to pick them up at your leisure at the dedicated place we agreed on."
As Dietrich talked the door behind the two agents silently opened. Vin felt the change in the room but before he could glance behind him, he felt a pain in his neck. His hand came up to touch the spot. Before he could reach it, everything turned black and he collapsed. Moments later Ezra dropped unconscious beside him.
Adolph jumped up and motioned to his men, the look on his face still unreadable. He took the brief case with the money in it and exited the door.
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Outside the Victorian house the rest of the ATF Team Seven waited. They hadn't been able to wire their two friends due to the fact Dietrich had everyone scanned before entering his house.
The noise of a vehicle coming down the driveway had the men ducking low in the bushes. A van went past them, a woman in the passenger seat. They could make out she had blonde hair, but not her features. The van disappeared and the men moved back into positions to watch the house.
Minutes passed slowly. Suddenly JD Dunne yelled, "Fire!"
For a moment everyone froze in place. Their gazes locked on the big house, seeing all the upper story windows reflecting flames. Chaos erupted.
"Damn!" Chris Larabee, leader of the team, ran towards his truck parked in the brush behind him. He heard Josiah Sanchez, Buck Wilmington and Nathan Jackson crashing through the brush with JD following as they raced to their parked vehicles.
Josiah was on his cell phone calling the fire in as the men's vehicles roared out of the brush and to the house. They parked back from the front of the burning building. In seconds they were racing in the front door, guns in hand. They scattered, knowing the layout of the house from Ezra and Vin's information, and the rough drawn outline of the house Vin drew for them. It showed what he and Ezra seen on their meetings with Dietrich. There were two offices, one on the main floor the other on the second floor with several open and closed areas on both floors, they thought were bedrooms. Three raced men up the stairs to the second floor, the others ran through the main floor.
The second floor was thick with smoke. Heat and licking flames from the burning third floor already seeping through the ceiling. Chris reached the door to the office and tried to open it. It was locked. He and Josiah used their legs and foee to kick the door at the same time. The lock gave and the door swung open.
JD ran down the hall looking into some of the open doors, into rooms already filling with smoke. It was too hot for him to reach to the end of the hall. Flames were dripping onto the last twenty feet of the hallway. He turned back.
Ezra lay on the floor unmoving. Chris went to his side as Josiah knelt beside the unconscious man. Spotting a door near the desk Chris opened it carefully. It opened to an empty hall slowly filling with smoke. He sprinted down it and found an outside door with steps hugging the outside wall and ending in the back parking area. No vehicles were in sight. 'How did they leave?' flashed through his head as he raced back to the office. He saw Josiah leave the room with Ezra in his arms. Chris paused beside the desk and jerked the drawers open. He grabbed all the papers he found in them. Coughing from the smoke he ran out of the room and down the stairs. JD met him at the foot of the steps, coughing but signaling he hadn't found anyone else on the second floor. JD ran to where Buck was signaling to him from an open doorway, as Chris headed towards the front door. Nathan stood by the door, waiting for Buck and JD.
At the door, Chris stopped and waited for Buck and Nathan to join him. JD ran out of the room Buck had led him into a moment later, two laptops clutched in his arms. The four ran out the door. A loud tearing noise then crash followed them out. Most of the third floor collapsed onto the second floor. More timbers started groaning under the weight and flames.
Handing the papers to Nathan, Chris started back towards the house. Buck grabbed his arm and held him back as the fire department arrived and started pulling hoses from their two trucks. A tanker truck pulled up and men quickly connected the hoses to it.
Chris shoved Buck away and headed once more towards the burning building. Buck and Nathan grabbed him. All three were thrown to the ground as something inside the house exploded and sent the closest men to the ground from the blast. Flying pieces of the house struck the ground around the agents and fire fighters. Chris cried out seeing the house literally turn into a burning hell as it collapsed in on itself. Flames rose higher and the firemen roused and began pouring water on it to keep it from spreading to the trees and outbuildings. More fire trucks were arriving by the minute.
'Oh God,' Buck thought as he watched the house disappear in the wall of flames. He felt tears roll down his cheeks and the slim body he was holding onto tightly, shaking. He didn't want to look at the man in his arms. He'd felt Nathan release Chris although he stood beside him, one large hand on Chris' shoulder. He knew he would see tears on Chris' face. Sarah and Adam, Chris' family, had died in the flames of a car bomb set for Chris just over three years ago. The nightmare still plagued both men, though it had eased over time. Now they lost Vin Tanner in this fiery inferno. There hadn't been enough time to go through the whole house, to find him. Or his body. Buck shuddered in grief.
An ambulance arrived and Ezra was loaded into it. Josiah, with a glance at Chris climbed into the back. He knew the others would follow them to the hospital. He shook his head over the look on Chris' face. This was not good.
Shaking out of their shock the men went to their vehicles, that thankfully were far enough back they hadn't suffered any bad damage from the explosion. Buck took the keys from Chris, and told JD to ride with Nathan so he didn't have to drive in alone.
"Chris, you going to be all right?" Buck asked once they were on the road. He blinked his eyes dry and prayed that Chris wouldn't end up like Vin. They were close enough that losing one could take the other. As Josiah called them, two men sharing one soul.
Chris shook his head. He didn't know what his feelings were. His mind was on his soul brother, Vin Tanner, screaming at him that Vin wasn't dead. He couldn't be gone. He didn't feel anything but the void that Vin had filled. The fire made him want to scream and hit something. To drink until he couldn't see the flames or hear Vin's voice. He couldn't accept that Vin was dead. Like his wife and child, in a fiery explosion. Vin couldn't be dead. He wouldn't allow that to happen. He couldn't take another loss, he'd already suffered through one major loss, now another one was trying to lift its ugly head. He couldn't allow it. He ran a shaking hand over his face, he needed to get it together. There was one person who could tell them what happened, he would concentrate on that, and hope he would be all right. Then they would find the killers.
At the hospital Buck and Chris found Josiah, Nathan and JD in the ER waiting room. Three sets of eyes turned to Chris and watched as he and Buck entered the room. Buck nodded to them as he dropped into a chair next to JD.
"Any news?" Buck asked as he tried to find a comfortable position.
Nathan glanced at the pale faced leader before he answered. "Nothing, but there was no gunshot wound or anything we could see. We think it was just that he inhaled to much smoke. But…"
A loud thud sounded and the men turned towards Chris. Nathan crossed to his side and grabbed the hand that was poised to strike the wall again.
"Stop Chris. It isn't going to help if you have a broken hand. And hitting the wall will hurt you more than you hurt it. We just have to wait to see the Doctor, before we know any more."
"I'm fine!" Chris snarled and pulled his hand free, then began to pace the room.
Nathan and Buck exchanged looks and Buck shook his head a little. Nathan moved back to the chair he'd been standing in front of and with a sad look on his face sat down. Josiah rested his hand on his arm a moment before he turned back to watch the door, his lips moving in a silent prayer.
Over an hour later, a white coated doctor finally walked into the room. Five men were around him in an instant. He held up his hands, "I take it you are here for Ezra Standish?"
"How is he? Chris asked before someone else could speak.
The man held up his hand. "I'm Doctor Everett. We have run tests on Mr. Standish and found he has Rohyphol and another drug in his system. We have administered counter-active drugs and are monitoring him. He's unconscious. It will be eighteen to possibly twenty five hours before he is awake enough to talk or leave. Once he wakes up he can be released if he passes a few tests. He is strong he shouldn't have any lasting problems."
"Can we sit with him Doctor?" Josiah asked.
A nurse handed Everett a clipboard and he signed something and handed it back to her. "He's being moved to room 331. Since we know your reputation," he smiled, "you may stay with him. I will be in to check on him in an hour."
Chris stuck out his hand and shook hands with the doctor. "Thanks Doc." With a nod the doctor left and the five men made their way upstairs to Ezra's room.
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Ezra licked his lips. He was thirsty and lay there thinking a moment trying to get his thoughts in order. Without opening his eyes he listened then rolled to his side to push himself up. Time to get up and get a drink, it must be time to get ready for work too he thought. He abruptly froze. This was not his room, not his bed. The smells were all wrong, bed way to hard. With a mumbled curse he opened his eyes.
Josiah stood beside the bed with a cup in his hand, a large smile on his face. "Nice to see you finally awake Brother." The big man said.
"Hey Ez, about time you joined us," came from the other side of the bed where Buck stood.
Ezra blinked his eyes in disbelief at what Buck was wearing. A maroon tee shirt that asked "Is your name Google? Cuz you're everything I'm looking for." Every letter in different bright colors.
"Oh my God!?" Ezra moaned as he placed a hand over his eyes.
Laughter broke out from the two men and Josiah touched Ezra's shoulder, " Are you thirsty?"
Ezra nodded and pushed himself up a little ways, took the cup from Josiah and drank deeply. "What happened? Why am I in here? How long have I been here?"
"You were drugged Brother. Two days ago, when we tried to take Adolph Dietrich down. Don't
you remember?"
"Do you know where Vin is?" Buck added.
Before he could answer the door opened and the doctor followed by a nurse entered the room.
"Mr. Standish, it is good to see you awake. We need to do a few tests, if you pass you can leave in a while. Gentlemen, if you will give us a few minutes?" Dr. Everett looked at the two large agents.
"We'll be right outside Ezra," Buck patted Ezra's foot as he and Josiah headed for the door.
A hour and a half later, the three men left the hospital and headed to the Federal Building and their team's office. Ezra was declared fit to leave though informed he might have a headache or two over the next few hours.
Chris and the rest of the team were waiting for them when they arrived. Ezra thought Chris looked like he hadn't slept in a week.
In the conference room Ezra told them what he could remember. Of the woman who came in and spoke to Dietrich, and they puzzled over the words she's spoke. Then the feel of the sting in his neck and that Vin had fallen to the floor just before he did.
Ezra found there was an APB out on Vin and the van. So far nothing of either had been found. Pulling up the meeting in his mind, he gave a detailed description of the woman and the words she said. With JD's expertise on his laptop, he found out the spoken words were Turkish. He typed in some of the words Ezra remembered, even though they had no idea of the spelling. It would take awhile to figure out what was said.
The words Dietrich spoke on the phone were beyond Ezra, being too fast and clipped. He couldn't think of one word that even stood out. His last memory was of landing on the floor beside an unconscious Vin. The others filled him in on the fire, though Chris barely said five words. Ezra knew the man was suffering through another fiery loss.
Several hours later JD exclaimed in surprise. "I got it! What she said, or close to it!" The men crowded around his desk, and Chris came from his office.
"Well? Speak already," Buck slapped the young man on the back of his head.
"Oh yeah," JD looked back at his monitor. "I think it pretty much came out like, 'I want the long haired one, or I want the long haired man.' That’s as close as I can get to the words."
"He's not dead," Chris stated in a soft voice. The other men shook their heads, relief filled all of their hearts.
For a moment the room was silent after Chris' words. Then grins crossed faces and the men slapped each other on the back. Ezra avoided the revelry, but shook his head in wonder.
"But why would she want him? Whatever for? Where did she take him?" Ezra asked looking at the others.
"Good question," Buck sat down with a thump in his chair and tapped the desk top. "She has to
have him somewhere in the city. We need to find that van and its occupants."
Ezra turned to his computer, but before he could start typing, a man walked into the bullpen.
"I was told I could find Agent Larabee here? I'm Detective Chambers." The short, salt and pepper haired man said. He pushed his glasses up onto his forehead.
Josiah and Nathan hid their smiles as they pointed to Chris.
"I'm Larabee. What can I do for you?"
"Agent Larabee, we have been investigating the Dietrich case and found the van that you and your men identified. It was found this morning in the Fruition Restaurant parking lot. It's been there a couple of days, they thought it was one of the workers, but when it never moved they reported it. There were some light finger prints and several long hairs. They are being checked. We should have DNA and prints analyzed by tomorrow."
After the detective left the men gathered in Chris' office. They discussed what they had to do to find Vin and bring him home. They dispersed and set to work, looking for anything they could find on the woman, and anything more on Dietrich.
The next day Detective Chambers contacted Chris and informed him that the hair they found did belong to Vin Tanner, but the fingerprints didn't match anything on file anywhere in the USA. They were in the process of contacting Interpol to see if they were on file with them. He didn't hold out much hope of that, but since she spoke another language, they might get lucky.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two weeks later, Travis called Chris into his office and informed him that his team were to get back to work. They could hunt for Tanner on their own time but he needed his team working on ATF business. They were needed. He gave Chris a folder and told him that was their next assignment and they needed to get right onto it.
The news wasn't unexpected for the team. They had barely done anything in the last two weeks but investigate until they were almost blue in the face and depressed. There was not a thing they left uncovered in their hunt for their missing teammate. But it was as if Vin Tanner had vanished off the face of the earth. The fingerprints led nowhere, they weren't on file anywhere. There was nothing more they could do and went back to their normal job. They still watched, were on the outlook for anything they might use to find their lost sharpshooter.
Life went on. They were being pushed to get another sharpshooter. But none fit in with the team as well as Vin did. Each man ended up leaving after a short time with them, some mad others relieved to get away from the team. None were welcomed to the team, Chris being short and unbending with the men didn't help. Buck was wounded on a bust when the sharpshooter missed the target and ended up wounded also. Chris was so angry he almost busted a vein when he yelled at the man. Travis talked to him and warned him to stop his animosity or he would be suspended for a week. Chris just glared at his boss and went back to his team. He did calm down when Buck returned to work two days later, the through and through in his side not that bad. Just a bit painful.
Almost three months later, Ezra heard from some of his informants that a baby ring was working in Denver and other large cities. Someone selling newborns, and it all was somehow connected with a big firearms kingpin, all moving into the area. They got word they were to infiltrate the company and put it out of business.
Chapter 2
Vin Tanner groaned and then tried to turn over. He willed his eyes to open. It took a couple of minutes before he managed to lift his eyelids. For another minute he gazed around the room he was in, trying to place it, wondering who's place he spent the night at. His head felt stuffed with cotton as he tried to remember what happened to him to get in this condition. When he moved his arm to run across his face, it didn't move. Something gripped his wrist.
Feeling confined Vin glanced down at himself and found he was laying on a bed, with a sheet covering him from his hips down. He was naked under it. He could feel his face start to burn and when he tried to move found that both of his arms were raised above his head, his wrists hooked to a metal headboard about two feet apart. His legs were spread apart and his ankles connected to the corners of the low footboard. He could only bend his knees a few inches.
'What the hell's going on?' He wondered as he turned his head to look the room over again. He glanced around and noticed there were no windows but two doors in the room. The bed took up a good third of the room. He saw a shelf to the side of the bed with something lumpy covered with a cloth on it, but he couldn't tell what lay under the cloth.
He tried to get his wrists and ankles free. After several minutes he stopped struggling to get loose, the bindings held him down too well. Thoughts of being undercover with Ezra flooded his mind and he wondered where Ezra was, if he was being held in another room.
A noise alerted him and he closed his eyes as the door several feet from the foot of the bed, opened. He relaxed and pretended to be asleep.
The person entered the room and moved to one side of the bed. Fingers touched his wrists. The hand then moved across the side of his face, down his throat and onto his chest. For a moment the hand moved back and forth across his chest before it continued lower. The sheet was pulled off and the hand caressed his groin. Moving over his flaccid penis.
Vin squirmed and opened his eyes. A dark haired woman with grey eyes smiled down at him as she kept moving her hands on him. "I knew you were awake. You can't hide from me." She said, her smile widening as she felt him begin to respond to her administrations.
"Let me go… Don't touch me." Vin growled trying to resist the feel of her hands on him.
She raised one of her hands and cupped the side of his face as she laughed at him. "No, you are here for a reason, and will be here for a very long, long time. I have a use for you." Her hand moved to where the other one was on his groin and she started to manipulate him more.
"No! I don't … want this. Not staying… Let me go!" Vin fought to get control of his body as it began to betray him.
She shook her head as she continued to work him. "You are magnificent. Just as I knew you would be when I first saw you. You will start now. You will make a beautiful stud and make many handsome children."
Taking a breath she removed her hands and put a hand into her pocket. Staring down at Vin she told him, "You will take this one way or the other. No one will see you, your head and face will be covered." She laughed. "Your mouth too. You will do what I want, or you will suffer for it. Now open your mouth."
Vin clamped his mouth shut and tightened his lips together. She tried to force his mouth open but after a couple of minutes she called out for help. A large, muscular man walked in the door, shutting it quietly behind him. With a nod to the woman he gripped Vin's head in a large hand, lifting it a little ways off the pillow, then pinched his nose closed with the other.
In order to breathe Vin finally had to open his mouth, and she stuffed two pills into it, then poured water into his mouth. The large hand shut his mouth and held it until Vin swallowed, then he turned him loose.
Gasping Vin pulled in air as the two watched him. He was shaking and feared what they'd given him.
"Good boy. Soon you will be rising to the occasion. This will last awhile. You will service who comes in until they are pregnant. There is quite a few who are compatible with you." The woman said as she patted his cheek then moved her hands back to his groin. "They will not know you or you them. You are perfect. Now it's time for you to get ready for your performance with your lady admirers."
Another large man entered the room and Vin was released. The men held his arms and dragged him to the other door and opened it. The first man spoke for the first time. "Shower and clean up. You have ten minutes then we will pull you out of here."
Embarrassed Vin moved to do what he was told, under the watchful eye of the man. The other man pulled something from his pocket and took the bathroom door off its hinges. After he placed it outside the main door he joined his partner to watch Vin.
As soon as Vin dried off they grabbed him by his arms and hauled back to the bed. He could feel his body responding to whatever the woman forced down him. He tried to get his arms free of the men and lashed out with his feet as they pulled him to the bed. The first man made a fist and hit him in the small of his back and Vin collapsed.
With deft movements Vin was placed on the bed and shackled again. The woman smiled and began to run her hands over his body once more. She nodded when he began to respond even thought he tried to fight it.
"Yes, you are doing exactly what I want. Beautiful. And so responsive! You are going to be wonderful for us," she told him, then shot a look at one of the hovering men.
The man grabbed Vin's head, even though he struggled he couldn't get out of the hold, his head was held still. The woman took something off the small shelf and Vin's eyes widened when she cut a strip of silver duct tape off the roll. He tried to turn his head but couldn't move. The tape was put over his mouth. She reached for the other item and Vin struggled harder seeing the cloth she held in her hand. He was gripped to tightly. She smiled as she slipped the black velvet bag over his head and pulled the strings tight around his neck. His head was released.
In a panic Vin struggled as much as he could. The black bag did its work. He couldn't see a thing through it. The ties around his neck weren't tight enough to cut off his air or movement, but he couldn't get rid of the bag. With his mouth taped shut he was breathing hard through his nose not getting enough air.
A hand on the side of his face moved up and down. "Calm down beautiful. You are all right. All will be fine." She told him as her hands worked their way down him.
Vin rolled his head back and forth as he fought to steady his breathing. He could feel his body responding more to the woman's caress', totally betraying him.
"That's what we require. Now do your job. I'll be back later." She said and Vin heard the door open. A moment later her hand patted his belly then was gone. For several minutes he lay in silence, he got his breathing under control and wondered what came next. He felt painfully erect and wished for a blanket. He heard the door open and someone walk in. Gulping he waited. His hearing seemed to magnify, he thought someone was doing something with clothes.
A hand rubbed over him then the bed dipped as someone climbed onto the one side. A moment later he felt the person straddle his thighs and he knew it was a woman. Her hands rubbed across his chest then lower. He tried to move when they gripped him and began to stroke his erection. A moan came from the woman as she played with him. Soon she was rubbing him harder and swaying on his legs. Her lips came down on one of his nipples and she sucked and pulled first one then the other. The hands on his erection moved up his ribs as she moved her mouth over his chest and nipples. One hand played with one nipple as the other moved lower and gripped his balls. She squeezed and manipulated them.
Pain rushed through him followed by wanting. The hands and mouth finally moved away. He felt her stretch and heard some strange noise. Then her hands were back on him and slid easily over his erection and balls. A moment later she moved and came down on him, her body encasing him until she was sitting on his lap with him buried in her as far as he could go. Vin was in shock over what she was doing to him. He couldn't move enough to throw her off. She once more bent and sucked his nipples. She worked him over and over moving up and down on him and squeezing his balls until he wanted to scream in frustration and pain. Finally, after what seemed hours, he came shooting his load in her.
With a sigh of content the woman dismounted and with a pat to his chest, gathered her clothes and left.
Vin laid still. He hurt and was disturbed over what happened. 'How could this be happening? Where are the guys? Where am I?' He thought. The thought was barely in his head when he heard the door open again and he could smell the perfume of another woman who entered the room. 'Oh God help me!' he moaned as a hard hand came down with a sharp slap on his chest. It was starting all over again.
'This woman is mean,' Vin vaguely thought as he drifted on the verge of blackness, even though his world stayed black thanks to the velvet bag over his head. The woman wasn't happy with him. She kept slapping at his chest and then painfully twisted his nipples. She mounted him without anything to ease the way for either of them. Her movements were powerful and demanding, hurtful and painful. He writhed in pain as she roughly took him when she mounted and got off him several times to twist his balls and nipples and pull hard on his erection. When he finally came she was on him and bouncing up and down to her words of, "I don't like skinny men. You are nothing I would ever have an affair with unless it was for a lot of money. You are nothing to me. I want large meat to enjoy and you have nothing." When she finally dismounted she twisted his member hard before she left.
Heated tears filled his eyes. He hurt and prayed he could just die. Once more the door opened and he took a breath as deep he could. He didn't want any more of this. He moaned in pain as this woman bite him. His nipples hurt when she touched them. She'd lick one then bite down then move to the other, back and forth. Vin was happy for the velvet bag over his head, he couldn't see what she was doing. If he could see her he would try to tear her apart. He corrected himself, he would kill all of them. If he was free.
The woman was as rough as the last one. She hurt him as she worked him over. He wished he wasn't so hard and when she took him in her mouth he bucked, at least he tried. She hummed around his staff and then bite him over and over. Not hard enough to bring blood but to hurt. He tried willing his erection to go down but it wouldn't. Finally she changed tactics. Gently she worked him and his balls until he was aching and moaning for release. When she mounted him she continued to work his balls with one hand. In a short time he began shooting his load into her as tears of despair overflowed his eyes.
Roughly she got off him and bent to lick then bite him again. His balls were rolled and pulled as she played cruelly with him. Vin suffered in silence unable to do a thing to stop her. Then she started to strike him on his chest and lower.
"You are worthless. What a piece of shit I have to use. One time only. You can't give enough to make a woman happy. I want more. You better get better at this or you will suffer the consequences next time I have to use you. Worthless shit," she struck him again then left.
Vin heard the door shut behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. But he stiffened again as the door opened and he heard footsteps approach the bed. He gulped when he heard the footsteps stop.
Hands moved across his throat then he felt fingers on the strings holding the black bag in place. A moment later the bag was pulled off his head and he saw the woman who'd been there earlier looking down at him. She pulled the tape off his mouth.
"I'm going ta kill you," he rasped.
Laughing she patted his cheek, then stepped back a little and let her gaze go over him. She shook her head and walked into the bathroom. The door opened and one of the big men walked into the room carrying a basin.
Vin stiffened, wondering what he was in for now.
The man went into the bathroom and moments later he and the woman came out. He carried the basin and a couple of clothes were laid over his arm. The woman carried a towel. Reaching Vin the man began to wash him off.
Squirming Vin looked at the woman. "Can't I just take a shower?" He hated the feel of their hands on him.
For a moment the woman stood still, her head cocked. With a sigh she nodded. "Get help and get him into the shower and cleaned."
The big man left the room for a few minutes and Vin wished the sheet covered him. He didn't like the look on the bitches face. He turned his head away from her and thought for a moment, then with a lift of the corner of his mouth he came up with names. Bitch fit her perfectly since he hadn't heard a name. He decided the men would be called Dumb and Dumber.
When the two men returned, his ankles were released from the leather cuffs, then his wrists. Vin pulled his arms down and rubbed his shoulders and arms. He didn't know how long he'd been in that position and his arms felt almost numb.
"Get him into the shower and make sure he's clean. I'll be back in ten minutes to check." The woman turned on her heel and strode from the room.
Vin was pulled to his feet and half dragged into the bathroom, his legs didn't want to cooperate. In moments he was shoved under the steaming shower and a bar of soap and cloth put into his hands. The two men backed from the shower stall and stood in the doorway watching him closely. "Damn" Vin thought as he soaped up and began to wash. Can't even take a shower without someone watching. He didn't waste any time and shortly they shut off the water and tossed him a towel. As soon as he'd dried off they forced him back into the bedroom. His hair dripped onto his shoulders.
The one he named Dumb grabbed his wrists and forced him onto the bed. When he was once more on his back his wrists were cuffed above his head and ankles to the bottom corners. They were finishing up when the Bitch returned. She ran her hands over Vin from his wet hair to his thighs, pausing a moment to fondle him. A little smile crossed her lips.
"Very good. Put some salve on the bites," she ordered. As Dumber roughly rubbed antibiotic salve in the teeth marks she continued to feel him over.
Vin felt like a slab of meat exposed to a hungry man-eater. He turned his eyes away from her questing hands and stared at the bathroom doorway.
"You are so good looking. If you turned me on I would like to give you a try, but you don't. You will have some food soon. Rest while you can. You are just getting started today." When Dumber stepped back she pulled a light blanket up to his waist, nodded to the two men who left the room.
"Be good and all will go easy for you. If you don't…" She ran her hand over his chest then turned away.
As the door closed Vin wondered once more how he got here, wherever here was. He turned his thoughts to trying to figure out how long it'd been since the failed bust. He felt comforted thinking his teammates were looking for him and thought he would soon be home. Though he felt worried if Ezra could be prisoner in the hell hole he was in. He fell asleep, even though the overhead light continued to shine down on him.
Several hours later he was awakened by Dumb who thumped him on his shoulder. He glared up at the man.
"Time to eat," Dumb growled. Releasing his wrists. He waited until Vin sat up, then placed the tray of food on his lap and backed away.
Vin was hungry and ate without thinking of what it tasted like. Food, he needed it no matter what its taste. A glass of water sat on the tray with the food and he drank it down. He looked at the empty plate when he finished. Hunger still clawed at him, but he no longer felt like his stomach scraped his backbone. He could easily have eaten another plate full though. The water had an odd taste to it but he hadn't paid any attention, some water tasted worse than what he'd drank.
The tray was taken away and the man pushed him down flat once more and grabbed a wrist. Before he could protest his wrist's were anchored to the headboard once more. The man went into the bathroom and came out with the towel and washcloth he'd used. He picked up the tray and glanced at Vin.
Vin squirmed, he felt himself getting hard and wished for something to cover himself better. He was getting uncomfortable.
Dumb laughed. "Enjoy it kid, while you can. Be back shortly." Laughing the man went out.
Soon Dumb and Dumber were back. One held Vin's head as he struggled. Dumber chuckled as he held Vin's head still by gripping his long hair. Tape was put across his mouth and then the black bag slid over his head and tied. The two men patted him and took the blanket that had covered his legs away before leaving the room. Vin fought the panic he felt rising, he had to get out of this nightmare. He heard the door open and swallowed his panic.
Time seemed to stand still for him. Three women came in, one after the other, and used him until he was so sore he could barely feel anything anymore. He was half conscious when Dumb and Dumber came in and uncovered his head and tore the tape off his mouth. They released him and this time they dragged him to the shower. One held him under the spraying water while the other one scrubbed him thoroughly. They toweled him off then dragged him back to the bed. He was held on the bed by one while the other lengthened the chains hooked to the headboard and then they cuffed his wrists. He found he could pull his arms down to his chest. His legs were free. Dumber grabbed his chin and forced him to look up at the man.
"Don't try to get free. If you do you will be punished. We have the key." He dangled a key in front of Vin's face before tucking it into his shirt pocket. Dumb tossed a blanket over him and they left. Vin looked at the light on the ceiling, it was still on. He turned his head to the side and went to sleep.
Chapter 3
Some time later Vin woke and listened. He wondered what brought him out of his exhausted sleep. Straining his hearing he listened. Nothing. He could hear nothing and rolled onto his side. With his eyes closed against the light he wondered again what happened to Ezra and the bust. Where was Ezra? Was he in this hell hole, in another room being treated like he was? He hoped not. Where were the guys? How long had he been here? Finally he fell back to sleep.
Time began to pass. Vin saw no one but the Bitch, Dumb and Dumber. He was fed. He tried to figure out the days. With the overhead light on all the time he couldn't tell if it was day or night. Food came, sometimes breakfast food a couple of times in a row. Other times soup and a sandwich. They were spaced out, leaving him always hungry. He got coffee or water, once in awhile juice. He didn't know when they drugged his food or drinks, only when he began to get a hard on he knew. A little later Dumb or Dumber arrived and taped his mouth and covered his head, wrist bindings checked and shortened if that needed to be done.
The women came. Always three over the time he was in the forced sexual condition. He hated what they did to him and tried to resist to no avail. He found the mean women seem to be a bit more cautious, not hurting him as much as they did the first time. Though they still left him sore and aching and feeling as if he was worthless.
Vin tried to keep count of the times he received food. But nothing made sense. He couldn't latch onto any kind of order. The food came whenever someone seemed to remember to feed him. Unable tell if it was day or night, the times ran into each other. He only knew hunger continued to gnaw at him.
One day, Dumb and Dumber pushed open the door and brought in a treadmill and set it up in the corner of the room. Vin noticed there were cuffs attached to the grip bar. He was pulled from the bed and forced onto the machine and his hands cuffed to the bar. Dumber turned it on and he was forced to jog on it. At first his legs were wobbly from not being used much, after ten minutes they began to move easier. He relished being able to jog, to exercise his body. The stiffness in his back eased as he jogged. It wasn't long before Dumber turned the machine off and he was taken back to the bed. He received a bottle of water that he drank gratefully before they cuffed his arms.
After that he was forced to jog or run on the treadmill several times, day or night he didn't know other then it was good to be off the bed. Dumb or Dumber stayed in the room all the time watching him on the treadmill. After a certain amount of time they'd unhook him and put him back on the bed, sometimes the water bottle appeared, other times he received juice. He never knew which drink would be drugged, but he relished his time on the treadmill.
Then one day the two men came in and released him from the bed and told him to exercise. They left and Vin heard the click of the door lock behind them. For a minute he stood there in surprise. He was free in the room. With a grin he moved around the room looking for anything that could be used to help him escape. He wished he had some clothes. He didn't like being naked as a jay bird all the time. If the Bitch came in she stared at him with a smirk on her face before touching him. He found nothing but the sheet on the bed and a towel in the bathroom. He looked through the bathroom, looking for a razor or anything sharp. They were letting him shave after his shower, providing him with a throw away razor. But even that had been taken away, nothing else was left in the room, just the towel and toilet paper.
Discouraged he moved back into the bedroom, knowing it was useless to try the door he stepped
on the treadmill and began to jog.
For some time he was allowed his freedom, before the men returned and secured him back onto the bed. Before long he once more was taped and hooded, and the women were coming in.
Several days later, a day, or night, Vin didn't know which, everything hit him. When the men came in to tie him to the bed he fought them. Kicking and throwing punches, fighting for his life and freedom. Vin held his own for several minutes before sheer size and weight took him down. The two men manhandled him to the bed not caring how much they hurt him as they tied him down. Vin cursed them and what they were doing to him. Once shackled, one man held his head still as the other forced two pills into his mouth and then water. They held him tightly until he had to swallow. Both men grinned as they stepped back.
The door opened and the dark haired bitch walked in and asked what was going on. Vin lay on the bed, still struggling to free himself as one reported what had happened. "You know what to bring me. Get it," she said before moving to the bedside. One man left.
"So you were disrespectful to my handlers huh?" Her hand went over Vin's chest and the red marks on him from the fight.
"Dumb and Dumber, Bitch... I want out of here. I've had enough of your slavery and havin' to service women for you. You want to service them, you do it yourself and let me go…" Vin spat at her.
Hands continued to run over his body as she grinned at him. "Little one, you are going to continue until I am tired of you. So, no matter what you say or try to do, you will never leave this place. So get that into your head. You are mine to do with whatever I want. And since you were so aggressive to my men, you will be punished for what you did. And we'll see how you like that."
Vin's erection was full blown and hard and she still fondled and touched him, gripping his erection and working it then his balls. When the man returned carrying something in his hands he grinned at Vin. His evil grin made a shiver cross Vin as he handed the thing to the woman. She smiled her thanks and with her free hand she slipped a metal encased cock ring over Vin's erection and another part over his balls. Forcing the swollen members into the strange contraption then tightening it down on him. A nodule was adjusted on the top of the cock ring. She looked at her work then pressed a button on what she held in her hand.
Vin jumped at the charge that went through his groin. Then again when she pressed the button.
"Hmm not enough." She said as she adjusted something on the control. This time when she pressed the button Vin yelled in pain. "Ahh that's exactly what I wanted. Get him ready," she ordered.
The men grabbed Vin's head lifting it from the pillow, and one squeezed his cheeks to get his mouth open. When he opened it a ball gag was stuffed into his open mouth and settled behind his teeth. A strap went around each side of his face and were attached behind his head. Vin turned his head and tried to dislodge it when they turned him loose.
"There. You are now ready for the ladies. They will have control of the charger, and if you don't perform the way they want, it will be used." The Bitch laughed as she patted his cheek. "But you won't be able to do anything, not the way you are trussed up. Some of my ladies will have toys to use on you too. So enjoy what is to come. This is your punishment for fighting with my men." She nodded her head and the black bag was pulled over Vin's head.
Vin writhed as the bag was tied around his head. He chastised himself for fighting. He should have known she would retaliate. 'Stupid! Stupid idiot. What is the matter with you?' he scolded himself as the door opened and closed. Minutes later it opened again and he stilled, wondering what was to happen now.
"Ohhh you look so yummie. And all for me. I think I am going to have so much fun this time." Cooed the voice that Vin had come to hate. It was the malicious woman who'd hurt him several times already. She'd been coming to him off and on, but not lately. She always treated him rough and left him drained. Now he feared what she would do to him. He felt her hands on him playing with his nipples then something clamped down hard on one and he bucked. Her laughter sounded and then his other nipple was clamped. She licked between them and pulled on what he thought might be a chain between the clamps.
She kept pulling and tugging on his nipples as she played with him. When he didn't respond fast enough to her she shocked him, sending pain through his erection and balls. Unable to yell or scream he moaned in pain.
By the time she left Vin had turned into a bundle of raw nerves and pain. Tears soaked the bag over his head to the point it was sticking to his face. He knew he couldn't get through another bout like the one he'd just endured. He shuddered when the door opened once more. His thoughts scattered, all he could feel was pain and anxiety.
A warm hand played over him touching him on his bruised and aching nipples. He shook as the hand fondled him, then played with his harnessed erection and balls. The hand kept rubbing over him until he felt like he was going to burst. He sobbed in air around the gag ball in his mouth feeling the need to explode.
The sudden shock of pain thru his parts made him cry out around the gag. He writhed in pain as painful shocks continued to course through him. He couldn't get away. The pain kept flowing through him until he couldn't stand it anymore, and with a strangled cry he let blackness overtake him.
When he came to he found he was free. He had no idea how long he'd been out but everything was off him and he'd been cleaned. Vin looked at his chest and saw there were square bandages over his nipples. He wondered how badly they were injured. The sound of his stomach growling made him wish for some food to be brought in even though he wasn't sure he could keep anything down.
With the second, deeper growl from his stomach Vin rose and staggered into the bathroom. Finishing with pressing business he drank two full cups of water, then stood looking at the tall waxed paper cup. He wished it had been glass. With a shake of his head he put it down and moved back into the bedroom. He was too sore and weary to get on the treadmill so laid back down and pulled the sheet over him. A short time later he fell asleep.
Sometime later he received a tray of food. An unappetizing looking sandwich, a bowl of warm chicken soup and a large container of orange juice. He ate everything. As he finished the juice he wished as usual, that there was more. He could tell he'd lost weight. Anger sparked in his eyes as he thought of different ways to get out of this hellhole. Before he could get any kind of plan made he found that he was becoming hard. With a curse he threw the tray and its contents across the room. He had to get out of this place before he … He stopped, killed himself? No, he thought he couldn't do that he needed to wait for his team to find him.
Within minutes Dumb and Dumber were in the room with him. They grabbed his arms, forced him into the bathroom then hauled him back to the bed. Within moments the shackles were in place. He lay flat on the bed feeling his erection getting larger. Dumb picked up the tray, Styrofoam bowl and juice container from the floor. He grinned at Vin and shook his head. "Not a good thing to do."
"I don't give a shit. I want out of here," Vin snarled pulling on his arms.
Laughing the men forced the ball gag into his mouth and hooked it behind his head. As the black bag went over his head one told him, "Better get use to this. You aren't getting out of here. Ever. So you might as well lay there and enjoy what happens." The strings were tied and they left.
Vin felt frozen in place as the man's words soaked into his head. He had to get out of there. There was nothing else to think of. He would leave one way or the other, he wasn't going to do this for the rest of his life. As the door clicked open he wondered what the rest of his life would be like if he was stuck in this hell-hole.
After what seemed like a week with women abusing his body and getting him to come, he was allowed to relax. After being released and getting a shower he collapsed on the bed and slept like a dead man.
For a while things carried on as usual for Vin. Forced on the treadmill and tied to the bed to service the women. One day, or night, he was asleep when the two men rush in and grab him. Startled awake he fought them before realizing who they were. He rolled away from their hands and screamed when a slashing pain hit him from his shoulder to his buttock. Another slash had him rolling over in time to receive a slash across his chest from the Bitch. She held a narrow, reed like switch in her upraised hand.
"You do not turn away from us. Ever." She instructed as she brought the switch across him once more.
Vin kept his mouth clamped shut, not giving her the satisfaction of hearing him yell in pain again. He wanted to curl in on himself but didn't dare move. With a wave of her hand the two men grab his wrists and cuffed them, then his ankles.
Dumber grabbed Vin's head and held it still as the Bitch forced pills between his lips then she happily poured some water into him. Finished she used the gag ball and tightened it at the back of his head.
Patting Vin on his cheeks she stated, "Be good and you'll get some food later. If not you won't be fed." She beamed as she pulled the hood over his head and tied it. She slapped him on his rising cock before she and the men left the room.
The woman who came in a short time later he thought was one who'd come in before. One of the first ones. When she struck him he knew for sure. She started in immediately telling him he was skinny and she wanted something with meat and not just a little non-man.
Vin would have gritted his teeth if he could of got his mouth closed. The ball prevented it. He wanted to yell when she twisted his erection. He could feel it going down but instantly she was at him. He writhed in pain as she worked on him. It seemed to take forever before he felt himself become erect again. As soon as he was upright she was on him and twisting his nipples as she berated him over and over again. He finally came. She wasn't satisfied and worked him longer until he was panting around the ball in his mouth. Filled with pain he wished he could come for her again. He bucked a little as she pressed her weight onto him again and manipulated him more.
She mounted Vin yet again and worked herself over him for several minutes before he finally came. She laughed and slapped him hard as she crawled off of him.
"You are deplorable, little man. What a waste of my precious time having to spend with you. You need to come to attention when I demand it. But you're not someone I really want to be with. You are pathetic. It's too bad we have to use you. What a waste of our precious time." She slapped him once more before donning her robe and leaving.
Vin wasn't sure how much time passed as he was forced to service two more women before he was allowed to relax. He was shaking when the last one left and the men came in to release him and make sure he cleaned up. By the time he finished his shower he could barely stand alone, and Dumb made him get on the treadmill. Finally, he collapsed on the bed exhausted. A short time later what they called food, arrived.
Time passed and Vin's life didn't change by much. He lost count of meals and unable to look out a window, had no idea what time of day it was. He feared he was lost to his teammates and felt they wouldn't be looking for him anymore. He could never get free of this hellhole. And if he did where in the world was he? He had no idea where this place was. He never heard a thing from the outside, no passing cars, a horn or even kid's yelling back and forth as they played. He could be in limbo for all he knew. Though he knew it as hell.
The door opened and the two big men entered. Vin slowly got up from the bed, not wanting to be dragged from it.
"You've been pretty good lately, you're allowed some clothes. You will undress when we come." A pair of jeans and a flannel shirt were tossed to him followed by a pair of socks.
Vin looked at the two men in confusion. He'd been naked for so long he hadn't thought he'd ever see clothes again. He held the clothes to his chest. "Can I dress now?" he asked, his voice rough from not being used in some time.
"You can dress whenever you want. When we return you will be undressed before you perform. Enjoy." Dumb told him as they left. It didn't take Vin long to pull on the clothes, he relished the added warmth, the room though small was never warm enough. The thin sheet on the bed never enough.
Vin relished the clothes though he was still forced to service the women. While drugged and tied down he thought of different plans to escape. He had clothes to wear now and they lifted his hopes once more. If he could get out of the room, he would get out of this place.
For a time he relaxed and did everything required of him without fighting. He knew he would get out of there no matter what. Most of the women treated him a little better, not attacking him when he
couldn't come when they wanted him to.
But the one woman still came. She came into the room and set about beating him. Biting and scratching and pound him. Her fist punched Vin's groin area as she berated him, then abused his nipples. Twisting them she laughed and stepped back.
"I have something for you, skinny. A toy I made just for myself to enjoy if I got you again." With a hand on his balls she pressed something below them then with force jammed it into his anus.
Vin arched as much as he could being chained down and unable to scream in pain.
She grinned as she caused him more pain. She kept at him with the thing before she left it in place and started pulling on his erection. In minutes he was hard again and she mounted him. She worked herself up and down on him. When he didn't respond fast enough for her she reached back and worked the thing in his ass.
The pain increased and Vin couldn't do anything, there was no way he could buck her off. The thing in him hit something that sent a shockwave of pleasure through him and he filled her at the same time he groaned again in pain.
Laughing the woman pulled the thing out of him and caressed it over his balls as she got off him. She continued to play with him as she moved to the side of the bed. She pressed it into him again and twisted and pushed it hard in him for several minutes. "For once you weren’t too bad. I'll have to use this more often on you. For once you skinny-bastard, you pleasured me. I'll be back." With several more pats she finally pulled it out and left.
Vin couldn't believe what she had done to him. He hurt inside but didn't dare complain not sure what the Bitch would do to him.
After the second time with the unseen woman later that day with her new toy, the men came in to release Vin. And he promptly curled into a ball, unable to stop the pain racing through him. One man hurried out of the room to return a couple of minutes later with the dark haired woman. She had the men straighten Vin out.
Vin moaned as the men forced him onto his back and pulled him flat. The pain made him try to curl up again.
Seeing the bites, bruises, scratches and darkening places in his groin the woman was beside herself with anger. Then she saw blood beneath him and had the men turn him onto his stomach. Seeing where the blood came from she quickly gave precise orders to the two men before she rushed out of the room.
Vin was carried to the shower and as one man held him the other scrubbed him clean, paying special attention to all the cuts on him and the tears at his anus. They took him back to the bed and one began tending the scratches and bites on his body. Vin was relieved when they spread something that numbed the pain in his groin and anus and over the bruises. He listlessly let them take care of him. His mind had gone into overdrive. He had to get out of there NOW.
Once the bites, tears and scratches were lathered in antibiotic cream, the men stepped back, pulled the sheet over him and left.
For a long time Vin dozed and slept. He woke once to the administration of Dumber, who spread more antiseptic on the bites, scratches and around his anus. When he next awakened he waited to see who would came back. Everything stayed silent, he rested a bit longer and when he woke up he felt rested, though sore in a few places. Looking around the room he decided no one had been there recently and realized the men hadn't locked the door after the last time they were there. He found he wasn't shackled and knew it was time to get the hell out of there. Rising he dressed. He wished he had his boots, but the heavy socks would have to do. He also wished they'd brought back the flannel shirt he'd been given instead of it being replaced with a long sleeved tee shirt.
Silently he opened the door.
Chapter 4
Silently Vin opened the door a little way and peeked out. He found there was a long hallway, dimly lit and carpeted. He listened for a minute before slipping into the hall. A large window covered with light colored curtains was at the end of the hall closest to him. There were several doors on each side of the hall between him and the window. Looking the other way he saw more closed doors then what looked like the opening of a staircase close to the other end of the hall. Another covered window appeared to be beside the stairs.
As quiet as he could, Vin moved towards the close window. It looked dark behind the curtain and he breathed a sigh of relief. It would be a lot better if it was night outside. He reached the window and flattened himself beside it before pushing the curtain a little bit and glanced out. He couldn't see much detail, but saw a street with a couple of streetlights lit along it. He spotted bushes alongside the house. Looking down he saw it was a straight drop of twenty or more feet to the ground. He knew he was in no condition to drop so far to reach the ground.
Letting the curtain fall back over the window he glanced around. With a shake of his head he glided down the hall towards the other window, and the lit staircase. He felt the urge to hurry, and curbed it. He didn't know what would happen if one of the doors opened and he was confronted with Dumb and Dumber. He reached the stairs, and flattened against the wall for a moment listening. He could hear the drone of a TV downstairs but nothing else. The whole house was draped in silence. He slid to the window and pushed the curtain open a little and looked out.
A roof jutted out roughly six feet below the window, no lights reflected off it. A long building, forty- feet away, had lights in three places along its front. Vin figured it was a garage. He tried the window and grinned when it slid up without a sound. He let himself out. He braced one hand on the windowsill and his feet against the side of the house, ignoring the pain that flashed though him. He reached up and pulled the window closed before sliding his feet down to the roof below him. Moving slow and cautiously he move toward the far end of the roof. Flattening himself on the roof for several minutes he studied the area all around this part of the house. It looked to be at least a ten foot or so drop to the ground below him. Not seeing anyone he slid over the edge, gripped the edge of the roof then dropped to the ground. He clamped his mouth closed to stifle his cry of pain.
For several moments Vin crouched against the house as he looked all around to see if anyone noticed his escape and to get his pain under control. Finally he moved, his breath held as he rushed into the bushes and trees across the driveway from where he'd landed. He almost ran into a man just inside the trees. Luckily, the man was looking away, puffing on a cigarette. Vin dropped to the ground and rolled into the bushes under the trees and froze, waiting.
The guard finally put out his cigarette against a tree and started to wander slowly back towards the garage. He didn't look around as he meandered away.
Vin waited until the man disappeared around the corner of the house and then jumped up. For a moment his breath caught from the pain in his groin and ass, with a curse he took off running along the driveway to the street. He stayed in the dark as much as possible.
At the end of the driveway he dodged into more bushes and paused to look around. His gaze took in the paved street in front of him. City lights lit the sky ahead and to the left of him, though he couldn't see the city, only the houses along the street. He glanced back at the building he escaped from. It was a huge four story house, most of the lower floor's front windows were lit up. A few lit windows were spaced around the upper stories. He counted eight lit windows in the upper floors and wondered how many windows were blocked or had none, like the room he'd been in.
Spotting the guard coming around the far corner of the house he melted into the bushes beside him. Vin watched as the guard took his time walking around the house. When the man passed the front of the house, Vin noticed the house number near the front door, lit from the porch light. He hoped he could find it again if he had to.
The man walked around the side of the house and Vin hurried out of the bushes and onto the paved road. With a glance around he started to run down the street, heading away from the brightly lit area. He needed to find somewhere safe, and he didn't think getting caught on a city street would be too good.
He traveled along the street for several blocks. He passed large houses that sat well back from the street, surrounded by gardens and large lawns. Then they began to get closer together and the houses began to get closer to the street. The street narrowed and several cars were parked along it. The houses were becoming one and two story dwellings. More streetlights were lit. The headlights from an oncoming car flashed on a parked car and Vin moved to the sidewalk and slowed his run to a walk.
The pain was constant and Vin kept to a walk after the vehicle passed him. More cars were parked along the curb and more vehicles were on the road. He was getting tired, his feet hurt from the pounding on the pavement, and he wanted to get out of the neighborhood.
The street bisected another wider one and he saw the name of both streets before he turned to the right and hurried as fast as he could away from the corner. As he hurried along the quiet street, he all of a sudden could smell water and thought there might be a river nearby. Limping he cut across a dark parking lot and crossed another road. Ahead of him was another, wider road, with several cars on it. He stopped in the dark created by a large truck and waited for the vehicles to get past him. While he waited he tried to figure out what time of the night it could be.
When the last car disappeared, Vin rushed across the street, and realized he was crossing a four-lane road. He reached the other side, and a short distance from the street he reached bushes along a river. Carefully he made his way down the incline and stopped at the edge of the water. He couldn't see how wide the river was or how swift. He knew he could swim fine but not without seeing where he was going or the other side.
Vin decided he needed to hide until he could check out the river. He looked around, and noticed the darkness was beginning to lighten in the east, to the left of him. He moved along the side of the river until he spotted a thick brushy area. The bushes were enough to hide in and not be seen from anywhere unless someone was walking along the river in that spot. He knelt down and got a drink from the cold river before moving into the cover. He pressed in as far as he could then settled against the bank behind him. 'It's going to be a long day,' Vin thought then added, 'and chilly,' as a breeze started. With his arms wrapped tightly around his legs, Vin ignored the pain and tried to sleep while it was still a little dark.
The sun came up and Vin awoke to the noise of traffic not far from his hiding place. He wished he had more clothes, the cold blowing wind cut through him. After a couple of hours the sun was replaced by dark clouds and Vin shivered more. He lowered his head to his knees and tried to tell himself it was hot and the wind felt good.
Something woke Vin later. He lifted his head and glanced around waiting to see what woke him. Voices above him alerted him and he pressed back tighter to the bank. Glancing at the sun he figured it was several hours after noon.
"I don't think we're going to find the runner."
"The mistress is about to have our hides if we don't find him. He couldn't have gotten far. He doesn't know the area."
"I think if he had any brains he'll be long gone. Unless he's dead. They don't want to move the operation, too much of a hassle to get everyone packed and moved."
The voices moved away and Vin studied the river now that it was full daylight and he was awake. He noticed there was a busy road, highway, he decided, on the other side, maybe three fourths of a mile away. A bridge crossed the water to the east, it too had a lot of traffic on it from where he sat. He watched the water, the way it flowed and picked out where large rocks disturbed the flow. As he studied the river he tried to work out a plan to get across it.
Vin didn't know how long he sat there studying the river that moved barely eight feet from him, when he heard the two men's voices for a second time.
"Wonder if the guy went into the river? He shouldn't have been strong enough to swim across, especially in the dark," one man said.
"My guess is he did, and didn't make it across. It’s pretty swift down river a little ways. Probably drowned and they'll find his body in a few days. Let's get home, I'm hungry and we're having steak tonight."
Vin saw splashes in the river as the men threw rocks into it. He tried to see where they were without moving his head more than an inch. Through the brush he saw something grey move and knew it was one of the men, they were barely twenty feet from where he hid.
"Yeah, let's get back. We'll check down river tomorrow, or listen to the news. I think he'll be found in the river." A bunch of plops sounded as the men threw the last of their rocks into the river then moved away.
Vin could hear them talking about betting he'd ended up in the river. He grinned, he would be after dark. Vin stretched out some and then rubbed his arms and legs. The sun had disappeared and dark clouds covered the sky. He could smell rain in the air. He hoped he could get across the river before the rain hit, though he felt time slipping away. Curling up again he tried to stay warm and wished darkness would hurry up and get there.
Water dripping on him woke Vin several hours later. He blinked, for a moment thinking he couldn't see before awareness struck him. It was raining, well drizzling. He brushed the wet off his face and looked out over the river. Fog was coming in from the east, and the bridge was a vague shape appearing then disappearing in the fog. He could see across the river and saw an area that seemed to be dimly lit on the other side. Though he strained his eyesight he couldn’t see where the light came from. He rose and stiffly moved to the edge of the river, he had to get across before the rain came down harder and the river rose.
He hated not knowing where he was, or what time of the year it was. He knew he and Ezra were undercover in mid July. It could be late August, but he thought it might be mid September if not later. The river was going to be cold if September had arrived. 'Stupid, it's going to be cold no matter what time of the year it is,' he chastised himself.
Looking around Vin listened for traffic and heard only one car go by behind him. With the fog he wasn't sure what time of the day it was, other than dark. He figured probably around eight o'clock. With a sigh he stepped into the river.
Cold washed over his legs as he worked his way across the river. Rocks and sand shifted under his feet as he walked. He felt like he was freezing. The water reached mid thigh in the first twenty feet he travelled. When he made it to the center of the river, the water reached his waist, and splashed higher on him. The drizzling rain became heavier. By the time he reached the other side of the river he was soaked to the skin and shivering hard enough his teeth were chattering.
Vin climbed the bank and looked around, his arms wrapped tightly around himself. He made his way closer to the four-lane highway and hoped he could get across it safely. As he stood shivering he tried to work out where he could get dry clothes, money, and shoes. With a sigh he crossed the narrow side road several feet from the highway and looked across to other side of the highway. A little ways to the left of the highway he could see a lit sign on a building and a taller one out from the building. For a minute he stared at it through the fog and rain. A smile tugged his lips, it was a Wal-Mart sign. Up in the air the blue letters lit up on a white background. Maybe he could get something there, or at least out of the rain that had turned into a down pour.
After several minutes the traffic on the highway dwindled to almost none. He watched a last car on the other side going east disappear in the fog and decided to move across the lanes.
The rain came down harder and the fog thickened by the time Vin limped across the freeway. He turned towards the dim lights to his left and hobbled in that direction. He almost walked into a sign in the fog and caught himself before hitting the one leg. Ducking under it he stepped a few feet from it and stopped. Looking back and up he read 'Rest Area 2.5 Miles'. With a nod he continued towards the lights.
Fog thickened and everything got eerie and quiet. Dim headlights on the highway barely lit twenty feet ahead of a passing slow vehicle. Vin grinned he didn't think he could be seen in the fog. He finally reached the lights and found a huge parking lot in front of the Wal-Mart store. Several cars were still in the parking lot, close to the entrance closest to him. He leaned against the building for several minutes, getting out of the rain and wind for a short time. His body ached, but the cold had numbed him and he didn't feel too bad, just very cold.
After a bit Vin opened his eyes and hobbled towards the entrance, looking at the ground to see if someone might have dropped some change. He spotted something in the rain and bent and picked it up. Twenty five cents. He kept going he needed a little more to make a phone call.
Near the door he abruptly stopped when an elderly woman walked out carrying several heavy bags of groceries. The plastic handle of one bag started to pull apart and Vin grabbed it before it hit the ground.
Alarmed the woman stopped and turned back towards he door.
"Ma'am, I won't harm you. Just didn't want your bag to hit the ground. The handle broke, and I don’t know if you can carry it along with everything else," Vin's quiet, hoarse voice reached out to her.
The woman took a step towards the door.
Shaking with cold, Vin said, "I'll leave the bag here by the door for you ma'am, so you won't lose anything from it." He moved towards the door, staying away from her.
She stopped and looked at him. Then she reached out for the bag, "You can give it to me."
"Yes ma'am." Vin handed her the bag. Making sure she had a good hold on it he moved away from her, back towards the side of the building.
She watched as he limped a couple of feet away, taking in the thin, soaking wet figure and bare feet. She quickly made up her mind. "Wait. Could you help me get these to my car?"
"Yes ma'am." Vin replied and walked back to her. She handed him two of the heavier bags and walked to her parked car. Opening the trunk she had him place the bags in and as soon as he did he stepped back. Her hand grabbed his arm and prevented Vin from walking away.
Once she placed her bags in the trunk she reached into her purse and gave him all the change she had. "I wish I had more young man. But I just bought the things I needed to last me for a couple of weeks. Thank you for your help."
"Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate this." Vin gave her a large smile and moved away from her. As he headed back towards the building, she unlocked her car and got in. With a last look at the wet young man she drove off to be swallowed by the fog as she left the parking lot.
Vin paused in the lee of the building to count the money the lady gave him He found she'd given him seven dollars and fifty cents. He had enough to make a phone call. Knowing he couldn't go into the store he looked around for a fast food place. He could see nothing in the fog. With a sigh he made his way to the end of the building and crossed the dim back lot, heading for the freeway once more.
He wasn't sure how long it took him to reach the rest area. His feet were so sore he could barely walk, the pain throbbing. The two and a half miles felt like they'd taken him hours to walk. He'd lost the socks at some point but didn't remember when or where. Vin limped into the lighted rest area and paused. There were two buildings connected by a glass enclosed breezeway with a car parked in the parking lot.
Vin watched as someone ran from the glass door through the rain to the car and jumped inside. In a short time the car drove away and Vin headed for the building. He passed the smaller building and noticed it was where volunteers set up with hot coffee and cookies. Two pop machines stood behind a locked barrier, but both said empty. He wondered if any volunteers would be back in the morning.
Using the facilities, Vin made sure the bloody foot prints he'd made were cleaned up before he went back outside. He saw a phone on the wall near a map of the area and a water fountain. After a long drink of water he turned his gaze on the map and blinked in surprise to find he was in Ogallala, Nebraska. The little mark on the map indicated that he was at the West Ogallala rest area. Leaning against the building he relished the little bit of cover the roof gave him. He felt thankful for the fog, he didn't think anyone could see him unless they pulled into the parking lot.
Wondering what time it was he reached for the phone and dropped coins into it. Hoping Chris would answer, he dialed the ranch's number. After five rings the answering machine picked up and Vin hung up, he didn't want to talk to a machine. He needed to talk to a person.
For several minutes Vin leaned against the wall and thought where the guys could be. He was to cold and tired, his body, feet and legs ached and he was shivering uncontrollably in his wet clothes. He needed help. With a sigh he reached for the phone and dialed again, this time the office. He decided if no one answered in a few rings he'd call Buck or Josiah, he thought he remembered their numbers. As the phone rang he deiced to call Buck. Before he could hang up it was answered.
"Larabee. We're working on it." The growl came over the line.
Surprise went through Vin at the angry voice and for a moment he couldn't say a word.
Chapter 5
"Speak! I don't have time to play games!" Chris growled into the phone. Hearing his voice, several other voices fell silent.
"Co…Cowboy?" Vin's raspy voice came out in a whisper. He could picture Chris freezing in place.
For a long moment there was silence on the line, then, "Vin?"
"Ch… Chris?"
"Vin is that you? Where are you? Are you all right?" Words jumbled through the connection and Vin realized he was on speaker phone, and everyone could hear him.
"I'm… Fine… Th… think I'm .. by Ogallala. I'm at… a rest stop. West of there." Vin's teeth chattered and he paused a moment, feeling a surge of relief that he was talking to Chris and the others. "I'm… cold." He added with a hard shiver.
For a moment Chris wondered why there was an odd clacking noise on the line. Then recognized it when Vin spoke again. He signaled JD to trace the call and noticed Nathan grabbing his first aid bag. Josiah and Ezra were gathering Kevlar vests and guns together. Buck stood at his side, giving him silent support as he opened a map.
"Vin are you hurt? What do you need? Are you safe?" Chris realized he sounded like JD and stopped the questions.
"Hurt? Ah God…"
"Vin! Talk to me Pard."
"Wanna come home. Need clothes... Think… I'm safe… for a little while. They're looking for me… Gotta get outta here."
"Clothes?"
"Only got jeans and shirt. Cold… Feet hurt.. No shoes… Hungry."
"Found him," JD announced and sent the information and map to the printer. Ezra grabbed the printouts shooting out of the printer and put them in order.
"Vin, we're coming for you. Stay there. Find a safe place. How long JD?"
"About three hours or so," Ezra answered as he looked over the printouts.
"I'll be here… somewhere… Hurry.. I need ya." The line went dead.
Buck pointed to the map, where they thought Vin called from and would be waiting for them. Chris nodded his head as he dialed Travis' number. While he talked to AD Travis he watched as Buck got Vin's packed ready-bag and checked it. "Need some warmer clothes for Vin."
Josiah, looking over the printouts and map replied, "There's an all-night Wal-Mart on our way out of town, we can make a fast stop there."
"Have to get some food anyway, so good idea." Nathan agreed, not seeing Ezra's rolling eye look.
They'd all grabbed their away bags in case they'd be needed as they left. Under a half hour after Vin's phone call, they were at the all-night store. Nathan, Josiah and JD headed for the food sections, while the others went for the men's cloths. Since it was almost morning they bought enough food items so they could eat their breakfast on the road.
They met at Chris' Ram and Nathan's SUV. Split some of the food and got everything else packed into both vehicles. Two new extra heavy blankets, were tossed into the back seat of the Ram with the bags of warm clothes. Nathan's SUV carried their bags, the extra food and Kevlar vests. They were on the road within minutes. As they left they ran through a drive-through for large cups of coffee, then hit the highway heading north east.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vin hung up the phone and looked out at the fog and dripping eves of the breezeway enclosure. He needed to find a place to stay out of sight. He could hear traffic on the highway picking up and imagined vehicles would be pulling in at the rest stop soon. Moving to the water fountain he took another long drink before he limped to the back and passed out of the rear glass door of the breezeway.
He felt concrete under his feet and hobbled along the dimly lit back area of the rest stop. He spotted tables, some under overhangs, some in the open. There were several trees spaced around several of the picnic tables and he glanced at them. He realized he could see their sizes in the dim light. Soon it would be daylight.
Vin heard the rumble of a semi truck coming into the rest area and moved a little faster to get through the picnic area. There was no place to hide around the trees and he limped to the back of the area. In the lightening day he saw a low ditch with a vast field on the other side. There were a few bushes across the ditch at the edge of one area of the field. With a glance over his shoulder, to see if anyone saw him, he moved quick to cross the ditch and ducked into them. It didn't give him much cover from the field side, though it looked like a fallow field and he didn't think anyone would be doing anything with it right now. It was muddy and the wrong time of the year to be planting anything. From where he hid, he could see the building and picnic tables of the rest area, and a good portion of the parking lot. By the time he made himself as comfortable as he could on the cold wet ground, the light was a lot stronger, and the rain changed to a drizzle.
The fog lifted, though it still hovered about fifteen feet off the ground. From his vantage spot Vin watched as several semi trucks pulled into the rest area. Men stepped out of the cab's and made their way to the restroom. He could hear a few voices calling back and forth as several of the drivers greeted each other. Shivering, he gripped his knees as tight as he could and ignored the pain that shot through him. He made himself into as tight a ball as he could and dropped his chin onto his upright knees.
Vin settled in as well as he could where he sat. The drizzle continued to hit him as it continued to come down. Wearily he watched and let his mind drift over what happened to him for the last months, he figured it must have been at least a good month. He wondered how the abuse, to men, could be stopped.
He questioned himself if he could even find the house again, and what it would take to get into it.
Vin shuddered, he needed to find out what and why things were going on like that. Who was behind all of this? Could it be connected to something else, bigger? A thought rushed through his head and he began to shiver harder.
'Were the women clean?' He shook. He'd need to get tested for all kinds of things, AIDS, STD's a bunch of other things he couldn't think of names for. 'What else could happen', he thought. Lowering his head onto his knees he ignored the pain in his body and struggled to get his thoughts under control. He was just too cold, hurting, wet and tired, and now the thought he could have gotten something from the women, sent him over the top. Then his thought went to what the women were doing to him. 'Could they be pregnant by him? Ohh God!' he thought and shivered harder.
Tiredness finally got to him and he doze off. His forehead rested on his knees and his arms were tightly wrapped around them as the drizzle continued to fall and the day brightened.
The noise of an air horn blowing as it left the parking lot woke Vin. Shivering, he looked around. A car pulled into the rest area and a woman and two little girls jumped out and hurried to the restroom. Several minutes later they were running back to the car, the girls laughing and waving their arms in the rain.
Vin decided he needed to move. He felt as if he was becoming part of the wet ground under him. Stiffly, Vin rose to his feet and rubbed his arms and then coughed. He felt as if his hands were lumps of ice, and he didn't want to even think of what his feet looked like, he could barely feel them and stomped a little in the mud. Taking a deep breath Vin limped across the ditch and headed towards the picnic area. As he limped towards the restroom building, he rubbed his wrists then looked at them. They were ringed with raw circles from being cuffed so much. Shaking his head, he moved to a picnic table and sat down on the table. Ignoring the growling of his stomach he lifted his feet to the seat and gazed around the area, he wondered what time of day it was. He thought probably mid morning, but with the fog and rain he wasn't so sure. After a last look around the area he put his head down and kept rubbing his arms. He would use the facilities once he got his circulation going again.
The noise of a vehicle pulling into the lot pulled his head up. After a quick glance at the dark SUV he lowered his head. He didn't recognize it. He didn't pay attention to the slamming of car doors and voices. He hasn't noticed any other vehicles
Chris pulled into the rest area and looked around the place through the movement of the windshield wipers that were keeping the window clear. He glimpsed someone sitting on a table behind the bathroom building. He knew instantly it was Vin. Parking, they got out and Buck handed him a blanket. Nathan, driving his SUV, parked beside him and having seen the lone figure, grabbed a blanket from Ezra and followed Chris around the building, at a jog.
The two men slowed as they got closer to the wet, thin figure hunched on the table. They could hear the person coughing and saw shaking hands moving up and down his thin arms. Long wet hair hung over the downturned face and over his shoulders.
"Vin?" Chris asked in a gentle voice.
Slowly Vin raised his head. Did he hear his name? His blue eyes blinked as he glanced around. He saw the figure in black and a long dark coat, then a taller man with jean covered long legs and jean jacket. Behind the two hovered more men all looking towards him.
"C…Ch…Chris?" Vin stuttered through chattering teeth. His gaze went to the dark figure with blond hair.
"It's me Vin. We're here to take you home." Chris said as he looked in alarm at the thin man who was his soul brother.
Vin stopped rubbing his arms, put his bare feet on the ground and slid off the table to stand in front of the others.
The men were shocked to see the condition Vin was in.
'He's so thin he looks frail, sores on his wrists, bruised and bloody feet, shivering, soaked with pale lips. His hair's hanging in dripping strings on his wet shoulders and mud's splattered on him. God Junior what happened to you?' Buck's thoughts tumbled as they raced through his head.
Vin took a couple of steps towards Chris then his knees buckled and he dropped towards the ground.
Buck jumped forward as Chris reached out for Vin. In an instant a blanket was thrown over Vin as Chris gripped him and kept him from landing flat out on the ground. Nathan took one look at his teammate and ordered, "Get him out of this rain and let's get him dry."
Vin struggled to get to his feet, and Josiah pushed Buck out of the way and picked him up. Nathan tossed the blanket he was carrying over Vin as Josiah strode past him. Josiah cradled the slight body close to his, trying to share his body heat. Chris sprinted past them and rushed to his truck. Jumping into the driver's side it roared to life instantly, he turned the heater on full blast.
Josiah couldn't believe how light and hot Vin was. Though Vin shivered with cold and soaked with the rain, he radiated heat. He glanced down at the wet head as he followed Chris and realized it wasn't only rainwater soaking into his shirt, but tears. He held the thin figure closer and whispered to the young man, "You're safe brother. We've got you."
Nathan opened the back door of the Ram and scooted across the seat. Josiah passed Vin to him. Nathan rested Vin's wet head against his chest. Buck handed Nathan his first aid bag. JD ran to the SUV and grabbed Vin's away bag while Ezra got a coat and collected another blanket.
Chris leaned over the front seat and began to help Nathan get Vin out of the soaking wet clothes. Buck handed Nathan a bottle of water, then turned to clean Vin's feet with another one. He washed them as best he could before pulling a pair of wool socks over each damaged foot. He grimaced at the look of Vin's ankles.
As Nathan and Chris undressed Vin more, Buck couldn't believe how thin Vin was. He shuddered as he took in the scratches and bite marks. Bruises covered Vin's chest, hips, groin and legs. Wounds around his wrists and ankles were red and angry looking. He spotted a smear of blood on one hip that extended towards Vin's butt cheek and glanced at Nathan.
Nathan nodded to Buck he'd seen it as he rubbed antibiotic cream over Vin's wrists. When he finished he had Buck do the same to his ankles before wrapping gauze around them. He began to tend the bites and scratches on Vin's chest. Vin turned his head away as his pale cheeks turned pink in embarrassment. The tears continued to roll down his cheeks. It hadn't sunk in that his friends saw what Nathan saw, what condition he was in and the damage that covered him. He felt Nathan ease him to one side and felt his hands move below his waist, and stiffened.
"It's all right Vin, just cleaning you some. We'll take care of that later," the EMT told him in a low voice as he gently wiped away the blood then eased him back over.
Chris leaned in and helped Nathan get a warm shirt on Vin moments later, then he asked what happened to him.
Vin turned his head towards the back of the seat as he answered. "Raped. Can't get close ta you. I'm dirty. So dirty."
"Vin, it looks like you were forced. Not your fault by the looks of you." Chris told him as Nathan wrapped a blanket around Vin's waist, covering his lower half.
"Who did this to you? Why?" JD blurted out.
Vin tried to pull himself together. Having his friends see him like this, the scratches, bruises and everything else made him want to hide. He was relieved they were here, but couldn't face them like this.
Chris turned Vin's head so he could look into the emotional blue gaze. "We will find who did this. Let's get you home now."
"No!... I know where … the house is …where they are… Not sure… what's going on …or why. We have to… to stop them, before …"
"Calm down Junior. We will," Buck exclaimed seeing how disturbed Vin was becoming.
"Right now we need to get you warm and fed. JD, get on your laptop, find us a close hotel. Preferably in the next town." Chris ordered.
JD turned and jumped into the SUV parked next to them and grabbed his laptop.
"Dark haired woman… in charge. Guards. Lots of … women... Think other men there too. Have to… stop what they're doing… Get them before they pull out."
Buck rubbed Vin's lower leg, the only thing he could reach from the open back door of the Ram. "Take it easy. We'll stop them."
"Do it … now… or they'll be gone."
"Do you remember where the place is Mr. Tanner?" Ezra asked.
Vin nodded. "The house number… is 653… on Victoria Lane. A four-story big … old house. They could be leaving now."
"I'm on it Mr. Tanner." Ezra moved to the SUV before anyone could say anything. He joined JD inside and pulled his laptop from its case.
Nathan, with Chris' help, got a pair of jeans on Vin. Buck helped wrap the blanket back around him when they finished. A yell from JD had the men looking the young man's way.
"Chris, there's nothing for a hundred miles around. Well, that'd be worth getting into. Otherwise, a Holiday Inn Express and Suites at the next exit. It has several suites open and there's a Super 8 there too. It has a couple of rooms available."
"Holiday Inn, see if you can get two suites that connect. Use Buck's name. I want them now."
"On it, Chris," JD ducked his head back into the SUV.
Josiah appeared at the door and handed in a large cup of coffee. Vin shook as he took it, both hands wrapped around its warmth. He took a sip then nodded to the older man. "Thanks 'siah. Any food?" Vin asked as his stomach growled loudly.
The men grinned at each other and Josiah went to the SUV and pulled out the bag of food items they'd picked up earlier. He reached in and drew out a sub sandwich and peeling the covering paper back, handed it to Vin.
While Vin slowly ate the sandwich, Nathan uncovered first one foot then the other, checking them over carefully. He then smeared them with more of the antibiotic cream and wrapped gauze over each foot before he put the socks back on his feet.
"Got us connecting rooms at the Holiday Inn. Talked them into letting us check in now." JD advised Chris and the others when he appeared at the open door of the Ram.
"Let's go then," Chris said turning around and sliding under the steering wheel. "Buck, you and JD check us in."
Buck nodded as he closed the back door on Nathan and Vin and slid into the Rams passenger seat.
Josiah, driving the SUV with Ezra and JD, followed the Ram out of the parking area.
Within minutes the two vehicles pulled into the Holiday Inn Express. Buck and JD were out of the vehicles as soon as they stopped and hurried into the office.
Chris was tapping on the steering wheel impatiently when Buck came out the door with a grin on his face.
"Must'a been a pretty lady in there," Vin commented tiredly. Chris laughed out loud, Nathan grinned. Both men relieved that Vin's sense of humor still struck at odd times, no matter what condition he found himself in.
Buck got in and pointed to the end of the building. "JD'll meet us by the end door. The rooms are at the end of the hall on the first floor. Close to the door."
The two vehicles were parked. Nathan and Josiah carried Vin into the building and the suite JD motioned them to. They kept Vin's feet from touching the wet ground or floor. The other men followed with Nathan's first aid bag and their overnight bags.
Placing Vin on one of the king-sized beds in one bedroom, Nathan pulled his bag to him and took out several items. Shortly he had Vin's blood pressure and temperature taken, then he chased the others out of the room. He hated to have to do it, but he needed to check Vin for internal damage and collect things to be checked with the rape kit, mainly for disease. Vin nodded his head.
"Got to do it Nathan. I don't know anything about those women. I was forced to shower often, so I don't know if this will even work."
"I know Vin, but we need to check. And do blood tests for any diseases they might have given you."
"Go for it," Vin said as he pulled off his clothes and laid back on the bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While Nathan and Vin were in the closed bedroom, the others gathered in the main living area and discussed what they wanted, and had to do. They needed a plan to get things rolling, if they were to take down the people trying to create babies. And end Vin's nightmare.
Ezra and JD left for a while, saying they'd heard of an electronics' store nearby. They needed to pick a couple of things up if they wanted to do anything about Vin's kidnapping. While the others worked on a plan they went to the store and bought a printer, paper and anything else they might need over the next couple of days. Ezra picked up a city map and they returned to the motel.
A simple plan was worked out. Two would go to the house pretending to be from the city and doing a survey of older homes. Telling homeowners the city was thinking of doing a map of the older homes for tourists to drive past. Also, they would make note if the owner would let tourist's come inside to look at some of the home's features. They also thought they possibly could do a historical preservation list of the oldest homes. If enough interest by homeowners was gained. The men thought it might work. They didn't think they would need to talk to the city commissioners since they'd only be doing it with a couple of houses.
Ezra and JD went to work. They created an official looking flyer to give to the homeowners with some information on it. Once finished, the men decided who would be the ones to visit the houses. Buck and Josiah were chosen, and they got ready.
JD worked on getting more information about the house's owners. Following the map Ezra brought for their use Chris drove Buck, Josiah and Ezra to the street where the large house sat.
Chapter 6
It didn't take the men long to find the block where the large, stately Victorian house stood. Chris stopped at the end of the street and let Buck and Josiah out. Then drove to the other end and parked. He'd glanced at the big house as he passed, and was amazed at its size. He thought of how hard it had to have been for Vin to escape from there. Ezra, in the back seat, aimed the camera at the house and snapped pictures. The angle they were parked at gave him a decent view of the porch, front door and some of the side of the house. He would get more when the door opened.
Buck and Josiah made their way down the block. Stopping and looking at several of the houses, acting like they were discussing them. At the house next to their target they knocked on the door and talked to the older woman who answered it. She was gracious and happily showed them through the parlor and living room so they could see a little of her home. They thanked her for letting them in telling her that if the city went with this plan she would be contacted. She wasn't sure the commissioners would really do anything, but thought it would be a good idea for promoting the city and the hundred year old homes in the area. There were many beautiful old homes in the surrounding vicinity she told them.
Leaving the house, they walked to the next one. Both men tensed as they looked it over as much as they could. The wide covered porch held an old wood swing that moved slowly in the breeze created by the rainstorm that just moved in. The large house, on the outside looked well kept and sported a new coat of paint. Contrasting shutters graced the sides of the windows facing the street. The yard was well maintained and the sidewalk smooth with no cracks or broken concrete. The four stories seemed to tower over the two men as they walked up to the porch. The top story had three wide windows facing the street, where the second and third floors had six, spaced about six feet apart. What they could see of the one long side of the house, were more windows spaced out along both floors.
Buck rang the doorbell and they waited. After ringing it a second time a dark haired woman opened the door and frowned at the two men. She stepped partway out of the door and Buck quickly started talking, hoping she wouldn't tell them to get lost.
As the woman listened to Buck and Josiah, Ezra, in the back seat of Nathan's SUV began snapping pictures of her. He paused only when she swung the door open farther and motioned Buck and Josiah inside. He snapped a few more pictures as she looked around the area as Josiah passed her, then she followed the two men inside closing the door behind her. Ezra sat back and he and Chris waited for the others to come out of the house.
Buck, entering the house, spotted several young women hurrying out of the room the dark haired woman pointed out to them. It was a large living room with wide crown molding and chair rails in a light color. The floor was dark wide wood planks. He could smell a lingering perfume odor and pretended he hadn't seen the women leave. The furnishings were up-scaled antiques and placed nicely around the room.
Josiah stood beside him and took in the room and smiled at the woman when she stepped past him. "This is a beautifully finished room Ma'am. The room shouts old, and well done."
"Thank you. Sorry I am too busy to show you around. But there are fifteen rooms and eight full baths and five half baths."
"That is a lot of rooms for you to take care of." Buck smiled at her, in hopes she would say more.
"Yes, it is a huge house, over six thousand square feet, but I have a lot of help and several live-in ladies who help with its upkeep." She glanced towards the doorway the women disappeared through and nodded to the large man who looked in. He quickly ducked away at her frown.
Josiah, caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head slightly and saw the man for an instant before he dodged away. They spoke to the woman for a couple more minutes than Buck thanked her for letting them see her beautiful room. They moved towards the front door. Josiah promised her that if the city went with the project, she would be contacted about listing it as a hundred year old home or older. Thanking her they left.
The two walked to the next house and knocked on the door in case the woman, or someone from the house, were watching them. They talked to the owner and a few minutes later they walked down the sidewalk. They passed around the corner and breathed a sigh of relief to be out of sight of the big house.
Chris started the SUV and followed his teammates around the corner. He stopped long enough for them to jump in then drove away. Halfway along the block they spotted an alleyway that went behind the houses they'd just scammed. Chris turned into the alleyway. They drove through the alley as if they were supposed to be there. In moments they rolled towards the large garage behind the target house. Two men were talking in the area between the house and garage, cigarette smoke curling around one man. The two men separated, the smoker ground out his cigarette and walked in the opposite direction than the other man. Both men started a circuit of the property. Chris continued down the alley and turned onto the street. They drove around the block, checking out the opposite road behind the house. Noting what everything looked like he pulled onto to the main road and headed for the motel.
At the motel Buck and Josiah filled the others in on what they'd seen at the house. Nathan filled them in on Vin's condition. Besides a cold, he had bruises, scratches, and the abuse he received from a woman. He reassured them everything would heal, and Vin shouldn't have any problems. He'd taken blood samples and wanted to get them to a hospital as soon as possible to be tested for any disease. That was the only worry he had right then. He did think Vin needed to talk to someone, but for now he seemed content to be with his friends.
Vin, asleep in the other room, became lost in a nightmare. Thinking he was once more tied down and blind, twisted and turned, then yelled out. "No! NO!" He opened his eyes to find Chris and Nathan coming through the door. Confused he looked around the room finding he was half-way off the bed and not tied down. Shaking, he glanced in embarrassment at the two men who stopped next to him.
"You're all right Vin. Bad dream." Chris tried to reassure him as he sat down beside his shaken soul brother.
With a harsh cough, Vin tossed the remaining blankets back and rose. "Can't sleep in here."
Nathan grabbed a thick sweatshirt and helped him pull it over his head as Chris pulled the blanket from the bed. Vin had slept in sweat pants and a roomy tee shirt with heavy socks on his feet.
The three men walked into the suite's living room where the others were gathered. Chris pointed to the couch and Vin made himself comfortable on it, the blanket tucked around him, his feet on the coffee table resting on a pillow. Buck handed him a bottle of water.
"Sorry," Vin said looking at his friends.
"Nothing to be sorry about Junior. You're safe and back with us now, and we've got your back."
Vin grinned up at the mustached man."Thanks Buck. Didn't know if I'd ever see any of ya again. How long have I been gone?"
"Mr. Tanner, it's been three months, six days, and ... Would you like the hours also?" Ezra answered before anyone else could reply.
At Vin's head shake and shocked look, Buck jumped in and told him they'd almost given up hope he was still alive. Except for Chris, who'd insisted he lived, just didn't know where he'd disappeared to. The men told him of the fire and finding Ezra, then of the hunt that took place until Travis made them go back to work.
In a quiet voice Chris asked him what he remembered.
Vin looked at each of his friends and shuddered. Then he told them of seeing Ezra go down then nothing. Waking up in a room cuffed, naked and spread-eagled on a bed, unable to get free. About the dark haired woman who told him to do what needed to be done or die. The woman giving him pills or drugging him in other ways. Having his mouth taped and head covered. Women using him over and over again. Never able to get free or see who abused him. He only saw the dark haired woman and the two huge guards. He fell silent, his head down, too embarrassed over what happened to him to look his friends in their faces.
Ezra, held out a picture, showing it to Vin. Vin gazed at it for a long moment, before he snarled, "Bitch!"
"She's the one who came into the office before we were rendered unconscious Mr. Tanner. Her hair was a different color. Blonde. And she spoke in another language to Adolph Dietrich. We found she spoke Turkish, but we haven't been able to clarify everything she said, though the gist of it was she wanted the long haired man."
"Don't know. Always spoke English in the room. Some of the … women… had odd accents. No idea what country though. All they's interested in … was havin' their way with me."
"From your words Mr. Tanner, I believe we have fallen onto a baby creation ring." Ezra looked at Vin, his green eyes darkened as he thought over what Vin told them.
"Told me I had to… to service them or die. Never seen any of those women. Just …" He stopped and looked away, unable to tell them of the horror of having been tied down and unable to control his body.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. It squeezed him in comfort. He knew it was Chris and that his soul brother could feel his anguish. "Can you describe the men to us?" Chris asked.
With a nod of his head, Vin told them what the two big men looked like, the two who always came into his room. He also informed them of the ones he saw outside as best as he could.
Buck nodded, "The man I saw fits one of the big men who came to your room. He ushered the women out of the room. Now we need to take them all down."
All of the men agreed as Vin settled down on the couch to rest. A plan began to form, as Chris moved into the bedroom to call Travis and let him know they found Vin, alive, a little battered but alive. He informed his boss of what they were planning. Travis gave the OK and told Chris he would contact the Ogallala police to have someone contact Chris as soon as possible.
Buck and JD headed out to get Vin some footwear for his damaged feet. Nathan rode along, wanting to stop at the hospital to drop off the rape kit and blood samples he'd taken from Vin, and see if they could put a rush on it. Josiah and Ezra left to get food for all of them. Chris and Vin sat in comfortable silence, Vin's eyes closed as he worked through being a prisoner for over three months.
A half hour later a knock sounded on the door. Vin jumped and reached for his gun, not finding it. Chris patted his arm, drew his revolver and walked to the door. He knew it wasn't any of his teammates, they wouldn't get back so fast.
Chris answered the door, his gun held behind his back.
"Agent Larabee? I'm Detective Kenneth McKnight and this is Police Chief John Murphy. We received a call from your AD, Orin Travis"
Chris opened the door wider and let the two men in, closing it behind them. Chris glanced at Vin and raised an eyebrow.
Vin sat in one of the easy chairs, a blanket over his lap and one hand under the blanket. Chris knew it hid a gun, and for a moment he wondered how Vin got it so fast and who left it for him. He hid his smile as he ushered the men to the couch then sat down in the chair near Vin.
"This is Agent Vin Tanner, my team's sharpshooter. He's been missing for three months. We found him yesterday."
The two Ogallala Police officers shook hands with Vin taking in his frail looks. John Murphy sat down and looked to Chris.
"Agent Larabee, we need to have more information on what is going on. AD Travis mentioned that it might be a baby ring of some kind with prisoners? Can you tell us more about this?"
"We'll share our information, and some pictures we got earlier today." Chris told the two men. Before he could get the pictures and other information, the door swung open and Buck, Nathan and JD walked in.
As Chris made the introductions, Nathan went to Vin and proceeded to check his feet. He slathered more antibiotic cream over them before he replaced the bandages and slipped the new socks over them.
The two officers were surprised over the condition of Vin's feet. Buck told them Vin had been a prisoner in the house they were investigating.
JD, bouncing from his heels to toes tried to keep quiet. Chris glared a moment at him and JD gave him a wide smile and thumbs up. Resigned Chris nodded for him to speak.
"I found the name of the owners of that house. Its Marlene Davis, she is co-owner of the house with Adolf Dietrich, it's listed that way on the records. I am still digging but I have a feeling that her real
last name will be Dietrich too."
"Good work JD, keep looking." Chris smiled at the young man and with a grin JD went to the table, and moments later was at work on his laptop.
The police questioned Vin, about the woman and the men he saw in the house, and if he'd seen any others. Vin's answers were the same as what he'd given to his teammates.
When Josiah and Ezra returned with food, the police stepped back, not eating with the agents but not leaving. The men worked on several different plans to confront the target. And with Vin's input, they made a decision.
The house would be staked out and watched for a couple of days. They would go in at night and take down everyone in there. They needed to try to find out how many people were living there and how many guards there were. Vin told them he had no idea how many were there since he never saw anyone, other than the three, and the two outside guards. Buck and Josiah told them they'd seen at least three other women when they were there.
They worked out a plan also to keep the people from leaving, that the body of a young man had been found in the river with no ID. If anyone was missing they were to contact the police to see if the man fit the description of their missing person.
McKnight asked Vin what he'd been wearing when he escaped and Vin told him. With that information the two men departed and promised to call if anyone contacted them. The surveillance would be set up immediately.
A couple of hours later, the seven men watched a report on the news about the police finding the body of a young man with long hair in the river, and requested if anyone had a missing relative or friend to contact them. They reported what the body was wearing and would do their best to identify the body in the meantime. No photos were available at the time.
Vin shuddered and knew they needed to move soon, he didn't want the woman and her accompanists to get away.
Kenneth McKnight called them at 8 PM to report. Nothing on the 'body' alleged to be found in the river. The men watching the house told them a van had appeared a short time ago. Two men were seen carrying someone into the back of the house.
Hearing that Vin felt sick. He knew what would happen to the man. He told the police and his team they had to go in right now, before the suspects had time to do something to the man. He insisted they go in now.
McKnight replied, "Agent Tanner we have to do this right before we can move in. We need a solid reason to get a search warrant before we can go in."
"Get a judge, I'll talk to him. They'll drug that guy for days or only hours before they … they… set the women on him. He needs to be rescued now before more happens to him. They'll use him and use him. We have to go in NOW!" Vin told the detective as his voice rose to almost a yell.
A hand on his shoulder had Vin turning his head to Chris. Chris nodded and Vin knew they would
go in, no matter if the police were with them or not.
For a moment there was silence on the line then McKnight answered. "Hold Fast. John is calling Judge Holden, we'll fill him in on what is going on and get back to you shortly."
The line went dead before Vin could say anything. In frustration he threw his arm back but before he could throw the phone his hand was grabbed.
"Calm down Junior. We're on it. This isn't our city and we have to have the co-operation of the local cops to pull this off." Buck said taking the phone out of his hand before it ended up smashed into the wall.
Vin relaxed as the others talked over what could be done if the judge didn't sign the warrant. They decided they would try to take down the house alone. Barely fifteen minutes later Chris's cell phone rang.
Chris straightened when he answered, a smile crept across his lips. "Yes sir, he is right here." He handed his phone to Vin, mouthing 'Judge Holden,' to him.
Silence fell on the room as Vin answered. Chris had flipped the cell onto speaker so they all listened as the unseen man questioned Vin. A few answers came from Vin in a shaky voice but he answered all the questions and told the man what he'd endured.
"Thank you, Agent Tanner. I am signing the warrant and Chief Murphy will conduct the raid tonight on the house in question. Thank you for your honest answers." Holden hung up and Vin shut the phone down and glanced at his friends.
"Looks like we are a go. We better get ready, we should meet the cops at the house."
"I don't think you should go Vin. You are pretty beat up and your feet aren't in very good shape," Nathan stated as Vin stood up with a grimace on his face.
Vin shook his head, "I'm going Nathan, they took three months of my life in that hell hole."
Chris and Buck exchanged a grin as they moved over to where their weapons were placed. Josiah, Ezra and JD moved with them, they all knew the battle of wills between Nathan and Vin wouldn't last too long.
The battle of wills lasted all of five minutes, Ezra smiled and held out his hand. Josiah and Buck each handed over a ten dollar bill.
Vin moved fast for having sore feet. "You bet on this? I get the payout." He snatched the money from Ezra's hand before he could get it put into his pocket.
"Mister Tanner, you wound me! I intended to gift this to you. Once I collect from everyone." Ezra turned his gaze onto Nathan, who with a sigh, pulled his wallet out and slapped another ten into Ezra's hand. With a smile Ezra handed it to Vin. "Now, Mr. Tanner, shall we prepare for our midnight incursion?"
"Thanks Ez. Yeah, need to get ready." Vin headed to the bedroom gripping the money. He put it into his pocket when he finished dressing.
Nathan glared a moment at Ezra before following Vin. He needed to make sure the younger man could get his clothes and shoes on. Chris started to follow but stopped when his cell phone rang.
Chris listened and made a couple of suggestions, then finished with, "We'll be there at eleven forty five." He clicked the phone off and looked at his men. Vin and Nathan having come back into the room.
"It’s a go. We'll meet the police by the house. Vin, you rest for an hour. We have time before we need to leave."
Vin nodded and pulled another shirt over his head. He couldn't wait to get this over with.
Chapter 7 - Epilog
The seven ATF agents from Denver arrived at the Victorian house and met with Chief Murphy and Detective McKnight at eleven forty five. They found that the house was surrounded by the police and everything was set to move on the house. The warrant, having been signed and notarized, now rested safely in the chest pocket of Murphy's coat.
The AFT team were decked out with ear mics and were packing their weapons. The police were in place. Everything and everyone were ready.
At midnight the two guards patrolling around the house were taken into custody and placed in one of the police van's. Two police officers knocked on the front door and when it opened they grabbed the man and cuffed him. The yell from the man galvanized a flurry of activity. Several people rushed out the back door, making a run towards the garage and were intercepted. Several women rushed out of a side door and were caught. Police and agents poured into the house.
Women were caught as they came out of their rooms or the house. There were a few men involved. The ATF agents went into the house with Murphy, McKnight and other police officers. They scattered and moved up the stairs and into rooms as quick as they could. The men were looking for the dark haired woman in charge of the house.
JD and Vin sat in Chris's RAM and watched what was happening. Nathan insisted that Vin not get involved, he didn't want to have to take him to the hospital to get stitches in his feet if the cuts opened again. The men elected JD to sit with Vin and to keep watch in case someone got past the surrounding police. They listened in on the mics they and their friends wore as each man checked out one room after another.
Once things began to settle down a little in the house, Vin spotted movement by the front door. The policeman guarding it had grabbed a woman who'd come through the door moments earlier and taken her to the van. The dark figure moved slowly for a moment. Vin recognized the figure as a woman. She crossed the porch and paused. Vin saw her look around and nudged JD who nodded and spoke into his mic, letting the agents know someone was trying to escape.
"We're on the third floor, will take a minute to get down there," Buck answered immediately.
The two young men could hear cussing and the pound of footsteps as the men raced for the stairs. Vin shot a glance at JD and opened his door. He'd recognized the woman as the bitch who held him prisoner for so long. He wasn't about to let her escape.
JD jumped out of the truck and took off after the woman. He passed Vin who was limping and couldn't run very fast. The woman didn't see them coming as she'd turned the opposite way and moved at an unhurried walk away from the house.
With a push, JD tackled the woman and knocked her to the ground. She turned on him and fought to get free, kicking him hard in his groin. JD groaned and curled into a ball. The woman pulled free and unsheathed the knife she had strapped to her arm and raised it to stab JD.
Vin, several feet away, saw her push up off JD then raise her arm with the knife in it. He put on a spurt of speed, ignoring the pain that washed up from his feet and into his chest and body slammed into her. He grabbed her wrist as they went to the ground, Vin landing on top of her. The jar of her hitting the ground knocked the knife out of her hand. He put his knee in the center of her back to hold her down and spoke to JD who still gasped for breath.
"JD are you all right? I need your help, now."
"Give me a moment. I'm coming," JD answered as he uncurled and slowly worked his way to a sitting position. One hand went into his jacket pocket and he pulled out a couple sets of zip ties. With a deep breath he rose and stepped to Vin's side and handed him one of the ties. In moments they had the woman's hands tied behind her. Before letting her get up, Vin decided to use the other zip tie on her too, he didn't want the woman to somehow get free.
Vin rose and JD pulled the woman to her knees then her feet. Vin gripped one of her arms as JD grabbed the other. She still twisted and turned trying to get away from them as she spat words in a foreign language at them. They started back towards the house.
When they reached the lit area the woman looked at Vin then cussed in English."You bastard! You're supposed to be dead! I will kill you myself for this."
"Yep, he's alive lady." JD answered her, then waved when he saw their team coming racing out the front door.
Vin grinned at her, as JD started reading her her rights. As he finished the rest of their team reached them.
"Vin are you all right?" Nathan stepped to Vin's side and took his arm as Buck and Josiah took the woman's arms from him and JD.
"'m fine Nathan. Check JD, he got nutted."
"I'm fine now! Don't need anything." JD shot back instantly hoping to keep Nathan away.
Nathan looked back and forth at the two young agents. "I'll check you both out when we get back to the motel. Vin you go sit in the truck before you wreck your feet. JD…"
"I'll go with him. Come on Vin let's let the old guys handle the rest of this." JD grabbed Vin's arm and they headed for the truck. Vin shot a grin over his shoulder at Chris and Nathan who were watching them leave. Ezra chuckled and headed for the house.
Chris turned after Buck and Josiah and the woman, who now was trying to convince them that she was innocent and had been forced to do what she'd been doing. The men ignored her and when they reached Chief Murphy told him who she was, and she'd threatened Vin, this time in front of witnesses.
With a snarl the woman tried to launch herself at Chris, screaming, "He's a liar. I did nothing to that bastard!" Josiah grabbed her again and held her arms as she fought to get free.
"Lady, if you don't stand still I am going to knock you out," Buck yelled at her as he shook her for a moment.
She stopped and glared at him. "He's a no-body. I am someone, I am innocent."
Chris stepped to her and growled into her flushed face, "You are charged with kidnapping and unlawfully holding a Federal Agent. You are charged with assaulting and drugging a Federal Agent. Lady, he is my friend too and you will pay for what you did to him." Chris looked at the police chief and the four cops standing around them and ordered, " Get this piece of trash out of here before I do something we all will regret."
Murphy nodded to his men and the woman was taken away. The agents and chief returned to the house where forensic people were going through the rooms. Two young men were found, one awake and shackled to a bed. The second young man was unconscious and an ambulance was called. Nathan told them the man had been drugged and they'd have to find out what was used on him. They would advise the hospital when they found drugs, sure they would be found somewhere in the house.
Dawn was lightning up the sky when the house investigation came to a close. The ATF team met the police chief and detective on the front lawn. Vin and JD joined them and listened to the report of what they'd found in the house.
Besides the two young prisoners, eighteen women had been arrested. They'd found Adolf Dietrich ensconced in a secret room on the top floor, along with several file cabinets half full of records or women who went through the house, and what cities the babies went to when they were born. More records were found on his gun running business. The baby records dated back eight years and the gun records fifteen years. They also found the woman, Marlene Davis, whose name the house was in, was really named, Salina Kruger. Dietrich's co-conspirator and evidentially, long time lover. Their names were on many of the records, their signatures were on a lot of different orders and reports. The paperwork was proving to be extensive. The men believed it would settle many crimes, not only in the Denver area but in many other cities around the states.
"Looks like we need to get some rest after this night," Josiah cut into the conversation. His glance having taken in Vin who seemed to be drooping where he stood.
Chris shot him a glance, then noticed where he was looking and turned to look at Vin. The sharp shooter stood leaning against a parked patrol car. His head was down and it looked like he was ready to collapse over the hood of the car. He appeared not to hear most of what was being said. Chris shot a look art Josiah, nodded his head and turned to Murphy and McKnight.
"Can we meet later to go over everything? I think we all need some rest right now." Both officers glanced at the drooping man leaning against the car.
Murphy nodded his head. "Yes, let's give this a rest and meet, not today, how about tomorrow morning at my office. We'll go over the papers we confiscated. I'll have them all copied and you can take what you need, or all of them, back with you to Denver."
"Sounds good, we'll meet you there." Chris shook hands with the two men before turning to his men, and nodded to Buck and Josiah to help Vin.
The two tall men grabbed Vin's arms, lifted him off his feet a couple inches and carried him to the RAM. They could tell Vin was tired, he didn't complain the way they were handling him. JD followed with Chris, Ezra and Nathan bringing up the rear. The seven packed into the RAM and Nathan's SVU, packing their mics away and hiding their weapons under their jackets. Several minutes later they arrived at the motel and filed inside, Buck and Josiah once more carrying Vin, who didn't protest.
In their rooms Nathan made Vin sit down and in moments he had the shoes and socks off Vin's damaged feet. A little blood showed on one foot's bandage but after taking the bandages off, Nathan found only one cut had bled. He slathered both feet liberally before wrapping them with new bandages. When he finished he straightened up and smiled. Vin was sound asleep, his head resting on the back of the chair.
The men smiled at the wore out sharpshooter as Josiah gently picked him up and carried him into the bedroom. Chris pulled the blankets back on Vin's bed and nodded to Josiah. Once Josiah laid Vin down he and Chris took off his jacket and belt, pulled his shirts free from his waist band then covered him. Vin snuggled down into the blankets until they could only see the top of his head. With a chuckle from Josiah they headed out of the room.
In the main room Chris looked at his tired team. "Go to bed, we'll meet later for breakfast, or lunch. Or whatever time we all get up. I'll see you later." He re-entered the room Vin slept in and crossed to the other bed. Chris heard doors open and close then silence. In minutes he'd finished in the bathroom, slipped out of his clothes and collapsed on his bed. He was asleep in minutes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Late afternoon found the seven men gathered in the suites main room. Earlier, Josiah and Nathan made a run to get food for them all. Nathan insisting they eat something healthy, and made sure they all had a salad, either of greens or fruit along with fried chicken and all the trimmings.
Finishing their meals Vin looked at Nathan then Josiah, a frown on his face. Josiah lifted an eyebrow at him, "What's wrong Vin?"
"Well, you brought us this good meal, and I ate everything. But something's missin'."
Josiah glanced at Nathan then around the table at the others and noticed a frown also on JD's face. He thought over what they'd brought for the men, then he tried not to laugh. He felt he knew what they were missing. Before he could say anything Nathan spoke up.
"We brought everything needed, nothing's missing. You can have some more fruit salad if you're still hungry."
"Yeah all good food, but," Vin paused and looked at the few leftovers, a sad look on his face. "Where's the dessert?"
Josiah burst out laughing, causing the others to laugh with him. JD slapped Vin on the arm in agreement as he laughed. Nathan frowned at the laughing men and Vin. Then with a shake of his head he rose and went into the room he and Josiah were sharing.
The laughter died when he left the room and the men exchanged confused looks. Josiah still grinned. He knew what Nathan was doing.
A minute Nathan re-entered the room, a white box in his hands. He placed the box in front of Vin then sat down. Vin stared at Nathan not sure what to do.
"Go on. Open it." Nathan said with a straight face.
For a moment Vin stared at Nathan before looking down at the white box in front of him. It measured about twelve by twelve and maybe eight inches deep. He slowly lifted the top and a wide smile crossed his face. His hand streaked into the box and came out with a large apple fritter. As he took a bite he pushed the box closer to JD.
JD grabbed a long maple bar and pushed it towards Chris. Within moments everyone but Nathan had donuts of their choice. Nathan pulled a granola bar out of his shirt pocket and pushed the box back to Vin.
"Thanks Nathan! These are great!" Vin exclaimed as he grabbed another donut.
"Think you saved the day for Vin," Chris laughed as he took an old fashioned donut. "Thanks for getting these."
Nathan smiled, "I figured Vin hadn't had any kind of sweets for a long time, and didn't really want to hear him moaning about needing a donut shop."
Ezra tipped an invisible hat to Nathan. "Excellent dessert Mr. Jackson. It should hold Mr. Tanner at least until morning."
"Hopefully! Thank you Nathan, these are so fresh and good," Buck added.
JD raised the donut he was eating to Nathan and nodded.
"You all are welcome. Just don't expect this from me too often." Nathan smiled hearing the groans coming from Vin and JD.
After clearing away the few leftovers and getting rid of the plates and empty donut box the men settled down for the rest of the day. They listened to the news and the report of a baby ring being busted, and a gun runner caught. There wasn't much reported and the men figured Murphy didn't want to give names or more information before they found out who else was involved. He'd called Chris earlier and told him that there were arrests happening in several cities. Collecting Dietrich's contacts and others involved.
Once the news finished they turned on a football game and relaxed around the room. Tomorrow they would meet at the police station then head home. Vin couldn't wait to get home. He wondered if his horse, Peso, would remember him. Thinking of his horse he fell asleep.
The next morning the seven were ready to leave. Everything packed and the bill taken care of. They loaded up into the two vehicles and drove into town to the police headquarters. McKnight met them when they entered the building and led them to the conference room across from Chief Murphy's office. Coffee and donuts sat on the large table with sugar and cream beside them.
JD and Vin made a bee line to the donuts and in moments were seated with cups of coffee and a couple of donuts sitting on napkins. The two Ogallala police exchanged smiles as they sat down with the agents. A stack of files were on the table and Murphy pushed them over to Chris.
"This is all the paperwork that we found in the house. Copies anyway. They're sorted in years and the different organizations Dietrich was running. The baby ring is the one in the yellow files and paperclips separate the different adoption agents they used. There is close to a hundred agencies they used to sell the babies through. Gun sales and his contacts are in the blue folders. There's so many contacts we put them into a separate folders, the green ones. They were also into liquor distribution, it's all in the white folders." He ran a hand over his close cropped head before speaking again. "I talked to AD Travis earlier and filled him in on what we found, and he is expecting the folders."
"We'll get them to him," Chris answered as he scanned the first page of each of the folders. He found that whoever put them together, outlined the contents. He leaned back in his chair. "Whoever worked on these did a great job, I commend them. This is very detailed and Travis will appreciate all the work you did, as we do. I'm sure there will be a lot more arrests that come from these details."
"I did fax some things to AD Travis, of operations in your area. He said they'd be on it right away." Murphy grinned, "I think by the time you boys get back to Denver things will be popping there. Do you have any questions? We can try to answer them."
Vin looked at Murphy, "Any word on the young man that was drugged?"
McKnight answered, "I talked to his doctor an hour ago, he will be fine. They countered the drugs they gave him and it looked like he was coming around at that time. The other man, they kept him over night to be sure he was all right. He'll be released this morning."
Vin nodded his thanks.
"How about you?" McKnight asked, his gaze on the thin sharpshooter.
"I'm fine. Just wanta get home."
Nathan gave Vin a look and added, "He will be all right too. Once his feet heal and the cuts and scratches too. He needs to gain about twenty pounds, and we need to get the results of the blood tests back."
"Oh I forgot," Murphy exclaimed. "We found records on all the women who went through that house. There's no last names but they were all tested several times before they were, um, given a man. As long as they lived in the house, which was until they were at least three months pregnant, they were checked. We got the name of the doctor, he's legitimate and has already been picked up. He is still talking, and has turned over all his records. So, from the records of the women, especially in the last six months, they are all clean. The doctor said if any had any kind of disease or medical problem they were not allowed into their 'program.' I think you are good, and shouldn't have to worry about AIDS or anything else."
"That sounds good!" Nathan stated.
Chris looked at his men. "Any other questions?" At the shakes of their heads he rose and gathered the folders into his hands. "Then I guess we will be on the road. Chief Murphy, Detective McKnight, we appreciate all your help and assistance. We'll keep in contact with you and if anything comes up we'll let you know." Chris put out his hand.
Chief Murphy shook hands with Chris. " Thank you for getting this operation shut down. I'm sorry that it's been around here for so long, and took the kidnapping of your sharpshooter to bring our attention to it. Have a safe trip home and I'll be in contact."
McKnight shook hands with Chris. Then as the other six agents rose from their chairs to file out, shook hands with each agent.
Murphy and McKnight watched the agents leave the station, get into the black truck and dark blue SUV and leave. They looked at each other before turning back into the chief's office and the paperwork stacked there. This bust was proving to be bigger than they'd ever been involved in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Epilog
Three months later, eleven in the morning
Vin walked into the bull pen, a smile on his face. He dropped the box of donuts on JD's desk and lifted the lid. Before anyone else could get to the donuts he had his and was moving to his desk.
"Everything okay Junior?" Buck asked stepping over to JD's desk.
"Yep. Dietrich and Kruger's trials are done. They're going to the big house with no parole. For a very long time."
Chris came out of his office and took a donut. "And you had time to go home and change clothes and pick up donuts?"
Vin stuffed the last of his first donut into his mouth, chewed then swallowed before he grinned at his boss. "Yep. I've been in that damned courtroom to long, but today it was nice to hear what the judge decided to give them. They're off the streets and not selling guns or, well, in the baby business."
Chris nodded to Vin to follow him and entered his office. A couple minutes later Vin entered, a donut in his mouth and two cups of coffee in his hands. He kicked the door closed behind him as he sat a cup in front of Chris.
Chris picked up his cup as Vin settled in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Green eyes looked over the blue eyed, long haired figure in front of his desk. He knew that the younger man had been trying to find out more about the baby ring, and the women who used him. Chris knew none of the women could, or would ID Vin, never having seen his face and the few women who did talk said they had no idea who the men were, they were just means to make a lot of money. They said they didn't want the baby's they carried much less know anything about the man they used. It was just for the money. Short of testing all the babies born in the next months for DNA's there was nothing that could be done. The women had rights and most used them. Several of the women were in jail on other charges, but the others scattered when they were released over the last two months.
"Are you all right?"
Vin sat back and thought for a minute while he sipped his coffee. With a toss of his head he nodded. "There isn't anything I can do. I can't ID any of the women, they can't ID me. The few who talked, or cussed me out, they either changed their voice or escaped before we took them in. I can't chase those women down, I don't want to. But…"
"But, one of those babies might be yours."
"Yeah. I don't know what more I can do."
"There's nothing more. You've been trying to find those women and they don't want to be found. There is nothing more you can do."
Vin ran a hand over his head and through his hair. He knew he couldn't do anything else. Those women didn't care what body they used, they had no idea who impregnated them and didn't care. They melted away, and though he tried to find a couple of the ones who first disappeared, there was no record of them. They'd used fake names. The records from the ring had proved that all the women's names and home addresses were false.
"Yeah, I'm done. I keep hitting a brick wall, none of those names were real."
"So you are back with us full time?"
Vin grinned, "Never been gone Boss."
Chris quirked his eyebrow.
"Okay, okay, I was gone for three months, but I've been here for the last three, we just haven't been too busy. I've got you all's backs now and forever." Vin rose and looked down at Chris, "You want another donut before they're all gone?"
Chris laughed and waved Vin out of the office. He shook his head as his sharpshooter left the room. Vin was back and things were back to normal. Then he called out to Vin,
"Bring me one of those donuts!"
Fini
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