Tears welled up in my eyes, and I didn’t try to fight them. Kneeling down among the mess my anger had created, I let the tears fall and stain the shredded paper under my feet.
Why?
Why do such monsters exist?
Why are there so many?
The way Jordy talked about working with the sketch artist implied that there were a lot more people he needed to describe, and I didn’t doubt it. The bell ringers were a large organization, and they weren’t the only human traffickers in the world. They weren’t even the only ones in the country. Even if everything went according to plan and the bell ringers were completely eradicated, more monsters like them would still remain.
Why?
How could such people exist in the world?
I tried to remain rational about the whole thing, treat it like just another case, but the more I thought about it, the more it made no sense. Surely, these people couldn’t be human. They had to be some monstrous aliens from another planet, or demons straight from hell.
I was struck with the furious urge to grab a gun and start shooting them all one by one. Hunt each one of them down the same way they’d hunted down their victims and put a bullet between their eyes. I wasn’t that good with a gun. It would probably take me a few shots to kill them, but that didn’t matter. It would probably even be better if they were forced to suffer before they died.
The violent urge burned hot for a moment, then immediately fizzled out. Killing them wouldn’t work. Even if I could find them, killing them would just open the door for more monsters to take their place.
I was no vigilante.
I was a lawyer.
I didn’t wield guns.
The law was my weapon.
If I wanted to stop these monsters, I had to rake them across the coals in court. Make an example of them and send a message to all future abusers. They weren’t safe. The law would catch up with them one way or another. I would make sure of it.
Sucking in a deep breath, I held it in my lungs for a moment before slowly exhaling and letting the last of my anger drain out with it.
Then, I stood from the mess of paper and went in search of a broom to start picking up the pieces.
CHAPTER 9
Kitt
The next morning,as soon as I stepped from my cottage, my first instinct was to search for Jordy. He’d said he was fine, but I still had my doubts, and I wouldn’t be satisfied until I saw for myself.
I found him sitting by the pool, deep in conversation with Clay. From what I’d been told, the two of them had been held captive by the bell ringers at the same time and had known each other for years. They would be able to relate with each other better than anyone, so I walked away without interrupting.
Instead, I sought out Sebastian. I’d made some headway identifying the people from Jordy’s sketches and wanted to update the other man on the case.
Sebastian was just hanging up the phone when I approached. I hadn’t heard what he was talking about, but his expression looked serious.
“Good morning,” I greeted him louder than necessary. I’d learned the hard way not to accidentally sneak up on a detectiveor a private eye and always made a point of announcing my presence. “Was that Newt?”
It was honestly adorable how often Sebastian and Newt called each other. It seemed like they couldn’t go more than a few hours without hearing the other’s voice. I’d overheard a few of their conversations before, and their lovey-dovey tone would have been sickening if they weren’t so damn sincere.
Sebastian raised a suspicious eyebrow at me. I knew he still suspected my intentions around Newt, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Refusing to be cowed, I met his gaze without flinching.
“No, I was speaking to my brother,” Sebastian eventually said. “Damien has continued the hunt for more witnesses, and it seems like he’s found one. A young man just escaped from the bell ringers. If Damien can find him, he’s going to bring the man here.”
CHAPTER 10
Jordy
