“He’s gone dark?”
Ryker’s shook his head. “Not exactly.”
Andtherewas that non-answer Jake had been expecting. “So...” he bit his words out impatiently. “Whereexactlyis he?”
“Cetro’s gone under, but only temporarily. According to our intel, he will be at a meeting first thing tomorrow morning. The time and location are still unknown.”
It was Jake’s turn to shake his head. “So, you’re telling me your guy on the inside is close enough to get those picturesandknow about this supposed meeting, but he doesn’t know when and where the meeting is being held?” Jake didn’t hide the fact he thought Ryker’s contact was full of shit.
“Javier Cetro’s a paranoid bastard, but he’s not an idiot. He knows if he’s caught and charged with killing those Americans and holding your girl hostage, he’ll be screwed six ways to Sunday. He’s not going to divulge any information that could put him at risk of being captured unless and until it’s necessary. Especially after what your team pulled.”
Jake rested his elbows on the table and fisted his hands together. Glancing over the information spread out before him once more, he asked, “Do you at least know what this supposed meeting is for, or who it’s with?”
Ryker pulled out a small, manila envelope from his inside jacket pocket and slid it across the table’s smooth surface. Ready to be done with this shit, Jake quickly opened the flap and dumped the contents out. Pictures of four men landed in a haphazard pile.
He separated them, laying them out alongside each other. He looked at each one closely, but didn’t recognize any of the men. Glancing back up at Ryker, Jake’s question was clear without him having to ask.
“Each of these men,” Ryker began, “is very powerful in their own right. This one”—he pointed to the picture on Jake’s far left—“is a Venezuelan diplomat. Him?” He pointed to the next guy, “a cousin to the British royal family. This man is the German Chancellor’s nephew, and that last guy is the son of a multi-million dollar cosmetics conglomerate.”
Jake looked back down at the pictures. “Why would these guys be meeting with Cetro? He their supplier or something?”
“In a manner of speaking." Ryker’s lips thinned, and Jake couldn’t help but take note of the disgust he saw in the other man’s eyes. “According to my source, these men hire Cetro on a regular basis for the sole purpose of abducting, holding, and transporting women who suit their clientele’s...unique tastes.”
Ryker tilted his head toward the pictures. “These bastards set up the auction. Each one is held in a different location to avoid detection. Clients come from all over the globe under the guise of a political-based meeting or, even worse, fundraising efforts to help those less fortunate.” The agent’s mouth twisted, nearly spitting out the ridiculous words.
“The women who are being held are auctioned off to the highest bidder. The winner pays, takes possession of his prize, and goes on his merry way. These assholes split the money, and Cetro gets a nice cut for his trouble.”
“Jesus.”
Stomach turning, he leaned back in his chair again. He ran both hands through his hair before grabbing fistfuls of it, holding on so tightly, he was surprised he didn’t pull every damn strand out of his skull.
“Liv mentioned an auction,” he said quietly. She’d most likely already told Ryker about it, but Jake offered the information anyway. “Said they had her shower and dress so she’d be presentable. I”—Jake took a breath, his eyes never leaving the pictures of those four men—“I understood what it all meant, but Christ...” he trailed off.
Seeing these men’s faces somehow made it all the more real. Just the thought of these bastards selling Olivia to some sick fuck made Jake want to find each one, rip their dicks off, and shove them down their throats. In that moment, he realized Ryker’s angle.
Dropping his hands, Jake’s eyes shot to the man sitting across from him. “You want me to go after them.”
Ryker shrugged. “I thought you’d like to be the one to take them down, considering.”
Fuck, yeah, he did. No question there, but they’djustgotten back. He promised Liv he’d be with her to help get her life going again.
Jake thought for a moment. He supposed he could still help her get settled and then go find these bastards. Once that was taken care of, he’d come back home and focus solely on her. They could—
Ah, shit.
“Wait. Did you say this meeting istomorrowmorning?” Jake’s heart thumped hard in his chest, praying he’d heard the man wrong.
Ryker nodded. “Cetro and these men always wait until the last minute to choose the location. Again, to avoid being caught. It’s why we have to hold off before we can grab them. We need to catch them in the act.”
Jake ran a hand down his face. “Hell, Jason. Olivia just got back. She needs me here, to help her cope with all the shit she went through. And you want me to pack up and head back outtonight?” Jake shook his head. “No. No way. I can’t I leave her. Not now.”
“Okay.”
Suspicious as hell, Jake stared back at him. “Okay? That’s it?”
The other man shrugged that damn shoulder again. “You said it yourself. You don’t work for me. If you don’t want to go, I can’t make you.”
Steepling his fingers, Ryker then leaned his elbows onto the table. Speaking too fucking casually, he added, “After what they did to your girl, I just assumed you’d want to be there. To look them in the eye when they realize their privileged, sick-as-fuck lives are over. I mean, if it weremywoman they’d taken and tried to sell as a fucking sex-slave, I sure as hell wouldn’t trust someone else to do the job. But hey”—he relaxed back into his chair—“that’s just me. If you’re comfortable with someone else taking care of your—”
