“That’s what he’s been saying, but Seamus is suspicious. Leon doesn’t have a good reputation. He’s had three deals fall through recently too. He promised some billionaire that he had a virgin but didn’t produce.”
My skin crawls. “So he’s into human trafficking.”
Redhead shrugs. “Trying to be. So far we haven’t heard of any successful deals.”
“What happened tonight?”
“He called earlier and told us he found three young boys to trade for the three girls we have. He said he had a customer willing to pay big bucks for the girls. Then that other fucker showed up at my house. No way he could have known the address if Leon didn’t give it to him. He told us he was supposed to meet Leon out here at ten but then Leon called him and sent him to my house instead. I’m not sure who’s fucking who here, but Seamus is gonna lose his fucking shit. Now he’s got no boys and no money.”
A sense of simmering rage spreads through me the longer this loser talks. He speaks about trading people,kids, like it’s no big deal. It’s gonna feel good to bleed him out.
“I’ve got a message for Seamus.”
The guy has the nerve to roll his eyes. He thinks he’s walking away from this.
“Where can I find him?”
The guy scoffs. “He’d cut off my balls for telling.”
“What if I cut them off for not telling me?”
Fear creeps into his expression and he tenses beneath me. “I’m just a middleman. I’m not in charge of anything.”
“You seem to be calling the shots tonight.” I lift my head. “You hear that? That gurgling sound is one of your guys choking on his own blood as he takes his last breath.”
“I-I’m just following orders.”
“Last time, motherfucker. Where do I find Seamus?”
“Riverton. He has a big-ass house out there and never comes into the city.”
“How many soldiers does he have?”
He shakes his head. “Hundreds. Maybe more. I don’t know.”
“What else besides kids?”
“Adults. Lots of sex workers. Drugs too.”
“You’ve been very helpful.”
“You’re gonna let me go?”
I tut at him. “No. You’re a disgusting piece of shit and we’ll all be better off without you.”
I drag my knife across his neck, then wipe the blade on the dude’s shirt as his blood pools around his head and he gasps and thrashes. I climb off him and brush the dirt off my jeans, then turn around to see what’s happened while I was focused on this guy. Whisper is standing next to the van, untying the girls while Ghost and Phantom push bodies out of the way.
The girls are crying, and as I get close, I can see they’re barely in their teens. “Angel Shelter?” I ask Whisper, and he nods.
“Already made the call to give them a heads-up. Did you find out anything?”
I help get the ropes off one girl. “Yeah. It’s a big ring run by someone named Seamus Balfe. Apparently Leon sacrificed Brooklyn in some kind of bait and switch, so either he didn’t trust his deal or something else is going on.”
“Fucking hell. Maybe Boone has more on CJ.”
Agitation seeps through me. “Maybe we need Wraith and Specter on this too. They’re both known for hunting down the difficult ones, and this Leon guy is slippier than he seems.”
“Or maybe we get Rue to take us to the house.”
