Taken by E.M. Leya

CHAPTER TWENTY

Ben just stepped out of the shower for the second time, feeling a bit calmer after his long run. He tossed the towel over his shoulders, threw on a pair of sweats, and grabbed his phone. Something as big as a raid on a trafficking ring wouldn't go unnoticed by the media. Especially the vultures in Los Angeles.

It took only a few swipes on his phone to find an article about it. It was vague, but there were photos of the mansion and a few interviews with neighbors who claimed they were shocked to hear there was sex trafficking going on in their neighborhood.

Truth was, most of them knew and probably took part in the illegal activities there. The estimated number of victims didn't shock him. He knew first-hand how many were held there. If the report was to be trusted, arrests were still ongoing as more and more evidence came to life.

He wondered what information was stored upstairs. With the money paid, you'd think that Isaac would have never used any name or identifying information, but that didn't mean there wasn't any. There were security cameras everywhere, and if they were recording, the police would have all they needed to start filing charges on people.

He was so focused on reading the news reports, he nearly dropped his phone when he heard the burner phone start to ring across the room. He quickly set his down and went to grab the one the team had given him. "Hello?"

"Hey, Ben, it's Noam."

"Noam, have they found Trenton?"

"He's in recovery after surgery. He took two bullets. One to the shoulder, another to the thigh. I'm not sure how severe the damage was. Doc said he lost a lot of blood, but should recover just fine. We haven't gotten to see him yet."

Relief swept through Ben. "Thank God."

"You can say that again. We're lucky there weren't more fatalities. I just got off the phone with the man in charge and he said orders were given to kill the hostages just as SWAT entered. We're still collecting statements so it will be a while before we have a full picture of what happened. As you can guess, many of the victims aren't up for being interviewed just yet."

"Yeah, I was thinking about that. It's going to be hard going for some. Many of them were addicted to the drugs, others had just checked out of reality. It's not going to be an easy road."

"About that, how was Trenton's state of mind?" Noam asked.

"Determined. He didn't get drugged often because he complied with orders and kept quiet. The few times he was drugged were because the guards were lazy and just drugged all of them to keep them quiet. Trenton seemed angry, but he didn't show the withdrawal many of the others did. He was still focused and determined to find a way out." Ben thought about the last time he'd seen Trenton and how he'd saved them from getting caught by Wade. "He's weak, sore, and I'm sure was hiding most of his pain from everyone."

"Sounds like Trenton." Noam sighed. "I'm just glad we have him home and safe."

"Me too." Ben stared out the window, watching kids play in the yard across the street. "What's the story on Chief Jones?"

"That's the other reason I called. Have you talked to anyone?"

"Nope, I took the chicken shit way out and didn't go in this morning. I wasn't in the mood for hours of questioning. I know I'll have to do it soon, but today wasn't the day. I was worried about…" He was going to say Trenton, but that sounded too personal. "Everyone."

"Yeah, I get that, and it's good. The thing is, in order to protect Trenton and the team from the risk of being discovered, I told my source, D.A. Jason Elbert that we were friends and that you knew I worked with some pedophile sting operation online. I informed him that you'd come to me with concerns about your undercover sting and rumors that Chief Jones was involved in the trafficking. You'd given us enough information that it took only a few phone calls for Jason to find out what your team was doing and learn how the sting kept being extended. Thanks to a personal conflict the Chief and Jason had a while back, he was more than happy to take the job of going in and raiding the place. I needed you to know my cover story so that you didn't say something different and put Trenton or the team in any danger." Noam cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to put you on the spot, but if they knew—"

"No, that is okay. It's how it pretty much happened. Leaving that small bit of information out isn't a problem. I'm turning in my badge as soon as I figure out who I report to now. The fact that my captain didn't call me today to find out where I was, tells me he was probably involved."

"I'm guessing you're right. He's been missing all day. His wife claims he had a last-minute meeting out of town and she wasn't sure when he'd be back."

"Convenient."

"Right?" Noam laughed. "Anyway, the D.A. will be contacting you once he gets time. I'm guessing he's going to be busy most of today just dealing with those he rescued, but expect a call from him at some point."

"I will, thanks for the heads up." He was relieved he wouldn't have to bring up Trenton and how he'd gone to his friends to get help. This worked out well for both of them. "Will you keep me updated on Trenton's condition?"

"Sure. I'll give you a call this afternoon once we get to see him." Noam was quiet for a minute, then cleared his throat again. "You know, if you are serious about turning in that badge, I can always use help catching online pedophiles who are messaging kids. It won't pay nearly what you're used to, but the option is there if you want. Most of my crew are either retired or off-duty officers. It's a lot of sitting behind a computer, but we do go out and put the fear of God in them when they are stupid enough to set up a meet."

Ben laughed. "I could get behind scaring the shit out of some perverts. I'll keep your offer in mind. Thanks, Noam. You've made this whole thing a hell of a lot simpler than I thought it was going to be. I know there's still plenty to work through and a pile of paperwork in my future, but at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel now."

"I'm just glad you contacted us to bring an end to it all. Now we'll find out just how deep the chief and others were in this and see where we go from there. I need to run and make a few more calls, but expect Jason to call you later today. If you need anything before then, call me at this number. I'll call you as soon as I can update you on Trenton's condition."

"Thanks. Talk soon." Ben ended the call. He set the phone down and blew out a long breath. His biggest worry had been that Trenton had been one of them killed in the raid. It wasn't good that he'd been shot, but at least the news was good and he should completely recover. He also liked the idea that there was another job waiting for him if he wanted it. It was hardly what he thought he'd be doing with his life, but after the last few months, things had changed. He wasn't as invested in being a detective or the best undercover agent there was.

It was time for him to stop playing roles and settle into his own life for a change. Put down some roots and look to a future. He worked so much, taking a cut in pay wouldn't hurt him. He'd saved almost everything over the last few years. Other than paying for a small storage unit, he didn't have many bills. The department put him up in an apartment and gave him a car to drive when he was undercover. His bills were minimal. He could do almost anything he wanted now.

The question was, could he deal with pedophiles after everything he'd seen? Could he stay calm and pretend to be a child while chatting online with these perverts and not lose his temper? Could he go out and confront them with Noam and not kill them? He wasn't sure anymore. He'd seen too much that would never be erased from his memory.

He was about to leave to grab something to eat when his phone rang again. This time his personal phone. He answered hesitantly, seeing an unknown number. "Hello?"

"Is this Detective Benton Sills?"

"May I ask who's calling?"

"This is U.S. District Attorney, Jason Elbert. Noam gave me your number."

Relieved, he relaxed. "I've been expecting your call. How can I help you?"

"You were the one who alerted Noam to the trafficking ring, correct?"

"Yes, I was working undercover when things just didn't feel right. I contacted him for advice and to make sure it wasn't just me feeling burnout or something."

"I'm glad you made the choice to contact him. This is one of the largest busts we've seen in California. As we dig through evidence, we are finding it reaches worldwide. I was wondering if you'd be willing to come down to my office and meet with one of the members of my team for an interview."

"I'd be glad to. I wasn't sure who to contact. I knew Chief Jones was involved, but I had a feeling my captain was as well."

"He was, but has skipped town. We seem to have a leak in the department and I'm hoping you might be able to help us find who's sharing information. From this point on, you're on paid leave and will report only to my office. Once we know better who we can trust, we'll see what the chain of command will look like."

"What about the others who were working there?"

"So far, they are talking, but it's too early to know who we can trust. I'm trusting you because you came forward to put a stop to this, but you should be aware, no one is off the suspect list as of right now."

Ben expected that. "That's fine. You can dig into my past and present as deeply as you like." If he was found guilty of wrongdoing, he'd take whatever punishment came his way. He felt as if he owed someone something for not speaking out sooner or stopping everything he'd seen over the last few months. "I have nothing to hide. I just couldn't watch more people abused or killed."

"Did you witness executions?"

"Of other guards, yes, but not of the hostages. I did see two hostages beaten so badly by guards that they died, and several beaten by those upstairs that resulted in them dying later in the cages where I worked." He closed his eyes at the memories. "I saw countless guards rape the hostages, and beat them frequently. Dr. Frank, who was brought into exam all new intakes, often raped and abused his patients, especially the younger ones."

"If you will start making a list of everything you remember. Give names where you can, descriptions if you can't remember names. You know how this works. The more you give us, the more we can investigate. I don't want any of these assholes going free. What I saw last night was horrific and all I can say is thank you for bringing it to our attention. There is a good chance if you hadn't it would have only continued to grow," Jason told him.

"They would have killed me eventually to keep me quiet," Ben mumbled more to himself than to Jason.

"Probably that or found a way to blackmail you into silence."

Ben sighed. "What time do you want me at your office?"

"I won't be there, but my staff will know you're coming. Let's say around three?"

"That works for me." The sooner he told his side of things, the sooner he could hopefully move on and put all of this behind him. "Thank you for taking this matter so seriously when Noam came to you. I really didn't know who to turn to."

"You did the right thing being cautious. My gut says this runs deeper in the department than either of us wants to think. Anyway, I'll be in touch. Thank you for your cooperation."

"Anytime." Ben ended the call.

With hours still before the meeting, he needed something to do to keep himself busy, but all he could do was sit there and think about everything he'd seen and been part of the last few months. Grabbing a notebook and pen, he did exactly what Jason told him to do. He started with the first day he walked on-site and started writing everything he remembered down. Dates and names were lost for a lot of it, but that wouldn't matter. They could figure those things out later. The most important thing was to prove to himself that he hadn't gone through it all in vain. He was there for a reason, and that reason was to put an end to the evil, no matter how long it took or what it might cost him.