Taken by E.M. Leya

CHAPTER THREE

Xander walked into the team house, ready to go to work. He'd been restless all day, but unsure why. He missed Faith now that she was away at school, and Matt had been working long hours, leaving him on his own. He never did good on his own.

He'd tried to pass the time playing video games and working out, but nothing eased his mind. After the sting tonight, he was going to try to talk Matt into taking a few days off work. Maybe they could head up to Tahoe or some other place for a week and find a way to regroup. He loved the team, but lately, Matt had been putting in so many hours that he found himself jealous of the fucking computer that got more of Matt's attention than he did.

"Hey, you." Becca smiled as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hi." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Becca was the team leader, Bryon's girlfriend, and also the team's insider at the courthouse. She kept them up to date on any cases going on concerning pedophiles. They had a database of men and women to watch thanks to her work. "What are you baking? It smells amazing."

"My sister sent me my grandmother's recipe for this cream-cheese cake she used to make for us all the time. I thought I'd give it a try."

"You're going to share, right?" He grinned, his mouth already watering.

"If it turns out right," she promised.

"Hey, have you seen Trenton?" Bryon walked into the kitchen.

"He's not here?" Xander turned to his friend and team leader. "He's always here."

"Not today, and he's not answering his phone. It goes straight to voicemail. I've sent Kasey over to his apartment to see if he's there." Bryon glanced at his phone. "We've got a sting in a few hours. He's always in early on sting days."

Xander frowned. "Last I saw him was yesterday. He said he was going to head over to Manny's for a beer. Asked if I wanted to go. Said he'd be back earlier today to get the thumb drive ready for the police. He left a few hours before Matt and I headed home last night."

"Maybe he met someone and is too preoccupied to answer his phone." Becca smiled.

Xander leaned against the counter. "That's not like Trenton. He seldom hooks up, but even if he did, nothing distracts him from work." He pulled out his phone and dialed Trenton's number, shaking his head as it went directly to voicemail.

"Matt's handling the thumb drive, but I don't have a good feeling about this. Trenton's either sick or something has happened. I'm going to go check hospital records and see if he maybe ended up in the emergency room last night." Bryon walked out.

Xander wrapped his hand around his beard and gripped it tightly. "Fuck, this isn't good." The team was like family. If Trenton was hurt, they needed to be with him. He cast a worried look at Becca before following Bryon out of the room.

Once in the computer room, he went straight to his husband, Matt, who was working on the computers. He gripped his shoulders as he bent and kissed the top of his head. "You should have called me."

"There's nothing you can do. Kasey's gone looking for him. There's no point in worrying until we know something is really wrong." Matt glanced up at him for a moment, then went back to typing.

"I told him not to bother you. I need you fresh for tonight. As odd as this is for Trenton, we don't know that anything is wrong. Until we do, we go on as planned." Bryon was in front of another computer, hacking into hospital records.

Xander sighed and slumped into the chair beside Matt. "Trenton is never late for work. He's the first to arrive most days."

"How was he last night? He doesn't go out drinking often." Bryon asked as he continued to type away on the keyboard.

"He seemed okay. Maybe a bit tired. I didn't get a feeling that anything was wrong. He just wanted a drink before going home. We all get that way from time to time."

Bryon huffed.

"He might have just overslept. Let's wait until Kasey gets back to us." Matt glanced at Xander. "I've got everything ready for tonight. Should be an easy in and out. The guy is old. Uses a cane to get around. His wife is out of town until next week."

"This is the guy that's faced charges four times, right?" Bryon glanced over at them.

"Yeah. First his own grandkids, then neighborhood kids. Due to his age, the courts keep giving him chances. His most recent arrest is from being caught in the bathroom at church with a young girl. Once we hacked into his email, we found photos he'd shared with another pedophile of several other girls from the church. This asshole has had more than enough chances to reform. It's time to stop him. He's out on bail right now. Becca said the district attorney is offering a plea bargain of house arrest if he'll plead guilty on the latest arrest. I've connected twelve victims to this man, and I'm sure that's not all of them."

Xander nodded. "I'll take care of him tonight. Maybe this time his wife will be smart enough to leave him." He hated it when spouses supported these pedophiles. It made him want to go after them as well.

Bryon pushed back from the computer. "Well, there're no signs that Trenton went to any of the local hospitals. No police reports with his name. He either got drunk and passed out all day or he went home with someone and has decided to fuck off work today."

"He wouldn't do either of those things," Xander argued.

"I don't know what else it could be." Bryon sighed.

Xander tugged on his beard. "We've all fucked up at some point. He's been working that case with the infants. Maybe he just needed some time away. That shit is more than you can expect anyone to handle without breaking at some point."

"I've been watching him closely. We talk a lot so I can make sure he's okay, but maybe. Hell, I don't know. I can't recall Trenton ever being late to work. The only time he misses anything is when he goes to see his brother." Bryon reached for his phone as it rang.

Xander watched, a feeling of foreboding hitting him as he saw the look on Bryon's face.

Bryon set his phone down. "Kasey says Trenton's car isn't at home and no one is inside the apartment. The place doesn't look like he's been home, but that doesn't mean shit since Trenton lives here half of the time."

Xander stood. "I'm going to drive over to Manny's and see if anyone saw him there. My gut says something is wrong."

Bryon nodded. "Mine too. No matter what, tonight's a go. Go ask your questions and get back."

Xander nodded as he pulled his keys from his pocket. "I won't be long." He bent and kissed Matt on the cheek before heading back out the door.

The bar wasn't far from the team house, and he was there in minutes. It was just after nine and the sun was just setting. The parking lot was crowded, but the moment he got out of his car, he spotted Trenton's vehicle sitting several rows over from his own. "Fuck," he cursed, his stomach knotting even more. This wasn't good.

He made his way over to Trenton's car, bending to peek through the windows to make sure he wasn't inside. Finding it empty, he turned and headed inside the bar.

He'd been to the bar a lot. The team often came over after a long day to unwind if they didn't have a sting that night. The place was casual and they could have a few drinks without being bothered. Tonight, the place seemed no different. People mingled around tables, played pool, and a few danced. He paused long enough to confirm Trenton wasn't among the faces, then headed up to the bar.

"What can I get you?" An older man asked from behind the bar.

"Need some information if you can." Xander leaned on the bar.

"You a cop?" The guy eyed Xander curiously, taking in his long beard and mass of tattoos.

"No, just looking for a friend. He dropped by here last night for a beer and never made it home. His cars out in the parking lot still. I was hoping you might have seen if he left with anyone."

"Sorry, can't help you. I own this place, but I was away most of the night yesterday. I got in maybe an hour before closing. I ended up having to deal with another issue once I got back and wasn't out on the floor." The guy shrugged. "It's not uncommon for people to leave their cars overnight if they've had too much to drink."

"Yeah, but this guy isn't much of a drinker. It's not likely. Is the bartender from last night here by chance?"

"Sorry, he was my issue last night. I fired him. Tina was working the floor after five. If she has a minute, you could check with her." He pointed to the waitress across the room. "Other than that, I don't think we can be much help. Don't worry, though, we won't tow his car until after a week."

Xander nodded. "Thanks."

He turned and headed over to where Tina was wiping off a table.

"Let me finish cleaning it off and it's yours." She glanced up at him with a smile.

"Actually, I was hoping you might be able to help me. I was told you were working last night. I'm looking for a friend who's gone missing. He was here for a bit, and his car is still outside."

She frowned. "I see a lot of faces."

"I know, but he might have stood out. He's blond, about six feet tall, trendy. Might remind you of some rich college kid minus the attitude." He pulled out his phone, hoping he had a picture of Trenton on it. He flipped through the images, finding one of Trenton and Faith together. "This is him."

Tina glanced at the picture and nodded. "He was here. My first customer. He sat at that table. A red-haired woman sat down with him. The last I saw of those two, they were headed to the dance floor. I got busy after that and never saw him again." She glanced past Xander to the bar. "Sorry I can't help you more, but I need to get back to work." She touched his arm softly as she moved past him.

"Wait, did he have a lot to drink?"

She shook her head. "Two beers, but he tipped well."

"Thanks." He nodded at her, then pulled out his phone and called Bryon. "His car is in the parking lot. The waitress remembers him. He was sitting with a redhead, then headed to the dance floor with her. That's the last she saw of him."

"Fuck." Bryon cursed. "Cameras in the bar?"

Xander looked around. "Yeah, several. Not sure if they're hooked up. Want me to ask if I can see the video?"

"No, I'll hack in. The bar will probably want a warrant or something. If we have to, we'll get the police involved for a missing person, but until we know more, let me see what I can find. The police won't do anything about a missing adult for a while yet anyway. Come on back and get ready to work. I'll find a way into their camera feeds."

"What about his car?"

"Leave it for now. He has a spare set of keys here and we can move it later if he doesn't show up. Right now, I'm hoping he's just getting his rocks off with this woman and decided to fuck off work for a while."

Xander hoped that too, but it wasn't likely. "I'll be there in ten."

As he rushed out the door, he prayed that nothing bad had happened, but his gut was telling him different.