Kierra

The semi-reclining Vampire rolls his eyes and points to the desk. Least it isn't some weird place this time. I've done that a time or two...or three. I've put my phone in the fridge too. It was pretending to be the milk for the day.

It's a little cold now, but I don't care, it's food. Sitting in the desk chair, I take a bite and put a sock on. Take another bite, put the other sock on. Another bite, fetch my boots. Pretty routine for me, but Ben looks at me like I'm insane. Twirling some noodles on the fork, I point it at him with narrowed eyes, then proceed to eat it. Put one boot on, take a bite, put the other boot on, take another bite.

By this time it's gone and both the Vamp and maned wolf are looking at me. I grunt and rinse my plate, snag another glass of juice, then head for the door. Letting the others know I'm going for a walk, I get assorted looks. All are ignored, considering I only told them as a damn courtesy to begin with. Still not used to having people in my home that I have to let know what's going on. Rarely did it with Faline...since she would get brought with anyway.

The way they act, I'm not supposed to be out at all. They can get that out of their heads real quick. Brothers think I don't know they're watching me even while doing whatever to or on their vehicles. Could be mean and ice their tires up, but I don't know how to control it that well and I might blow them up on accident. At some point during my nap, all the rain managed to either soak into the ground or trickle off into small puddles. Cold wind that picked up again will probably freeze it soon.

We walk in silence till we reach the end of my driveway, then I turn towards the deserted old couple’s house. Haven't been over there since Ben and his crew cleaned all the...uh...dead, from the cellar. Hands going into my pockets, I look over to the tall male next to me.

"Speak."

"Woof."

"Don't make me hurt you."

He chuckles but looks like he's trying to find a place to start. That bad? Why can't good news be more common than bad? That would be so much better on so many levels.

"I finally tracked down a chunk of the group you're determined to go after."

"I would think that's a good thing. Why do you look so...conflicted?"

His barely beating heart thumps hard, which has me looking over at him again. Some time ago, I had asked him to look for this flesh ring on the dark web by tracking the money through accounts of people known to be in it. He couldn't do too much because Vampire politics apparently clash with helping a Werewolf take down a pedophile-filled ring of sadists and sickos. I'm sure there's more to the politics than that, but I still won't understand it.

He found Frank Mallory for me, the man after Bastion. Through the man Faline had found, the information Ben got on Frank, and all the files Alarico has, we should be able to piece something together.

"I looked up all the people your sister described from getting into the other man’s head. This goes a lot deeper than originally thought."

Kinda already figured that out myself, but there must be more to it that I don't know for him to look the way he does. Already know there's at least one judge, a few lawyers, some cops, and even a priest. It's finding out which ones that's proving to be the biggest problem.

When found, there will be no contacting of authorities with all the info we have. No court, no jury, no trial. They get nothing but a slow death. Believe what I will be doing is called 'premeditated murder'. Meh. Po-tay-to po-tah-toe, to-may-to to-mah-toe.

"I found the judge and lawyers, couple cops, and a money trail leading right to a club downtown. It's a fetish club that's only been there for a couple of years. Found a hidden transaction and a dirty money trail."

A fetish club that has dirty money, hmmm. Catching my look he explains more.

"Regular fetish club, but something is going on under the table."

Oh, that makes a clearer picture then. My brows furrow.

"I didn't know there was a fetish club. Been there a couple years? How long has this 'dirty money' been going there?"

His thumbs stick into his jeans pockets. Could almost be matching here with our wardrobe. Boots, jeans, no coat. Shirts are different though, where mine is a plain t-shirt, his is a button-down with sleeves.

Since where he works isn't too ‘public view’, not sure why he finds the need to cover his tattoos. May just be a habit, I have no idea how old he really is, only looks to be late twenties early thirties. Forever young.

"About six months now. The people who bought the building still have ownership of it. The club is being used as a cover for what goes on underneath it. Screams are ignored as well as the heavy smell of sex, even blood because the place is known to be considered pretty extreme. That's why it's such a surprise that it's right in the middle of one of the busiest areas inside the city."

I shake my head at him, walking lightly over the concrete road leading to the deserted horror.

"Not really. I mean, think about it. It's a club - perfect cover for almost anything from drugs on up. Corrupt cops have that area as theirs so nothing is seen. No one is going to think of a place in that location with a police patrol. Can be hidden in a crowd as well."

He inclines his head. I'm sure he would have thought of it eventually, just has so much other stuff on his mind that it just got lost.

"Okay, so we know bad money is going through it, but who's running the operation?"

"A spoof company overall. Does have a business front, but nothing goes on there. Aside from runner assignments."

I blink at him. I got the first part just fine, but if nothing goes on there, then what are the runners?

"Um, runner assignments?"

He nods, a look of concentration on his face.

"From everything I've found, there are three local jobs. Collectors, Trainers, and Runners. Collectors are those that catch, drug, and hold for the Trainers. Trainers break down the people they're given, softening them up, making them less inclined to fight, and brainwashed. The Runners are the money carriers, taking it from one place to another to hold before it can be deposited or stored."

He sighs as if tired, even running a hand over his face before continuing. My own hands get sweaty in my pockets from clenching fists.

"Product is often moved or disposed of to keep from discovery. Drugs seem to also play a part in all this, as they’re used to draw in more product. Each is titled as to what they are; breed, gender, age, and quality."

I bring out my hands and motion him to stop, my breathing quick and harsh as I stop walking. We’re not far from the house, but I need to collect myself here and now. Sentient beings being referred to as 'product' is sick, I don't care who or what you are. Eyes closed, I bend over, hands on knees. Recently eaten food threatening to come back. This is why I hate eating anymore, seems each time I do something happens that makes it want to come up for a reappearance.

Benjamin stands next to me, waiting while I decide if I'm going to paint the ground. I take in deep breaths, the air being cold helps a lot. There's just something about cold air that always helps me. Don't know why. My voice is low when I speak up, working at keeping it even.

"Don't tell me any more right now, wait till we get to the house. If the others are going to be with me on this then they will need to hear it as well."

Think I found the perfect spot for my cyclone dagger; into the bellies of each one of these people. He shakes his head as he offers me a hand.

"No, you need to hear this and decide what they know. Not only are many of the Runners Were-animals, but Trainers and Collectors as well. I also found something else, what I asked you to come out here for."

This isn't going to be good. Looking up at him, I take his cold hand into my very hot one. At some point he had rolled up his sleeves, so I put my other heated hand on his arm, which is also cold. Talk about having your own personal ice cube. He doesn't seem to mind, eyes too busy roaming. Oh yeah, real bad.

"Out with it then."

He sighs, looking very uncomfortable. I let him go, but he grabs my hands back. Squeezing them before slowly letting me go and reaching into his back pocket.

"At first I wasn't sure, the images are years old. Looking into the background of them and who took it, I realized who they were...and now are."

My insides start cramping hard. I don't want to see this, I really don't. The temperature around me is felt as it drops drastically, frost forming on the ground from my feet and escalating outward. The Vampire pays attention to none of it as he holds two sheets of paper out to me. I look at them in his hand before I take them.

The ice recedes as my dread turns into anger, tired of feeling like a victim. My spine stiffens and I quell my belly. Rage fills and makes me very warm as the last of the anxiety I had passes away. In this world, if you're a victim, it's up to you whether you stay that way or rise above it. I'm tired of being one, so this is the last time fear will ride me about my past. Yes, I was abused, but it's not going to keep abusing me. I'm finished with cowing away and hiding in tears.

Folded over twice, I unfold and look at them, one next to the other. One is of me as a child, the other is Faline. If for no one else, I will take this ring down for myself. Two little girls with large smiles and trusting eyes, forever online for some pervert’s enjoyment. Now I know how Ben knows about the listing system, since that's what's written as a profile beneath our images. Female human children of different ages and very good quality, unused and untested.

"Unused and untested indeed. We'll see who is unused and untested in the times to come."

I look up to the undead male, eyes blazing yellow.

"Thank you, Benjamin. I couldn't make up my mind if I should feel bad about actually planning several people’s murder, but this is the last time they get anything from my family. I will hunt down every single one and give them the slow death they deserve."