Page 96 of Give Me Peace

After replaying the entire ordeal, listening to Danielle attempt to rationalize the tricks my mind is intent on playing, I’m left feeling off-kilter and nauseous. I’ve never felt like she used psychobabble with me, but my nerves are frayed and every bit of ‘insight’ she’s offering is rubbing me the wrong way. I normally appreciate the steps we go through, the breakdowns and explanations for why I’m feeling a certain way or responding abnormally, but it’s too much today.

There’s no reprieve—not in consciousness or sleep. All I can think about is how blissfully ignorant I’ve been. And now the curtains been pulled back, opening my eyes to the truth, and I can’t go back to before. I actually believed this was coming to a close. That the five-year stint of misery I’d been subjected to would soon be buried, left to rot and fade into a distant memory that didn’t plague my every waking moment. It’s pathetic, really, how naïve I still am. You’d think after everything I’ve been through, I would know by now to expect the unexpected.

“For what it’s worth—I’m so sorry, Saylor,” Danielle interrupts my derailed thoughts. She stares back at me from the computer screen, her eyes awash with pity. I nod, unable to formulate a better response, and avert my gaze. She goes over the same spiel that concludes every session we’ve had thus far—call me if you need me, day or night, otherwise, we’ll talk next week. I agree and quickly end the call. The lack of sound makes my shoulders sag.

After taking a few minutes to myself, I head for living room. I feel like I’ve been on autopilot since finding out about Liam. I’m just going through the motions, doing the things I normally would, but I imagine I resemble a zombie. My movement feels stiff and choreographed, but maybe if I keep at it, I’ll start to feel like me again. When the room comes into view, I find the guys positioned in various spots along the sectional, their handsome faces pinched with worry.

“Hey, love,” Lochlan greets me, standing to meet me halfway. He takes my hand and guides me to an empty space on the couch. “We’re waiting on a call from Denvers. He sent a message about twenty minutes ago, saying he has update. We asked him to give us some time so you could be here, too.” I squeeze Lochlan’s hand in appreciation, both eager and dreading to hear what the FBI has managed to dig up. His phone rings, leaving me no time to mentally prepare.

“Denvers,” Lochlan answers. “You’re on speaker and everyone’s present.”

“I’ll get right to it then,” Denvers states. “Liam Price’s death has been ruled a homicide, cause of death is strangulation. Looks like someone got the jump on him from the backseat and used a heavy-duty fishing line to cut off his airway. Timeline is roughly the same, though it’s hard to say for sure due to decomposition from the body being submerged for so long.” I have no idea how to feel about that statement, so I push it to the back of my mind for the time being.

“A laptop was found in a storage compartment beneath the passenger seat.” Krew perks up, his eyes laser focused on the phone. He’s mentioned how hopeful he is that further evidence might be recovered. Explained how even though anything electronic would be waterlogged and fried, the data itself is stored magnetically. “We’ve got a team combing through it, but so far, we’ve gathered some pretty damning information. Saylor, honey, are you sure you want to hear all of this right now?” The soft tone of his voice has me questioning my mental capacity for anymore revelations. But I know I need to hear it. So, like a band-aid, I rip the metaphorical bandage off and urge him to go on before I change my mind.

“Yes, please.”

Denvers sighs but doesn’t disregard my choice. “Liam has been in contact with an unknown individual for years. Thirteen at least, possibly longer than that. These operations work on a trading system—you gotta give three to get three. It seems Liam used his standing and position to exploit numerous children over the years. He used every opportunity to his advantage. We’ve unearthed photographs from various sporting events at the Laiken County Recreation Department. Girls and boys changing. We've cleared the rest of his staff. There's no indication Liam had any of his deputies aiding him.”

My fingers shake as I press them against my lips. The guys don’t look surprised, so I’m guessing Denvers is explaining the ins-and-outs of child pornography for my benefit. These sick assholes trade our pictures like they’re Pokémon cards. But we’re kids. Innocent, naïve little children who don’t deserve to be exploited so heinously.

“The person Liam was working with took a particular liking to Saylor.” Denvers pauses, giving his words time to register. There’s a visible shift in the guys, an air of anger and protectiveness wafting off of them. “They struck a deal—Liam would take her until the other male could arrange retrieval. There were set guidelines. Liam was encouraged to break her will, so she’d be compliant and receptive, but under no circumstance was he to violate Saylor.” The tremble in my hand has worked its way through my entire body. Lochlan pulls me closer, the warmth of his skin helping chase away the sudden chill that’s causing my teeth to chatter.

“For whatever reason, Liam went off script.” Yes, he most certainly did. “Despite the massive sum of money he was given for his troubles, he still deviated from the original plan. We can’t say for sure, but we believe the mastermind behind this entire thing is the unidentified male. He’s smart—scarily so—and we haven’t been able to track him back to a legitimate IP address. He’s the one who orchestrated the photo that circulated the auctions, making it look like Saylor was trafficked. We don’t know everything yet, but we’ve got a hell of lot more information than we did.”

“The twins are great at what they do, but this guy is fucking extraordinary. How the hell are we supposed to find someone who’s managed to be a ghost for this long?” Havok questions, his hands clenching into fists as he works his jaw back and forth.

“We keep doing what we’re doing—taking it one day at a time. This isn’t a crime show, kid. Cases don’t get solved in an hour-long episode.” Havok huffs in annoyance, rolling his icy blue eyes as he flops back against the couch dramatically. “Until then, I’m arranging a new safe house for Saylor. Once I have confirmation, we’ll discuss extraction.”

“Wait…what?” Kash leans forward, his gaze bouncing between the others.

“We agreed she would stay there as long as it made sense. It doesn’t anymore. We have every reason to believe this guy knows her approximate location, and we have no physical descriptors to identify him by. Moving Saylor is the best thing we can do to keep her safe,” Denvers answers, his tone leaving no room for argument. Kash shoots me a panicked look, his puppy dog eyes making my chest twinge painfully.

“Understood,” Lochlan interrupts, placating Denvers while earning himself four angry glares of betrayal. “Give us a call when you know more.” They end the conversation, blanketing the room in silence. I’d been grateful for the quiet when I ended my video chat with Danielle, but this feels like the calm before a storm. There’s so much tension swirling around, I could choke on it.

“He can’t take her,” Kash blurts, jumping to his feet clumsily. He starts to pace, babbling to himself, his words nonsensical and verging on hysterical. “She’s safe with us, not some random team of agents he throws together at the last minute. We care about her, not the accolades of a job well done. She’s ours damnit!” He yells the last part, successfully cracking my heart in two. Krew rushes to his brother, gripping his face between his hands as he whispers softly, doing his best to talk him down.

It's not working, though. He can’t catch his breath as the panic takes over. Our eyes meet, mine blurring with tears as I watch him fall apart before me. Because of me. He slaps Krew’s hands away and stumbles toward me, dropping to his knees at my feet. Kash lays his head on my lap and wraps his arms around my middle.

“You can’t leave,” he mumbles, his hands fisting the back of my sweatshirt while hugging me tighter. Tears spill down my cheeks as I watch Kash crumble. Through my blurry vision, I barely make out Roan coming up behind him. He sticks him with a needle before I’m even aware of what’s happening. In slow motion, Kash looks down at the point of entry, a sad smile curving his lips.

“Can’t sleep without you, sweetness.” His voice is disjointed as the drug works its way through his system. It only takes a minute, a few slow blinks, for it to fully take effect. Kash slumps over, his weight resting against me.

“Fuck!” Krew roars, slamming his fist through the wall. I understand his anger. His frustration. I hate that Roan did this to him, but he was manic. Kash himself stressed to me how necessary it was for him to be taken out of commission if he was too far gone. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

“Let’s put him in Saylor’s room,” Lochlan instructs. Krew and Havok peel Kash off of me and carry him down the hall. I glance back, watching Roan’s head hang as he braces his hands on the counter. Always taking on the tough jobs. I’m too emotionally depleted to even offer him any comfort, so I let Lochlan lead me the rest of the way to my room. The guys place Kash on my bed, tugging his boots off before covering him up.

“You okay, sweetheart?” Lochlan asks, gripping my chin between his thumb and forefinger so I’m forced to look at him.

“Yeah,” I choke out, but we both know I’m not.

“Want one of us to stay?”

“No, I’ll be fine.” I wave him off, stepping back to sever the contact. Lochlan’s eyebrows furrow, but he doesn’t question me. “I think I’ll rest with Kash. It’s been a long day.” He watches me closely for a few more seconds before nodding.

“Alright, love. Yell if you need us.” Lochlan kisses my forehead and turns to leave.

“Love you, pretty girl.” Havok pauses on his way out to give me a hug.