Finding Faye (K&S Securities 1)

Turns out I lied, because here he is.

Travis

It has been more than a full day since the girls were kidnapped, and there has still been no contact from Dominic. Xavier is confident it is coming, but we just don't know how long he plans to make us wait. Dominic wants him out of Vegas, and he knows that won’t happen without a fight. He’s definitely not going to back down and leave without Ana. A war is coming and I brought Faye right into the middle of it.

It’s a war we are ready for. That fucker took our women, so it’s just a matter of time before we dig him out of whatever hole he’s hiding in and put an end to this whole thing. Dominic was only expecting a fight with his nephew, he had no idea he was going to be dealing with pissed off Marines too. He has no idea what’s coming for him. They may have taken us by surprise yesterday, but they will not be able to do that again.

It was late yesterday evening before Blake finally got a hit on the armored truck. It was parked on the street a few blocks from Xavier’s casino, so we are hoping that means they are close by. Xavier has had a man watching it ever since. Dominic’s guys are all over the area. They all seem to be coming and going from a trio of older structures, two scheduled for demolition and one scheduled to undergo massive renovations. We think the old high rise is the place they are being held but we haven’t found any proof yet.

All three of the buildings have armed goons patrolling the entrances, but according to city utility records, only the big building still has power and water making it the most likely place. It was purchased a couple of months ago in the name of an LLC that, upon investigation, looks like it’s a cover for something else. Blake has been trying to trace the paper trail back to an individual person. We suspect that it will lead us to Dominic.

I found out that Xavier has been working with the FBI to bring his uncle’s shady business dealings to an end. This is good for us, because the Special Agent in charge of the Cerelli case has been able to push through clearance for K&S Securities to be involved in the investigation, so whatever happens we are sanctioned by the feds.

This is an amazing opportunity for K&S—not that I am worried much about that right this moment.

We spent the previous evening setting up surveillance on all of the buildings, placing special focus on that one. All four sides of the building have video feeds streaming live to our base in Xavier’s apartment. He has pulled in his most trusted men to make sure there are always two people watching the bank of monitors, and we have pulled a couple more of our former military contacts who reside in the general vicinity to do physical surveillance of the suspected locations.

We all know it’s just a matter of time before Dominic or one of his men surfaces.

I woke up early, my nightmares not allowing me to sleep for another moment. I’m sipping another cup of coffee, staring out the window toward the building that I know my little Sweetpea is in. The sun is just coming up over the horizon when one of the guys watching the live stream shouts, “Something’s happening on the east side of building one!”

Blake jumps up off of the floor where he was stretched out resting and takes over the computers. Clicking rapidly, he zooms his cameras in for a closer look at the activity. We all watch in shock as he focuses on Faye perched on a small ledge. Her face is pale as she begins moving away from an open window toward a ladder that goes up to the rooftop.

Ana’s face is behind her, her hand over her mouth, eyes wide. A growl rumbles out of Xavier’s chest as he sees his wife for the first time in months, and he reaches out a gentle finger, stroking her image on the screen.

Blake shifts the camera’s focus to follow Faye and Xavier steps back, stuffing his hands in his pockets and releasing a shuddering breath.

The video feed captures the look of terror on Faye’s face as she glances down to the streets below and presses herself against the wall before her gaze lands on the ladder about ten yards from her position. The ledge is so narrow, I don’t think a single man in this room could attempt what she is doing—all of us would be too big. Her petite size and tiny feet give her an advantage few people would have.

There is no way anyone will be able to follow her out the window; if they discover her missing they will have to intercept her on the roof. That means we have to be on that roof before they discover she is missing.

“We have to move now,” I roar, rushing to Xavier’s panic room, grabbing up the duffle bags we packed last night so we don’t waste any time before we race out of the building. We are piling into the waiting SUVs in less than five minutes, leaving Blake behind to man the com center. As much as I would prefer to have him with me, I know that he is the only one who can make sure we know what is happening once we are inside. Our makeshift team is connected by tactical radios and he will be the one who makes sure we all have the needed intel to get in, save the girls, and get out.

“Trav,” Blake’s voice speaks in my ear. “She made it to the roof, but they had someone waiting for her.”

Well, fuck. I had hoped to get there before they found her. Things just got a lot more complicated. Blake sighs into his mic like he has more to say but doesn’t want to.

“Sitrep, Blake?” I finally snap, needing a situation report before I go off the deep end from not knowing what he is seeing.

“Big ass dude has her on the roof. Looks like he’s roughing her up.” He says the words calmly, since he’s a professional and we have both seen worse, but he’s talking about some fucking piece of shit laying his hands on my girl.

“I’m gonna fucking kill him,” I say into my mic, exiting the SUV. I have one hand on my sidearm and the other moving to pull my blade from its sheath. It’s a good thing the alley we parked in is empty, otherwise this could turn into an even bigger shit show. I’m too pissed now to even consider how I would look to a bystander, dressed in black tactical gear, bulletproof vest, and what has to be a half-crazed look on my face.

I have to get to her, now. She must be so scared...

Blake had suggested that we try accessing the building through the service entrance in the alley. Our surveillance has shown that the thugs guarding the building have been using it for smoking and deliveries. By deliveries, I mean girls. There has been an almost constant flow of defeated looking women coming and going since we started observing them.

“One more thing, guys,” Blake rumbles into the headsets. “I’ve got Vince on camera in the room the girls have been held in.” The sound of Xavier cursing beside me pulls me from my worries about Faye. He doesn’t look surprised by Blake’s revelation, but he is definitely pissed.

“That motherfucking traitor is mine,” he grumbles as we clear the hall and make our way into the gloomy light of the stairwell.

John and Mike continue to their entry point, the stairwell at the other end of the building. There has been quite a bit of activity here recently. There are paths in the dust and construction debris littering the stairs, and cigarette butts piled in the corners of the landings.

Knowing that Faye and Ana we

re being held two floors up from us, we decide to stop for a moment on the eighteenth floor and check in with the rest of the team. Blake's flow of intel indicates that the most activity seems to be happening on the floor below where Faye and Analise are being held. Just one floor up from where we are now.

Dominic won't want to lose the bargaining power he believes holding Ana gives him, so we all believe that she will be the most heavily guarded. The thing that Dominic is forgetting is that holding the wife of a man like Xavier against her will is never a smart move.