Unbroken (The Protectors 12)

“Maybe Stylianos is a real name… Dante uses our father’s last name while I have Papa’s,” I suggested.

“It’s not,” Luca responded. “Stylianos is the name of a saint known as the Protector of Children. We’ve seen the fucker’s chat transcripts… he actually believes he and guys like him are helping kids to be in their purest state. Some of the guys like Marcus Parks know what they’re doing is wrong and just don’t give a shit. And then you’ve got guys like Stylianos who actually believes he’s doing God’s work by creating a world where adults and children are free to love one another. He’s become quite a power player in the past few years and that’s made him be even more careful to stay in the shadows.”

My knees almost gave out as nausea swept through me. “Why me?” I asked. “I’m… I’m no one.”

“He’s fixated on you, Aleks. There’s no rhyme or reason to it. Our theory is that he saw you at some point and became fascinated with you. He probably tried to buy you but whoever…”

Luca’s voice dropped off suddenly and I knew why.

“Owned,” I said. “Whoever owned me…”

“Right,” Luca murmured. “Whoever that was wouldn’t give you up. It’s possible he missed out on you during a bidding war… Marcus had a lot of money and there’s no proof that Stylianos is wealthy, so losing you a second time could have just strengthened that obsession. When word got out you were still alive, it would have been like some kind of ‘meant to be’ thing with him. He sees you as his and he wants you back… it’s like those celebrity stalkers who invent entire relationships with the famous person, even though they’ve never even actually talked to them. When they don’t get what they want, they can turn desperate… and violent.”

I leaned heavily against the pillar as Luca spoke. If the man was as sick as Luca believed, he’d never stop coming after me.

I’d have to completely disappear again.

“Do you think this man has Gio?”

“We don’t know for sure. Two years ago there was online chatter about Stylianos being willing to arrange a trade. He knew of a boy that was closer to the age Marcus liked. A boy with hair that was almost white and blue eyes that were so light they seemed clear sometimes. If Stylianos didn’t have Gio himself, he knew who did. Two years ago, Gio would have been thirteen. That’s around the age Marcus acquired you, right?”

I managed a nod, but nothing else.

“These men, most of them want boys or girls to be a certain age. Some want them before puberty hits so they’re more childlike, others want them after puberty so they’re more sexually developed.”

I nodded in understanding. I’d been bought and sold a few times but I’d been with Brian and Father the longest. Brian had stopped touching me more and more as I’d gotten older. Father had been the same way. But I’d never made the connection before that I was being bought and sold based on my age.

“Two years ago, Stylianos was talking about having access to a boy who looked like Gio. Gio would have been the right age for Marcus. But it was never clear if Stylianos had Gio himself or if he would have had to trade a boy he did have to get Gio for the trade with Marcus.”

“So you don’t know for sure if he has Gio anymore, or knows where he is?” I asked.

Luca dropped his eyes and shook his head. “We haven’t been able to find any recent chatter relating to a boy fitting Gio’s description. Stylianos seemed to go underground too… until a few days ago.”

When my parents had done that interview.

Luca fell silent and took a few drags on his cigarette. “It’s late, Aleks. Get some sleep.” He flicked the cigarette a few times, then stood. I jumped when he approached me, but with the pillar and porch rail at my back, I had nowhere to go.

He paused and held my gaze for a moment. He actually looked… hurt.

I waited for him to grab me and told myself to open my mouth and call for Vaughn, but that need to protect myself by being as quiet as possible kicked in. To my surprise, Luca stepped past me and opened the screen door. “Go inside, Aleks.”

I made my body move, even as my mind tried to accept that he was going to grab me. But he didn’t. When I was nearly in line with him he whispered, “You’ve got nothing to fear from me, Aleks. I swear it on Gio’s life.”

With that, he carefully released the door so my shoulder was holding it open, then he turned and went down the porch steps and disappeared into the darkness.

“He’ll be back.”