The Auction (20 page)

By now, Winthrop’s flesh began to sizzle, and Foster could tell it would take a massive amount of pain tolerance to not be bothered by that.

“No!”

Foster sighed. “You’re only making this hard on yourself.” This time he pressed the button until it had gone up fifty degrees more.

Winthrop yelled out, “I have a safe in my home office that contains all the digital files of our buyers that can be cross-referenced with who they brought. Now turn it off!” The skin around his hands was blistered and peeling.

Foster turned off the chains.

“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

“Even if you find this woman it doesn’t mean whoever bought her will simply hand her back. These people guard their property under lock and key.”

“Hmm,” Foster murmured in response. He put the remote down and picked up the serrated knife again.

When he stood in front of Winthrop
Foster
grabbed the other man by the chin and dug the knife down the side of his cheek. He proceeded to carve off the birthmark that Winthrop took so much pride in all while ignoring the ear-splitting wails.

“Noooooo!
Not that. It’s my family crest!
”

“Fuck your crest. This is for Victoria. For
all the times you beat her because you’re an inadequate little fuck
.”

Foster made sure to really dig the point of the knife into Winthrop’s flesh. By the time Foster was done, there was a large hole in the crying man’s cheek. “That thing was disgusting anyway. Now tell me how to gain access to the safe or it’s your balls next. I will chop them off and feed them to the first dog I find.”

Winthrop shook his head.

Foster shook his head. “Why do you have to make this so hard on yourself?” As he promised he grabbed Winthrop by the sack and sliced them off with one clean swipe. “Next I’m going to saw off a finger and then another and I’m going to do it with a dull knife.”

Winthrop quickly rambled off the code to his safe and how to access his files.

“What I’m going to do is contact my man who is curr
ently watching your house. He’
ll check this information
and verify whether or not you’
re telling the truth. If you’re not say goodbye to those fingers. All of them. Maybe your toes too.”

Foster produced his holophone from his pocket. “That was a neat trick you pulled by the way, hacking into my
coordinates to call me. You must
have hired a hell of a hacker to do that.”

Winthrop whimpered and moaned as Foster placed his call. It took several moments before he was able to verify the information but finally he was satisfied. “That info is now being downloaded to a link that will go directly to my system. One more thing. Tell me about the money trail. Where does it go and how do I access it?” Foster didn’t want Winthrop’s money. He had plenty of his own. But he wanted to cut off the funds to this trafficking business once and for all.

“There will be others. You can kill me but I won’t be the last one. If Zee doesn’t hear from me, she’ll take the operation overseas.” Winthrop’s voice was weak and he began to shake.

“Right now, all I’m concerned about is your funds. But since you mention it, I want now know where I can locate Zee. Sounds like she needs to be taken out of commission as well. I also want to know where the women are kept.”

“This won’t end,” Winthrop repeated.

“I’ll give you one more chance. Start talking.”

Winthrop whimpered in response.

Foster ball
ed up his fist and delivered a h
ard blow to the ribs. “Please just kill me.”

“Tell me what I want to know.”

“Kill me,” Winthrop begged, his voice getting weaker still.

Foster stormed over to the table and picked up a demobilizer. It would send a jolt of electric currents through Winthrop’s body. Without hesitation he pressed it against the man’s neck. “Talk.”

This time Winthrop told him what he wanted to know but Foster turned the demobilizer on anyway and kept it agai
nst his Winthrop’s skin until
smoke came out of the device. Winthrop screamed as drool and blood poured out of his mouth. Blood also flowed from his nostrils, the corners of his eyes and his ears.

He screamed until no more sounds left his mouth. Foster finally pulled the weapon away.

As Winthrop’s head drooped, he whispered, “I’m sorry, son.”

Those were his final words.

Chapter Twenty-One

Once Foster had gotten all the pertinent information he’d needed from Winthrop he’d stood back and watched the life drain from his body. He’d never allowed one of his victims to die before but he made an exception for this man. In a way, Foster felt a little sorry for Winthrop, who had basically started his vendetta to avenge his son. Winthrop had lost a son and Foster a father, and all because of the greed and malice of one man: Andrew Graham. It had been a while since Foster viewed his grandfather as a hero, but now knowing the truth he could never view him as more than the monster he was. Innocent lives had been wasted for nothing more than the façade of respectability. It sickened Foster that he’d tried to be like him.

Despite all that, Winthrop had to go. Regardless of what happened in the past, it had been his choice to become a trafficker, and his decision to capture, rape and brutalize women. Winthrop was the one who’d decided to hurt people Foster cared about and for
that Foster felt no remorse
.

Foster didn’t doubt the other man’s words that there were more out there like him. Unfortunately, trafficking was a huge business and there were syndicates all over the world, some more ruthless than the next. There was no way possible he could take them all down. But he could hemorrhage the organization that Winthrop had started.

Once he’d checked Winthrop’s pulse to confirm he was indeed dead, Foster had calmly peeled off his gloves and goggles and tossed them
onto
the floor. He walked out of the room without a backward glance, leaving his toolkit behind. Foster never wanted to see them or that room again. Once he got back into the vehicle with Dare, he’d called his cleanup crew who had rigged the building to implode. Foster watched with satisfaction as the building crumbled to dust, destroying his grandfather’s final legacy. It was like a funeral of sorts, because he was determined that it would be the last time he ever mourned that old bastard.

It took nearly a month to sort through the mess that Winthrop and his crew had created.
Foster
spent time
working with his teams to wipe this syndicate out. The first crew he worked with were hackers who had taken the money the organization made
and transferred it to
untraceable account
s
. His second crew was the rescue and recovery group that found the location for the auction. They’d found the women housed in an old converted office building, each in their own separate prisons. Every woman, child and servant were put in safe houses that were purchased with the money the hackers had put in the anonymous accounts, and was then further distributed to each of the victims so that could either return to their homes or start new lives for themselves. Sadly some of the women and children had never stepped out of that building of horrors, having been raised to serve. Many of them opted to stay in the safe houses because they had nowhere else to go.

Foster saw to it that money would be distributed for their education and job training so that one day they might have a chance at a normal life. He realized many of them would never leave as they’d been brainwashed from the time of birth, but at least they would have funds for their upkeep.

The final team was the locaters who hunted down Zee and all the guards who’d worked the auction. Foster’s only instructions to his men was to persuade every single one of them to leave the country. He didn’t care how they did it. He didn’t want details, he just wanted the job done and confirmation when it was complete. A week later, he received photographic proof of Zee being helped onto a plane. She was noticeably battered and bruised. It looked as if one of her arms was missing but he couldn’t be sure because of the angle of the picture. He’d received proof of departure of her men as well. He’d been told that they were more easily persuaded, probably because they’d seen what had happened to their boss.

It had been an absolute nightmare to go through that ordeal but it was about to meet its fruition. He had one more task to accomplish. His driver
pulled up to the opulent home
with gushing fountains in the front. Gold gilded stone lions rested on either side of the grand iron door.

He took a deep breath and slid out of the vehicle and walked up the cobblestone path to the front door. Before he could knock however, the door opened. A tall dour man dressed in gray answered the door. “Mr. Graham, Master Richie is waiting for you in his office.”

He didn’t expect to be received so eagerly. It had taken a few days to get through all of Winthrop’s files of his victims before he’d found Macy’s record. Because they weren’t listed by their actual names and their vital chips had been removed, he had to find them through facial recognition. Macy’s code name had been Daisy. She hadn’t been an easy find because apparently there had been several Daisys who’d been sold through the organization. Once he’d located Macy, finding her buyer had been another challenge. They were only traceable by bank numbers which had been scrambled. If Foster could say nothing else about Winthrop, he could say the man kept her files in a way that was damn near impossible to decode. Though it had been a daunting task, he’d finally located the buyer.

It turned out to be a man by the name of Beauford Richie, a low level criminal who ran an illegal gambling ring. He was also one of his grandfather’s old associates. It was apparent from the house he lived in he’d come up in the world.

Gray Suit, whom Foster assumed was the butler, led Foster through one of the most ostentatious houses he’d ever been inside. It was filled with expensive paintings covering the walls and ornaments lined on the shelves and tables. And despite the obvious wealth of its owner, there was nothing tasteful about it. It was the house of someone who had recently come into money and wanted to show off. That was how his grandfather’s house had used to be.

Finally the butler stopped in front of a room with
an
door open. “You may go in, sir.”

Foster nodded his head in acknowledgement before stepping inside. A corpulent man stood in the far corner of the room. Each of his meaty fingers sported a ring. He smiled at Foster. “Welcome friend. I must say it’s an honor to have you in my home, although when you contacted me, I was surprised that the likes of you would want to associate with me. I was dear friends with your grandfather by the way. He was such a good man.”

Foster was in no mood to for social niceties with this creep. “We both know my grandfather was a lowlife piece of shit, so there’s no need to try to make him out to be something he wasn’t.”

Foster’s rebuttal seemed to take his host by surprise. “Oh, well uh, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

“I won’t waste your time or mine. You have something I want. I’m willing to compensate you for what you’re out.”

Richie raised his brows. “That’s surprising. I’m not sure what I could possibly have that someone like you would want. I mean after all you’re one of the wealthiest men around. Surely you can—”

“You purchased a girl a few months back at an auction. I’d like for you to hand her over to me. As I’ve stated, I’m willing to pay you for whatever you’re out.”

Richie straightened his tie with a look of distinct discomfort. He shifted on his feet from side to side. “Uh, I think you have the wrong man. I don’t deal with girls in my business. I’m just trying to make an honest living like you.”

Foster stalked across the room and didn’t stop until he was nose to nose with the other man. “I’m not sure if you heard me properly. You have a girl who I want. You have five minutes to get her or I will fuck you up in ways you can never imagine. Every minute you hesitate, I’ll deduct from the sum I’m willing to pay. If those five minutes expire, you won’t get shit and I will tear this place apart. And don’t think about pressing that button on your gaudy as fuck ring to call in your men because I’ve already paid them off. S
o if you start screaming they’
ll pretend like they don’t hear shit.”

Richie turned bright red. “Look, you don’t understand. These people…I mean they’re dangerous people to make enemies of. You have no idea what it took for me to even get an invite. If they find out I ratted them out they could kill me.”

“That sounds like a you problem.” Foster didn’t bother to let the man know that he had nothing to worry about.

“Okay, but I paid two millions credits for her.” Richie whined.

Foster had no respect for the man who didn’t bother to put up even a minimal fight. “It will be transferred to you before I leave. But first get the girl and make it quick.”

Richie scrambled out of the room as if his ass was on fire. Foster wa
ited
impatiently for his return, taping his feet. He couldn’t wait until this was all over so that he could get home.

For a moment his mind drifted to Victoria, who hated his guts. He hadn’t seen her since he’d told her how he felt. He couldn’t blame her for her reaction, after all, she’d been through so much, and all because he’d been too much of a coward to tell her the truth from the beginning. Though he told himself that he had gotten rid of Victoria for her protection, deep down he knew it was because he was afraid for her to see the demon inside of him
and her rejecting him because of it
. In the end she’d rejected him anyway.

After all she’d suffered through the least he could do for her and her family was to make sure they were financially secure. One of the things he’d done was to purchase a home for her family in a safer neighborhood and set up an account for them to maintain the place and for all their necessities. He even hired a small team of servants for them. He made sure all funds would go to Victoria and not their father because as Victoria had pointed out, he’d only spend it on alcohol and gambling. He felt it was the least he could do to compensate for some of his sins.

Victoria had reunited with her family and he hoped at least she would be happy. According to Aya she seemed to be at peace but was a little sad. He assumed it was because he hadn’t recovered Macy yet but that would be rectified shortly.

Footsteps alerted him that someone was approaching. He looked up to see Richie standing in the doorway. “As promised, here she is. We’re square, right?” he asked nervously.

Foster nodded briefly before focusing on the slender woman behind Richie.

Macy
walked
into the room, her steps unsure. She looked thinner than he remembered and the see-through red dress she sported left nothing to the imagination. Other than that she didn’t look too worse for wear. She looked at Richie with uncertainty before zooming in on Foster.

She took a step toward him, her violet eyes wide. “Foster?”

“Yes. I’ve come to take you home.” He opened his arms to her and she race
d
across to room and jumped into his embrace.

She began to sob noisily. “I knew you would come for me.”

He held her tight and buried his face against her hair as he stroked the back
of
he
r
head. “I made a promise that I would always look out for you,” he whispered.

And despite all the hardship he’d endured in this ordeal, having Macy safe made it all worth it. Gently, he lowered Macy to her feet and wiped her tears away. “Come on, it’s time to go home.”

<><><><><>

“Foster why won’t you tell me what my surprise is?” Macy questioned.

After Foster transferred the two million in credits to Richie, he was glad to get Macy out of that eyesore of a house. Their first stop had been to a boutique in the shopping district where she was given something proper to wear. He’d purchased several outfits and opened a credit account for Macy for whenever she wanted to return and purchase more items.

Afterwards, they dined at one of Macy’s favorite restaurants, where she not only ate what was on her plate but half of his as well. It was apparent that pig didn’t feed her enough. Foster should have punched that bastard in his face but getting Macy home safe had been his priority.

Macy didn’t volunteer whether Richie had abused her no
r did he ask. There would come in
time when she would want to talk about her experience and Foster intended to be that friend she needed
whenever she was ready
. Right now, Foster couldn’t wait to show her what he had in store for her.

“If I told you it wouldn’t be a s
urprise
now, would it?”

She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re being a big meanie.”

“That’s funny. You weren’t saying that when you were stuffing your face,” he teased.

“Oh, don’t remind me. That was the first decent meal I’d had in weeks. Beau said that women should have a pleasing figure for her man, so I was only allowed to eat tiny portions while he would pile food on his plate.”

Foster hadn’t intended to ask but he needed to know for his peace of mind. “Did he hurt you?”

Macy sighed. She placed her hand on his thigh. “After what I’ve been through with West, Beau was nowhere near as bad; in fact, he seemed kind of sad. He acted as if I was his girlfriend who actually wanted to be there. Enough about him, I’m eager to get home and see my brothers and sister again. But we’re going the wrong way. You said you were taking me home.”

“I am and here we are.”