Kasey parked the car in the driveway and shut it off. "This is it." He was excited to introduce Noam to everyone and share this part of his life with him finally. He was excited that Noam had decided to be part of the team. Now, he just needed to make sure the transition went well and didn't stress them out. There was a lot of work to do, but first, Noam needed to see how the main side of the operation worked.
"This is your headquarters?" Noam took in the nice, middle-class home in the middle of an average neighborhood.
"We call it the team house for a reason. Bryon lives here. Neighbors think he's just got a couple roommates or friends who hang out all the time." Kasey got out of the car.
"That's crazy. I guess in my mind, I imagined some dark, hidden warehouse hiding all your tech inside." Noam met him at the front of the car.
"Easier to hide in plain sight. That's one thing that Bryon mentioned, but you might have missed it. He is thinking the same kind of set up for your team." Kasey reached for his hand. "Ready to meet everyone?"
"Yeah, let's do this." Noam took a deep breath.
Kasey smiled at his nervousness. The team was expecting them. He'd purposely come a little late for the team meeting so that everyone would already be there. "If it's too overwhelming you can go downstairs and play Mario Kart with Faith."
"She'd kick my ass. I suck at video games."
"Don't tell her that. She'll make it a goal to teach you." Kasey opened the front door. "Okay, the meeting can start, I'm here," Kasey yelled.
"Fuck off," Xander called from the other room. "We wouldn't wait for you. And since you're late, we ate all your food."
Kasey grinned at Noam. "And so it begins." He led him into the living room, pausing as they walked in. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Noam."
Bryon stood up, coming around the coffee table. "I'm glad you decided to join us."
Noam shook his hand. "I'd be stupid not to take the opportunity. Thanks for thinking of me." He looked over Bryon's shoulder. "Beau, it's good to see you again."
"You as well, Noam. I'm glad we'll be working together." Beau waved with one hand, holding his taco in the other.
"I'm Becca." She stood, taking the few steps to where Noam stood and hugged him.
"Nice to meet you." Noam grinned.
Kasey laughed. "Around the room." He pointed to Dyson. "That's Dyson, next to him is Xander, you briefly met Matt already. On the small couch, you have Carter and Trenton. And I think you know Faith." He waved at her as she sat in the large recliner.
A chorus of hellos and welcomes filled the room.
"Nice to meet you all." Noam glanced around the room. "I don't know what I expected, but this wasn't it. I guess I pictured something more militarized or operative."
"You haven't seen the geek cave yet," Xander called out.
"I'll give you the tour after the meeting." Kasey nodded to a chair. "Have a seat."
Noam sat down, and Kasey slid to the floor in front of him, leaning back against Noam's legs. "Pass the tacos."
Becca passed a box of tacos to them. "Thank Trenton. Carter tried to talk us into Chinese again."
"We've had that the last three meetings," Kasey groaned.
"You can never have too much Chinese." Carter rolled his eyes.
"Okay, enough bitching. Let's get the meeting underway." Bryon sat back down beside Becca. "So, as you can all see, Noam has decided to join us. He will be in charge of our decoy team. Unlike this team, the decoy team will work one-hundred percent within the law, and with the law. Noam and I will be working on all the details, but from now on, he will be joining us at meetings and is trusted with all information we gather and speak of."
Everyone in the group nodded.
Kasey arched his head back, smiling up at Noam. "Love you," he whispered.
Noam mouthed the words back, his fingers running over Kasey's hair before they both turned their attention back to Bryon.
"Anyone with suggestions or ideas, please meet with Noam and me after this meeting. We'd like to get things rolling as soon as we can." Bryon reached over and gathered several files off the table. "This week's stings. There are only two. I think Dyson and Xander are up next?"
Kasey nodded as he'd done a sting two nights before. "I'm available if you can't." He glanced at Xander and Dyson.
"Faith, it's time." Xander tapped her knee. "We'll be down in a bit and beat your high scores." He winked at her.
"Keep dreaming." She tugged on Xander's beard before snagging another taco. She paused by Noam's chair. "I'm glad you're part of the team, but I'm even happier you didn't keep Kasey sad." She gave him one of her best smiles before taking off downstairs so they could talk.
Bryon seemed to wait until they heard the basement door shut before he continued. "Kids on location on the sting I handed to you, Xander. If you want a second, talk to Kasey. Kids are in a room in the basement. Three girls." Bryon sighed. "Two of the girls have been with him for four years from the information we've gained. The sisters were kidnapped from Maine. He has them groomed and brainwashed and has taught them to help him take advantage of the younger girl who is seven. We have yet to identify her, but I'm sure once they get her out of there, the police will be able to find where she was taken from."
Noam cursed softly.
Kasey wrapped his arms around Noam's legs supportively. A whole new world of darkness was about to open up to him. Sure, he'd seen a lot with the police department, but the details were a bit darker and more gruesome from this side of things. The events were actively happening and not something in the past to be dealt with after they were rescued.
It was one reason Kasey never wanted to learn how to deal with the online stuff. He couldn't handle what Carter, Bryon, Trenton, and Matt found on there. He was better to get in and do his part to save the girls. He didn't want to go to bed with the images in his head. He got enough visuals through their files and the information Bryon shared with them.
"Also, be ready. In the next two weeks, I will have a job that will take three of you. Only because there are dogs on site and they are not going to be welcoming and there are two adults, both males living in the home. Kasey, I'll need you to tranq the dogs." Bryon glanced over at him.
"And now I know why your aim is spot on." Noam grinned.
"He's the best shot we have, but don't tell the others that." Bryon laughed.
"Fuck you." Dyson shook his head.
Xander shrugged. "I'm willing to admit when I'm beat."
Kasey accepted the praise. He'd worked long and hard to be the best and would continue to practice to stay the best. His life and his team's depended on it. He rubbed his arm where the bullet had hit him, thankful it wasn't worse. It was nothing more than scars now.
"Beau, anything from you?" Bryon asked.
Beau threw a folder over to Carter. "Young girl, been into the ER several times for broken bones. She's showing signs of abuse, but the state has visited the house several times and can't make a case for it. The last time she was in, I saw bruises on her inner thighs, but she claimed it was from some new bike she had. I've done this too long. I have to follow my gut on this one."
Carter nodded. "It's first on my list as soon as the meeting breaks."
"Thanks." Beau sighed.
"Becca?" Bryon glanced over at her.
"Nothing this time." She shrugged.
"That's good news at least." Trenton reached for another taco.
"That's it then. Let me know if you have questions. If you want to stay while Noam and I talk about the new team, feel free. Trenton and Carter, I'd like you to stay so we can talk about how you've been making decoy accounts."
"Sure." Carter handed the file Beau had given him to Matt. "Do you mind starting on this?"
"No problem." Matt stood.
"That's my sign to go beat Faith in whatever the game of the day is." Xander headed downstairs.
"I'll join you, Xan." Beau got up.
Becca stood. "I wish you guys luck. I've got a date with a hot bath and a romance book."
"Warps your mind," Bryon called after her.
"Read one. You might learn something." She blew him a kiss.
Once everyone had cleared out who wasn't staying for the meeting, Bryon looked at Noam. "So, as I said, welcome to the team. You ready for all this?"
"I don't know what I'm getting myself into, but I'm willing to give it a go." Noam glanced at Kasey. "I trust you guys to guide me."
"Of course." Kasey smiled.
"First thing you need to hear is how many child groomers we are encountering." Trenton sat forward. "Carter and I have made decoy accounts on several social media chat apps and on Facebook. We are posing as nine-year-old girls and ten-year-old boys. In the first thirty minutes of being active, our girls are averaging forty-seven messages, our boys thirty-two. Out of those, over half continue to speak with us once we inform them that we are only nine or ten years old. Out of those, over half are requesting photos, and sending us pornographic images of themselves. We are seeing one woman to every ten men contacting us."
"Shit, that's a ton." Noam tensed.
"It is. We haven't arranged any meets yet, but we are guessing out of the men and women who send images about half of those have asked to meet, and probably would meet if we managed to set up a place for them to come see us. Most are suggesting a park or even a couple of times, they said they could come see them after school."
Kasey's temper flared. "Are you sure our team can't handle them?"
"I know, I feel the same way, but hopefully once Noam and his team arrange a meet, then we can make an arrest and they will think twice before reoffending. If they don't scare, then your team can have them, Kase." Bryon sighed. "We really want to get this going, but we need to find a location, have Carter and Matt set up your computers, then hire a team."
"I was thinking about that." Noam rested his palms on Kasey's shoulders. "How involved do you want the police?"
"Why?" Bryon asked.
"A lot of our patrol officers are looking for part-time jobs. They often work sporting events, security at stores or other locations. Some will take any shift they can get. I'm sure I can get a handful of officers who would be willing to decoy for us, but that brings them right into the action. It's not just the sting and arrest they will be part of but obtaining the chat log and playing the role of a young child online." Noam looked around the room. "I might also be able to get trainees from the academy who are interested in doing this."
"That is a perfect idea. That way, once arrested, it is more likely to stand up in court. Showing we have trained, or soon to be trained police officers doing the decoying will have pull with a judge or jury. The conviction rates should improve, though, I don't see any problem getting convictions once you see the chat logs and photographs that are sent to our children." Bryon reached for his drink on the coffee table.
"Where are you getting images of young children for your decoys?" Kasey asked.
"That's been a bit harder. I've reached out to our online community, the one support group that Matt was in when Faith went missing. They have been very generous to help us find images. All the images are of people who are now over eighteen and have given us permission to use their historical photos. Thanks to Trenton's fantastic graphic art skills, we have been able to change them up enough that one photograph can give us up to ten different decoys. It is going to be harder once we start making arrests and need to change up the photos more often, but I'm trying to work something out so we will have new photos to use as we need them," Bryon explained. "The only real thing we have left to figure out is location."
"I like your house idea. It's casual here." Noam looked around. "What are the other rooms?"
"Kase, give him a quick tour, then we can talk more." Bryon sat back.
"Come on." Kasey stood, waiting for Noam to join him. "We'll go upstairs first." He led him up the single flight of stairs. "Bedroom at the end of the hall is Bryon's. I don't go in there, I don't even open the door. It's the one place in the house that is off limits to everyone but Becca and him."
"Oh, that makes sense. Becca's the source from the courts, makes Bryon get up early." Noam grinned.
"They deny it most of the time, but we all know what is going on. She's here more than she's home. I was actually shocked she left tonight." Kasey pushed open the first door. "This is our medical room."
Noam whistled. "This is a surgical suite."
"Pretty much. There isn't much Beau isn't prepared to handle. Of course, anything major we'd go to the hospital for, but he's planned for everything he's able to deal with on his own." Kasey had been on his back in that bed more times than he cared to think about. Luckily, it wasn't ever for anything too serious.
"I don't think we'll need more than a first aid kit for my team." Noam raised a brow.
"I hope not. I don't want to start having to worry about you getting shot, though it's always a possibility when you go to meet the pedophiles." Kasey didn't like that image in his mind at all.
"But we are working with the police, so if by chance it does happen, we can go to the hospital without drawing any attention where it shouldn't be." Noam kissed him. "Hopefully, the worst thing I risk is a paper cut."
"I hope so. That I can kiss better." Kasey nipped at Noam's bottom lip.
"Babe, you can kiss any part of me better any time." Noam pressed him to the wall, his hands on either side of Kasey's head as he deepened the kiss.
When they broke apart, Kasey licked his lips. "I'm so glad I don't have to hide any of this from you anymore." He held onto Noam's waist, keeping him close.
"Me too. It's a relief to know there are no more secrets between us." Noam smiled. "There aren't, are there?"
Kasey laughed. "No, none. You know everything, or if you don't, I just haven't got around to telling you about it yet."
"Good." Noam stepped back. "They're waiting for us downstairs."
"I want to say make them wait, but I'd rather get this done and get home where we can really be alone." Kasey kissed him one more time before pushing away from the wall.
"Kase, wait." Noam gripped his shoulder. "I want to suggest something. I was going to bring it up later, but I have an idea, but need to run something by you first. If it's too soon, just say so, I won't be hurt."
"What?" Kasey wasn't used to seeing Noam nervous. He slid his hands down Noam's arms until they could link hands.
"What do you think about me maybe moving in with you, then using my home as a base for the new team?" Noam bit his lip, casting his eyes down as if scared to see Kasey's reaction.
"Hey." Kasey bent in and brushed his lips over Noam's. "I love the idea. I was working up the nerve to ask you if we could live together. I don't care which house. I worried you'd think it was too soon."
"We're together all the time anyway." Noam shrugged. "I just thought that it would make sense. I own my house, we can use it without having to buy a new place. It will look like this is all my idea, keeping Bryon or any other name out of it. I mean, I don't have the room this place seems to, but I really don't need it. If people are working shift work, then I don't need bedrooms or medical rooms. We can line the walls with computers and call it good. The kitchen is there for breaks, the backyard for smoke breaks or to relax. I can leave the living room furniture in so it's like this house and the employees have a place to sit and relax. Do you think it would work?"
"It would, but I don't really care about the team right now." Kasey cupped Noam's face. "Are you saying you want to move in with me?"
Noam nodded. "You won't mind Casper?"
"Not at all. She's welcome. She's already taken over the place. I'm happy to have you both living with me." He was beyond excited. It was more than he dared to dream could happen so soon. "I love you so much." He kissed Noam hard, forgetting where they were or that they had people waiting for them.
Noam groaned as he forced them apart. "I love you too. Now let's get this tour done and get the meeting over with. I have even more reason to want to go home. I need to pack."
Kasey laughed. "I'll help you pack every box." He snuck another kiss before continuing to show him the spare bedrooms and bathroom upstairs.
Once they were back down to the main floor, he led him back to the geek cave. It was an overwhelming room full of tech he didn't even want to try to understand. The walls were lined with computers and other hardware. He tended to avoid the room as much as he could, not just because he didn't know much about computers, but it never failed that he'd see things on the screens he wished he could bleach from his mind.
Staying near the doorway, he gestured to where Matt was working on a computer. "This is where Bryon, Trenton, Matt, and Carter spend most of their time. It's where all the information is gathered, cameras are hacked, and Matt and Bryon access the dark web. I don't come in often. It's too much for me."
Noam nodded. "Probably for me as well, but it's amazing. It reminds me of…" He paused before saying, "a place in Israel."
They hadn't talked much about Noam's time in Israel. All he knew was the little he'd mentioned when waking up from the occasional nightmare or just a slight mention of it during small talk. He didn't ask, figuring when Noam was ready to talk about it more, he would. He knew about how he got his injuries, and that was enough. "Carter has CIA connections. A lot of the software is government stuff. I don't ask. I just know it gets the job done and protects my ass when I'm going to a site."
"That's all I care about. As long as you come home to me, he can hack anyone using any programs he wants." Noam stepped closer to Matt. "Is that the girl Beau was talking about?"
"Yeah, her medical records are longer than most eighty-year-old cancer patient's file, and, I just found this." Matt pulled up a mug shot of a middle-aged man. "Meet Timothy Kent, her new step-father. She's shown signs of abuse long before he came into the picture, but now that he's in her life, it's worse."
Noam leaned closer to read the screen. "He's got priors for rape and child endangerment. On the sex offender's registry and has priors for…" Noam shook his head.
"What?" Kasey moved closer. "He sexually abused his five-year-old daughter and spent five years locked up for that before getting out of prison two years ago."
"I've got a couple free nights this week," Kasey told Matt, sure he'd understand his meaning.
"You might get a call. I'm sure once Beau hears about this, he's going to push for us to do something." Matt started printing off pages.
"This is insane." Noam turned, still looking at all the monitors around the room. "How many hours a day do you do this?"
"There's almost always someone here working. I'm not sure Carter goes home often. He's almost always here." Kasey glanced at Matt. "The rest, it just depends, but the work never runs out."
"Something has to change." Noam shook his head.
"We thought so too. That's why we do what we do. The courts try, but they are bound by too many laws. We are able to do what they can't. We might not stop the desire for many, but we can stop them from acting on it. At least most of them." Kasey headed for the door. "Let's get out of here. I feel dirty in this room. No offense, Matt."
"None taken." Matt sighed as he stacked the papers that were printing.
As they walked back down the hallway, Kasey showed him several other spare bedrooms and another bathroom. "The basement is a game room. I'll take you down before we leave."
When they sat back down, Noam glanced over at Bryon. "It looks like any other house for the most part. Unless you saw the medical room or the geek cave, you'd have no idea it was anything but a home."
"Which is how we like it. Keeps us secure." Trenton smiled.
Noam nodded. "So, I had an idea for a location."
Bryon sat forward, looking interested. "Tell me what you got?"
As Kasey listened to Noam explain, he smiled. Noam was jumping in head-first. Once they got this off the ground, they'd double the number of men they locked up. Just maybe, with all they were doing, they could make a difference and save more children, because if they didn't do something, all the teams in the world weren't going to stop the growing problem of pedophiles in the area.