Seduced in the Dark (42 page)

“So?”

“So, check the date,” she added grimly.

“He didn’t finish. He was there ‘80 to ‘82.”
Realization was slowly dawning on Matthew, and he felt bile
crawling up into the back of his throat. “James Cole was born in
1983. In Oregon.”

“You don’t think?”

“Olivia Ruiz mentioned Rafiq wanted revenge
against Vladek, something to do with his mother and sister.
Apparently, Vladek killed them, or so Rafiq says. I’m starting to
think everything out of the guy’s mouth is bullshit.”

“Do you want me to pull James’ birth
certificate?”

“Yeah, do that. Did you already call the
Deputy Director to let him know we think the auction is taking
place at the military cantonment in Karachi?”

“I told him an hour ago, figured he could
get started on organizing the op. That, SSgt Patel, doesn’t seem
like the cooperative type. Holy fuck, Reed…do you honestly think
Vladek, would sell his own fucking son?!”

Matthew wanted to start punching things,
“No. I think he was collateral damage.” It was all starting to come
together. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly forming in Matthew’s
mind. There were still huge pieces missing, but Matthew thought he
could make out the picture just the same.

“Well, we already know where the auction is.
Everything else is just gravy at this point. Let me finish pulling
these records and then I say we pack it in for the night. If we get
the green light, we could have Rafiq in custody in the next
seventy-two hours. We can get our answers straight from the
source,” Williams said.

Matthew could hear the anger and
determination in Williams’ voice. He admired her fire, but he’d
been around long enough to know fire could get you burned. “I doubt
we’ll even get a crack at him, Williams. Be prepared.”

“What do you mean? We have a mountain of
fucking evidence and a witness,” Williams spouted.

“What we
have
, is a high ranking
military official from a foreign government, accused of crimes in a
completely different country. I want this guy. I want him bad, but
I’ve been here before, Williams. Sometimes…they get away.”

“Then why are you here, Reed? Why have you
been working this case so damn hard?”

“Olivia Ruiz was the original perpetrator.
She caused an international incident when she decided to cross the
US-MEXICO border waving a gun. She didn’t become the victim until
later. I had no idea this case was going to become the juggernaut
it is. I’ve worked the case, Williams. It’s all any one of us can
do,” Reed said.

“Yeah, well…it’s not over yet, Reed.”

“Never said it was, Williams.”

“Ugh!” Williams sighed.

“What is it?”

“I have James Cole’s, birth certificate. His
father is listed as ‘Vlad’, with no known last name. There’s a
death certificate here too, seven years after James disappeared.
That’s pretty standard, I guess. Let me see what I can find on the
mother, Elizabeth Cole,” Williams shook her head, “She died in
1997. Coroner’s report reads self-inflicted gunshot wound to the
head.”

Matthew’s heart felt like it was sinking.
James Cole had been kidnapped when he was five and sold into
slavery. It had most likely been an act of revenge against his
father, Vladek Rostrovich. He’d been beaten and abused most of his
life and according to Olivia Ruiz, the only person he had ever
trusted, had been the one to ruin his life in the first place.

“This is depressing the hell out of me,
Reed,” Williams whispered.

“Yeah,” Matthew cleared his throat, “Me too.
I just thought I could give the poor woman some peace, but it looks
like she found it on her own.”

“We should get some sleep. Chances are,
we’re going to have a full day tomorrow. If everything goes well,
you’ll be on a plane to Pakistan to lead the raid.
Do
try,
to remember the little people when you’re promoted,” she smiled
impishly and fluttered her lashes for effect.

Matthew managed a short laugh, “I’ll try,
Agent…?”

“Williams.”

“Right. Williams.” Matthew continued to go
over the stack of files on his desk as Williams, got ready to
leave. He knew he should be doing the same, but he couldn’t let it
go quite yet.

“Why do I get the feeling I’m going to see
you sitting there when I come back in the morning?” Williams said,
as she slung her laptop bag over her shoulder.

“I’ll be out of here soon. I just want to
poke around a little more. I couldn’t sleep right now anyway – been
drinking coffee all night, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah, likely story. I’ll be in around
seven if we’re not called up sooner. I’ll bring you something to
eat and maybe some coffee that won’t eat through your stomach,” she
said.

“I like the coffee.”

“Suit yourself,” Williams said, as she
stepped into the elevator.

Matthew stood up and grabbed the files on
Williams’ desk. He’d done his job. The rest would fall to the
bureau and the justice department. Regardless, the puzzle wasn’t
solved, and he couldn’t stop putting it together. Olivia deserved
to know the truth.

Three hours later, Matthew had a list of
events and possibilities. He’d learned a lot of things about the
major players in the case, but had just as many new questions as he
did answers:

1960 AKRAAN Arms Co. Est. in Russia -
Vladek's Father?

1961 Vladek Rostrovich, born - youngest
child of 3

1963 Muhammad Rafiq, born - eldest son
(younger sister?)

1980-1982 Vladek, UofOregon (no major)

• Meets Elizabeth Cole (could have been
  student? Next of Kin?)
  

Father and siblings die in car accident (Dec
of '82 - Vladek heir)

Aug 3, 1983: James Cole, born. Why not list
Vladek on birth certificate?

1983-1988: Vladek and Rafiq - arms dealing,
trafficking

• Diamonds? 1987 (something happens between
  here and 1989)
  

Mar 14, 1989: James Cole, kidnapped from
home. (No suspects)

• Kidnapped by Rafiq? Why?
  

• Look into Rafiq mother/sister death (revenge
  motive)
  

1992-1994: Rafiq, Desert Storm

• Stash kid instead of kill? Ransom?
  Collateral? What the fuck am I missing?
  

• James Cole kept in brothel (Narweh -
  deceased) Check years 1989-?
  

• Narweh (no known last), death cert?
  Pakistan? Review Olivia statement for other possible countries.
  

1997 James Cole (Caleb) 'rescued' by
Rafiq

• Olivia statement: Caleb seeking revenge for
  12 years.
  

• Why would Rafiq come back for boy? "Caleb"
  age 14
  

2002 Balk Diamond's goes public

• Why the delay 1987-2002? Vladek Rostrovich:
  reinventing or hiding?
  

• Knows about son? No current offspring. James
  Cole sole heir?
  

2009 Olivia Ruiz kidnapped

• James Cole "Caleb" deceased?
  

• Balk suddenly interested in slave trade?
  Motive?
  

• Balk - location unknown.
  ????????????????
  

Chapter
Twenty-Two

Caleb swirled his scotch in his glass, but
didn’t take a drink. His thoughts were with Livvie. Felipe had gone
upstairs, despite Caleb’s best efforts to stall him and get there
first. Fifteen minutes had passed and he hadn’t heard a gunshot, or
any screams. Good news, but his worries were far from dispelled. He
wanted his wits about him if things suddenly took a turn for the
worse. In many ways, they already had.

Caleb’s mind felt ravaged over how to deal
with Rafiq. Their relationship had always been complicated, but it
remained the closest Caleb had to family or friendship. Rafiq had
been Caleb’s salvation and so many other things over the years…and
now he contemplated killing him.

Caleb knew he couldn’t run away with Livvie.
Rafiq would hunt them down to the ends of the earth and while Caleb
could take care of himself, it was no life for Livvie. She deserved
better. He had considered separating himself from her, but he knew
if Rafiq couldn’t find Caleb, he would find Livvie again and use
her to get to him.

Rafiq deserved his revenge. Livvie deserved
to live her life. That left Caleb thinking about what he deserved:
nothing. He’d fought so hard to live, to survive, and he didn’t
relish the idea of ending it all, but he would…for Livvie, he
would. He’d lived a meaningless life that would culminate in him
destroying every meaningful relationship he’d ever had. At the very
least, he thought, he could have meaning in his death.

“What has you so troubled,
Khoya
?”
Rafiq asked in Arabic, now they were alone. He had sent Jair away
once he’d regained consciousness, and Felipe had used the
opportunity to excuse himself from the room. Nancy remained, but
she seemed unaware of her surroundings as she huddled on the floor
and supported Rafiq’s legs on her back.

Caleb gestured toward her with his drink,
“Is that really necessary?”

Rafiq smiled, “No, but she’s here, so why
not make use of her? Answer my question, what has you so
troubled?”

Caleb’s heartbeat accelerated and heat
traveled down his spine, but he attempted nonchalance, “Things are
moving quickly now. I keep going over things in my mind.”

“Yes, it’s been a long battle. I don’t know
which of us has sacrificed more to see Vladek suffer. The auction
is only the first step. It will be up to you to earn his trust, but
it will be worth it when everything he has belongs to us, even his
very life,” Rafiq said. He took another drink of scotch and Caleb
noted it was his third.

“Yes,” Caleb replied, but his tone hinted at
his unease.

“You’ve been strange these last few months,
Caleb. I would have thought you’d be happier to have your vengeance
so close at hand,” Rafiq said. He sounded irritated.

“Why can’t I just kill him, Rafiq? I would
do it. Gladly and in front of everyone, I would kill him. We’re
wealthy men. We don’t need his company, or his money,” Caleb said
and instantly regretted it.

“It’s not about the money, Caleb! It never
has been. I want it because it’s the only thing he loves as far as
I can tell. If you knew of the things he’s sacrificed for his
precious billions, it would be all you could do not to find him
now. Tonight! He has no wife, no children. He trusts no one! And he
has taken everything from me. Death is not enough. Torture is not
enough. I thought you of all people would understand!”

Hadn’t Caleb said something similar to
Livvie? It seemed like ages ago, the night he’d rescued her from
the bikers and informed her of her fate. She’d asked him why?

“
I have obligations, Kitten.” He
swallowed deeply. “There’s a man who needs to die. I needed
you…
need—
” He paused. “If I don’t do this now then I’ll
never be free. I can’t walk away until it’s done. Until he pays for
what he did to Rafiq’s mother, to his sister, until he pays for
what he did to me.” Caleb stood abruptly, his chest heaving. He ran
angry fingers through his hair and fisted his hands at his nape.
“Until everything he loves is gone, until he –
feels
it.
Then I can let it go. I’ll have repaid my debt. Then,
perhaps…maybe.”

“I do, Rafiq. I do understand. For twelve
years, my life has been nothing but our quest for revenge. I’m just
tired, Rafiq. I’m tired and I want it to be done. I want him dead
and I can’t wait for him to die slowly, but I’m ready to move on,”
Caleb said. It was the truth. He was ready to move on with his life
and he wanted it to be with Livvie. He wanted what could never
be.

Caleb stared at Rafiq, the man wasn’t well.
His hair seemed grayer, his face harder, and his eyes lacked the
slightest glimmer of compassion. In the entire time Caleb had known
him, he had never taken a slave for his own, trained them, yes –
kept them, no. The fact he’d kept Nancy alive this long and broken
her down so thoroughly spoke volumes about his mental state.

Caleb continued, momentarily resigned to his
fate, “Have you no thought for me?
Brother.
All those years
I spent as a whore? No one knows better than you, everything I
suffered. Did you never think I might want to forget? All those
years of being your shadow, learning how to kill, and training
whores for the very men who would have used me, did you never think
I might want to just walk away from it and be…I don’t know!
Something more!” Caleb felt as though a floodgate had been opened
in his soul.

“
I was finally going to show her she was
wrong about me…”

“You
are
something more, Caleb.
I
made you something more. I made you a man. I delivered
you! I made others quake in fear of you. Who were you before me?
Kéleb!
That’s who you were! A dog.” Rafiq slammed his glass
on the end table near his chair and kicked Nancy over for good
measure. Nancy’s sobs quickly filled the room, but she held her
hands over her mouth to stifle them.

Pure, uncut, rage thrummed in Caleb’s veins
and he’d never wanted to strike Rafiq so much. Only his thoughts of
Livvie staid his hand. Her life was in danger and it remained
Caleb’s responsibility to keep her safe. “I know who I am, Rafiq. I
know
what
I am. And I know I owe it all to you. You’ve
spoken to me so much about loyalty, but only minutes ago you were
willing to maim me to protect Jair, of all people. Where is the
loyalty?”

“
I told myself you couldn’t help
yourself. I told myself something happened to you to make you this
way, to make you as fucked up as me but you’re even more fucked up
than I am. And in the strangest corners of my mind I
thought…”

Caleb remembered Livvie’s fear, her despair.
She’d been brutalized by several men, beaten and bloodied. She had
thought Caleb was her savior. Caleb was no one’s savior. He looked
at Rafiq and saw the worst parts of himself reflected in the other
man.