Avenging Laura (Special Forces: Operation Alpha)

Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“What do we know about the people that have my daughter?” General McCoy questioned as he looked around the room, ignoring Kathy.

“We know that David and his daughter, Maria, dub themselves Arrow. They have their hands in several pockets of human trafficking that we are now connecting them to. What I’m not getting is if David and the last two groups we’ve encountered have such low regards for women, especially women in control, how is it that Maria is able to do the things she’s doing? Wouldn’t David be keeping a tight leash on her?” York wondered as she looked over the file she had in front of her.

“That’s always been my curiosity,” Diesel replied, agreeing with York.

“What if someone else is really the mastermind but to keep themselves hidden, they chose Maria to be the face for the meetings and what not, letting her think she’s in charge?”

“Dad isn’t smart enough to come up with all this. I have to agree with York. Someone else is pulling the strings. He is the manager, and Maria is just the face. She hasn’t done anything that warrants them to have her punished, yet. They’ve stayed under the radar since the last raid. That was on Adamson, not them at that time,” Dominick reminded the group.

“Raid? Adamson?” General McCoy looked between Dominick to Alpha Squad for an answer.

While Dominick advised Wolf, Ghost, their men, and General McCoy about the case that had him meeting his lass, Highlander looked over at his team. They had been the main team that worked on trying to bring down Arrow before he’d met Laura. The fact that Maria was claiming she was the Arrow never sat right with them.

“Maria isn’t Arrow. She’s the new face. Dominick, what is known about ye father’s side of the family and Laura’s ex-husband’s family? I know Jon’s father, grandfather, and uncle were all part of congress in some shape or form. What about David’s family?” Highlander asked, looking over at Dominick.

“Dad was one of three boys. Never met the brothers.” Dominick shrugged as he looked over at his mother.

Kathy coughed as she realized all eyes were on her. She refused to look up and acknowledge anyone or that she knew they were staring at her.

“You better speak up, Kathy. You don’t want to be on my bad side any more than you already are,” General McCoy warned the woman.

“Um, he had two other brothers. I know the younger one was killed in Afghanistan at the height of the war on terror. The oldest one, Milton, I think his name is, got out of the Marines after he was injured in the Gulf War and went into business with their father. Their mother had supposedly died when the boys were younger, so they were raised by their dad who was a businessman after serving in the Marines himself. I don’t know much about them. They rarely ever came around. After Dominick was born, David went to them,” Kathy stammered through her explanation to them.

Dominick’s head turned back toward his mother so fast, it made Highlander’s head spin. He didn’t know a head could turn that fast if he was honest. Something that Kathy had said had caught Dominick’s attention.

“What is it son?” General McCoy noticed Dominick’s head spin.

“I remember Dad taking me to meet someone named Milton and an older man, James, I think he said his name was. I was never told their relationship, but the old man got angry when I refused to join in on something they wanted to do. Said I was soft like someone named Delbert and that’s why he was killed.”

“What did they want you to do?” Ghost asked the question that was on everyone’s mind.

“I don’t remember much. I kind of blocked it out. That was the last time, until the whole thing with Adamson years later, that Dad took me anywhere with him. I remember hearing someone crying in another room. I refused to go in there because they wanted me to hurt the person in the other room,” Dominick answered, tilting his head as he looked at his mother, his eyes going wide when she looked away from him.

“Who was in that room?” Captain Irby questioned Kathy when she saw Dominick’s expression when he looked over his mother.

“L-Laura. They wanted Dominick to hurt Laura. He refused to. They were getting ready to go in and hurt her when word came in that the house was being raided by federal agents. James and Milton were under federal investigation for something Milton had done. David had to get Dominick and Laura out of there. They went underground after that.” Kathy sniffled as she looked continued to look down at her hands.

“Wait the fuck a minute! Are you telling me that David was part of a human trafficking ring even then?” Jeannette demanded, standing up as she bent down to get into her daughter’s face as best as she could.

“Yes. His family is part of an underground society that trains women to do their bidding, harshly. Women are nothing but property while the men are king,” Kathy admitted before staring up at her mother, glaring. “That’s what you let me marry into.”

“I will backhand you so damn hard if you don’t stop blaming your crap on everyone except yourself. You and you alone trapped that man into marriage. You could have told me and your father what was going on and we would have gladly gotten you out of there. Your father had pull, even then. But you never told us anything. Even when we came to you after we found the bruises on Laura, you still lied to us.”

“I was scared!” Kathy screamed at her mother, jumping up out of her seat.

“I think that’s the most honest thing you have said since you’ve opened your mouth about anything!” Captain Irby told the woman, no compassion in her voice.

“Now, tell us what you know about your ex-husband’s other children and what their names are. I know that you know, so don’t pretend like you don’t. I know you like to keep your fingers in everyone’s business,” Sheriff Phillips demanded as he walked into the room looking around before his hard, cold eyes landed on Kathy.