Obsession! Seoksoo

Joshua

I knew that Seokmin was unhappy I wasn't sharing information with him, but I didn't want to tell him anything I wasn't sure about. That was very dangerous in this line of business. One small piece of misinformation, one tiny screw-up, could get an innocent person killed.

The NOC list was driving me crazy. Just when I thought I was making headway, it seemed there was another layer.

What I did know was the NOC list was not what it seemed. It wasn't a list of anything. It appeared that there were a series of files inside a larger, master file; like an onion, I kept having to pull back more and more layers.

I managed to get one of them partially decoded. It consisted of some dates and times of known child abductions. Across the state, the number of kids that had disappeared had increased by an alarming rate. In a six month period, twenty kids between the age of ten and fourteen had disappeared. Seventeen of the kids were female, and three of them were male. The kids were of all different ethnicities—no sense of consistency in that department. Apparently perverts had no racial bias.

It was astronomical. What was especially interesting was that all the kidnappings that occurred in Venture City were happening in Valenti territory.

A couple of kids were snatched from the park while they were playing. Their moms said that they had blinked and then the kids were gone. Two others were kidnapped from bus stops. Another little girl was kidnapped while she was riding her bike. The bike was found on the side of the road, with signs that it had been hit by a car.

I was working harder on this project than ever before. It had taken precedence over the investigation into my parents' death, for two reasons. One was that I had a problem with people hurting kids. I hated people who targeted kids, innocent old people, disabled people, or animals. If they want to come after me, at least I have a chance to defend myself, as did most adults. But to hurt someone who couldn't defend themselves was unconscionable.

The other reason was that if Donatto, Valenti, or both were behind it, then taking them down for trafficking would be the perfect revenge for the hell that they put me through.

My alarm dinged, letting me know that it was time to get ready for my appointment with the tailor. I was extremely excited to be getting a chance to breathe the air outside of the compound. I knew that Seokmin had just been trying to protect me, which I appreciated, but God, it would be good to get out.

As I was shutting down my laptop, there was a sharp rap on the door and Jenkins poked his head in.

"Are you ready? Your car is downstairs."

I nodded. "Just let me put my stuff in my office."

He waited outside the door while I packed up then poked my head into Seokmin's office.

"Seokmin, I'm heading out. Are we still meeting at the restaurant later?"

He was on the phone, but he smiled, nodded, and waved.

When I stepped outside, I took a deep breath of fresh air. Although I had been outside a lot before, on the compound grounds, today would be the first day that I was leaving the restricted area, so it somehow smelled different—sweeter.

As the car pulled out of the gates, my heart started beating a million miles an hour. This is what I had wanted, but at the same time, it scared the shit out of me. My lungs felt as though a million pounds were sitting on them and my throat was closing on me. I had to force myself to relax.

"You alright?" Soonyoung asked me, giving my shoulder a squeeze.

"Yeah," I replied. I was panicking, I realized, because the last time I had been anywhere, I had been kidnapped and held captive for two months.