AJ woke up the next morning in Vickie's house, located next to headquarters. She looked around curiously and made her way into the kitchen. She saw a picture of a young woman standing next to Vickie in what looked like Punk's office.
"Vickie, who is this?" She asked. Vickie was sipping her coffee at the table.
"Oh, her. That's Rosa. She was our second rescue. She had developed Stockholm syndrome. She had fallen in love with one of the men who tortured her. His name was Alberto. She liked him because he spoke Spanish. That was it. She threatened to go back to him and announce our business. She made an arrangement to meet Declan to take her back to the compound somewhere in Europe. We...ended up having to kill her. Like an animal. None of our guys wanted to actually shoot her. They felt it would a waist. You know. Risking your life for hers, just to end up killing her. So they held her down. Punk shot her. I was disgusted. It's a tough business, AJ. The first girl we ever rescued, her name was Layla. She never really got over what happened. We let her go, and she was doing fine. She checked in with us everyone week. Around August, it stopped. We figured she was busy. After the third straight week, we went to go find her. On the way to her house. We were stopped by a passing funeral precession. Dean got curious and followed them. We stopped. I asked one of the people who didn't look all too upset what had happened. He said her name was Layla El, and that she had been killed two weeks before. The man who kidnapped her and likely killed her? It was her cousin. Wade. Wade's one of four top ranking members of the Lonnies. The Lonnies contacted us to ask what had happened to the girl we had just bought from them. We said that we sold them to a Mexican buyer, and when we tried to buy her back, she had already been sold to a different buyer who we weren't able to find. For all they know, she was sent through multiple companies one of which let her go. Punk's really the one to ask about all this. Go see him if you'd like. His house is on the other side of HQ."
"Wow. That's...wow...intense. I think I have to see Punk. Thanks, Vickie. I'll talk to you later." She was shocked, but AJ had seen, heard, and been through worse. She nodded to Vickie, and left the house, slowly making her way past headquarters, taking the time to take in the emptiness of the area, the true height of the hill, the fresh air of the trees. When she finally reached his house, she found that the door was unlocked. Then it hit her.
"He's probably in his office." She whispered to herself. She went into HQ, and remembered the route they took to his office when she was first allowed to see him. Eventually, she found it, and she knocked on the door.
"Come in!" He yelled. Cautiously, she walked in. "Oh. Hello, AJ. Did you need something?"
"I just have some questions. Vickie told me about those girls. Rosa and Layla. Am I gonna end up like them?"
"The only concerns I have with you is Declan. Sorry, Daniel. Layla was killed by the man who kidnapped her. Daniel kidnapped you. It sounds like he is obsessed with you. That's why your staying with me. So I can protect you."
"That's nice and all, and it's like the one of the only time someone has tried to protect me, but why can't I stay with Vickie?"
"Let's be honest. Vickie's getting older. And weaker. Do you trust her, or a guy like me?" He said, smirking at her.
"I mean...it would technically be safer to stay with you." She said, reluctantly.
"So it's a deal. Anything else?"
"Why were you so quick to volunteer to kill Rosa?" She asked quickly. He was surprised, but he still answered.
"Because someone needed to. If I didn't, Alberto would've sent goons after all of us, and you wouldn't be sitting here. So you're welcome."
"Can you explain to me more about the League of Nations?" She asked him and he took a deep breath.
"Sit down, you're in for the long run." She sat down wide-eyed. "Early 2013 a man named Alexander Rusev sold a sex slave to an Irishman named Sheamus, who, to this day, we still can't find a last name on, and both men ended up with a huge profit. Together they sold off multiple slaves to a Brit named Wade Barrett. Wade joins the business. And, when business was booming across Europe, they decided to expand. That's when they met Alberto Del Rio and his main goons Diego and Fernando Colón. The Colóns work in Argentina and Brazil but spend most of their time with Del Rio. Anyway once Mexico and South America were covered, they wanted Canada. That's were Mr. Kevin Owens comes into play. Him, with the help of a young Canadian jackass named Tyler Breeze, tried to spread the trade across Canada. To this day, it happens, but it's very rare. Finally, the last step was the United States. When Rusev came to America, he went to Seattle. He saw an article in the paper about a man moving into town. He was from New Jersey and had been arrested several times for violence against women. Rusev tracked him down and met him. His name was Daniel Bryan. Daniel wasn't allowed to leave the United States. But Rusev got him a passport and everything. Under the name Declan Rodgers. Daniel knew these four guys. Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Luke Harper, and Erick Rowan. Bray covers the Southeast, mainly the docks of Florida where the slaves are usually brought in via cargo ship, Luke covers the entire West, Erick covers the entire south, Braun covers the entire North, and Daniel is on the North East territory. Braun's dead, actually. He was shot last year in a trade gone wrong. Luke and Erick have each been shot once in bad trades but survived. We didn't actually get involved until after Erick had been shot. The Lonnies refused to expand to Asia, Africa, and Australia. Australia was too remote and they would've been found out. The trade was already booming in Asia and Africa and they felt they'd end up in a war. Our first rescue was Layla El in December 2013. Kidnapped by her cousin Wade Barrett, and later murdered by him after we freed her. Second rescue was Rosa Mendes in June 2014, had Stockholm syndrome for Alberto Del Rio, I shot her. Third rescue fell threw in December 2014, slave died on the ship. Actual third rescue, AJ Mendez, June 2014. I'm not letting anything happen to her."
"April Jeanette."
"Excuse me?"
"April Jeanette. AJ is short for April Jeanette."
"Oh. Ok. Well Phil is short for Phillip. My middle name is Jack."
"Phillip Jack Brooks. Has a nice ring to it. Quick question. Can I bring one of my best friends into this? Everyone here is American. We need a Brit on our side."
"Can she a keep a secret?"
"I once wrote an anonymous letter that got my brother suspended for two weeks, I once stole $3000 from the company we worked for, we once made at a drive through, and she told no one about none of it."
"At a drive through?"
"Yes. At a drive through. Can I please call her?"
"Go ahead. Be warned." Punk cautiously handed her his phone, which she quickly dialed without missing a beat.
"Paige?...it's AJ...yes really...I can't explain it over the phone. You need to come see me. Where do you live?...oh damn, when did you move?" She covered the phone. "Punk where are we?"
"Just outside Chicago." He answered. AJ's face lit up.
"Paige, give me your address, I'm sending someone to get you." AJ wrote down the address and she was told, and then hung up. "Send someone to get her."
"Ooooo, sassy. I'll call Dean." A few seconds later, Dean picked up. "Deano where you at bud?"
"At a Walmart in Chicago."
"I'm gonna need you to pick up a chick on the way home."
"Well there's one I've been following around. She's pretty damn hot if I say so myself."
"No, perv. I'll text you her address."
"Even better."
"Don't fuck this up, Dean." Punk hung up, annoyed. "Does this mean I have to explain the Lonnies again?"
"Yes."
Around half an hour later, Dean came into Punk's office with a pale beauty following behind him.
"AJ! I'm so happy you're okay!" She yelled, running over and hugging AJ.
"Hello, Paige." AJ replied.
"C'mon dear, lighten up." Paige said, smiling, but even Dean understood the seriousness of the room.
"You should sit down." Dean said. Nervously she sat down. And over the course of an hour, Punk explained what had happened, and AJ explained why she had been gone.
"What about Kaitlyn? Does she know you're back?" She asked, wiping away the tears in her eyes.
"Daniel...he got Kaitlyn too. He went from my house to-"
"Punk you won't believe it! Rusev changed his dealings! You can buy whenever you want now!" Randy yelled, bursting into the room.
"Oh my god...how many at a time?" Punk asked, shocked.
"Still one."
"Punk please. You have to rescue Kaitlyn." AJ said, frantically. Kaitlyn was AJ's half sister. After Daniel had kidnapped AJ, he drove right to Kaitlyn's house and took her too.
"I'll give you the file of women up for grabs. Tell me if you see her." Punk reached into his desk and pulled out a large orange envelope. He undid the top and pulled out a thick black file. He handed it to her. "This is the catalog for 2014. Tell me if you find her, and I'll see if she's still available."
As AJ read through all the numbers and pictures, her movements became lesser and lesser. "I know...all these women. This one...729A...her name's Alicia. She was in the midst of forced oral and she bit this guy's dick. She was slapped...and beaten. For two hours. The day before I left, she told me she would never regret it." Everyone around her nodded. No one could come up with anything to say.
"So Paige, will you being staying with us?"
"Oh course I will. I'll go on a few missions if I have to." Paige said, grinning.
"Probably not. But we don't really have anywhere for you to stay."
"I'll stay with Dean over here!" She said. Dean grinned like an idiot.
"I'm game!" He said.
"Fine, Dean. You get your wish. Take Paige to go get her stuff." Dean smiled and Paige followed him. Randy sat down.
"That's it. That's her. 328B. I was 327B. Please, Phil. Please. Get her home safe." AJ began to cry looking at Kaitlyn's picture. No woman, or man for that matter, had gotten away with calling him by his name when they knew he preferred Punk. He looked around, but Randy beat him to the chase.
"AJ? I promise you, we will get Kaitlyn back. I'll take the boys myself. Hell, we might be able to get a delivery IN Chicago." He said, looking at her.
"Right you are Randy. 328B was sold. Five days ago. The transaction is to happen in downtown Chicago, at a Golf gas station, tomorrow morning. 5 am. I say follow the pickup and take over from there. Make sure there are no cameras." Punk got off his computer and stood up.
"This is all so fast. First I can't see her until December. Next I see her tomorrow." AJ was stunned.
"The business is intense. Randy, go see if Seth is still sick. We'll need a sniper on this one. And get Jimmy and Jey, they're good with sneak attacks. Only you four this time. Plans up to you. Have one of the guys take you there. Come back with the chosen transportation of the buyer. Or you're screwed."
This made AJ unhappy. She had not met Seth, or Jimmy and Jey for that matter. Trust the process; that was all she had left.
"Thanks, John. See you back there." John nodded and drove away. All four men were dressed in black head to toe. Seth Rollins was a natural sniper. He was 6'1, he was muscular, and his hair? Long, blonde, and black. Jimmy and Jey Uso were Samoan twins. They were Roman's cousins. Both of them were 6'2, muscular, same hair and skin as Roman, and just as many tattoos.
"Alright boys I see them. Seth, go anywhere where cameras can't see you and your not in plain sight. Jimmy, Jey, find a way into the van. From what I can see, there's benches in the van. Hide under them. When the dealer gets in the van to drive off, Seth you gotta shoot him. Boys when the buyer gets in his van, pull the silenced pistol and whack him. Ditch his body, radio me and Seth and I'll tell you where to come pick us up." Randy said quietly. Seth found a spot behind some trash cans down the street. The buyer went to help the dealer unload the cargo box from his van. The back of the buyer's van was facing away from the dealer and buyer.
Jimmy and Jey snuck over and climbed into the back of the van. They laid down sideways under the benches. It was dark. Hopefully dark enough to not get caught. Less then ten seconds later, the box was loaded into the van and the doors were closed. Jimmy took the silenced pistol out of the back of his pocket and waited for the driver to get in.
"Holy shit. That's Van Dam." Seth said quietly to Randy as he zoomed in the scope on his rifle. Van Dam got into his van. Seth's breathing got happy. He adjusted his shoulder and his fingers twitched. And finally, he pulled the trigger. And Van Dam's body slouched onto the drivers wheel.
"Target down." Seth said, smiling at the fact his kill was quick and easy.
The door to the buyers van closed. Jimmy slowed rolled in between the benches. He slowly climbed up and sat down on the floor. From the sitting position, he raised his arm and rested the barrel of the gun on the seat, pointed at the back of the buyers neck. It was one of those three person front seats. He held his breath and pulled the trigger. He knew it had happened immediately. The driver was dead. Jimmy and Jey climbed out of the back and walked to the front of the van. They threw the drivers body to the ground and climbed in.
"Driver dead. What's your location?" Jey asked over his radio.
"You'll see us. We're standing on the sidewalk." Randy said back.
Jimmy nodded and looked around and saw them. He drove to them and pulled over, and they climbed in the back next to the box.
"Next stop HQ." Jimmy said.
Maybe half an hour later they had pried the box apart. There was Kaitlyn. Two toned hair exactly like Seth's. She was average height but she a muscular build. She was conscious.
"I'm not going to hurt you. We're saving you. We're taking you to see your sister." Seth said to her.
She stood up from the box and hugged him. "I don't know who you are. I don't know what you do. But I love you." Slowly, he hugged her back. Vickie came into the room, and she took Kaitlyn to get some clothes.
"Alright I have clothes on. Can I see my sister now?" She asked. She was jumpy. She hadn't been free in a long time. She hadn't see people who weren't victims, who weren't going to hurt her, in a long time. Vickie waved for Kaitlyn to follow her and they went up the stairs and saw the double doors to Punk's office.
"I'm worried. I thought they'd be back by now." AJ said. She was pacing the room.
"AJ calm down. I promise you she's okay." Punk said. He knew it didn't calm her down, but he had to try. He had a strange attraction to this woman. He wouldn't admit it.
The doors swing open. Vickie stood behind them. Kaitlyn pushed past her. She broke into tears and her sister jumped into her arms.
The CeKlino Society had been a family for a long damn time. They got closer with each rescue. All for one, one for all. They were bound by true respect. They were family by true bond.
All for one, one for all.