"So that leaves Tera and Geo." Becca folded her hands on the table.
"Geo will make his own choices. If he chooses to come here, we'll offer him a home as well. If not, Parson will find him a good one there. As for Tera, we'll take her if she doesn't have family, but Parson has a lot of digging to do on her background first," Beau told her. "I'll let Bryon know the option is there, so he knows how to approach the kids."
Becca reached over and gripped Parson's arm. "You two are so amazing. That's a lot to take on. Not everyone would step up like this. Hell, the thought of taking on kids scares the hell out of me. I feel weak for not offering to take them, but I just couldn't do it."
"Not everyone is a family person, but Parson and I love our kids. We're excited to add Eric to the family. We'll meet with our kids in a day or two and sit them down to explain. I think they'll be excited as well." Beau leaned over and kissed Parson. "We'll have a houseful of grandkids someday."
"God save us." Parson laughed.
Becca loved these two men so much. "I can't tell you the relief I feel knowing we'll have a safe home for all of them. I don't know what to say. Thank you doesn't seem big enough. Eric has no idea the gift he's getting."
"Let's just hope I can manage the paperwork this is going to take." Parson sighed. "It's a nightmare when a child has no identity to start with."
"If anyone can do it, you can. Get with Carter. He can create an identity if you need him to. He did it for Dyson. We've got your back on this." Becca stood and went around to hug each of the men. "I love you both."
"Ditto." Beau kissed her cheek.
"I have to go switch out laundry. Yell if I can help you with anything. I'll keep quiet about this until you two are ready to announce it. I think you're right about keeping it quiet until we get the other two to Michigan." She shook her head in amazement as she left the room. She'd been so worried about finding them homes and now they'd found one, right here with the team.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Xander nodded to Kacey as they slowly approached the home of Ron Croatz, the CPS worker they'd found photos of raping children. The house was dark except for a small lamp in the bedroom. They'd gone over the layout of the home several times and were pretty sure it was the master bedroom.
There weren't any close neighbors here. The home had a large yard, and the area was newer. Croatz's home was one of the first few in the area. It made it less likely they'd be seen going into the home, but harder to hide their car in the area since it was so deserted that any vehicle would draw attention. They'd found a spot to park about two blocks away that hopefully wouldn't have anyone questioning them. They stayed to the shadows as they walked in, both silent as they prepared for what they needed to do.
Xander didn't like the fact that there'd been no news about Roger Carson being attacked. The silence made him nervous. There should have been a small article or something about a police officer being attacked at home, even if they didn't give details. Not knowing if they'd warned others involved made things even more dangerous. He didn't have any way of knowing if Croatz was waiting for them or if he was completely unaware that people he worked with were being taken down.
Kacey held up a fist to tell Xander to stop. He froze, trusting Kacey completely. He glanced around, looking for what had Kacey on alert.
A small dog ran down the other side of the street, not paying them any attention. Xander held his breath, praying the dog didn't catch their scent. When the dog just kept running, he let out the breath, watching as the dog ran farther down the street until it was out of sight.
Kacey nodded and started to move again. They were so close. They only had to move down the side of the house and would hopefully find a window or door to get into. They hadn't had the time to do recon like they usually did, so they were going to have to plan as they went. It was more dangerous, but they'd done this enough times to know what to look for.
As they approached the backyard, Kacey pointed. There was a door leading from the yard to the garage. There was probably a door from the garage to the house if they could get inside. He inspected the area for wiring or signs of cameras or alarm systems but saw nothing. Carter had told them the home didn't appear to have any security. A dog barked in the distance, but other than that the night was silent. Almost too silent. It was eerie, but a little bit of unease wouldn't stop them. By taking out one pedophile, they were saving on average five kids from being hurt in the future. Sometimes the numbers were even higher.
Kacey turned the knob on the door and shook his head, then pointed to the sliding glass door farther in the yard.
Xander touched Kacey's arm, shook his head, and pointed down. Inside a window well about ten feet from them, the window was open, only a screen blocking their way inside.
Kacey grinned and nodded.
Xander pulled out his knife and moved forward, taking the lead. He quietly walked to the window well, then stooped down to see if he could look inside. The room was dark except for the display on some electronic box by the far wall of the room. He quickly slipped into the window well and cut the screen, again looking around for any signs of alarms. Unable to see anything, he tore the screen out of the way and slid into the house. His feet hit something and he stilled, careful not to knock anything over. He repositioned his feet carefully, then twisted to slide to the floor. He quickly saw a small table with books on it and moved them aside so Kacey didn't have to worry about hitting them as he followed Xander inside.
Xander pulled out his penlight and clicked it on, looking around the room for a moment. Seeing nothing more than a couch, TV, and gaming system, he moved on. Kacey was right behind him, staying close in case they needed to respond to something quickly. He found the stairs and slowly started up, listening closely for any sounds of movement above them.
As they got to the main floor, Xander paused again, using his penlight to glance around the room. He moved into the room, then pointed to a computer sitting on a desk against one wall. Kasey nodded. They'd have to check it before they left. They'd talked beforehand and they weren't leaving each other's side until they had the perp incapacitated. Once he was down, Xander would do the cutting while Kacey explored the house for information.
Xander moved farther into the room toward the hallway. The door to the main bedroom was closed, but there was a faint light coming from beneath it. He couldn't hear anything, but that didn't mean Ron wasn't reading in bed or had headphones on. They had to be ready for anything. He moved silently down the hallway, stopping as he reached the door. A nod from Kacey told him he was ready. Without hesitation, Xander traded the penlight for his gun, turned the knob, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
Ron Croatz sat up in bed, looking confused. It was clear he'd fallen asleep with the lights on. He jerked back as Kacey approached the bed. "Who are you? What do you want?"
Kacey grabbed the man and stuck the syringe into his neck before Ron could realize what was happening. He had a few seconds to struggle before the effects of the medication kicked in and he lost all control of his muscles. His body slumped to the bed, unable to move. He stared up at them, fear and confusion in his eyes.
"Ron Croatz, you work for Child Protective Services here in Las Vegas. You've kidnapped children out of the system, placed them in abusive foster homes, sold them to traffickers, and even raped and abused them yourself. Did you really think you could get away with it?" Xander asked.
"We're here to make sure you never hurt another child." Kacey cut the man's pants from his body.
The fear in Ron's eyes was telling. He knew he was in trouble.
