Thomas Lord: Cloaked, Ch.11

Todd left the Herald and headed for the Savannah police station. His conversation had taken a lot longer than he had anticipated and Kym had now spent almost two days in jail. Todd wasn't sure how he was going to get in to see Kym, but he had a story in mind and he hoped the police would believe him.

Police stations weren't really his favorite places, he had been hauled into the one in Llanview more times than he could count. Still, he really needed to do something for Kym, she had gone so far out on a limb to get Lily out of the warehouse. He owed her. Todd walked up to the front desk and waited patiently for the officer on duty to give him some attention.

The officer looked at the man standing suddenly in front of him. He hadn't even heard him come in. "Sir may I help you?" he said, the gentleman was looking about with mild interest, and at his word, the man looked back at him.

"Well, I sincerely hope so. I was reading the paper and saw that you boys rescued a number of children recently, I realize this is a long shot, but I'm hoping against hope that maybe you rescued my niece. She went missing a number of years ago when she was a teenager and I promised my sister on her death bed that I would continue to look for her daughter. I already asked at the hospital if anyone around her age was brought in, but they informed me they had no one in their mid-twenties in their care. " Todd paused checking the face of the man listening to him, for now, the young man seemed to believe the story.

"Sir, I know that we have a number of people in custody, I don't know if any women were brought in, but I'd be happy to check," the officer pulled up the arrest records for the night of the raid and came across four females."Our records show we have four women under arrest."

"OH, this is dreadful. I'm afraid to ask, are any of those women in their twenties?" Todd should have gotten a little more information from John. Of course, now that he thought about it, they probably had used other women to take care of the smaller children too.

"Yes, there is one."

"I know I'm asking a lot but for my sister's sake is there any chance I could see this young woman. You can search me and everything, I just want to see if she could be my niece. I realize it's a long shot."

"I don't see anything in her booking that says she can't have visitors. I guess you could see her. I'll have the guard bring her into a holding room and you can see her there, mind you, the guard will be present." the officer made a call and directed Todd to the holding room.

Things were going well, it had only been necessary to talk to the one officer and he hadn't run into any of the men he had seen in the warehouse that night. It seemed strange to be standing, waiting to see a prisoner. Usually, he was the prisoner being seen. Todd heard the door behind him open and prayed that Kym would be the woman they brought to him. He turned and saw, with relief, it was her, but she didn't see him. Her eyes were downcast and her whole attitude was one of quiet subservience. She allowed the guard to take her to a chair and sat there silently looking at the floor.

Kym was terrified, it had been two days since she had been arrested along with the rest of the crew holding the children. The police had been a little rough at first and Kym had found herself at one point offering herself to one of the detectives, unable to stop the urges so deeply trained into her. It was only after they had pulled her off, that they had realized she was also a victim. They had then turned her over to a female detective who had tried to get her story, but Kym had been afraid to say anything for fear her master would hear and retaliate. She knew how vulnerable she was in jail. Her master had his spies everywhere.

When they told her, a man had come to see her she was sure it was a representative of her master. She continued to look down knowing they expected her allegiance and silence but deep in her heart she wished her visitor could have been Tom. She had hoped he would come see her the day after the arrest, but he hadn't, and she knew it had just been wishful thinking on her part that he would care what happened to her.

Todd walked over to the table and keeping in character exclaimed "Oh my god, is it you, Kym?"

Kym looked up startled. It was Tom. He was looking at her and once again she wondered how he was doing that. It really didn't matter, blind or not, he was actually there and she wasn't dreaming.

Before Kym could say anything Todd said, "Kym it's me your Uncle, dear I've been looking for you for some time. I just heard they have you under arrest but don't worry I'll see what I can do to help. I made a promise and I intend to keep it."

Kym looked into his eyes and saw his resolve, she wasn't sure why he said he was her uncle, but if he wanted to call himself that she wouldn't complain. "Uncle...Uncle Tom is that you? I can't believe you're here. I never thought I'd see you again."

Todd smiled and reached across the table to pat Kym's hand. She had taken his cue and that would help in the days to come. He could now continue to visit and get her a lawyer without making anyone in the police station suspicious. "It's alright Kym, I'm not going anywhere. It's not your fault and I know they must have done terrible things to you, for you to help these people."

Kim looked at his understanding eyes and broke down crying. Once again, he had touched her heart. She sobbed, her face buried in her arms, unable to stop the flood tide that had been held back ever since they had arrested her.

Todd gently stroked her hair letting her cry. He looked over at the guard and said. " Isn't there something you can do to help her, surely there's been someone checking her out." She was so distraught, Todd was afraid for her. "As her uncle, I insist you get her some help."

"I'm sorry sir, I can't leave the room." replied the guard.

"Damn it, this isn't some hardened criminal in danger of escaping, this is merely a young woman caught in a trap for many long years. Get her some help or I'll sue this police force with all the money I have. If you can't leave the room, call out the door, but get some help!" Todd had never been able to stand seeing Blair or Starr cry, and he especially hated to see kids hurt. Kym might look grown-up, but she was simply a child forced to grow up much too fast. " Shh Kim it will be okay, you just need the proper help. Please, you need to calm down, you'll just make yourself sick."

The guard, finally realized the girl was nearly hysterical, he went to the door and alerted another guard to get some medical help. When the department doctor arrived and tried to check her out, Kym flipped out and grabbed onto Todd begging him not to leave. Todd was completely knocked for a loop, it had never occurred to him how fragile mentally she was. She had been their captive for probably a decade or better and then she had agreed to help him. She was very near a breakdown because her mind was telling her two different things. One was to not talk or do anything that would harm her master and the second was wanting freedom from the awful things she had had to perform for her master. When she helped Todd, she had betrayed her Master and now she was feeling all the guilt they had drilled into her over the years. It was burying her and she was unable to process that she didn't have to feel guilty. Her master was the one in the wrong, not her.

Todd pulled her into his arms tightly, giving her support, and at the same time keeping her immobile so the doctor could give her a sedative. She never even felt the shot. Todd and the doctor laid her on the table until a stretcher could be brought to the room. Looking at the doctor, Todd said. "Will you see that she gets some help, she was as much their victim as the children were. I'll be back to check on her and the next time I'll have a lawyer with me." Todd was allowed to go with her to the jail infirmary, he was informed that she would be removed to the prison ward at the hospital that evening. Todd walked over to talk to her as she started to come around from the sedative."Kym, I want you to follow the doctor's instructions, it's important. Do you understand?"

Kym nodded at him and a tear rolled down her cheek as she watched him leave. She had prayed he wouldn't abandon her and he hadn't. She recalled the woman she had seen in the warehouse and felt such envy. Tom was such a good man if only he could have been hers.

****

Todd left the police station after making sure that Kym was on her way to the hospital. He cemented his position as her uncle before he left so he would be allowed visiting privileges. As he was getting ready to depart he noticed a couple of very distinguished Asian gentlemen headed in, they were obviously the lawyers, Amos' source had spoken about. He needed to find out more about the Yakuza connection. Had the lawyers been sent by them or the Daimler Corporation? It really didn't matter at this point, he knew some major money and power were behind the organization and it wasn't going to be a walk in the park to get the head of the snake.

Todd returned to his hotel and went to the laptop he had set up. He pulled up a list of high-powered lawyers in the state of Georgia. He would need one of the best to get Kym out of trouble and away from her bosses. After making contact, he set up an appointment to meet with the attorney and discuss Kym's case. It was very important that he got Kym out from under the influence of the people who were running things.

Todd reached over and looked at the file sitting next to the computer. He opened it and looked at the picture of Gregor Daimler. Daimler was probably pretty upset about the recent turn of events that had his ship being held by the government for transporting human slaves. Todd looked at the picture and got a queasy feeling in his stomach. There was something about his eyes, that reminded Todd of Blair. It was one thing if this was the man who had raped her mother, Blair had long ago figured out she was better off not really knowing her father. Still, if she were to find out her father was behind a human slave organization, it would probably tear her up inside. He knew how he had felt when he found out what Victor was really like. Todd put the photo away, knowing he had to find out soon if Daimler was related to Blair. If he was, and Todd could prove his involvement in the trafficking ring, Todd would move heaven and earth to keep Blair from finding out the truth.

Todd felt a chill run through him and realized he hadn't taken his next dose of medicine and had let himself get stressed earlier at the Herald. He grabbed the bottle and took the next dose and decided to lay down while he waited for Blair to return from Cassie's. Taking the ring off he laid it on the table next to the bed and closed his eyes giving them a chance to rest. His thoughts drifted to the story he had told Amos and slowly he fell asleep.

He was being wheeled down that damn hallway once again. The ornate doorway appeared and Todd found himself facing Kipling standing grinning with glee. He watched as that hated black hand pushed the switch and his body arched in agony as the implants began their dissection of his memories. All he wanted to do was escape, but it was impossible, he was trapped in that chair, with a body too broken to move of its own volition.

The scene shifted and he was in the lab, but this time he was standing over a man cowering in fear. Todd watched a small electronic device somehow crawl up Hesser's arm making it's way to the top of his head then it began burrowing into Hesser's skull and as Hesser screamed Todd began laughing, but it was with Peter's laugh. The laughter began echoing through the room in cadence with the screams coming from Hesser. Todd tried to stop the sound coming from his mouth and then he watched in horror as black ooze began coming out of Hesser spreading down from the top of his head and covering him, slowly creeping towards Todd.

Todd began tossing and turning on the bed, caught up as the covers tangled with his body.

Suddenly he was bound hand and foot, laying in utter darkness. He couldn't see and he heard children crying in the distance and he was trying to get to them, but he couldn't get free of his bonds. Try as he might, the more he struggled the tighter his bonds became, cutting off his air. He couldn't breathe and he knew it was only a matter of time before all was lost. Who had tied him? Why couldn't he get loose, the children needed him?  In the darkness, he suddenly heard the cry of a girl. She sounded like she was in the throes of passion, but then she would sob.

As if someone had turned on a light, he saw a strange tableau in front of him, she was just a child but she was begging the man to hold her and take her. The man had no face, he merely reached down, grabbed her and took her savagely. He turned and left her without another thought and a second man entered the room. She crawled to the second man and once more offered herself to him. The man began laughing and Todd flinched as the man's face turned familiar and helpless to stop him, Todd watched as his father Victor took advantage of the young girl. Todd struggled once again to free himself. He couldn't allow his father to hurt any more little girls. The room began to darken again as the laughter escalated. Todd heard a strange high-pitched sound and as his vision started to fade he glimpsed it crawling up his leg, it was headed for his heart, he was getting weaker from his bonds, he screamed but heard nothing. Everything was black, he could no longer see it but he listened to it getting closer and then it began to dig in.

Todd woke up screaming. Then he doubled over as the pain in his chest made him sick. God, this couldn't be it. He reached toward the nightstand and opened the drawer pulling out the pill bottle given to him by his heart doctor. He was struggling to get it opened when Blair came in the room. His hand was shaking so bad he watched as the bottle flew out and rolled to her feet.

Blair realized as soon as she entered that Todd was in trouble. When the bottle landed at her feet she grabbed it up, quickly extracted the pill, and rushed to Todd's side, giving him the tablet. He fell back onto the pillows, his breathing labored. "Todd, you hang in there. It can't be time yet."

Todd reached over and took her hand, he had no strength to do anything else. He lay there as the pain in his chest lessened. Deep down he thanked God, the pill appeared to be working. With the pain easing up, he gazed up at his wife and whispered. "You're right, it isn't time yet." She sobbed and gently kissed him.

****

Carlo was laying in his bed reading the news from Llanview. In some ways, he was grateful to Kipling for breaking his legs. It was certainly cushier to be in the prison ward at Llanview hospital than with the general population at the county lockup. The downside was that he had to look at Kipling most of the day. Even though they now both hated each other's guts, he and Kipling had been discussing the turn of events that had brought them both to this prison ward. No matter how hard they tried neither could figure out how they had ended up in Kipling's lab. When John McBain had appeared, Carlo had known he better tell his story before Kipling had a chance. He had started talking but hadn't been able to stop, before he had known it, he had blurted out his whole scheme. Even if he had wanted to stop, he couldn't, something inside him told him to tell everything to McBain. After he had told McBain his story, Carlo had sat there stunned and listened to Kipling spill his guts too. Now they were both claiming that they had been coerced into the confessions.

Unfortunately, neither had a leg to stand on. They had not only told McBain, but every cop standing in the room that morning had also heard their confessions. Word had gotten to him that his partners were in hiding, but that hits had gone out on both Samuel Toddman and Todd Manning just two days after the feds had started rounding up Carlo's crew. The prison ward was one day behind on the news and Carlo had just read about Todd Manning's death. Carlo smiled knowing that one less witness was out there.

Still the man Carlo really wanted dead appeared to still remain elusive. As of yet according to Carlo's grapevine; Samuel Toddman, the real Todd Manning, had disappeared the same morning as their arrest. Carlo had seen the old newspaper where Vicki had put out a plea for anyone to help as they searched for Toddman. So far, even the feds had been unable to find him. Carlo wasn't surprised. Toddman had proven to be an even bigger puzzle than Carlo had first suspected. He and the original Manning had butted heads a couple of times and each had managed to inflict damage on the other. Carlo had been taken aback when he and Kipling had delivered a man named John Doe to the Philadelphia Hospital; only to have that man wake up and instead of being a blank slate, had declared he had a name. They had both wondered who the hell was Samuel Toddman.

Toddman had left the hospital and had somehow managed to leave the country. If it hadn't been for his portrait of Blair, he would still have been unaccounted for. Carlo had been wary of the man after that and had kept an eye on him. Unfortunately, Carlo's impostor, the recently dead Manning, had started to unravel. After a discussion with Kipling, they had decided to keep a more vigilant watch on their guinea pigs. Then Blair Cramer had gone looking for the artist of a portrait given to her by her late husband. That had led Blair to Paris and she had found Toddman. Carlo had thought all was well when Blair left Paris without Toddman, then he found out that Toddman had fooled them all.

Somehow the Feds found him in his little estate in the Cayman Islands and had returned him to the states. When Carlo realized Toddman was no longer in Paris but Llanview, he had been convinced that Toddman had gotten his full memory back but when Toddman made no play to get back everything Manning owned, it had given Carlo hope the implants might still be functioning properly. After he had escaped federal custody he had decided to remain in the states to keep an eye on Toddman. He had even approached him a couple of times but each time he had found himself talking to an artist. Toddman had given no indication that he knew his real identity and so Carlo had left him alone but the more he watched the guy the more he had wondered if Toddman wasn't playing him. Carlo had finally decided to just take care of the problem and had ordered a hit on Toddman. He didn't find out the hit was unsuccessful until the morning of his arrest. To top everything else, not only had Toddman disappeared but his assassin had disappeared too.

Carlo lay back in the bed, The doctors had told him he was going to have to have a number of surgeries to repair the crushed bones in his legs. As such he was going to be in a wheelchair for a considerable amount of time. There was also some concern he might lose his right foot because they couldn't keep the circulation flowing there. Carlo swore he would find the person who had broken his legs. Then both his assailant and Kipling would pay.

As he lay there thinking he heard someone approaching his bed. Carlo opened his eyes to see an orderly approaching.

" Mr. Hesser, I've been ordered to take you down for some more x-rays on your right leg." The orderly waved a hand and the officer on the ward came and helped the orderly to move Carlo to the wheelchair.

Carlo didn't say a word, it was highly unusual to be taken for x-rays twice on the same day. Something was up. What was even more unusual was that a guard only followed them to the x-ray lab and didn't go in with him.  "Perhaps you could tell me who ordered this test?" he asked the orderly.

"I ordered it old friend." said the man who walked from the shielded room.

Carlo looked up in surprise at the gentleman standing in front of him. "Gregor, when did you get here?"

"I've been in the states for a couple of months and figured it was a good time to come visit my friend. Things are a little hot at headquarters so I'm keeping a low profile." Gregor pulled a chair over and sat down facing Hesser. "I've been informed by your lawyers that with the death of Manning, they think they can get the charges dropped due to your state of mind at the time of the confessions. We're pushing to get everything thrown out because Samuel Toddman has disappeared and without him, they no longer have an eyewitness to the experiments. Your Mr. Toddman is rather good at being invisible. My people haven't managed to locate him either."

Carlo nodded. "I'm not surprised. He eluded my men from the get-go. Even though he had no memory of who he really was. The man has a steel-like resolve for survival and he's very good at hiding. Believe me, I underestimated him and now I'm here and he's managed to dismantle one very profitable venture. We need to be careful, Gregor if you find yourself on his radar and he doesn't like you, he'll find a way to wreak some more havoc. What's this about things being hot at headquarters?"

"We've had an incident. Several shipments were intercepted by the Feds. We've sustained a million-dollar loss of product and to top everything else my ship is currently in the hands of the government. Luckily they are not going to be able to keep the ship in custody much longer. We had to relocate several of our shipments to other locations rather quickly when word came to us about the raids. Our other partners are currently working on silencing any personnel who have mistakenly decided to cooperate with the police." Gregor stood up and began pacing. "It was a little too close for comfort. Two of our partners and I myself were almost caught. I'm very grateful to Uchen, he's always ready for any eventuality and an escape off the ship was engineered by his people."

"So you're hiding low up here until things quiet down where, Gregor?"

"I was overseeing things in Savannah recently. We got hit in both Savannah and Wilmington. It turns out a crusading reporter managed to stick his nose in our business. and he got the police to listen. At the moment he's untouchable because he's too high profile but we've got his name and if he makes any more trouble he'll be taken out."

"So one reporter managed to take out both ports. That seems highly unlikely. My guess is someone in the organization leaked the news and this reporter ran with it after getting wind of the raid. It's been my experience that most reporters are too wrapped up in their own egos to care about social plights. You should probably be looking into our own house for the source."

"You could be right, Carlo, I'll order an investigation into our employees to see if we can figure out the mole. Well, I'm off for now, Carlo anything you and Kipling can do to make it seem like the police were the ones who forced those confessions will be helpful to your case. I need your strong right hand to keep our Asian partners from getting the upper hand. Uchen, in particular, is chomping at the bit to get more control."

"Before you go, Gregor, I'm dumbfounded you haven't talked about your daughter. Have you managed to see her while you've been in town?"

"Carlo, you know I don't discuss her. I understand she's looking for her husband Toddman. You should have informed me about their marriage. Victor's son could have been an asset at one time. But he developed a conscience. Which is too bad, he had a very promising future when he started out. As it is, he's on the opposite side now and, therefore, fair game.

****

The following morning, Todd was back to his old self, much to Blair's dismay. He wasted no time getting ready to go out to try and get additional info from Kym at the hospital, it was also his hope to talk to some of the families of the girls still at the hospital. He was hoping to get information from them on the steps taken to find their daughters and to get individual reactions. Blair tried to warn him it was a very delicate matter and she reminded him, he wasn't one to use kid gloves. That's when he came up with the idea for Blair to interview family members while he chatted with Kym. At first not too keen on the idea, Todd talked her into it by pointing out she knew what it was like to have a daughter missing and she would be able to empathize with the families.

Todd headed to the prison ward at the hospital and Blair found out where the eight girls were being treated and went to that floor. Stepping out of the elevator she soon figured out the exact location of the girls because of the reporters hanging around. It didn't take her long to realize the reporters were doing exactly what she had been afraid Todd would do. They were barraging the families with questions any time a family member left the room of a girl. Blair went and found the doctor who had treated Lily and Todd and with the doctor's help, the floor was soon clear of the reporters. Everyone was very appreciative of Blair's help and she explained that her great-niece had been one of the girls taken so she understood what they were going through. Before long she was talking to them like their oldest friend.

Todd had reached the prison ward and informed them he had permission from the police to visit his niece. He walked toward Kym's room grateful that the hospital did provide some privacy for the patients in the form of separate rooms. They had close circuit cameras keeping watch of the prisoners but no sound which was just what Todd needed.

Kim heard the footsteps of someone nearing her room, so far no one from the organization had been to see her and she was grateful, but each set of footsteps always raised her level of anxiety. She looked up to see Tom enter her room and before she could stop herself, she ran to him and hugged him.

Todd hadn't been prepared for her hug and found it a little uncomfortable, but he knew she needed it so he stood quietly just patting her shoulder for a few minutes, then he extricated himself. He slowly pulled out of her embrace and taking her hand, led her back to the bed.

Kym had realized the moment she hugged him that he was uneasy and it was with sorrow that she let him pull away. He looked a little worn and she wondered if he was alright. Remembering he was supposed to be her Uncle, she went back to the bed and waited for him to start the conversation.

"Kym, how are you holding up? Are they treating you okay here?"

"They've been very kind Tom, I'm seeing a doctor to help me with some of my feelings, It's hard for me, I want to please them but they tell me what I'm trying to do isn't good for me and so I'm surrounded by females to take away some of the pressure to please."

"Kym, have any Corporation Lawyers been to see you yet?"

"No one so far, but I'm not sure they know I'm here. The men would be the first they would try and get out. I'm not a danger to them so I'll be the last they worry about."

"You're more of a danger to them than they realize so I've got a lawyer coming later this afternoon to talk to you. I need to ask you some important questions and I hope you'll be able to answer them. Kym that first afternoon on the dock, I overheard you tell Frank that your boss wouldn't be happy with him if he delayed you from your errand. Was your boss in town when you said that?"

Kym looked at Tom apprehensively, "Tom, I'm not sure if I should answer that, I'm not even sure if I can answer that. He's my master and I would be betraying him."

Todd didn't know how far he could pressure her, but he had to know if her boss might have been one of the three gentlemen who had managed to escape that night. "Kym, you do know he can't hurt you anymore, you're free of him. Why are you protecting him?"

Kym began to cry softly, she wanted to tell Tom, but she was afraid. Her master had many eyes and ears, she had seen how far his reach was and she didn't want Tom getting caught in the crosshairs of one of her master's assassins. "Tom, you don't understand, I'm not afraid for me, I'm afraid for you. Only two people know of your involvement the other night, Sid, and his friend. They don't know your name but if they did, I'm sure you would already be dead. My master and his partners have a lot to lose and you already cost them a bundle. I'm grateful for everything you did that night and what you've done to help me, but I won't be responsible for getting you killed."

Todd was stunned. It had never occurred to him that she was reluctant to help catch her master because of him. There had to be some way to make her understand that if he was caught then he couldn't hurt anyone. Besides he was pretty sure they already had Thomas Lord on their enemies list."Kym if you think you're protecting me let me put your mind at ease, anything you tell me won't endanger me. Your bosses already know my name, I'm a reporter and my story is already published. For now, they'll be working on damage control but they'll keep my name.  Luckily they don't know what I look like.  As far as Sid and his friend are concerned they know me by sight but no name. They probably think I'm affiliated with the police."

"But Tom that just makes it worse, it's hard to explain my relationship with my Master, I've been with him for so long."

"Alright don't get upset, but I have a picture I'd like to show you, maybe you could tell me if you know this gentleman." Todd reached into his pocket and pulled out the picture of Gregor he had printed out. He unfolded it and handed it to Kym.

"Papa! It can't be, why do you have a picture of Papa?"

"Kym, what are you saying, is this man your father?" Todd was horrified.

Kym looked up into Tom's face, she could tell he was upset, she looked back at the picture of her master and father, he was a man she both loved and hated. How could she explain Papa to Tom? "Tom, where did you get this picture?"

Todd gathered his thoughts. If he told Kym he suspected the man in the picture to be the one behind the slave-ring then it was tantamount to accusing her father. "Kym before I answer your question, I need to know why you called that man Papa? I don't want to hurt you, I just want to help you."

Kym nodded, Tom said he didn't want to hurt her but she was worried about what he might do if he knew the truth about Papa. She had seen him with Sid and knew he was capable of great anger. If he went after Papa, someone might get killed. He hadn't killed Sid, maybe he wouldn't kill Papa.
"Tom, I'll tell you, but you must promise not to go after him. I'm afraid if you try, one of you will die. I don't want anything to happen to you but I can't let anything happen to him either."

Todd's heart sank, he knew what she was going to tell him.

"Papa is my master and also my father," Kym stated it quickly and continued with her explanation before Tom could say anything. "I was taken from my mother when I was just entering puberty. I hadn't known my father and my mother would only tell me he was someone she met at her first job. She worked for an embassy and he was an attache for his country at the time.  They had a fling and then he was sent back to Germany. She said he left for Europe before she could tell him about me." she paused watching him, but Tom merely stood and listened, not saying a word.

"When the organization grabbed me, they shipped me to Europe where my training commenced, I learned quickly that in order to survive you did as you were instructed and soon I was following their commands to the letter, I realized I could give pleasure and if I did it well, I would be treated okay. I worked hard to be one of the girls that the men wanted. Then they informed me I had been bought and that my new master was to receive me that very night. I was very eager to meet my new master. I knew every way imaginable to please a man and I wanted to show off my new skills.  They took me to a fancy hotel and up to his room, as instructed I didn't look at my master and then my handlers left us alone. My master ordered me to strip and I obeyed without question. Then he stood in front of me and ordered me to my knees where I was instructed to please him." Kim's voice caught as she recounted all that she did to her master.

Todd felt like he was a bit of a voyeur as he watched Kym's face light up with rapture as she told her story and then he felt such pity for her because all her pleasure with the act was a lie. A lie she had been taught to believe and accept as the only true way to enjoy sex. She had never been loved for herself, she had merely been a tool for someone else's gratification.

Kym told how her master had finally lain with her and had told her a secret that night. "He held me in his arms and said he was proud of me that I was an excellent pupil. I thanked him and told him I was there to please him. That was when he told me, I was his daughter and I had pleased him very much. I remember being happy that he thought of me as his daughter and it wasn't until later that I realized he meant it. I was young and very impressionable and although I had just had sex with him, I was having sex with my master and didn't think that was wrong. It was only a little later that I realized that my relationship with him wasn't normal but by then I was in love with him. My father had made certain that there would never be any children produced between us. One night he let slip that I had a sister, but I don't know if that was true or not. What I did get from that statement was that she and I were the only children he had. When I reached eighteen my father began using me to keep his guests entertained and another young girl took my place in his bedroom." Kim stopped, she remembered how hurt she had been when her father had begun giving her away to his friends, of course, she had done as told because she had been trained that way. Over the last few years, she had seen her father for the beast he was, as she had been sent to begin training other young girls in the arts of seduction and teaching them how to please their masters. That was when she had started to hate him, but whenever he came to the states and sought out her company she immediately reverted to the daughter who would do anything for him as she looked for any sign of approval. Her love for him was sick, but it was love all the same.

When Kym had stated matter-of-factly that her father had had sex with her and then informed her, he was her father, Todd had almost gotten sick. He kept having images of his father Victor taking his sister Vicki under the pretext that she was his beautiful daughter. His father had been a pedophile and it appeared Gregor Daimler had gone one better than Victor, not only was he a pedophile but he was also a rapist, a pimp, and a slave trader too. When Kym had mentioned a sister, Todd's heart had sunk because he was almost positive now, that Blair was also Daimler's daughter. He hadn't wanted it to be true. Blair had always been so strong, it would kill her to find out what her father was really like. Todd found his breathing increasing and knew he was beginning to hyperventilate. He made a quick excuse to Kym and stepped out of her room, he had to get his emotions under control everything was beginning to get a little overwhelming.

He was leaning against the wall outside the room trying to slow his breathing when a nurse came to his rescue and recognizing the symptoms got him something to breathe into. As his breathing slowed and his color came back she offered him a drink of water and told him if he wanted to sit down for a few minutes he could, but Todd thanked her and told her he had just gotten shaken by what his niece had told him and that he appreciated everything she had just done. Feeling he could face her, he returned to talk to Kym for just a little longer.

Kym looked up in relief when Tom reentered her room. When he had left so abruptly she had been worried he wouldn't return. She feared he had found her story so repugnant that he wanted nothing more to do with her. She took note of the fact that he looked a little pale but otherwise seemed alright.

Going straight to Kym, Todd reached out and took the picture from the bed. He had to know if his suspicions were true, from everything she said, Todd knew Gregor was aware of the organization, hell, he had procured Kym from them. What he needed to know now was if Gregor was one of the major backers of the organization and if he was one of the three men that John had reported missing from the boat. "Kym I have to know. Was your Papa at the warehouse that night? A simple nod or a shake will suffice." He could see her hesitating and he went and stood directly in front of her and cupped her head in his hands. He looked into her eyes and said. "Kym, if he was there, then we'll at least know he's in the States. I know you feel something for him, but you have to know he needs to be stopped if he has anything at all to do with this ring. The rest of the children need your help. So will you tell me?"

She couldn't help herself, the gentleness of his voice and the touch of his hands were her undoing. All she really wanted was for him to take her into his arms, but she knew that was a fantasy. Turning her head ever so slightly in his hands she gently kissed his palm and as he released her head she nodded her answer. All her life she had only loved one man and that had been so wrong. She loved her father. But having met a man who knew how to treat women like something more than property, she realized her love for her father wasn't really good love. The love she had seen between Tom and his woman at the warehouse had been something very deep. She had been envious that night, wishing Tom had looked at her the way he had looked at the other woman.

Todd got his answer after he had released her head. Kym's nod telling him that Gregor was in the United States. He had seen something else in her eyes that made him feel sad. Kym had fallen in love with him. Her simple kiss had said it all. He had also seen resignation to the fact that her love was one-sided. A simple "I'm Sorry" seemed so inadequate at the moment, but he said it with as much feeling and understanding that he could. He prayed that one day Kym would find a love like he had with Blair. It wasn't yet time to tell Kym about Blair or visa-versa. He still needed to check with Addie to make sure his guess was correct.

"Tom, what will you do now? "

"I'll be giving the information to a friend I know so they can try and find him. Kym, I intend to get you free of him no matter what. Now whatever you do, don't tell the attorneys from the organization anything. The attorney working for me will be here later to discuss your case, his name is Andrew Franklyn and he's one of the best attorneys in Georgia. I believe you can trust him. Kym, I have to leave now. But I'll return soon. Listen to your doctor and Mr. Franklyn." Todd turned to leave, but Kym grabbed his arm.

"Tom, I'll be fine, but you really must be careful, going after Papa is dangerous, his friends are powerful and mean."

Todd was well aware of Daimler's friends and if possible he would try and stay out of their way but he wanted Daimler, and when he wanted it bad enough he usually found a way to get it. "I'll be careful Kym, I promise."