Twisted Moon - Book 3 of the Black Moon series - Chapter 65: Early Investigation

(Camden's POV - Tue. 7 July 2015)

"Let me out!!!!!" I shout for the umpteenth time, trying to shake the unswaying bars that keep me prisoner in this cell. I have been locked in here for hours now and I am really getting claustrophobic. It is not so much the size of the cell that makes me suffocate, but how useless it makes me feel. I should be out and searching for Noah right now but I am here, unable to do anything about it. "Let me the fuck out!!!" I shout again but like it has been the case for the past few hours, no one comes to see me and I only get another Shut the fuck up! coming from another cell.

The rage that is running through my veins is the only thing that keeps me alive right now. From the moment the car pulled away from Aaron earlier this afternoon, I realized how stupid it was to take it on the two policemen. Of course, they wouldn't do anything for Noah. My Baby Boy is an adult and I did think the Police wouldn't file a report or start investigating before a few days of absence, especially when there is no evidence he was kidnapped or anything.

It's not like I haven't been through that already. I remember how they gave me a hard time when I found out my mother disappeared with Sony. They did file a report, but I'm not sure they ever really looked into the case. More recently, it was kind of the same with Jeremy. It was even more complicated due to the letter Gary received – saying Jeremy had willingly left – and it took ages before they accepted to investigate a bit more seriously. Mark didn't even try with Alex... He went straight for Joshua's help and this is what I should have done.

Indeed, the only person who would be able to help me right now is Tony because he has a lot of connections and knows several private detectives. I should have shut my trap and gone to him instead of arguing with the cops, but I fucked up. Again. And that's probably the biggest fuck-up ever. Now I can only blame myself and rack my brains to find a solution to get out of here. But all I can think about is Noah. My Baby Boy. What happened to him? I have already eliminated the option of a runaway. I don't even know how I could even think about it because I am utterly certain he would never do that. Not after all we have lived in the past few months. Not after what happened with Alex.

So what? Did he have an accident? That lead can definitely be forgotten too because of the collar which was found severed. The only other possible scenario is a kidnapping, but... Why the hell would someone kidnap him? A ransom? Fuck! I would give anything for Noah, even my life! I am well-off but I'm not filthy rich and the amount of money I would be able to give is so ridiculously low! I don't think anyone would take such risks for so little cash. But what else then?

For the sake of my mental health, I refuse to dig further into that kind of thoughts and get back to my shouting instead. I can hear footsteps coming in my direction and soon enough, two men appear around the corner. One is an officer carrying a large bunch of keys and the other one is a fairly tall guy dressed in a very sophisticated business suit, carrying a small case. He must be in his late thirties, with blond hair done stylishly and his serious appearance clearly says LAW. I take a few steps back when the officer opens my cell and lets the guy in before he locks it again. The man watches the policeman leave and then turns to me with a friendlier expression, yet keeping a serious mask on.

"Mr. Hall, I am Kayden Jonsson and I am here on Mr. Pierce's request. I would love to say it's nice meeting you, but the circumstances are not really appropriate," the man says as he holds his right hand for me to shake it. After a quick and polite greeting, he continues. "These guys have been a pain in my neck but I should be able to get you out shortly. However, I need you to calm down and keep quiet. No more insults," he says with an insisting scowl.

"Okay..."

"They don't have much to keep you here, so it should be fairly easy to get you out, and they're not investigating yet on Mr. Mitchell's disappearance..."

"Of course, they're not..." I snort sarcastically.

"There's no evidence of a kidnapping, but you can still file a missing person report. Contrary to what people think, there is no waiting period to report a person missing, even if it's an adult."

"Really? Why didn't the police officers tell me that then?" I exclaim.

"Some of them can be real jerks," Mr. Jonsson whispers, "and... they probably got upset by your attitude. I recommend that you do this calmly, tomorrow morning," the lawyer then advises. Not sure it will help much though.

"Fine, I'll do that... Do you know if... if anything has been found about Noah? Has Joshua said anyth..."

"All I know is that Tony Jacobson is on the case and that Mr. Cox is waiting for you upstairs. I'm sorry, I don't know anything else."

"Okay... thanks."

"I'll be back as soon as possible. It shouldn't take more than an hour now."

With that, he turns around and calls for the officer who comes to open the door for him and throws me a dark look that I resolutely ignore as he locks it again. I will myself to calm down as promised and go to sit on the bench to sort my thoughts out. The most important information is that Tony is working on Noah's disappearance and that is already a good point. I wish I knew more about what he may have found out but I guess I will have to wait for a little longer. I don't even know what I am going to do once I am out of here. How should I proceed? If Noah has been kidnapped, and there is no evidence of that other than my personal convictions, how will I be able to find him? Am I supposed to wait for a ransom request? What if it never comes?

After another long moment, Mr. Jonsson finally comes back with the same police officer and I am eventually allowed out of the cell. I quickly get back all my belongings and the lawyer leads me back upstairs and to the first floor of the police station. I notice that Aaron is there indeed, in the waiting room and he jumps to his feet when he sees me. Unfortunately, I first need to go and sign some papers before I am definitely released. There, I learn that Joshua stood bail for me, but for once, it doesn't bother me more than that because for one, I know he will get his money back, and then, I have much more serious problems on my mind. Once everything has been cleared here, I thank Mr. Jonsson again for his help and as he leaves the station, I hurry to meet Aaron who is just hanging up a phone call.

"Thanks for being here..." I say as he hugs me tightly. Aaron and his bear hugs... They never miss to make you feel a bit better... "Anything new?"

"Unfortunately, nothing great..." he sighs as we walk out of the bid red building and head toward his car. Once settled in, Aaron immediately starts and pulls out of the parking lot, then drives up North toward my house. "Tony's at your place. He and one of his guys helped me to bring your car back there. I haven't heard back from him in a while, so I hope he's got some news for you."

"Thanks..."

"I was with Josh on the phone to let him know that you were being released. His lawyer had already informed him it shouldn't be a problem to get you out, so he came over and is already at your place. Mark is on his way too."

"Don't they work tomorrow?" I ask, peeking at the clock on the dashboard of his SUV that says it is already half past two in the morning.

"Do we really care?"

"Nope," I sigh but I get what he means.

The four of us are like family. When one is in trouble, it affects the whole group and even if we have had our share of arguments and fights in the past, such a serious matter never misses to reunite us and support each other. The fact that we almost all have Subs to take care of wouldn't prevent us from still caring about each other and our jobs come far after that. Besides, contrary to me, they all have people who can somewhat manage in their absence, so I shouldn't be too surprised, but I am still grateful for that. Less than five minutes later, Aaron parks in front of my house and as soon as I get in, I briefly pat Jess's head and I climb upstairs to erase the slightest bits of doubt I may have had about Noah running away.

"What are you doing Cam?" Aaron asks as he joins me in my bedroom.

"Checking something..." I say as I first visit my walk-in closet but nothing seems to be missing there among Noah's clothes. I then hurry to his former bedroom where he keeps some of his stuff. His backpack is still there, as are his books and all his art material. "Nothing's mi..." I start saying, but I suddenly remember the one thing that Noah would never leave behind and rush back to my room.

I lift Noah's pillow and this is when I break down. I can no longer withhold the tears that have been prickling my eyes for hours now. My chest hurts so badly at the sight of the little ice-bear resting there. Noah would never have run away without his sister's fluffy toy. Never. That definitely alleviates any doubt of a runaway and somehow, it achieves to completely destroy me, making me collapse to my knees as I pick up the bear and burst into tears, my sobs barely muffled by the mattress. I would have preferred the runaway theory by far; not that I ever believed it was the case, but I still hoped for that. That would have meant easier ways to find him, and possibly, he would have even come back on his own.

Now the only thing I can think of is an abduction and that scares me shitless. Where is he? Who took him? Why? Are they treating him well? What are they doing to him?

"Cam..." Aaron sighs pressing himself in my back and wrapping his arms around me. "I'm so sorry..."

"Hey Bro..." Joshua's voice echoes on my left side. "We'll find him..."

They remain silent for a while only brushing my back and the pain enhanced by Saturday's whipping almost soothes me. No words are needed. We have all faced different hardships in our lives, with people that we missed, and however different the situations were, we all know that awful feeling when the fear you won't see your beloved ones again strikes. That huge feeling of emptiness and yet, the horrible sensation that everything is constricting inside your body, leaving you with the most painful soreness. I still manage to calm down and the sadness is quickly replaced by rage. A rage that I am now able to control because I have no other choice. When I hear the sound of voices coming from downstairs, I eventually lean back and get up to refresh in the bathroom.

"Mark has arrived," Aaron says and I follow him and Joshua downstairs and to the living room where Mark, Tony and another red-haired guy are talking. After a few more long hugs with my friends, the six of us go to settle down at the long table in the dining room with coffees or soft drinks. Tony mentions the first searches he made and confirms that Noah's mobile phone doesn't give out any signal. For all I know, it could be in the river where we found his collar.

"Camden, I'm sorry to ask you this now, but we need you to give more information about what happened exactly before we can work seriously on the situation," Tony says right away. I immediately tell him what I know, which unfortunately is not much. So, I just mention the fact that Noah was still sleeping this morning when I left and that I only got a text when he woke up. And nothing after that apart from my neighbor who saw him leave around noon. "That's not much indeed. Are there any reasons he would run away?"

"He didn't, Tony!"

"Cam!! Just answer and let Tony judge himself!!" Aaron says.

"I just know he didn't!" I repeat with a lump in my throat. "He had no reason to run away. Everything was going well; he graduated in June... he loves his summer job... he can't wait to start college in September... and he was super eager to see his friends again tomorrow!" I explain with a hoarse voice, suddenly noticing the ring on Joshua's finger and I will myself not to cry again at how true what I just said is. Noah couldn't wait to hear back from Liam about his holidays in France and the potential proposal from Joshua. "He was just fine!" I sigh. Mark, who is sitting on my left, rests a comforting hand on my shoulder that I accept with pleasure. It helps to have my friends around.

"How about yesterday?" Tony then asks and I feel Aaron tense on my right. Just like I do. It's not only because I haven't really seen Noah since we came back from the club on Saturday night. That certainly adds to my pain and sadness, but it's also because I am afraid we will have to go through some painful explanations.

"I think... he was okay..." I reply a bit too hesitantly.

"Cam?? Did something happen yesterday?" Joshua asks warily.

"No nothing, he was just fine!" I reply with more determination but Joshua clearly sees through me, the perfect observer as always. "He was fine, but I was busy on stuff and I didn't see him much..." I add in an attempt to quench his curiosity. I can't go into details of what happened at the club on Saturday night with Tony and his guy around the table. But this was counting without Tony's perception skills.

"Camden, if you don't tell me everything, it won't make things easy," Tony sighs. "And I feel like there's something else... I am willing to trust you when you say Noah didn't run away, but you know what that means, then? We have already checked all the surrounding hospitals and morgues; thank God, he's not there. The only other possibility I can think of is a kidnapping and if that's the case, I need all the details. Can you think of people who could hold a grudge against you or Noah and claim some kind of vengeance?"

"I don't think so... I mean, I'm not perfect, but I can't think of anyone spiteful enough to go that far! I mean... a kidnapping is serious... You don't do that without real reasons..."

"You never really know people and what they are capable of, so give me a few hints on people who could possibly have a problem with you. How about work?" Tony asks.

"I don't have problems there... Well there's this woman that I turned down a few weeks ago and who clearly didn't like it... But she already managed to convince two of her friends to stop consulting me..."

"Her name?"

"Mrs. Sanders, but I doubt that she w..."

"Let me judge about that, Camden!" Tony insists. "I'm not going to leave aside any lead. Anyone else?"

"Noah had a problem at school with one of his classmates... and that didn't end too well between them. The name is Sean Parker," I add.

"Can you give some details about what happened between them?"

"Nothing serious enough to suspect him..." I sigh but I still tell them about Sean and the incident at school that got the boy expelled.

"Did he have a crush on Noah?" Tony asks.

"Sort of, I'm not sure. Maybe yes... But he clearly told Noah he didn't want to speak to him again. Plus he's just a teenager! He wouldn't be able to organize something like this..."

"I'll still have a look into it. Can you think of other people? Has anything happened at the club?" Tony asks innocently, still taking notes.

"There was a little altercation at the club on Saturday evening..." Aaron interferes before I can, making me glower at him but he crashes his boot on my foot to shut me up. "I banned a Dom after he hit on Noah for the third time despite my previous warnings."

"Martin? Again?" Joshua exclaims. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mark recline in his chair beside me and I can feel his stare on my back before he groans a very low fuck that earns him a kick in the leg from me.

"Yes, Martin. I actually broke his nose and he indeed threatened me..." I continue, intently staring at Joshua so that he doesn't imply anything further, but he understands. I see him peek at Mark and then scowl at Aaron for a second before he recovers a blank expression.

"You should have started with that, Camden! Give me all the details," Tony asks and I explain him most of what happened at the club on Saturday evening. "So you broke his nose and the guy was banned from the club!?"

"There are rules at the club, Tony," Aaron explains firmly. "Dominants are not allowed to approach collared Submissives and I had already warned him twice before in private."

"What did he say after that?"

"I can't remember exactly," I sigh. "But there was something about ruining my reputation and..."

"Cam, what he said Saturday night wasn't the worst! His exact words on Sunday when they briefly met again were I'll hunt you down, Camden Hall!! You have no idea who I am! I've got connections everywhere and trust me, you're going to pay for that!" Aaron intervenes again, causing silence to fall over the room.

"Seriously, Cam?" Mark exclaims after a long minute. "And you're only telling us now?"

"I agree with Mark," Tony groans. "That sounds serious enough!"

"That was just hot air, I'm sure!" I reply sluggishly. I can't imagine Martin taking revenge this way. I mean... That would be excessive!

"Still something I'm going to explore. Can you think of other people? Neighbors? Other friends?"

"No... I don't think so..."

"What about your father?" Joshua suggests.

"My father's still in jail, I believe..." I reply hesitantly. I'm not even sure actually. The last time he was out was just before my mother disappeared and I didn't even know he had been released. From what I know, he fucked up shortly after and was sent back to prison for at least twenty years.

"I'll still check this lead just in case," Tony grumbles. "Aaron, if you don't mind, I'll liaise with Mike at the club about that Martin guy."

"No problem. You know Mike, he'll be happy to help. We haven't had issues with other guys recently, but I'll speak with him and see if he can think of someone else," Aaron replies.

"Sounds good!" Tony concludes as he gets up, imitated by his red-haired guy. "We'll set on that first thing in the morning."

"Thank you, Tony..." I whisper tiredly.

"Tony, go home get a bit of sleep. Same for you, Jeff. It's already three and we have a long day tomorrow," Joshua says. "I'll stay here for a while longer and make sure I'm back before Liam wakes up."

"What are you planning for tomorrow? Are you going to the office?" Tony asks.

"No, I'll do a few things from home. Liam felt really bad when he went to sleep, and I'm afraid it won't get any better when he gets up and learns the news so I won't make him go to work. I'll need to inform Allan too and we'll have to make sure we cover Noah's absence in the office."

"Sorry about the trouble, Josh," I comment apologetically when I realize Noah should have gone to work too tomorrow.

"Oh please, Cam! It's not yours or Noah's fault and it's no problem for the company. I just don't want gossips to start about him."

Tony and Jeff leave after a few more recommendations, insisting on the fact I should immediately call Tony if anything pops into my mind or if I get any news. He also mentions some resources who will help him to investigate and that he will try to get some video surveillance recordings of the area, but I don't think there are any in the neighborhood. I thought my friends would have followed but the guys remain seated after Tony and Jeff's departure. While I rest my elbows on the table and lean my forehead against my fists, Mark and Josh stand up to go get more drinks. Or this is what I thought. The collar of my tee-shirt is suddenly pulled at the back. And here comes the shit.

"Holy fuck!!!" Mark exclaims as he lets go of my clothes and I recline in my chair. "Ron! You fucking punished Cam!? What the hell exactly happened on Saturday?" he then asks harshly as he and Josh walk to sit down across from us.

"That's not really the best time to discuss this, guys..." I sigh.

"What happened? Didn't you tell the truth to Tony?" Joshua insists and I feel Aaron getting less and less comfortable beside me. Shit! I don't want them to take their anger on Aaron. Even if I found it unfair on Sunday, our friend just did what he had to.

"Tony didn't need all the details. And I fucked up. That's what happened," I reply sternly.

"Ron...? Did Cam really get punished for punching a bastard who was groping and humping on Noah?" Joshua asks with disbelief. Fuck! I knew Josh would take it badly!

"What do you think, Josh? You just saw the marks on his back, so why do you ask? And you know the rules are the same for all the members! I didn't have a choice! Mike was there and Cam should have let him deal with the situation!" Aaron argues.

"For fuck's sake, we would have all reacted the same way!! Damn! If I found a bastard cornering Liam and assaulting him, I would... Fuck! I would beat them down! You would too!" Joshua accuses.

"No, I wouldn't! There are rules and we have to respect them!" Aaron shouts, slamming his hand on the table. "Cam completely lost his self-control and that's not worthy of a Dominant; much less of a VIP member!"

"That's not really fair, though, Aaron! That guy only got what he deserved!" Mark adds, a bit more moderately than Joshua.

"Oh no, not you, Mark! You're against that kind of violence! You can't say things like that!" Aaron exclaims with irritation.

"But I might change my mind when it comes to my Subs!" Mark replies angrily. "And you!" he adds, pointing at me. "You didn't even try to defend yourself! You let Aaron get his way with that?" he then asks me.

"Cam got the same sanction as any other Dom would have!" Aaron growls.

"Don't tell me you did that in public..." Joshua comments and Aaron's silence bears his answer. "Oh God! You're really a jerk, Ron. Humiliating him like t..."

"Shut the fuck up, Josh! You don't have to discuss the rules of the..." Aaron shouts again but this time I speak up before they really get on my nerves. I really don't need my best friends to argue right now. Noah's disappearance is already killing me, but seeing them fight only speeds up the process.

"NO! YOU ALL SHUT UP!" I yell as I stand up. "Honestly, I don't give a shit about that right now! Aaron is the Master Dom of that club and he just did what he had to do. Yes, that bastard deserved his punch, and I should have taken him out of the club to beat the shit out of him, but I didn't and that's too bad for my back, but you know what? I'll survive, okay?" I shout, striving to keep a steady voice. Without much success because it's getting hoarser with every word. "A whipping is not that bad! What is really bad is that Noah was abducted and if I don't get him back... I just won't survive, guys! Noah is far more important than a painful back, trust me!" I still continue, my sight blinded by a pool of tears. "And in the end, you know what the worst is? The worst is that I haven't seen him since Saturday night and that's killing me!!" I conclude with rage, breathing heavily. Two seconds later, I am engulfed in the biggest hug ever from my three friends.

"Fuck... Sorry Cam... That's all my fault..." Aaron whispers remorsefully as we are all disentangling from each other.

"No, it's not what I meant!" I reply. "It's just... Fuck, I don't need you guys to argue right now, that's it."

"You're right, Cam, sorry..." Joshua apologizes. "There are much more important things."

"That reminds me that Shannon got a slap in his face earlier for similar reasons..." Mark comments, getting my attention.

"What??" I exclaim.

And they tell me how they all met at Joshua's place tonight, or rather last night, once everybody had gotten back. Liam chose that moment to tell Shan and Alex some things they had never heard about, like how he was abducted a year ago, almost raped and killed. And it seems like Shannon didn't take it too well, throwing a tantrum that Aaron ended with a slap before he took him away to calm him down. All I know is that I wish the collar would have been as helpful as it was for Liam.

"Fuck, we're not any better... Really sorry, Cam..." Aaron says with shame before a sparkle suddenly lights his eyes. "Now that makes me think... It has to be someone from the club... Or at least, someone from the club is involved... Someone who knows about the tracker in the collar!"

"That's what I was thinking..." I sigh, sitting back down on a chair. "Martin was quite angry when I broke his nose. He was pestering about some meetings in Florida this week... And he did say he would ruin me but... Do you think he's capable of that?" I ask Aaron.

"Honestly, I don't know... That would be farfetched but like Tony said, you never know what people are capable of... And then... he was going to take a plane on Sunday evening so..."

"Yes, but he also said he had plenty of connections! He could have sent someone else!" I argue.

"Yeah, that's true..." Aaron replies thoughtfully.

"Tony will find out if that's the case," Mark reasons and we ramble on and on about possibilities.

"You guys should head back home before your boys wake up..." I eventually say, seeing it's already nearly five in the morning.

"You can't stay alone, Cam," Joshua says softly.

"I'll stay for a while longer..." Aaron offers, but I would really like some time alone right now.

"No, go home Ron. I'll try to sleep for a couple of hours then I need to cancel my appointments for today. And I need to call Ethan too."

The guys protest but I still manage to kick them out with the promise to call them if I need anything or if I need any of them to come back and stay with me. Well, I'm not a kid and as much as I fear the thought of being alone at home without Noah, I need some quietness to process my thoughts. However, as soon as I have watched their cars leave and shut the door back behind me, a terrible impression of oppression seizes me. The house suddenly sounds too quiet and I am not sure anymore it was such a great idea to stay alone and brood over the darkest of my thoughts.

Come on, Cam! Man up! You lived alone before!

Yes, but that was before Noah. I hadn't realized before how this young man has been filling up my life with his presence. Everywhere I lay my eyes upon in the house, I can picture him. On the couch, reading a book or watching TV. In the dining room, doing his homework. In the backyard, playing happily with Jess. In the kitchen, stealing food while I cook. All fond memories... I'd rather not venture upstairs. That would be too much for my heart to picture him in my bed or in the playroom. With a heavy and painful heart, I slump down on the couch.

Little Jess chooses this moment to wake up and he comes scratching my legs with small whimpers. With new tears in my eyes, I pick him up to sit him in my lap. Poor buddy... If only he could tell me what happened to his little master before he left the house. I don't even know why he left the house in the first place! I knew he wanted to go for a walk with Jess, but he obviously left without the dog, so where was he headed? Did someone call him to meet him somewhere? Or... if he left on his own accord, what did he have in mind?

None of his friends were available so he wasn't going to meet Liam, Shannon or Alex... The grocery shopping was done on Saturday morning so he didn't need anything. Was he... Was he going to meet me at the practice? Was he up to come downtown and surprise me? The more I think about it, the more it seems like the only possible option, and it doesn't help the pain in my heart. He already spent his Sunday alone and I am now feeling terribly guilty for having left him on his own on Monday. I should have stayed with him. I should have taken the day off, or at least the afternoon!

But then, even if he was headed to meet me, that doesn't explain why he was kidnapped. Where did that happen? Considering we found his collar nearby, it could only be around here! Was he watched? Was that person waiting for the best opportunity to take him away? But why? Why him? I suddenly feel like there are many things escaping me in this affair and I hate it. I am certain I am missing some important information but I don't know how to get it.

Oh God! Please let him be safe! My Baby Boy doesn't deserve anything like this!

I don't even know what this is. I don't understand why someone would want to steal my boy from me. Or rather, I don't want to understand. However, awful images of what may happen to Noah flood my mind and I wish I could erase them. If this is not money they are after, what else could it be? The conversation I had with Donovan on Saturday evening suddenly comes back to me. Sex slave traffic? Fuck! Why did he have to tell us about that!? Now I'm scared shitless for Noah! Ugh... just the thought makes me violently shudder and a terrible nausea clutches me, causing me rush to the bathroom and desperately heave up the sole coffee I got recently.

Published on 23 August 2017

Poor Camden is having a bit of a hard time... But he can count on his friends to support him and Tony and his guys to help. Now the next chapter is in Noah's POV and it will be up on Friday. Only the last paragraph mentions non-consensual interaction, so you should be safe to read it and it'll contain some revelations and surprises as well. There will still be a summary at the bottom if you can't handle the emotions.

Sorry again for the delay in posting this one, but I hope you enjoyed the one-shot I published yesterday ;)

Thank you to @BWhit9 for pointing out a little flaw in the story: I didn't know that you can file a report for a missing adult, so I made a bit more of research about that and learned that there's not even a waiting period... So that chapter is edited to take this information into account but I'll certainly have to edit previous stories.