"Segio?" Jack reached out and dislocated both of the guy's wrists in one swift motion. After patting him down, he pulled out a knife and a bag of South American herbs, handing them over to Hannah.
"What do you want? I don't even know you!" Segio screamed in pain, his eyes darting around nervously, as though looking for someone to help him.
"I think we need to have a little chat." Jack grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him like a lifeless dog into the apartment building.
"FBI business!" Hannah flashed her badge at the gathering bystanders, then shut the door behind her, following the two inside.
"Help! Help! Police brutali—" Segio's cry for help was cut short by a punch from Jack, which knocked out two teeth and left him dazed.
"Bang!" On the top floor, Jack kicked open the iron door to the rooftop. He dragged Segio over to the edge by the lightwell and landed a punch squarely in his stomach.
"Ugh!" Segio retched violently, vomiting up stomach acid. He curled up on the ground, choking on his own bile.
"Where is Stephanie?" Jack planted his foot on Segio's left hand and ground it down mercilessly, his voice icy.
"Wh—Stephanie? Stop! I don't know who you're talking about!"
Seeing Segio still playing dumb, Jack grabbed his leg, hoisted him upside down, and dangled him over the edge of the rooftop.
"Three weeks ago, you abducted a girl from the Queens bus terminal. Where is she?" Hannah demanded sharply.
"We're not NYPD. If my partner here lets you fall, we'll just have a bit more paperwork to file," she added with a cold smile.
Jack loosened his grip slightly, letting Segio drop lower. What was once a firm grip on his calf became a precarious hold on his ankle. Segio's pants were immediately soaked.
"I don't remember! I've taken a lot of girls from there! Please, pull me up! I don't want to die! I'll tell you whatever you want—just don't drop me!"
Seeing that the man was now crying and shaking uncontrollably, Jack decided it was time. He yanked him back up and threw him to the ground.
"How many girls have you abducted? Where are they? Start talking, or you're going back over the edge!"
"I'll talk! Don't hit me again. I'll tell you everything. But I swear, I don't know anything about this Stephanie. I'm not some kind of kidnapper!"
With his wrists dislocated, Segio could barely kneel, propping himself up on his elbows. His face was pale and drenched in sweat.
Seeing that Segio had calmed down, Jack nudged him onto his back with his foot and gestured for Hannah to call the NYPD. While she did, Jack pressed his foot onto Segio's shoulder and popped his wrists back into place.
"You have ten minutes before the NYPD gets here. Whatever you say in the next ten minutes will decide whether they take you to jail—or the morgue."
Segio shuddered at the threat and started talking.
"I—I just needed money for drugs! Those girls, they weren't exactly saints. All I had to do was chat with them a bit, tell them they could have a free hit, and they'd follow me without a fuss."
Hannah ground her teeth in fury, resisting the urge to kick him again.
"So, you targeted girls at bus stations who looked like they were traveling alone? You'd strike up a conversation and offer them drugs until they were too high to resist?"
Jack was disgusted. "Unbelievable. This country's obsession with 'fun education' has reached new lows. It's not even teenage rebellion anymore—just pure stupidity."
"Of course! I always use the good stuff, but if they hesitate, I might flash a knife. They don't dare fight back, and most don't have families looking for them. I make sure of that in our chats..."
"And if they do have families, you use their phones to send fake messages so their loved ones won't call the cops," Hannah interjected, stepping on Segio's fingers. He screamed again, writhing in pain.
"And then what? You sell these girls on the dark web to the highest bidder?"
Jack recalled hearing about an American online retailer supposedly auctioning furniture named after missing girls. If this was anything like that, he'd have no choice but to resort to more drastic measures.
"No, no! I only sell them to one person—Hugo. He forces them into...you know, that kind of work, using drugs to keep them compliant," Segio stammered, clutching his throbbing fingers.
Jack exhaled quietly. It was horrifying, but at least it meant Stephanie and the other girls were likely still alive. A small silver lining.
"One last question. Where are these girls being held?" Hannah asked.
"I don't know." Segio's response was met with Hannah drawing the knife they'd confiscated from him earlier. He shrieked, shaking his head violently.
"Maybe Hartford? I'm not sure. They always pick the girls up themselves. We don't use phones for contact—security reasons. I swear, that's the truth!"
"Then how do you communicate?" Hannah pressed, her foot poised to crush his hand again.
"Th—there!" Segio stammered, pointing shakily to a pigeon coop nearby.
—
"Make sure this scumbag gets assigned to the most 'welcoming' detention center you can find. He deserves a proper welcome," Jack said, tossing a cigar to Danny, who had just arrived.
"Sorry, I only just heard about this case. My father's already issued orders to clean house across all precincts, but..." Danny's expression was grim.
Jack wasn't interested in discussing systemic issues. "This isn't on you. If you were one of those cops, we wouldn't be friends."
"What's the next step?" Danny asked, watching as FBI technicians inspected the pigeon coop, apparently searching for something.
"We'll attach trackers to some healthy pigeons and hope they lead us to Hugo's hideout."
Jack had already updated Jubal about their progress. Unsurprisingly, Chloe had used sheer determination to free herself from the zip ties and was preparing to attack her armed captor.
Jubal had quickly alerted Helton, who tied Chloe up again, this time adding extra restraints. Relieved that Helton wasn't escalating the situation, Jubal considered it a small victory and began to build a rapport with him, even getting Chloe to join the conversation.
When Jubal relayed Jack and Hannah's latest findings, Helton finally relaxed upon hearing that his daughter's location was no longer a mystery.
After the pigeons were released and confirmed to be heading northeast toward Hartford, Jack and Hannah jumped into their car and merged onto I-84. Simultaneously, Dana Morse dispatched a SWAT team to follow closely behind.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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