Page 32 of Out for Blood
They know who we are now.
The evidence is gathering quickly but the authorities are slow to listen. Or maybe they’re just being paid to close their ears.
Who can say?
The point is, I know what I’m doing. We know what we’re doing.
We know the risks we’re taking.
Whoever finds this — and please god don’t let it be Cassie or Bram — I want you to understand that we’re taking these risks knowingly. It’s important you know that, because by listening to this, you’re undertaking the same risks.
If you’re not okay with that, you should stop this recording and return the tape to wherever you found it, leave it for someone else, someone willing to take the risk, because it may cost you your life.
Now that that’s out of the way, I’m going to tell you what we know.
It’s not a coincidence girls are going missing around Blackwell Falls. Girls have gone missing around Blackwell Falls for decades, long before the internet was around to make searching for news easy.
Don’t believe me? Go to the library. Pull up local articles going back forty or fifty years.
You’ll see what I mean.
Anyway, before the internet and social media, the attention given to these missing girls was pretty meager. As of now, most of the girls who have gone missing are black or brown, sex workers, runaways.
Girls who won’t be missed.
That’s what these men think, that these girls won’t be missed.
That they’re disposable.
But if you’re listening to this, you probably know that’s not true. Every one of these missing girls has someone out there wondering where they are, wondering if they’re okay, missing them.
We haven’t figured out why it started here, but it’s bigger than Blackwell Falls now.
Bigger than the people who live here.
Millions of dollars are being transferred from private banks all over the world. We know some of it is being transferred to Aventine, but we suspect it’s going elsewhere too.
We just don’t know where.
What we do know is that Aventine is only one piece of the puzzle. There are people there who are involved, alumni and others, who use the money transferred to them to facilitate the kidnapping and sale of trafficked young women, but we’restill getting clear on exactly how that money is used and what happens to the girls after they’re taken.
What we do know is that Dimitri Kaprolov is one of the Aventine connections. It’s been decades since he attended the school as the son of a high-ranking bratva obshchak, but somehow he’s continued the operation, expanded it.
And we know he’s not alone.
Still, he’s the one connection we do have, and we have the added bonus of Irina. She’s in hiding now but can be counted on to offer information if you get that far.
One word of caution: you should assume you’re being watched.
You should assume everyone is being watched.
Anyone you communicate with, anyone you ask for help… they’ll all become targets.
We’ve accepted this risk, as I’ve said, but you should be clear on whether you want to do the same before you pick up where we left off.
If you decide to continue our work, the information you need will require you to uncover long-stored treasures.
One request: please don’t involve our son or daughter. If you’re listing to this, they’ve already been through enough.
