Set Me Free

Chapter 7

As soon as you recognized the man in the video, you called the police. Kwon Hyunjoong's name wasn't unfamiliar to the city police. They'd had multiple run-ins with him investigating hybrid crimes. But he was always careful enough to worm his way out of the charges. The lax hybrid rights laws didn't help the situation. Even with all the progress and new policies implemented in recent years there was often next to nothing that could be done to stop the atrocities. Fortunately, since Yoongi was registered as yours, the police could pursue it as a theft and potentially damage to personal property. Depending on the degree of harm, it could be brought to trial as an animal abuse case. You didn't like it, but it was the only way they could help you.

The problem was that Hyunjoong had multiple establishments at different locations, so the police weren't sure where to start looking. Luckily the head of the hybrid crimes division, Detective Moon Bora, was more than happy to take it as an opportunity for a police raid on several of his known locations. Hopefully that would give them a chance to gather evidence and shut at least part of his operation down. Still, you needed to find the place he'd taken Yoongi too. You remembered the business card the snake of a man had given you when he came into the cafe. You quickly dialed Jin, who was still at your apartment with the rest of the guys.

"Jin, can you look for something in my desk? It's a business card, mostly purple with some kind of logo on it. Should say the name Kwon Hyunjoong on it," you said, not bothering with a hello.

"On it," Jin said. You heard his footsteps and then the shuffling as he rifled through your desk drawers. "Got it! The Eclipse Club. *** W. **th Street. Is that where he is?"

"Maybe," you responded, then hung up. You quickly called the police back and told them what was on the card. They assured you'd they'd send units there immediately, but you couldn't bring yourself to just wait. So you snagged Namjoon's keys out of his pocket and ran back to the car. By the time he, Jimin, and Jungkook caught up you were already pulling out of the parking lot. Namjoon banged on the window and tugged at the door handle but the doors had locked automatically when you put it in drive and there was no way you were stopping the car. You didn't even glance in the rearview as you drove away, not seeing your little brother run his hands through his hair in frustration, Jungkook frantically dialing for a cab, and Jimin watching with wide, frightened eyes.

You punched the address into your phone's GPS at the next light. To say you were speeding would be an understatement of comical proportions, but none of the cops that zipped past you with their sirens blaring, seemed to care. It both comforted and terrified you to see the pure volume of police heading to the same destination as you. You pulled up in front of the club to find several police cars already stopped near the entrance. The officers were trying to set up a perimeter so no potential witnesses or perpetrators could slip away. They weren't being nearly as cautious about letting people in, so you managed to shoulder your way through the writhing crowd of sweaty and inebriated club-goers.

Once inside you suddenly felt overwhelmed. You had no idea where to start looking. With no better ideas, you started elbowing people aside and moving through the building, screaming Yoongi's name. A young girl—she couldn't have been more than nineteen—with round black ears nestled in her curly white hair bumped into you. One of her eyes was blacked and a split ran through her pretty doll-like lip. She hurried to apologize, straightening her microscopic tulle skirt as she bowed. You quickly grabbed her arm drawing her eyes back up to meet yours.

"Yoongi!" you shouted at her. She frowned, understandably confused. "I'm looking for a guy called Yoongi," you said again, leaning closer in hopes she could hear you better over the deafening sound of the crowd and the music still blaring through the speakers.

"Yoongi?" she said, clearly not recognizing the name. Your heart sank as you realized with horror that Kwon Hyunjoong might not have brought Yoongi here. "Yeah. Smallish guy, soft cheeks, honey-blond hair, little black cat hears and tail." You described, hoping to jog her memory.