CHAPTER 19
Gringo
When we used to go out for recognizant missions in the military, the terrain was always either choking deserts or bombed out villages and towns. The faces that surrounded us were middle eastern and the language was completely unintelligible to us.
But a threat is a threat no matter what language it’s spoken in.
At five a.m., our cover is pine trees and forest. The sounds filling our heads are the rush of water from the river and the birds waking up. The air is crisp and fresh, it smells like earth rather than gunpowder, and if this was another time, if we were other men, we’d be hunting deer, not international criminals.
The four of us are each coming at them from different angles. There is strength in numbers, but there’s also power in the element of surprise. With only me, Rock, Bull, and Snake, we can get to them quietly and have eyes on them at different locations. We’re expecting someone to be on guard twenty-four hours a day, at least one person, so we anticipate entry will not be a problem. The objective is clear: assess the situation. Do not engage. Unless absolutely necessary.
As we slowly approach, we’re not sure what we’re going to walk in on. There won’t be a room full of terrorists with only one objective, to kill us gruesomely and with as much fanfare as possible.
What’s happening here is top secret, but we suspect none the less massive. If it weren’t, they wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble of distracting the entire world. This has been planned for years, whatever the hell this is, and four military men who are trying to protect the people that are most important to them are coming in to fuck the whole thing up.
That’s how we roll.
It’s peaceful out here in the woods, but that’s not what I’m focusing on. We’ve been walking for miles, that’s the only way we were able to get in without being seen or heard. There’s a faint golden glow on the horizon where the sun is just kissing the night sky. In two hours the sun will almost be up, and hopefully we’ll be finished and back at home. With the women who own our fucking hearts.
Except mine has been sequestered to some top-fucking-secret location, put on triple lock down. I can’t fucking get to her. Fuck that! When this shit is over, I’m going after her, and God help anyone who tries to stand in my way.
My attention is fixed on every single snap of a branch, each crinkle of brush being stepped on, and every goddamn rustle of leaves. Ahead, I can make out the outline of the old mill through my night vision goggles. There has been only sporadic heat sensor hits so far, too small to be anything of significance. Soon there won’t be the luxury of tree coverage. That doesn’t make a shit of difference. I’d go in blasting fucking rap music wearing a goddamn clown suit, I don’t give a fuck.
Because Snake is a sharpshooter, when we examined the layout of the property from overhead, we determined the best location for him would be facing the entrance. I glance at my watch. He should be getting into position right about now. We’re on radio silence. We can’t risk being picked up on any electronic device. There is no informant to tell us where to go, no information to tell us what’s inside, nothing to give us a hint as to what we should expect. We’re going in blind, possibly walking into a trap, a huge pile of cow dung, or we’re about to be blown to smithereens. The joke’s on us.
Nothing fucking new.
A snap of a branch jerks my head to the side. It sounded too heavy to be a rabbit, or any of the other small animals I’ve been seeing. But not loud enough to be a goddamn bear. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the ass? It’s a deer, wide eyed and beautiful. I want to scream at it to get the fuck out of here. Instead, I pick up a pine cone and wing it at it. Run Bambi!
Behind a thick tree trunk, I slide the goggles up, then bring the scope of the rifle to my eye. Scanning the landscape, I smile with the precision of the telescopic lens. I would be able to make out a pubic hair through this baby. As I swerve slowly to the left, I stop short.
Right. Fucking. There!
Just through the doorway of the mill is a partial arm jutting out of the doorway with a lit cigarette held between two fingers. Male. He appears to be about five feet, nine inches in height, average build, Caucasian.
I’m fucking good. I smile.
My finger twitches on the trigger. I’d love to put a bullet in his fucking hand, shoot that damn finger off. Doesn’t he know smoking isn’t healthy.
Knowing where each of us are located around the perimeter of the mill, I’d bet my ass Snake’s got this scumbag locked in his scope as well.
This guy’s not mine.
Reluctantly, I lower my weapon and pull the goggles back down over my eyes, then continue to advance.
I’d like to take every single one of these fuckers out. Starting with James. Then fucking Dominic. When everything is said and done, and Sasha is safe, I’m going to find James Williams and make him suffer. Dominic deserves special treatment. I want to use specific techniques to gain all the information he has. Then maybe I’ll let him go. Only when I’m certain he’ll never forget me.
We’re almost there. Glancing at my watch again, I see we’re right on schedule.
Up ahead is the north side of the mill, the location I’m supposed to enter. Snake is positioned at the front, his rifle aimed at anything exiting or entering the building. Bull’s coming in from the rear, Rock’s supposed to go in directly opposite me on the south side. We’re all armed to the fucking teeth, an army made up of four. We’ve got rifles fitted with silencers, Glocks, blades, and grenades, and other assorted party favors.
You can never be overdressed when you go to fucking war.
I’m at the end of the circle of trees, right at the edge of the clearing surrounding the facility. All the lights are off on the second level, and most on the lower level, just a glow coming from the center of the building from what I can tell.
Looks like that’s where all the fun is. I smile again.
Checking the time again, I’ve got three minutes until it’s time to move in. I grit my fucking teeth.
Standing in the cover of darkness, I know this is going to be some of the longest three minutes of my life. I try to stay right the fuck here by scanning the area repeatedly through the crystal clear vision of the night goggles, mentally going through my checklist of weapons again, all an attempt not to think about Sasha.
This is a job.
I am a weapon.
Everything’s a fucking assignment.
I wasn’t supposed to get attached.
NEVER let it be personal.
Every one of those things was shot to hell the minute I tasted her.
At first she became a rabid hunger. More and more was never enough. I lied to myself shrugging it off saying she was a distraction, a toy, a plaything. She kept coming back, but the truth was I would have sought her out if she hadn’t, knowing I wasn’t supposed to.
Then she became and addiction, I had to have her, taking whatever I could get.
The moment I realized I’d lost was the moment I took out my violin. I couldn’t hide anymore, there was no more running. I had to face everything, all of my demons and my ghosts. It was an exorcism, and she was my priest. She’d saved me with her brokenness, and what did I do for her?
I helped push her to them.
Guilt racks my body. I should have told her, I should have let her know somehow that despite everything, for whatever I am, she means everything to me.
I never told her how much I care.
I love her, I know that, I’ve known it for a long fucking time, but there was no goddamn way I could tell her that.
I can tell her now. And I will. As soon as we take care of this.
I check my watch again.
Ten seconds.
I go on lock down. My goggles go on top of my head, my rifle is poised at eye level.
Five seconds.
I sweep my gaze to the left. Check. The coast is clear. A sweep to the right. Check. Clear.
Go time.
; Moving forward, knees bent, I’m on high alert, all my senses keen and sharp. I can hear the rustling of leaves from the back. Bull. Even though I can’t see Rock, I sense him. We’ve all always moved with precision together. Right now is no different, if we were shoulder to shoulder, each of our steps would move in sync.
The window I’m supposed to go through is exactly where we determined it’d be. The drone’s picture showed the broken pane. Latching onto the sill with gloved hands, the shards of glass don’t even break skin. I hoist myself up and over, and into the building. My feet land with a quiet thud as a cloud of dust erupts all around me. Crouched low, a glance left, then to right, this is exactly I where I need to be. The lights are straight ahead.
With the rifle back in front of me, I take off.
The mill is huge, twenty thousand square feet of abandoned manufacturing facility, it feels like a haunted pit. We studied the plans from its heyday and memorized what every inch of the place had been used for. The map springs to life in my mind as I maneuver through the hallways and past empty offices with busted out windows. There’s graffiti on the walls and even an old filthy mattress on a floor. As I get closer to the epicenter, things begin to change. Unopened crates line walls; some in pristine condition, others look as if they came across on the Titanic. Looking upward as I haul ass down the hallways, that’s when I see the surveillance cameras.
Fuck you, I flip them the bird.
We’ve got to make this quick.
We’re completely covered in fatigues, even the masks pulled tight over our faces hide our identities. I couldn’t give two fucks; our asses are wanted anyway. Besides, you don’t need to see Bull’s face to know who he is. His sheer size is a dead giveaway.
One more corner and I should hit the jackpot, at least that’s what I assume because of the illumination.
They wouldn’t hide the good shit in a dark corner.
When I approach the area, my steps slow. From the hallway, I assess the area. Bull’s already poised to my left, Rock in front of me. They each have their goggles down. I pull mine down as well and switch off the night vision. Rock comes into view. He nods his head, the signal that the coast is clear.
We can proceed.
I glance toward the front of the building to make sure the fucker who’d been standing outside is nowhere in sight, just to be sure. Together we move to the room just past the center courtyard. That’s where all the lights are on.
When we get closer, all three of us start to slow down.
Inside the double swinging door is a brand fucking new science lab. Not your high school shit with Bunsen burners and cheesy fucking beakers, but such intricate shit, I don’t even know what it is. Pulling my phone from my pants pocket, I start shooting pictures. Rock’s got his in hand and is taking photos of the wooden crates piled along the sides. If we could read German, we might be able to identify what’s inside. Bull’s pulling tarps off piles of shit trying to get a look at what’s covered.
That’s when we hear it.
THUD!
A body just hit the floor, and not very far away.
The guard just went down.
We’re closest to the rear of the building, so the three of us take off that way, together.
Knowing we’re the star of this morning’s television special, and with the guard now taken out, we have to get the hell out of here.
Usually, we know that no one arrives until seven in the morning, but we’re uncertain if the surveillance cameras are watched twenty-four/seven. Someone could be pulling onto the property right now. If this was my shit, I would be.
At this point, any way out is a good way out. We take the first door we come to, throw it open, and don’t stop until we’re halfway through the woods. We agreed ahead of time to meet back at the truck should we get split up. Snake will be there.
We don’t speak as we make our way through the woods, it’s not necessary. Anything that needs to be discussed will be reviewed once we get the fuck out of here. Right now is not the time to comment about Frankenstein’s laboratory.
But, goddamn me, I’m such a selfish prick. I keep running, keep moving, with only one purpose. One fucking reason. Sasha. She is the reason I’m here, the only thing that pushes me harder and faster. She’s why I’ve got a fucking dagger in one hand ready to throw it at whatever scumbag comes after us, and why I’ve made sure I’ve got enough clips for my rifle to take out an entire fucking platoon.
Sasha.
She’s why my focus is to make sure we all make it out of here alive.
CHAPTER 20
Sasha
He drugged me!
I haven’t seen anyone since Dominic suggested it was in my best interest to get in the car with him after the divorce he orchestrated.
He orchestrated.
Why the hell did he do that?! I’m divorced because of him. It was what I wanted, but I’m not stupid enough to believe he did it for me. Whatever Dominic does, he does for himself. He wanted me unattached, and he made it happen. WHY?
I’m certain he’s the force behind everything that’s been happening. If he nods his head, it’s a command, if he flicks his finger, men cower, if he states he wants something done, it’s done. No matter what.
He kidnapped me.
He fucking kidnapped me!
He drugged me and kidnapped me. I woke up in a room with no windows and the door locked, I have absolutely no idea where I am, and no one’s coming to help me. I’ve been pounding on the door ever since my eyes snapped open, screaming at the top of my lungs for someone, anyone, to get me out of here.
My body slides down the panel, I think it’s a metal door, and I land in a defeated pile on the floor. I have no fucking clue what time it is, my phone is gone, and so is my purse. I’m not even sure if it’s the same day. Thank God I’m still dressed in the same clothes I wore to the judge’s chambers to sign the paperwork, and my body doesn’t feel violated. I feel filthy and my mouth tastes like shit from whatever he gave me.
Shock had been my initial reaction; it came immediately after confusion. Then I got mad, totally and completely pissed off.
That all had been a blessing in disguise.
Now that the reality of the hopeless situation settles in and makes itself at home, extreme fear and utter loneliness begin to wrap their claws around my neck and start to choke me. Sobs rack my body and I start to tremble.
Why?! What’s going on!?
Why me?!
There are no sounds coming from the outside. From what I can tell, I must be in a basement where they’ve upfitted a room with a comfortable bed and clean linens. How fucking thoughtful, I sneer.
It appears Dominic’s been planning this for some time, or this is business as usual for him.
The thought makes me shudder.
I’ve heard about human trafficking before, but as a side note in something I came across. I know it happens, but it doesn’t happen in this country. It doesn’t happen to good girls from good families.
It doesn’t happen to me!
Snippets of conversations I’ve overheard Dominic and James have explode in my head…Saudi Arabians…gift…valuable…asset…deal…they go round and round echoing louder and louder.
Oh my God!! They’re giving me to a Saudi Arabian! They’re going to ship me off to some man as a sex slave! Dear God, James wouldn’t do that to me…would he?
Memories of that night James made me suck him off in front of Dominic flash in my mind. I remember I’d had the welts on my ass from Gringo and how Dominic hadn’t given away my secret.
No, he didn’t give it away. He’d said it was perfect.
Vomit spews from me mouth and goes flying across the floor.
Panic grips me as I start to claw at the door, my nails scratching futilely against it. I’m insane with terror, screaming, wailing, and flinging curses at the paint with my puke splayed on the carpet.
“LET ME OUT!” I pound on it again and again and again until my throat is raw and my
fists ache so bad, it’s painful to just hold them up.
Finally, with my body and mind completely beaten, the taste of vomit fermenting in my mouth and the smell tainting the oxygen in the room, my hands slide down the door and my head falls against it.
It’s useless.
They’re shipping me off.
I’m going to a God forsaken country to be sold as a sex slave, probably to be beaten before I’m fucked by some psychotic man. And when he’s done with me, or he’s tired of my fighting him, because I will fight everyone!, he’ll slit my throat and feed me to the pigs, or sharks, or however they’re going to dispose of my corpse.
Why, why, WHY!?
I’d thought I was finally free.
Free from the arrangement that had been planned my entire life. Free from a life sentence with a man who hates me, free to finally, FINALLY find the happiness that I’d had moments of with Gringo.
That’s all gone. Stolen from me by another man, a man more vile, more evil, more powerful from the demon I knew, James. I didn’t think things could have gotten any worse than the pathetic existence I’ve been living the past several years. I’d take that the rest of my life instead of this, THIS hell.
This torture.
I sit and cry, bang, sob, pound, wail, scratch, curse.
The door pushes open and hits my legs. I’m so surprised I fall back. Then it’s shoved so hard against me, it throws me back.
A man’s leg in expensive slacks with an Italian shoe on his foot steps inside.
Dominic!
I move to jump on him when he enters the room and slams the door behind him. But he’s ready for my attack. He shoves me back and I slam to the floor.
“YOU! How could you DO this to me?!” I scream.
“Sasha,” his voice is even and calm. “You’re a mess. Go take a shower. I’ll have the vomit cleaned while you’re occupied.”
“FUCK YOU!” I spit at him.
“Do not lower yourself to scum now,” he uses the quiet tone he used with James. The one that says don’t fuck with him.
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