Yurgi growled, “Did you search her?”
“There was no need. She did not have a purse with her. She did not have her cell phone. She’s got nothing on her that anyone can trace.”
His eyes narrowed, moving back to her, and he said, “Where you are going, you’ll be untraceable.”
Her stomach lurched and she fought the desire to wipe her sweaty palms on her pants. Maintaining the calm façade, she felt her heartbeat pounding as though it would burst from her chest.
“Take them away,” he ordered. Standing, he bypassed Kalina, walking closer to her. “Dealing with you, will go a long way in appeasing my brother.”
“And, of course, assuring that he only stays in prison for tax evasion, right? And not the trafficking of humans.”
Once more his eyes flashed, a strange combination of doubt and fear, but he said nothing. With a jerk of his head, he turned back toward Kalina, having indicated that the guard should take them out.
As they walked out of the office and back into the warehouse, she heard Kalina call out, “Don’t worry, Agnes, you’ll have lots of company on your trip.”
Understanding the threat, she reached out with each hand and grasped Tina and Gail, giving each of them a squeeze. She glanced around the warehouse, seeing all the same workers, but a strange sense of being watched filled her, though she could not tell if the eyes were friendly or not.
The two enforcers stopped at the side of a large metal crate, the door partially open, but they moved onward and forced them through another door leading to a small room instead, about the size of the office they had just left. The room was filled with a small gathering of women, huddled together. She stood staring, horror filling her soul, at the frightened eyes of the young women. The realization that they were going to load human cargo into the crate just outside the door, to place on one of the ships, filled her with rage.
The door slammed shut and she whirled around, facing the others. “How long have you been here?”
The blank expressions on their faces told her that the women had been kept somewhere for a while, even if it wasn’t here, and were probably hungry…and already defeated.
“We’re going to get out of here,” she vowed, quickly realizing her words were falling on the ears of women who had already given up hope. Turning toward Gail and Tina, she rushed, “We have to stall…we have to keep them from putting us in the crate.”
“What the fuck is happening?” Tina said, her chest heaving.
“These people deal in human cargo. Human trafficking—”
“How do you know about this?” Gail asked, her face registering shock.
“We don’t have time to go into that,” she said, her eyes darting to the door. “Just accept that this happens and I’ve worked to shut it down before and will do it again to my dying breath.”
“There’s no way out…” one of the women said, her eyes haunted.
“Yes, there is,” she argued. Looking at each one carefully, willing them to share in her resolve, she said, “They will never take me alive…I’ll fight and keep fighting and you can too.”
“What…what will happen?” another one asked.
Deciding to not sugar coat the reality, she said, “They’ll put you in a shipping container to load onto one of the freighters. You’ll probably be let out for necessities and that will include sexually servicing the men on the ship. When the ship docks in a foreign port, you’ll be sold.”
Ignoring the gasps, she continued, “We are few but we can fight. We can buy a little time until the men who will come to rescue us can get here—”
“Someone’s coming?”
“Yes,” she promised. Looking to Gail and Tina, she said, “Nathan will come and bring the men he works with.”
“But—”
She pulled the St. Francis medallion from around her neck and whispered, “Tracer…they know exactly where we are, so we have to stay together.”
Tina’s eyes gleamed as she nodded. Turning to the other women, she said, “I’ve been used by men all my life. Ain’t happenin’ no more. I can kick, I can scratch, and I can grab ‘em by the balls. They kill me, then I die free. And so can you.”
“I been hit by a man for the very last time,” Gail vowed, moving to stand right next to Agatha.
“Tell me what to do,” one of the women said, her eyes showing a spark of life. “I’ve been held captive for over a month and I’d rather die than let another man get to me.”
“Ladies, we’ll get out of here alive, but whatever you do, don’t get in that crate outside. Act complacent and it’ll give them a false sense of security. It’s getting darker outside so they’ll probably move us soon. But, my guess is that they’ll have the regular workers leave first.” A smile curved her lips as she stood tall. “And then, we’ll fight like hell.”
They did not have long to wait before the door swung open and one of the guards jerked his head to indicate they were to follow him. Walking out quietly, she saw only three guards with guns and all of them were relaxed, their rifles slung casually over their shoulders.
Whirling around, she stared at the nearest guard, and screamed, “Now!”
Catching the man off guard, she rushed him, plowing into his body. As heavy as he was, she barely caused him to step back a foot, but pummeled him with her hands just the same, continuing to scream to the other women, “Fight! Don’t give up!”
Gail, spurred into action, her face filled with rage, rushed the other guard as he was going for his gun. She also began to scream. Getting help from Tina, who managed to bring her knee up in fierce contact with his balls, dropping him to the floor, they continued their assault.
The other women rushed out of the room, a tangle of arms and legs flailing at their kidnappers, screaming just as loudly. The office door opened, Kalina and Yurgi rushing out, their faces registering astonishment at the ensuing melee.
Shoving Kalina out of the way, Yurgi skirted around the women just as the guard Agatha was battling managed to wrap his arms around her, picking her up off the ground. Yurgi nodded his head toward him and ran through the closest door to the outside. Carrying her, the guard ran outside, following him. One of his beefy hands clamped over her mouth, pinching her nose, and she fought to breathe as much as to get away.
30
The warehouse suddenly came alive as the Saints burst into the building, along with the FBI agents that had been watching Gavrill’s shipping business and were alerted to the kidnapping. As gunfire erupted, Jack and Bart immediately headed toward the women, pushing them down, urging them to get behind one of the crates.
Seeing Kalina dart inside one of the offices, Jude and Chad rushed after her. She was attempting to pull a small revolver from her purse when they got there, but Jude deftly knocked it from her hand. She brought her hand forward to slap his face, but he easily captured her arm, whirling her around and pinning her arm roughly behind her back. Chad had her hands zip tied behind her back within seconds.
She screamed obscenities at them, and they shared a look. With a grin, Jude reached into the pocket of his cargo pants, pulling out a roll of tape. With a snap, he tore off a strip and pressed it over her mouth.
“Hate to say it, bitch, but when that tape comes off, it’s gonna hurt. Maybe that’ll teach you to watch your mouth.”
She attempted to kick out at him and Chad laughed. Grabbing her around the waist he lifted her up as Jude zip tied her ankles together. Together, they easily carried her to one of the chairs in the room, before heading back out into the warehouse.
Gavrill and Yurgi’s men were still returning fire, but between the Saints and the agents, they were soon subdued.
Nathan and Scarlett rushed over to the women, but he did not see Agatha with them. Scarlett immediately began to sniff the area, but stopped suddenly. Following her, he quickly saw why. Agatha’s St. Francis medallion was lying on the floor, the chain broken.
Scarlett continued sniffing, at first in circles and then hea
ding toward the office, following the trail of Agatha’s scent.
“Fuck!” he cursed, trusting his dog but at the same time, his gaze desperate to catch a glimpse of Agatha. “Did you see her?” he called to the women, now standing, huddled together.
Most shook their heads and he called to Scarlett to come to him. One woman called out, “I saw a man pick her up, but I don’t know where they went.”
Just then a voice came over the Saints’ radios, saying, “Outside. Down the street. Toward the east.”
Not recognizing the voice, he hesitated for only a second before running out the nearest door, Blaise and Nick with him.
Jack turned, casting his sharp gaze around, viewing the occupants in the area. The women were huddled together in one section, their arms around each other. Gavrill’s men, and some of the workers, were now subdued, having been rounded up by the FBI agents and placed in another section. His gaze finally landed on a single man, standing in the shadows, focused intently upon him. Recognition flashed through him for a second as he regarded the man’s eyes, but there was no way he could be right. No way… The man slid back into the shadows and he took a step forward to follow, but in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
“Jack?” Jude called, handing off Kalina to one of the Feds. “Where did Nathan go?”
Shaking his head to clear it, he motioned for him to follow, catching up with the other Saints as they headed out the door. Running with him, Jude said, “You look like you saw a ghost back there.”
Admitting nothing, he continued to run down the street, following after Nathan. You could say that again…
Agatha managed to move her mouth just enough to sink her teeth into the fingers of her captor. Crying out, he jerked her head painfully, clamping his arm about her waist tighter. Fearing her ribs would crack, she quieted, thankful that she was now able to breathe easier without his hand over her nose.
Rounding the corner, she viewed the ships anchored in the distance and prayed that was not where they were heading. Struggling once again, she managed to kick his shins with a viciousness she didn’t know she was capable of.
“God damn, bitch,” he cursed, “I’ll break your neck, if you don’t stop.”
Stopping at the side of a building, Yurgi threw open the door and rushed inside with the two of them following. Looking around, she saw they were in a smaller warehouse with very little cargo inside, giving her no place to hide if she was able to get loose.
Undeterred, she continued to struggle as she was carried toward the back where a row of doors lined the wall. Yurgi chose one, opening the door quickly, and hurried inside, the goon carrying her kicking the door closed behind them. Yurgi flipped the lock as she was tossed to the floor, causing her to stumble and fall backwards.
Ignoring her for a moment, the guard looked at Yurgi and said, “What the fuck do we do with her now?”
As they argued, she hoped enough time would pass that Nathan would be able to find her. Pushing herself to a standing position, she casually reached up to check on the St. Francis medallion around her neck. Her stomach dropped as she realized the necklace was gone. That’s okay… that’s okay… I know he’ll have Scarlett. Oh shit, I’ve been carried. Please God let Scarlett be able to find me.
“I’m not going down for this,” the guard said.
“You do what you’re told, or you won’t live long,” Yurgi threatened. “We were told to get her, and that’s what we did.”
“Yeah, well, if that was the Feds back there, how long you do you think you will still be around?”
Yurgi stayed quiet, beefy hands on his hips, sweat running off his face and dripping down onto his shirt.
Deciding to talk instead of scream, she said, “You can’t win this.” Noting the heat of anger, mixed with fear, pouring off of them as they both glared daggers toward her, she firmed her resolve. “I know they’re looking for you, but more importantly, they’re looking for any connection with Gavrill and the transporting of women. What you had back there in the warehouse was the nail in your coffin. And quite frankly, the nail in Gavrill’s coffin.”
“We dump her, then we got a chance to get out of this. Without her hanging around, no one will know.”
Yurgi stared at the man and shook his head. “You are one dumb fuck, if you think you can ever escape the family.”
She stared in horror as Yurgi pulled out his gun and shot the other man in the head. As blood splattered on the side of her face and her shirt, she screamed, dropping to the floor, her hands covering her head.
He turned toward her next, his dark eyes bright with rage, and warned, “You want the same? If not, then shut the fuck up.”
She had told the women earlier to fight for their lives but, staring at the barrel of his gun, she realized how easy those words had been to say when she was not facing death. Her body shaking with adrenaline, she held his gaze, refusing to look away.
“Go,” he ordered, jerking his head toward the door near the back.
She stood on shaky legs and walked to the door, seeing it led to the room right beside the one they were in. Identical—but without a body bleeding on the floor. Grabbing her upper arm in a vice grip, he dragged her through two more doors, each leading to the next office beside it. Coming to the last one at the end of the row, he shoved her through the door leading back into the warehouse, only now they were in the very corner, behind a metal shipping crate on the back wall.
Scarlett appeared confused at first, but Nathan knew if Agatha had been carried, she would need to air track. Thankful she had been trained for that as well, she soon detected the scent and began running down the street, turning at the end of the warehouse toward the wharf.
Trying to both listen and ignore the voices coming over the radio, he focused his attention on his dog.
“Turn south at the next intersection,” the unfamiliar man’s voice came across the Saints’ secure radio.
Charlie’s voice broke in. “Who the fuck is this? How the hell are you on my secure frequency?”
“Just do as I say. We’ve got her on our radar.”
“What radar?” Charlie bit back.
From next to him, Jack responded, “Stop the chatter. Whoever’s on our line, where now?”
He listened as the man’s voice directed them the same way Scarlett was leading. “Scarlett’s got her scent,” he said, interrupting them all.
Jack switched his radio to private, and said, “Charlie, let ‘em guide us. I’m thinking it’s the group that gave Agatha her identity. They must be watching.”
“Got it, boss,” she replied, the faint sound of keyboard clicks coming through the line.
Not caring about anything other than following his dog at the moment, he halted as she did in front of a door leading into another warehouse. Trying the knob, he breathed easier when it turned in his hand.
Leaning down, he grabbed hold of Scarlett’s collar, holding her back and to the side of the outer door. Jack, Bart, and Chad, weapons drawn, opened the door and entered, immediately scoping out the space. The warehouse was not as cavernous as the one they had previously been in, and was almost empty of cargo crates. A few large crates bordered one wall, but the difference appeared to be in a number of doors along the back, all closed.
His hand still tightly holding onto Scarlett’s leash, Nathan entered the building, giving a soft command that she stay right by his side. Blaise, Nick, and Jude slipped into the building right behind him, each in military stance with their weapons ready, and began to fan out over the area.
Not willing to wait on their search procedures, he let them know he was giving Scarlett the lead. They halted, calmly waiting, as he gave the command to Scarlett and she immediately began sniffing. She circled around a time or two, giving evidence to the fact that Agatha may have escaped her captors, darting away only to be grabbed and picked up once again.
Nose to the ground, she crossed the space, leading to one of the doors near the back. Taking her leash, he once more sto
od them to the side so that Jack and Bart could enter with weapons drawn. Once they were in, he rushed in behind them only to come up short at the site of the bloodied man’s body on the floor.
Heart pounding, he jerked his eyes around the room as Scarlett moved past the body, sniffing a spot near the back. “You got her girl?” Scarlett immediately trotted to the door near the back of the room and they continued with the same procedure. He and Scarlett would stand to the side as the other Saints entered and cleared the room, then they would follow. Scarlett continued this process until they got to the last room, where he saw the door leading back to the warehouse open.
He hated to hold Scarlett back, but knew that Jack and Bart needed to make sure they were not walking into a trap. As they moved slowly through the door into the main warehouse he glanced to the main entrance, seeing Blaise, Jude and Nick spreading out. Scarlett immediately began straining at the leash, heading toward the closest crate. He held her back but, making eye contact with the others, they began to move into place for maximum visual on who might be behind the crate.
31
Squished. As scared as Agatha was, that was the only word she could think of to describe how she felt at the moment. Yurgi, with his weapon still in his right hand and his left wrapped around her upper arm tightly, had shoved her behind the crate, crowding in behind her. The space was dark. And even though she tried, the only sounds she could hear was her heart pounding and his heavy breathing on her neck.
Wondering how long they were going to attempt to hide, she tried to shift her body slightly, to be more comfortable. He immediately squeezed her arm tighter, and she knew she was beyond mere bruising, now worried he was going to shut off the blood flow to her hand.
In response to her whispered growl of pain, he gave her arm a jerk. She twisted her head around and up, glaring at him. “You’re hurting me.”
Searching Love_Saints Protection & Investigations Page 23