“Yeah. Accordin’ to Vick they’ve got folks stashed all over the place, watchin’ everything.”
“Exactly. They’re here to watch, not intervene. If they show themselves than the perverts change up their operations, go into hidin’. If they came after us, all the intelligence they got would be worthless.”
“So they’ll let us do our thing?”
“It’s a gamble.” No plan was foolproof, by any means.
“One you’re willin’ to take?”
“Any day of the week.”
***
“Come on, where the fuck are you, Santiago?”
While Ten and Jasper were about to go commando on the warehouse, she’d been searching for the prick who’d taken Luna and Maria. The crowd had broken up and people who hadn’t bought anyone else were heading out, while the buyers were meandering toward the back.
Earlier, Aggie had to argue with Miss Delilah about the shoes. The old lady had tried to talk her into stilettos, which would’ve been impossible to walk in. They’d settled on kitten heels. It wasn’t exactly like wearing her favorite Nikes, but they were better than the alternative, and at least her feet weren’t aching.
While her ankle was still tender from the injury, it was nearly healed. Her shoulder was in decent shape, too, thanks to the painkillers and antibiotics.
She found Santiago in the rear parking lot leaning against the wall of the wine cellar while a young blonde knelt before him. The woman had to be in her early twenties, pretty, and exactly the kind of “merchandise” Santiago traded in.
Aggie turned down the volume on her com, so she wouldn’t be distracted.
The blonde’s hands were duct taped together, and tears streaked down her face. Unlike the other girls who’d been dolled up, she was dressed in a pair of ragged jeans and a dirty t-shirt. Evidently, she belonged to Santiago and wasn’t an item up for bid.
Her mouth was open, and he’d jammed his cock down her throat.
Aggie’s stomach turned at the sight. If she made it out of here alive, she’d be showering for weeks. Aggie couldn’t wrap her head around the depravity, couldn’t understand how people could stoop so low, and she wasn’t sure who was worse, Santiago or his buyers.
Time to end this.
“Hello, Santiago.” She walked out of the shadows, moving quietly.
“Do I know you, politto?” He squinted at her in the darkness.
The man didn’t look perturbed by the gun and didn’t raise his hands in response. He probably assumed she didn’t know how to use it, which was far from the truth.
“Yeah, I told you I’d share my feelings with you in person, and here I am.”
Understanding dawned in his eyes.
Aggie lifted her chin. “Just so we’re clear, if you call out for one of your guards, I’ll nail you right between the eyes.”
“I almost didn’t recognize you in that dress.” Santiago whistled. “I approve of the hair color, and those librarian glasses are caliente.”
“I’m so glad you approve of the makeover.” She tossed the specs away, because she no longer needed the disguise.
He snorted. “Brave, beautiful, but stupid, just like I thought. As soon as my body hits the ground, they’d execute you.” Santiago gestured around them. So far the guards were preoccupied with his customers, guiding them around the grounds and making sure they didn’t try anything.
“Yes, but at least I’d go out happy. “ She gestured with the gun. “Button it up, buddy, we’re goin’ for a ride.” The last thing she wanted to see was his junk. Aggie planned on boosting a car and driving for the border.
“There are other ways of satisfying you.” He smirked.
Aggie didn’t dignify the comment with a reply. His disturbingly flirtatious banter made her even more uneasy. Evidently, he thought it would throw her off guard, and he was right.
The woman at his feet pulled back, and he jerked her by the ponytail. “I didn’t say you could stop sucking, puta.”
“If you try to jam your dick back in her mouth, I’ll shoot your balls off.” Aggie lowered the weapon to the right angle. “It’s a tiny target, but I’ll hit it.”
“There’s nothing small about me.” Santiago waggled his dick at her as if she’d missed it.
Aggie shuddered. “Put it away, Santiago, nobody here wants to see it.”
“Fine. Leave us.” He smacked the girl, and she rolled away from him and then bolted from the area. Aggie prayed she got free of these bastards, but she couldn’t see to the girl’s safety at the moment.
“And where do you think you’re taking me?” He buttoned up and she sighed in relief.
“Texas. I’m gonna gift wrap you for the FBI and collect a tidy sum.”
Aggie wasn’t sure what she’d tell the Feds, but she’d better think of a decent story soon, one which covered all her bases. Although, she was betting they’d be grateful to have a human trafficking kingpin off the streets and not look too closely at the details.
There was a reward offered for information leading to his capture. Aggie would bypass the info part and head straight to the money. It was better than charging Mr. and Mrs. Fernandez for her services. As far as Aggie was concerned, the reward would count as her fee.
That way everybody wins, except for Santiago of course.
“And you think I’ll go quietly?”
“If you’re smart? Yes.” She raised the gun a bit. “If you open your mouth to call for your guards, I’ll shoot you in the back of the head and leave you here to rot.”
“Have you ever killed before, pollito?”
“Not yet, but you make me homicidal.” She tossed a pair of handcuffs at him. “Put these on.”
“I’ve got a better idea.” Lightning fast, he pulled his gun.
Aggie shot him in the upper thigh and darted behind a car to the left. She’d used a silencer, so the guards hadn’t gotten wise.
A rapid-fire string of Spanish came out of his mouth. No doubt he was cussing her ass out.
And then an explosion boomed in the distance and all kinds of hell busted loose. The buyers dispersed, jumping into their vehicles and taking off. A plume of smoke shot into the air and the guards scrambled toward the wine cellar.
She could hear Ten and Jasper on the com, but she switched it completely off, so she could concentrate. Aggie had no doubt Ten would save the trafficking victims.
When she peeked around the corner once more, Santiago was gone.
Oh shit.
“Now, I’ve got you where I want you.” Santiago wrapped an arm around her waist, reeling her in.
“Get down on your knees.” She heard the click of the trigger as he pulled it back and then Aggie could feel the barrel of his gun pressing between her shoulder blades.
Aggie knew with utter certainty if she did as he asked, Santiago would kill her. He’d shoot her, execution style, and it would all be over.
And then she had an even more profound realization.
Polly was right. I’ve been too scared to live.
And all of a sudden, it seemed so stupid, pointless even. She’d been preparing to die for a long time, but she’d missed the point.
Aggie had just been denying herself happiness.
Ten had given her something to look forward to, a purpose, a partner. They still had a lot to decide, but she wanted to see where their relationship led.
No wonder Ten had gotten so angry with her. She’d been flirting with death, and it was only by some minor miracle Aggie hadn’t gotten herself killed in the process.
I wanna live, dammit.
So I’ve only got one option here. Fight back.
Aggie sucked in a breath, preparing herself.
“I said kneel.”
“How about I do this instead?”
Instead of bowing down, she whirled around and punched him in the throat. He clutched his neck, gasping for air, and she shoved Santiago against a car. Aggie slammed his arm into the metal, knocking the gun from his grip.
It dropped to the ground, and she kicked it away. When he turned to grab it, she hopped on his back, and then he rammed her into another car, knocking the wind from her lungs, and she couldn’t call for help on the coms.
The next thing she knew, Aggie was sprawled on the ground, and he was on top of her, choking her to death. She clawed at his hands, trying to break his hold, but Santiago was much bigger and stronger.
The world went out-of-focus, and Aggie couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer.
Surrendering, she fell into darkness.
Chapter Nineteen
“Wake up.” A hand slapped Aggie across the face.
“Ow.” Pain bloomed in her cheek, and everything was blurry. She had trouble focusing.
“Wake the fuck up!”
Eyes fluttering open, Aggie found herself staring up into Santiago’s sneering face. Before she could respond, he hauled Aggie to her feet. She reached for the earbud, but it was gone, so she didn’t have any way of communicating with Ten or Jasper, but Aggie still had a GPS tracker. She just prayed Santiago hadn’t found it.
“Come on, we’re leaving.” Santiago dragged her around the corner to a jeep. “Before your friends burn this place to the ground.”
Behind them, another explosion went off. Santiago might kill her, but it was worth it if Luna and Maria got to go home.
“You’ve ruined everything.” His lips pulled back, baring his teeth.
“And I’m really broken up about it.”
“I’ve had enough of your meddling, but now isn’t the time to punish you.” He pressed the gun tight against her ribcage.
When they got to the car, he pushed her toward the driver’s seat and then climbed in the passenger side.
“Drive, perra.” Santiago tossed the keys to her and then brandished the gun once more.
She didn’t have much choice, so Aggie pulled out of the driveway. Aggie focused on the road ahead of her and blocked out all the other distractions. There’d be plenty of time to panic later. Aggie realized she remembered this stretch of highway because they’d traveled on it earlier.
“Let me guess, you’re gonna kill me once we’re far enough away.”
“No, worse.”
“What could be worse than death?”
She swallowed, and her throat ached. Aggie glanced in the rearview mirror and leaned back to see purplish red marks around her throat. Her left eye was bloodshot. She figured one of the vessels must’ve burst.
“You forgot what you are.”
“And what am I?” She played along, stalling for time, trying to think of a plan. One was beginning to form in her mind. Soon they’d be on the tight mountain road, near the river.
“All I see is a prime piece of merchandise and you’ll fetch a lot at auction. I guess we’ll both see how much your worth.” Santiago gave a dirty chuckle.
She swallowed.
“But before I sell you, I’ll get my money’s worth out of you.” He traced the line of her breast with the gun.
Screw that.
Aggie refused to spend her remaining days as a slave. And although she didn’t want to die anymore, she really didn’t want Santiago to live either. Was killing him worth the gamble she was about to take? Yes.
“See the curve in the road up ahead?” As they edged around the corner, Aggie spotted the raging river.
“You should get used to following orders. Nobody said you had permission to speak, so shut the fuck up.”
“We’ve got one like it where I’m from, although we call it dead man’s curve,” she said, continuing on, as though he hadn’t spoken. “Apparently, it’s the most dangerous road in Texas.”
“What are you? The tour guide?”
“I prefer to think of myself as your executioner.”
She grasped the steering wheel and the car careened toward the edge of the road. Santiago tried to jerk it out of her hand, but she slammed her foot on the gas, and they barreled off the road.
They were going over the side of the hill, Thelma, and Louise style.
***
“Shoot to kill, understood?”
Jasper nodded. “Got it.” They’d already taken out a few of the guards, but more would be inside and the body count might get high.
“No problems with the plan?” Ten asked.
“Nope. We don’t have any place to stash prisoners, and these dicks deserve to die.”
“Glad you see it my way.” No wonder he’d tried to befriend Jasper, the man was smart.
They were dressed in body armor against the wall, about to kick in the door. Ten was more than ready to do this. He’d softened the target with some well-placed grenades and the guards were already real shook up.
But he had to check on Aggie first.
“Aggie? Come in.” Ten didn’t get a response from her. Earlier, he’d heard Aggie confront Santiago, but she’d gone silent a while back.
“You’re worried, aren’t you? Jasper asked.
Ten didn’t respond.
“Do you want to check on her?”
Yes. No. Yes.
Ten didn’t know what to do. But if he didn’t head inside right now, the girls would be lost. He saw their faces in his mind’s eye and decided to press on. Aggie could take care of herself—and she was armed, trained, and most of all, determined.
And she wouldn’t appreciate him blowing this mission, either.
“No, let’s do this.” Ten closed his eyes and tried to get psyched up again.
Before an operation, he always got a bit too excited, the adrenaline surging through his veins, and the anticipation was delicious. When he glanced at Jasper, his brows were knitted together.
“You’re getting’ all excited, like a kid about to spend the day in Disney Land.”
Ten smirked. “There’s a reason I chose this profession. I’m gonna throw this in to blind them.” He had a flash bang grenade in his hand. “So shut your eyes.”
He shot the lock on the door and then lobbed the grenade inside. It was non-lethal, but it would subdue them with a blinding flash of light.
There was a loud bang and then shouts from inside the building. Ten and Jasper headed inside. Four men rushed them, and Jasper took them out. Moving swiftly, they headed down the corridor.
Inside, it was musty, moldy and it reminded Ten of the basement.
Of course, it's always the fucking basement.
Ten shook his head, focusing on the operation instead of his shattered memories.
Five more guards ran around the corner and Ten blew them away. The semi-automatic cut through them like butter.
Then Jasper tossed a smoke grenade to cover their movements. They pulled gas masks over their faces so they wouldn’t breathe in the acrid smoke. Ten hated to expose the prisoners to it, but they didn’t have much choice with such a small force sieging a compound.
Another guard fired off a shot and tagged Jasper in the shoulder.
“Fuck, I’m hit!”
Ten took him out. “How bad is it?” He rushed over to check on Jasper.
“I’ll live.” His voice was muffled by the gas mask. “For now.”
And they continued toward the rear of the building.
As they headed further into the structure, they came upon the phone pervert. He was pressed against the wall. He’d pissed himself, judging by the wet stain spreading down his pants.
“Who bought the girls?” Ten shouted.
He quivered and quaked. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Don’t play games with a man holdin’ a gun. Give me his fucking name.”
“It’s Sloan Johnson! Please don’t shoot me.”
Ten wasn’t in the mood for leniency. After all this dirtbag had helped a pedophile acquire two children, which made him equally guilty in Ten’s eyes.
“And whereabouts is he from?”
“Arizona, right outside of Phoenix.”
“See that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
The pervert shook his head and lowered his gaze.
“Thank you for your cooperation.” He’d be paying Mr. Johnson a midnight visit real soon.
Blowing out a relieved breath, he sagged against the wall.
And then Ten blew his head clean off. It exploded into chunks like an overripe watermelon.
“Next time, warn a fella.” With a muttered curse, Jasper wiped some brain matter from his mask. “That was gross.”
“Sorry, man.”
A cry broke the stillness in the air, followed by a woman’s hushed sob.
“Come on, let’s go.” Jasper swung around toward the noise.
Ten descended down a small set of stairs, with Jasper on his heels. They stepped through the fog into a dark room with no windows.
And then he found the prisoners.
The women were pale and thin, despite their made-up faces and lingerie. Their cheeks were hollowed, and dark half-moons sat beneath their sunken eyes. All of them kept their gazes lowered, afraid to look anyone in the face. Their slender arms were chained above their heads. There were rusty old hooks embedded in the wall which must’ve supported wine racks at one time.
Ten gritted his teeth. Not so long ago, he’d been strung up like that.
“Jesus,” Jasper whispered.
“I know. Let’s get them out of here.” Ten used the bolt cutters on their chains, setting them free. All the while, he searched their faces, looking for the girls.
He recognized Nicole from earlier, and she whimpered when he cut her free, evidently fearing a new, and even more, dangerous captor had her.
“It’s okay, we’re not gonna hurt you.”
She choked and coughed.
“I’m sorry about the smoke, but soon you’ll be out of here.” It was difficult to see in this haze. “Where are Luna and Maria?”
She pointed to her left, and Ten found the girls at the end of the row. They were both clinging to one another, shaking, heads bowed, and whispering to one another softly in Spanish. He knew exactly what they were going through, the horror and fear coursing through them.
“Are you Luna?” he asked gently. “And Maria?”
They nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“My name’s Tennessee and this here’s Jasper,” Ten said, pointing to Jasper who was freeing women and children on the other side of the room. “And I’m here to rescue both of you. Your mom and dad sent my friend, Aggie, to find you.”
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