“So what you’re telling me is that you brought a fucking cat into a safe house? Why?” I redundantly ask. Un-fucking-believable
“You’ve got dogs, Ev. I wanted a bad ass pet too.” Ryon retorts.
“You know damn well that cat can’t do half the shit that dogs can.” I shout, losing my patience with him.
“That's not true. He’s trained! The lady I got him from charges extra for the trained ones but he’s worth every penny. He can hold his own.” He says proudly while pulling the cat from its sack to display an all black cat with a white patch on its eye.
“I’m not scooping its shit. Let’s go.” Rolling my eyes, I recall the dogs and load into the truck. Blake climbs in next to me and offers me a small smile while wiggling his eyebrows. Our men climb in the back after the dogs. Seconds later the truck is filled with loud barking as it lightly rocks back and forth.
“Ryon, you better not have brought that damn cat!” I’m going to fucking kill him, I swear.
“No…” he says, trailing off. Liar.
“Put it away before the dogs have a snack!” I scream from the driver's seat. The barking stops to signal he’s abided by my demand.
We leave the compound and head towards our destination. Thirty minutes later we creep towards an old abandoned building covered in overgrown foliage and dilapidation. Broken windows and dark brick litter its frame. To the untrained eye, it looks harmless. Little would you know, the horrors that are unfolding beneath it would haunt your dreams.
Quietly, we exit the vehicle one by one. Blake stays right behind me as we creep forward. Standing at the door, I give orders to each person. This has to go off without a hitch. I let go of a long breath before pulling at the door. The heavy metal frame creeks under its own weight. I visibly wince at the sound, trying to move it slower in an attempt to remain quiet. Finally, it’s entirely opened to give way to nothing but darkness. Inching forward, we are met with a long set of steps entirely encased in darkness. For some, this would be a nightmare. For me, it’s perfection. I revel in the darkness. It’s the only place where you are both entirely helpless and in total control, all at the same time. Are you helplessly fearful or in control of your fear? Are you helplessly unsafe or in control of your safety? That's for you to decide.
As we leave the stairs, there is a wave of breath on my neck. I still, the hair on my neck stands at attention.
“Are you scared, Love?” Blake’s voice comes into my ear, barely above a whisper.
“No.” I tell him with certainty. A low hum leaves his mouth.
“You should be. You never know who or what could be lurking. Waiting for an opportunity to jump out and…” He chuckles, trailing off his words.
“And what?” I question him.
“Snatch you up. Take you away and do very bad things to you.” He breathes into my ear again.
“If that thing is you, I can’t say I would mind.” I giggle. Refocusing my attention back on the hall in front of me.
The tunnels are endless, with twists and turns, it would be easy to get lost down here. That is one of the many reasons we got blueprints of the building, memorizing its pathways to ensure we know how to get in and out. Within minutes we find ourselves at a long hall filled with a few guards. We ready our weapons and move on to phase one of the mission. With a low whistle, I beckon Hela into the opening. Trotting ahead, she comes to a stop giving time for the guards to notice her.
“Well hello, puppy. How did you get all the way down here?” A guard says in Spanish. Just as Hela begins to growl, we fly around the corner and shoot all three guards with our silenced weapons. Pushing on, we continue down the various halls and take out any guards we see. We finally made it to our destination after a few minutes. Double doors lead to an open room, where the slaves are being held. I motion for the guys to go down the hall and up the stairs that lead to an overhead area. This will allow for the perfect vantage point within the room in front of us. Blake’s men are the first to sneak in. They slip to the darkest corners, ready to shoot when necessary.
I give Blake a knowing look to say, “showtime”. He offers a smile and nods in return before we open the door and enter. The room is dark and only lit by dim overhead lights. There’s a pungent odor permeating from the space and I can’t help but scrunch my nose in response. I look around, taking note of each man in their hiding places. On each side of the room are jail cell like constructs, harboring various types of people. Young and old, adult and child, male and female; they allhave a price on their head for the skin trade. Soft sobbing and pained moans can be heard throughout the area. In the center of the room is an altar of some sort, fitted with a metal table and cart holding different instruments. Tools likely used for torture is my conclusion. I swallow the bile in my throat as I move forward. We enter phase two by beginning to break the locks of each cell. We offer comforting words to the scared captives, who cower at the sight of two strangers attempting to remove them from the safety of their enclosures. These poor people likely have a form of Stockholm Syndrome. They crave the care of their captures but fear the same hands that regularly dish out inhumane treatment through alteration, mutilation, torture, or outright murder. My thoughts travel back to a time when I only knew the same feeling. Desperate for any form of attention but terrified all in the same breath.
A loud thud suddenly pulls us from our focus as we turn to find its source. The creak of metal lets us know it is the main door being opened and closed. A menacing laugh echoes from the walls that sends a shiver down my spine. I don't easily scare but something about that laugh triggers my fight or flight response. My feet are glued to the floor as my impulse screams to run. Helpless or in control, my mind battles itself. I will never feel helpless again. I control my fate. If I die today, it's by my own volition. Squaring my shoulders, I pull my weapon and aim it towards the sound of shoes making contact with the cold cement floor. A man comes into view. He is dressed in a formal suit with jewelry peppering his body. He mindlessly plays with a ring on his pinky as he strolls towards us.
“I apologize for the mess. I was not expecting company.” He says, an accent thick on his tongue. I stare at him blankly, not reacting to his words.
“You know stealing is a crime, yes?” He continues in an attempt to pull a response from us. Blake inches closer, becoming a warm shadow behind me. The heat of his body is apparent on my back.
“Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Xavier Santino.” I blink rapidly taking in the fact that the heir of the Spanish Mafia stands before me. His hardening stare becomes clear as he takes in my expression, knowing that the realization has hit me of his identity. He chuckles in a low rumble and I swear I can feel my skin crawl. Everything we have been working towards, is right in front of us for the taking. The downfall being that if we kill him, it will be an all out war within days. Strategizing, I weigh my options before coming to a conclusion. Into my ear piece, I tell my men to initiate plan “Y”. James nearly yells at me in refusal but I do not respond. We have very little options at this point and are running out of time. By this point, I am certain Xavier has notified his men of our presence and they are inching towards our location as we speak. If we don't act quickly, we risk both our lives and the innocent victims who need us.
“Go!” I shout and spring into action. Catapulting myself at Xavier I use both feet to kick him directly in the chest causing him to explode backwards. He lands harshly. Jumping to his feet, he throws himself towards me, fists flying. I dodge each and land a punch to his ribs causing him to buckle at the impact. Gunfire explodes around us loudly, neither paying attention to the onslaught of flying bullets buzzing past us. He manages to surprise me with a punch to the jaw. My face burns and I taste metal. Wiping blood from the side of my mouth, I smile at him like a crazed woman. I've missed this. The fight, the chaos, the aggression. Snarls from Token and Hela sound off nearby, resulting in bloodcurdling screams. Good dogs. I look over Xavier’s shoulder to find Ryon holding out his damn cat like a rag doll.
“Ataka!” He yells before releasing it. The cat takes off and jumps at a gunman, attaching itself to their face. They scream and flail as they try to dislodge the cat from them. Well, I’ll be damned. That cat is trained. That's a new one.
“HA! Best twenty five thousand dollars ever sent to a lady in Russia, besides that one time at that brothel.” He laughs and I roll my eyes at his stupidity.
I’m so focused on Ryon that I almost miss Xavier rushing me again. I manage to notice just in time to kick his feet out beneath him. He falls and I point my gun at his head. Quick as lightning, he stands and aims his at me. We hold our sights on each other, locked in standoff; neither willing to back down. Like an apparition Blake appears beside Xavier, with a gun pressed to his temple.
“Hey now, pretty boy. I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Blake says with a chuckle.
“And why’s that?” Xavier grits out while plastering a fake smile on his face.
