The rest of the drive is spent in silence. Nothing else needs to be said to know how grave this situation is. We pull into the compound and prepare to swap vehicles. James, Ryon, and Lucas all have similar expressions to that of Ghost’s. This is a family matter now. Soon Ghost will be my husband. That means they have not just taken his sister but mine as well. With this thought, I feel utter contempt for whomever is behind this. We load into trucks and head to the nearest Spanish safe house, having been informed of their plans by leaked information through one of our hackers. This is the largest formed mission I have ever been on. Twenty vehicles surround the compound in droves, filled with men prepared to die in the name of recovering Scarlett. The early morning light casts a cool hue across the landscape, encompassed by dawn's lower temperatures making this morning so much more eerie. Teams empty their vehicles after we do and begin the work of removing fence sections. It takes only minutes with the use of high powered, silenced drills to breach the border. In lines, we enter in continued silence. Off in the distance we spot our first obstacle. Large mastiffs charge in our direction with hostile barks. I lift my weapon and open fire, silencing the beasts in their places. A necessary evil in the midst of battle, even if it partly pains me to do it. Pushing further, we close the distance between us and the large building before us.
Turning to Ghost, I give him a once over look before giving orders for men to split up and cover all exits. One by one, we cut the controls to each door and enter the building. The first thing I notice is the dim lighting. The second is just how quiet the facility is while they are in possession of sucha high prized treasure. I take the lead, moving through the long hallways, sending men in various directions along the way to clear the area. By the end, we have entered all but one door. This one announces it goes below ground level. I can’t help my pounding heart as terror strikes a chord throughout me. Our time in capture with the trauma it held floods my thoughts. Steadying myself, I push on. First placing a hand on the steel door's handle and then pulling it open. Its hefty weight pulls at my nerves. Cooler air pools into the space we occupy causing a shiver in not just myself but others. The stairs wind down into darkness as we descend. With only the light from our weapons, we will ourselves to see further in the darkness. Once we make it to the bottom, the space opens up into a lit area. Doors line the room’s walls with glass windows covered in bars that show soft lighting within. Complete silence still hangs heavy in the air, not a soul to be found yet.
I begin to consider that we may have gotten poor information when Ghost’s quiet voice rings out, “You, you, and you cover the stairs.” He points to three men behind us before nodding his head towards where we just came from.
“Split up. Each of you take a section of rooms and don’t stop looking until you find something.” He demands before breaking off from the group.
With that, we all go in different directions. I take a grouping of doors towards the back. The first is empty, perfectly sanitized. Leaving the room I hang a left and go to the second. Inside is less clean with stained floors and a displaced mattress. I look closely, hoping to find something. anything. Even if it's just a piece of hair to tell me she was here. Maybe they moved her to throw us off? Coming up empty handed, I huff in frustration. Blowing out a breath, I exit and head for the next. I pull thedoor open and look inside. This one is the same as the last except the mattress is in place on the bed frame. Stepping in, I notice that this room is slightly warmer than the last two. As I look around, I notice fabric loosely hanging out from beneath the bed. Inching closer, I drop to my knees and just as I look under my world stops. There lies Scarlett, with her back turned to me, her mahogany waves are splayed around her top section. The blanket I noticed previously is tightly wrapped around her as if it's a security blanket. I watch as her shoulder rises and falls with each breath. Thank goodness she is alive. Reaching out, I brush my fingers over her arm. She flails away from my touch with a yelp. She turns her head enough that I catch the sight of her tattered and bruised face. This was to be expected. It’s extremely rare for a rival to not beat a hostage. They were likely trying to get information from her. A flicker of recognition passes her eyes as if she is seeing me for the first time.
“Everly?” She asks so quietly, I almost miss it.
“Hey, we got you. You are safe. Can you come out for me?” I try my best to offer her comfort, hoping to ease her from her fearful state.
She finally shifts to her front and that’s when I see the blood. Her safety blanket is coated in a thin layer of almost fresh crimson. The liquid seems to be heavily localized to her midsection.
“Were you cut?” I ask while my eyes search for wounds that would offer this much blood but come up empty. She doesn't respond and I take this as my cue to not ask again.
“Scarlett, we need to get you out of here. Could you try coming out for me?” I nearly beg. Slowly, she worms herself toward me.
Once her full body is out from underneath the bed, I crouch, offering her a hand to help assist her in standing. She eventually grabs it and pulls herself up. The fabric around her slides open just as I catch sight of her silk nightgown. The bottom is stained crimson while her thighs have blood smeared across them. She must notice my lengthy gaze as she defensively pulls the sheet tighter around herself. Everything hits me at once. Memories that have haunted me since I was a teen flash across my mind. The reality of Scarlett's short time down here has both been solved and made more complex. Just then a gasp comes from behind me and I turn to find its source. There stands Ryon with a horrified expression across his face. He must have been standing there long enough to see the source of the blood. James and Lucas appear behind him with just as pained faces. The urge to ask them to be quiet about this discovery is so great that my pointer finger nearly comes up to my mouth but before I can, a flicker of movement catches my attention. Ghost stands behind them with a haunted expression. He absentmindedly pushes his way in, using his frame to shove them to the side.
“Ghost don’t,” is all I can manage to say before he is reaching for her.
Preparing for the next second, I move away. She’s going to fight, they always do. Like clockwork, she screams and thrashes away from him. His eyes lock on her body just as his hands freeze mid air. They subtly shake as he falls to his knees. Like a broken man, he cries. Not just for Scarlett but for the pain he feels he failed to keep her away from. Resting my hand on his shoulder, I offer my support quietly. Just then a shout from one of the men alerts us to the discovery of something.
Passing the guys, I go back into the main area to find the source of the shout. One of our men stands in a defensive positionwith his gun drawn. Following his aim, I find a black door at the rear of a cell. A large red Spanish symbol is drawn across it. Recognizing it as the same one found on Scarlett’s wall, shown to me via a cellphone picture. Calling out, the dogs appear next to me. Seconds later the guys follow suit. Bracing ourselves, I nod for one of the men to open the door. Pulling my weapon up, I aim it at the opening. Inside is another set of dim lit stairs leading to one level down. I skillfully inch towards the opening and look further inside. A wider hallway is seen followed by another door. This one has a larger window with an interior that is well lit and you can almost hear the sound of a television or people talking, though I can’t decipher which it is. Taking a steady breath, I move forward and descend the stairs silently. We move as a unit, sliding through the hallway like a soft breeze. Approaching the door, I turn out of view and listen closely. The sounds are clearer now. A man's voice rings out before another laughs. There’s a third voice, this one more familiar than the others. He says something that causes the other two to laugh harder. Carefully, I slide the door open a crack to get a better grip on their voices.
Just then, the third man’s voice becomes crystal clear as he says, “What’s even better is that the useless fool has no idea that I paid to have her killed. I’d say offering a virgin in exchange for her death is a fair trade. Not to mention, feeling a virgin’s pussy again was a great consolation prize.”
Ignoring all impulses, I move like a serpent in tall grass. So quiet, I am entirely undetectable until I have the heavy barrel pressed right against his skull.
“You’ll have to try harder than that to kill me, Dominic.”
Chapter Thirty Five
Or Wednesday Afternoon…
To say Dominic looks shocked would be an understatement. Seeing his face in the reflection of a mirror across from us nearly has me giggling. He looks like he’s seen a ghost. Unfortunately for him, he's about to see two of them. In one swift movement I shoot both of his buddies in the head. They fall backwards, one sliding to the ground while the other lays loosely against the couch. Shoving my gun harshly against his head, I push him until he moves. Hesitantly, he stands while presenting his hands in an “I surrender” position. He turns carefully until we face each other. I can’t stop the devilish smile creeping onto my lips.This is just too good.
“Boys, why don't we start by showing Dom here what we do to members who commit treason. One man for each count.” I chuckle to the men behind me.
Stepping back, our men creep forward but I halt them. Pointing only tomymen. Lucas is the first to be beckoned. Cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders, he closes the distance between them. He drops Dominic with a nasty head butt. The pop sound made tells me his nose has been broken and his groans tell me it's painful. What a glorious sound that is. He finishes his assault with a stomp to his right leg, effectively breaking it. This leaves Dominic screaming. Stepping back, Lucas is replaced by James. Collecting Dominic by the collar of his shirt, he sends his fist, at full force, into his face. Blood splatters as teeth go flying.Not so pretty anymore, I think to myself. Lifting his leg, he lands it on one of Dominic’s arms. The screams continue. Finally, Ryon makes his way over. James steps off to the side, leaving Ryon space to kneel down until he’s face level with him. I can’t make out what he whispers but it leaves Dominic a blubbering mess. He stands up and begins to walk away, but not before kicking him in the head. Ghost’s turn.
“Bring him out.” I tell the men before walking back to where we left Scarlett and Ghost.
I find them still in their retrospective places except that Scarlett is now seated on the bed and Ghost is no longer crying. Entering the room, I kneel before him and mutter the only words I have prayed to say.
“We got him.” His head jerks up in disbelief before all emotions disappear.
Ghost falls away into some dark place while the monster he harbors takes form. His eyes are void of any warmth and only hold recognition of my presence. Standing to full height, I swear he appears taller than he normally is. Like his anatomy refigures to harbor the deadly beast that rattles at its chains just below the surface of his skin. Offering my hand, he takes it. The onlysign of the man I love is just how gently he touches me. Leading him from the room, we step out and find our men huddled around a sobbing Dominic. Once we reach the circle, Ghost drops my hand. Stepping forward, Ghost stands over Dominic’s cowering form creating a cast of darkness around him. Dominic looks up at his son with panic before it turns to steadiness.
“Son, thank goodness you are here. They attacked me. I was a prisoner of the Spanish. These people you think are your friends didn’t even let me defend myself, they just-” Dominic’s voice is cut off by Ghost’s voice.
“Shut the fuck up. You are no father to me. You raised me to kill an innocent person and when I wouldn't, you tried killing me and taking matters into your own hands. Admit it now and I’ll show mercy.” He barely controls his rage as he speaks.
“Oh, that’s not all you did. Now is it Dominic?” I say in a mocking tone.
“What-what is she talking about? Tell me right the fuck now or so help me.” Ghost says as he inches closer to him. Dominic rapidly shakes his head, refusing to answer.
