The next few seconds ticked by agonizingly slowly, as if the world had slowed down to a crawl. The blast had robbed me of my hearing, and I struggled with the feeling of having cotton in my ears. Gradually, as it started coming back to me, I heard a chorus of agonized screams along with various voices yelling.
“Come on, Rev,” someone said at my side. I glanced up to see Chulo standing over me. He grabbed my arm and helped hoist me up. I then bent over and picked up the girl. “Fuck man. You’ve been hit.”
“It ain’t bad. She’s in worse shape,” I replied.
Carrying Annabel with my wounded leg seemed to take forever to get through the gate. Just as we reached the van, Breakneck came running over to us. “You found her?” he asked, his face lighting up.
His question caused my chest to tighten in agony. I didn’t know how I was going to knowingly kill his hope. Finally, I shook my head. “No man, this isn’t Sarah. I found her in Mendoza’s private quarters. She’s been beaten almost to death.”
Breakneck’s face fell. “It’s not my Sarah?”
“I’m so sorry. Maybe one of the others has her.”
Shouts and gunfire tore our attention to what was happening beyond the gate. Our group of men came around the corner ofthe house. Some were running while others were barely limping along. Most were covered in blackened soot and ash.
“What the fuck happened?” I demanded.
“The bunker where he kept the girls…” Bishop shook his head. “It was rigged with explosives. The second we got through the alarm system, someone blew it all up.”
I closed my eyes as the realization washed over me. It was a fucking coward’s defense strategy. Destroy the evidence of your crimes when you were about to get caught. In this case, Mendoza sacrificed the lives of the young women for no reason at all.
When I opened my eyes, I saw that Breakneck was staring wide-eyed at the flames billowing into the night sky. It was painful to watch as the realization washed over him. An agonized cry tore from his lips as he sank to his knees on the ground. To come this far only to lose Sarah in the end was brutal.
“Okay boys, let’s get the fuck out of here before the reinforcements arrive,” Chulo ordered.
With anguished eyes, Breakneck whirled around. “No. We can’t leave. Sarah’s still in there.”
Bishop placed a hand on Breakneck’s back. “I’m sorry, man. She’s gone.”
“You don’t know that. We don’t know unless we find her body.”
Chulo grunted in frustration. “Listen man, you forget any idea about going back for her body because there ain’t nothing left. That place was wired so tight the Feds won’t find a scrap of anything. You get me?”
Although a look of defeat flashed across Breakneck’s face, he didn’t respond. He once again resumed staring at the flames.
Glancing down at the girl in my arms, I said, “Chulo, we need a hospital for her.”
“And for you,” he replied.
“You were hit?” Bishop questioned.
“It’s nothing.”
“Yeah, well, that nothing looks like it’s bleeding pretty bad,” Nero challenged.
“Whatever.” With the girl weighing heavy in my arms, I went to get her settled in the van. When I started to ease her down on the seat, I noticed the blood pooling down her thighs. “Jesus,” I muttered. Whirling around, I grabbed Breakneck’s arm. “Forget about me. She’s hemorrhaging or something.”
Breakneck threw a glance at Annabel before returning his stare to the inferno at the compound. “I…I can’t.”
Grabbing him by the shoulders, I shoved him into the side of the van. “Listen to me. I’m sorry we didn’t get to Sarah in time. I’m sorry that you lost her. But you can’t shut down. We’ve got a girl who needs your help.”
Breakneck shoved me away. “Fuck you!”
“Guys, we gotta move. Now,” Chulo said.
The second van cranked up its engine. I shook my head at Breakneck. “What about your fucking Hippocratic oath, huh?”
Breakneck glared at me. “My little girl was just murdered, you bastard. I don’t give a shit about anyone else. You can fucking bleed out for all I care.”
