Both guards laughed, as was Trevor's intention. Grant stood beside him, the stoic bastard not cracking a smile.
“The boss is inside along with the uh...merchandise.”
Trevor slapped the man on the shoulder a little harder than necessary. “I do enjoy sneaking in a little dessert before dinner. Shall we?”
Though he knew it was all part of the act, bile churned in Derek's stomach as he listened to the two guards laugh at Trevor's sick joke.
It was bad enough having seen the things men did to each other while at war. Knowing there were twisted assholes like these two running around in the world made Derek want to puke.
“Here we go.” Jake's deep voice brought Derek back into focus.
Eyes glued to the tablet, he watched through Trevor's eyes as he and Grant followed the other two men into the building. They were greeted by two more men...the one standing guard inside the door and Victor Rizzaro, the scum behind this unthinkable operation.
“Ah, Mr. Campbell. You made it.”
“No thanks to your man's directions,” Trevor—A.K.A. Mr. Campbell—shook Rizzaro's outstretched hand.
“Yes, I got your text. It's the only reason we waited.”
Trevor's view moved from the other man's face to the far wall behind where Rizzaro stood. The bile from before began to boil as Derek got his first look at the sex-trafficking ring's victims.
“Motherfuckers. There's gotta be at least twenty women and girls in there.”
“Easy, D,” Jake's quiet warning hit his ear. “We don't want Trevor to inadvertently react to something you say and blow his cover.”
Damn.“Sorry.”
Derek shook his head. He knew better, but this sort of thing cut him to the bone. He'd never understand how someone could hurt women or kids like this.
Less than ten minutes later, Trevor had “picked” the young woman he wanted to purchase and was shaking Rizzaro's hand once more. “This went much more smoothly than I'd anticipated. I see us doing a lot of business together in the future.”
“There it is.” Derek perked up. “Trev just said the passphrase. Tell Ryker he's good to go.”
“Copy.”
The team remained silent and in place. Trevor and Grant escorted the woman Trevor had just ‘bought’ to Derek's car and the three of them drove away. Less than three minutes later, the entire warehouse was surrounded by Ryker and his men.
“That's our cue.”
Jake, Coop, and Mac all stood and began walking down the hill in the opposite direction. Derek waited a few seconds longer. Just long enough to see Rizzaro and his cronies being led—quite roughly—into the back of a government-issued prisoner transport vehicle.
The women and young girls were separated into multiple cars and SUV’s. They’d all be taken to Homeland's private medical facility for evaluation, including the woman Trevor and Grant had with them. After that, they’d be safely transported back to their homes where they belonged.
Smiling, Derek stood and checked his area to make sure he hadn't left anything behind before joining Jake and the others. An hour later, after taking their seats, the team was back on their private jet.
Standing in front of the cockpit door, Jake hollered, “Listen up.” He waited to make sure everyone was paying attention before continuing. “First of all, good job tonight. We got in, shut the operation down, and got out without incident or injury.”
Their boss smiled and waited for the whoops and hollers to die down before speaking again. “As of right now, you're all off until a week from tomorrow. Bravo Team has already been briefed on the jobs we have scheduled and are ready if anything should arise. Also, don't forget about dinner tomorrow night at The Gardens. Lexi reserved the room in the back so we'd have some privacy.”
Shit.Derek was grateful for the reminder. “What time is this shindig?”
“Six-thirty. And if you're late, you'll have to deal with my pissed-off wife.”
“Nah.” Derek grinned. “Olivia loves me.”
Jake ran a hand over his dark scruff and nodded. “Yes, for reasons I'll never understand, she does.”
Derek's smile grew wide, the remark not offending him in the least.
