The door slid open, and the air immediately shifted. It was warmer and stale. The silence was dark and deafening as he and Moose descended. At first, soft cries, whimpers, and little coughing spurts echoed around them. Concrete floors made it a little cooler, but there was a stench of sweat and dirt in the air. It was like one big production floor. In one section, tables were arranged where they assumed people ate. A small kitchen setup wasn’t far from it.
Moose thought that was it when he first flicked the flashlight on in his hand. Outside of his peripheral, something shifted, and he spotted the cages lining the wall. All big enough for a toddler mattress with a small space for food and water. Some had two girls in one. All curled up with fear living in their eyes. Most of them were pretty and brown skinned. Some were still babies, barely teenagers. Something in Moose’s gut wrenched. For a moment, he thought about Tiara. If someone had snatched her up and did something like this, they wouldn’t be able to find the pieces of them when he was done.
Kong’s mind immediately went to Kara. This was no way for any girl to live.
Flicking their lights in each cage, the brothers searched. Kong’s heart thrummed loudly in his ears. Was she really here, held up like this? None of the girls matched her description. Once they reached the final row, he found a cage and quickly flicked his light over the area. A small figure curled slightly in the corner. Hair wild, skin smeared with dirt in a white tank top and gray sweats, she barely moved. The cages had been welded to the walls, so he couldn’t move it, and he didn’t have a key to open the lock on the outside.
“Ayla?” Kong kneeled at the cage door.
Her name barely left his mouth, and he watched the shadow flinch. She looked like she’d stopped breathing. Sensing something behind her, she slowly sat up. Eyes dull and empty, she stared at him like she didn’t recognize him. Kong stepped closer, then stopped when a flash of light flickered across the window in the corner of the room. Headlights from the only window in the room.
“Ayla,” he repeated, voice low and careful when he paused a couple of feet behind her.
“Watch out, bro.” Moose aimed his pistol at the lock. He had to fire twice, fracturing it from the chain.
Ayla’s frame was smaller, thinner, something he wasn’t used to, but he knew it was her. Her eyes landed on him, then Moose. Emptiness waited in her gaze, guarded like she was here but so far away at the same time. She blinked back tears.
“K-Kong,” she whispered, voice cracking.
Dropping to his knees, his sweaty hands shook. Afraid to touch her, he stared at her in disbelief for the longest. Never allowing himself to hope for this meant he wouldn’t be let down if it wasn’t true. This had exceeded his expectations. Seeing her weak and disheveled angered him. He saw bruises, and all he wanted to do was put down everybody who had ever touched her since she’d been gone.
“It’s me, baby. I’m here.”
Ayla stared at him, trying to match her memory to reality.
“You’re not?—”
“Not what?” Kong’s thick brows bunched together.
“You’re not real.” She sniffled.
Kong reached out, grabbing her and pulling her into his arms. He was careful but firm when he wrapped his arms around her. He held his breath, the stench of sweat and days old clothes smothering him. Yet he couldn’t let her go. Her warm body against his was something he decided to never take for granted again as he allowed his eyes to close and take in the moment. At first, she was tense in his arms, then the familiar waft of his body wash and cologne awakened something in her.
“I’m real,” he said, voice breaking. “I’m right here.”
Slowly, her hands lifted, weakly gripping his shirt before breaking in his embrace. It wasn’t loud or dramatic, just quiet shaking and soft whimpers as she clung to him. Kong only held her tighter. Behind him, Moose didn’t move or speak. This wasn’t what they came for, but he was glad they’d found her. After a moment, she pulled back slightly. Breathing unevenly, eyes clearer now, she searched Kong’s concerned face.
“My baby,” she whispered.
Desperation lingered in her eyes mixed with panic as her hand rested on his shoulder.
“Where is he?”
“He?” Kong queried, the question and statement both landing like a bullet to his chest.
He had another son. Jaw tightening, he didn’t know how to answer. He’d dreamed of finding Ayla, but it never occurred to him that he would have to answer these questions. Somehow, he felt like he had let her down. How could he tell her he had no idea where their son was?
“We’re going to find him,” he assured her.
Shaking her head, she unraveled before his very eyes. Her face balled up in agony, and her lip quivered. Tears spilled down her face.
“They took him. They… he was here. I heard him cry. Then he wasn’t.” Her breathing spiked.
“Hey, look at me.” Kong grabbed her face gently.
Blinking back more tears, she focused on his handsome face.
“We’re going to get him back,” he vowed.
