“I want you to let those girls go,” I demanded, motioning to the opened door.
They both laughed. “And you’re going to make us? If you were going to use that, you would have already.” I aimed the gun at the foot of the guard who punched me, pulling the trigger fully to the rear and firing. The sound alone made me shudder, and the girls started screaming. That, mixed with the guard’s howls, made me feel sick. “You stupid fucking whore,” he groaned out, curling on the ground. “I’m gonna fucking gut you!”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” the other guard asked. “Look, let’s just be calm.”
“I want you to let them all out!All of them!” I shouted.
He disappeared into the secured area while his peer lay bleeding and cursing beneath me. I smiled at him, and his eyes bulged.
“You little—”
“I’d be careful if I were you. I’ve got another fourteen rounds in here.”
The color was slowly draining from his face, and he swallowed hard. Guard One re-emerged, and behind him, a trail of girls. As they made their way into the warehouse, I searched each of their scared faces. Most of them wore nothing more than a T-shirt. Others had thin white dresses on.
“Now what?” the first guard asked.
“Now, you let us leave, and you don’t follow us,” I spat.
When the last of them exited, I froze. Gracie wasn’t here. I searched the small crowd of girls, about fifteen of them, and I felt myself spinning.
“Where is she?” I shouted. “Where is Gracie?”
“I don’t know who that is,” he said.
I aimed my gun at him, and the girls shrank away, trying to get further away from me. I felt the hit long before I heard anything. The wind was knocked from me, and I felt myself falling.
All I could think about was the fact I’d failed Gracie.
I’d failed.
ChapterThirty-Eight
Luke
At the sound of a gunshot, I sprinted downstairs. With how loud it was, I knew it was definitely close.
I crossed the street and walked around the side of the building, hoping there was another way to get in. The front door was not an option.
A figure approached, so I hid behind the wall. Thankfully, the man didn’t notice me and entered the building. I crouched on the ground, biding some time.
I must have been there for about forty-five minutes when suddenly I heard tires on asphalt, and when I looked around, three vans were pulling out of the building. They were in a hell of a hurry. The windows were all tinted, so I couldn’t see who was inside or how many passengers were in each van.
When they left, I noticed the warehouse front entrance was left open. Now I was certain they’d left in a hurry. I ran to the open door and slipped in. It was a strange place with plastic sheets hanging everywhere and mostly empty, which made me wonder what they were leaving here with.
“Anybody here?” I shouted, and my voice echoed.
I walked deeper into the warehouse until I came to an enclosed area. Entering, I noticed the small rooms, all the doors ajar. There were beds and basins, and I wondered if these were staff quarters.
When I heard sirens, I made a run for my vehicle. I had to see if I could catch up with those vans. Running down the street, I only slowed down when the police cars were close. They must have been alerted to the shot fired, and I did not want to get caught up in that.
Getting into my car, I drove out of the industrial park. I was at a loss in which direction I should go.
I saw a guard at the gate and motioned for him. He sprinted over to me. “Three vans came past here a few minutes ago. Any idea which way they went?”
“Right!” He motioned. I thanked him and handed him some cash. Then, turning my vehicle right, I picked up speed. I checked my rearview mirror, making sure I wasn’t being tailed by the police. Maybe I was being paranoid, but I couldn’t help it. I needed to gain some road. I was at least twenty minutes behind them. Pressing the accelerator and heading down the freeway, there were so many exits I hoped I’d get behind them in time.
One van curved through the steady traffic in front of me, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I had no idea where I was going or if Alyssa and her daughter were even in those vans. Keeping on their tails, I followed at a safe distance, ensuring not to arouse suspicion. I wondered if I should have taken Seth up on his offer to get the local police involved and thought better of it.
