Page 87 of Dark Endures

Gracie looks me in the eye. “That’s what Fea said. She also said you might be able to help the others.”

“I’ll try my best.” Or die trying.

“There were thirty of us.” Her voice breaks. “They kept us hanging in cages until we had to—” Gracie looks down at her feet.

“You don’t have to explain that. Maddox understands.”

“Do you know where you were being held?” I redirect the conversation.

“At an old mall outside of Urbium. It’s all boarded up. They use the furniture store for the—And they held us in the sporting goods store.”

“You’re doing really well.” Fiona’s countenance stays calm like mine, but her eyes are filled with rage and violence.

“How many men are there? I don’t need an exact number, a rough estimate will do.”

“Fifty,” Anna answers. “Not counting the ones in the hotel. But those men don’t have guns. They’re just there to—”

A hotel! And a film studio! How did they stay off Vex’s or our radar for this long? “That’s all the information I need. Thank you both.”

“That’s it?” Gracie asks. “On the television, the questioning takes forever. And they need to know everything.”

“Television isn’t real life.” And I’m not a cop. These guys aren’t getting a trial by jury or three square meals a day till their execution in ten years. We’re expediting the process. “If there’s anything the two of you need, all you have to do is ask.”

“I want to go home to my mommy.” A tear runs down Anna’s face.

If that woman is alive, she’s about to have the best and worst day of her life. “Fiona will help you find her. And if she runs into any problems, I’ll help.”

“I know her phone number. But I was too afraid that they’d hurt her too if I called her.”

This time I let a little power show in my voice. “You’re safe, and she will be too. Why don’t you go make that phone call?” Fea knows whatever resources she needs are available.

***

Together, the council watches the live feeds from a satellite over the mall where the girls are being held. Enzo tapped into the cameras that the old mall security used to use.

“Do we have enough ammo?”

“To take over a not-so-small third-world country.” Jacko grins.

“How are they getting the johns in undetected?” Dyce asks.

Enzo flips the screen onto a parking garage. “The mall was connected to a parking garage by an underground tunnel. Back when the mall was in use, the employees were supposedto use it. Now it’s a free public parking lot that’s unmonitored except for a handful of unmonitored security cameras that they used in case of any legal action. All the johns have to do is take the stairs or elevator down to the basement level and walk on over. No one ever sees them.”

Pit steps forward with a bag of chips in hand. “We need a plan to ensure none of the girls are hurt. We can’t just go in guns blazing like the cops would. There are way too many exits for us to block all of them.”

“Did our guest give us any information?” He’s already been introduced to the spicy noodles and is enjoying their welcoming bites. I’m picking up Mindy’s funny terms.

“Nothing, the cameras haven’t given us any more detail. Who doesn’t disconnect the security cameras when they're running a prostitution ring?”

“One where the security company is in on it.” Enzo nods to a man in a mall cop uniform making rounds like nothing is going on inside the building. “The feeds run into their building. I have a list of all the employees that are involved.”

We can take them out after we finish the rescue.

This is going to take all night. “We’ll go in as soon as things settle down and the sun sets. Jacko, your team will take out the power lines from the city and the backup generator. Then head into the hotel and clear it out room by room.”

“How are we going to deal with the bodies? There are dozens of johns every night.”

“I’ll see if the Vincentis have a ship that might be sinking in the next day or two. If not, we can set up the pool and deal with them in batches. Not one of these guys walks away alive.”

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