Page 120 of Being Lost

I sigh. “You’re a group of women who were, what, picked up off the street?” Most of them give slight nods. “Do you know what the man who took you intended to do with you?” I hope I don’t have to put it into words, not with the young girl listening. But I can see from their faces they hadn’t been kept in the dark. I raise my chin. “Hopefully you’ll be safe if you return to your homes, but the trade won’t stop. The man behind this, he’ll just go on. Snatching girls, keeping them prisoner. Selling them. I want him stopped.”

“So why are you hiding your faces?” comes from the tall woman. “If this is a rescue like you say, we should be able to see who you are and thank you. If you were legit, you’d call the cops.”

I raise my chin, acknowledging her point. “Sure. But the man I’m after has already got the feds after him, and he’s managed to evade them for months. As far as we know, he’s holed up in Mexico, maybe further away than that. But his network still works for him. Women keep getting kidnapped and forcefully taken where they don’t want to go.”

“If you think he’s out of reach of the cops and the feds,” She looks scornful, “how are you going to bring him down? Who are you, some sort of secret military organisation?”

“Delta force?” one of her companions says, hopefully.

“Nah.” I don’t bother to fabricate a lie. “This is personal to me.”

It’s a risk letting them go. Keeping them would be a bargaining chip I could use to bring Alder out of hiding, but one or two I could hide, sixteen? Too many to keep out of sight and not risk escaping, not unless I want to chain them in the same way as their captors, and I’m not stooping to that level.

No, I’m left with the hope that finding his tunnel empty, no girls coming through and no immigrants ending up where he expects them to will send him a message and make him want to talk to me. I’ll tempt him with an offer of doing business together. Then, when I do smoke him out, I’ll get justice.

Of course it will be justice at the end of my gun. After making him hurt. After the mental anguish my old lady suffered and the physical pain of her son, I won’t be leaving it all up to Salem, and will be landing quite a few punches myself.

The tall woman looks around again. Then she speaks to the others. “Come on. What option have we got? What’s the worst that can happen? We’ve had hope dangled in front of us and snatched away? Can’t see a purpose in that. So, let’s get into the trucks and trust that they’re taking us somewhere we want to go.”

I wish they were happy, excited to be free. But some are weeping when they get up in the truck for what I know is the final time, helped by Grumbler and Niran. Then Kink and Blaze drive them away.

A few minutes later, Dusty comes back with the other trucks. Reverently we load Smoker into it, and take a second to pay our respects, then Dusty takes off.

We’ve only just got the big garage doors slid back shut behind them when the voice in my ear speaks.

“Got company, Prez. They’re trying to get the trapdoor open.”

“On my way.”

Everyone left in the auto-shop follows my lead back across to the restaurant.

“What do you want to do?”

“Get Enrico.” When he appears, I jerk my head and Salem cuts the zip ties off his hands and frees him. “One word that shouldn’t be said,” I threaten, “and you’re dead.”

He gives me a sharp nod.

I stand back. Dusty and Snips pull back the planks and the trapdoor is thrown open.

“What the fuck, Enrico? Where are the bitches?” A voice comes up from below, but no one comes into sight.

He’s being cautious.

“They’re on their way,” Enrico answers. “A bitch tried to run. Once one got loose, they all tried to scatter. Had to lock them all down until they got her back. They’re coming across now.”

“Who was the stupid asshole that let her run?”

“Hernando,” Enrico supplies.

“Fucker’s dead.” There’s the sound of a man huffing as he starts to heave himself up. A Hispanic appears, then another. Then they bend to help a third man out.

A white man comes into sight, his eyes shooting daggers at the restaurant owner. He steps to one side, and two other men come up and flank him. “I might as well inspect what I’m getting now I’m here.”

His words, as well as his appearance, confirm my suspicions.It’s Alder himself.

We’ve hit the jackpot.

I feel like a kid with all my Christmases coming at once as Salem and Pennywise grab hold of his henchmen, overpowering them and taking them out.

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