Page 77 of Pride
The mustached man said to another in Spanish, “Should we shoot her?”
“Nah, said the other. Let’s use her first,thenshoot her.”
Alice grinned.
Best case scenario.
The men tripped over each other to get to her. She waggled her finger at all but one of them and took him around to the side of the barn where she promptly put pressure on his carotid and sent him to sleep.Too easy.He crumpled to the ground, and she cried out for help. The bastards didn’t come. They laughed. Clearly they assumed the jerk she’d KO’d was having his way with her, so she stepped out from the shelter of the barn and called for help again, pointing, indicating the fallen comrade they couldn’t see behind the corner. It was unexpected enough that another jogged over, and the third and fourth collected their guns. She tugged the first into the shadows and whipped the edge of her hand down on his neck, squashing that vital spot. Zipping her jacket back up, she made short work of taking the remaining two guards out with her sharp pins—the paralytic toxin working fast to drop them.
“I can’t believe that worked,”Parker said through the comms.
“You wouldn’t believe how often men underestimate a woman,” she mumbled, dragging the bodies together to make a pile. “Honey, I have a gift for you. Now, it’s not Shibari, but tying up this lot should keep you occupied until I get out.”
Parker’s humored snort came through the comms and, it was stupid, but that little acknowledgment made her go all warm and fuzzy inside.
When she straightened, he was there—eyebrow arched so high it half disappeared beneath his hood.
“Thought you didn’t want me to get caught,” he said, amused eyes twinkling.
“Who’s going to catch you now?” She gestured at them. “They’re all out. Right?”
For due diligence’s sake, Parker scented the air and canted his head, making her wait until he scoped the area with his senses. Alice listened keenly for any other sounds that might indicate hostiles. Nothing.
“I think we’re good,” Parker said. “But it stinks in there. Stay frosty.”
She nodded and strapped her holster back on, then unsheathed her sword, just in case. The first thing she noticed after rolling the heavy barn door open was the stench. Urine, feces, blood. She scanned the darkened room, looking for hostiles, and found none. These prisoners mustn’t be worth much, or again, these guards had truly believed they were untouchable in this area. The hairs on the back of Alice’s neck prickled. Perhaps they should have researched the Cartel controlling this area before dropping into it. For these guards to be so nonchalant about a woman walking into their territory, they must feel secure. She shook off the dread and searched the barn.
Bales of hay, half moldy and rotten, were scattered about. Long pitchforks. High exposed beams with large chains and meat hooks dangling from them. Any floor not covered in hay was sticky. It was definitely a torture chamber. All she had to do was find the victims. Further toward the back of the barn were shoulder high animal pens. Rustling made her tense until a cow popped her head through the slatted fence.
Alice’s heart dropped. It was thin, too thin. Large liquid eyes glistened, and it didn’t even have the strength to moo at her. She shut her eyes and shook her head, then kept moving. It was ruthless, but the cow wouldn’t be the only one she’d have to ignore. This wasn’t a rescue mission for multiple people—their resources didn’t extend that far. Continuing down the line, she peeked over the top of each pen to search inside. She passed two, each with a prone man—she thought. It was hard to tell amongst the blood, hay, and dirt. It was even harder to tell if they were alive. Inside the third pen was a woman.
Alice stared for a moment, trying to ascertain her identity. Daisy had silver hair. This woman’s hair was too dirty to tell the color. She was also naked from the waist down. There was one way to tell if she was one of the Sisterhood’s.
“Bless me, father,” Alice whispered, praying with more than her words.
The figure roused and then looked up—swollen eyes peeking out from beneath a curtain of stringy dark hair.
“For I have sinned,” the woman croaked.
Alice’s throat closed up. Tears burned her eyes, and she internally rejoiced. “Sister Prudence.”
The Sinner tried to stand, but she was injured in too many ways for Alice to count. “Wait there,” Alice said, and searched for a latch. It wasn’t even locked. Shock pounded into her chest.
These prisoners had been treated so poorly that they’d stopped trying to escape.
“Four minutes.”Pride’s voice through the comms.
She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing he’d have hoped for a different outcome. “It’s my Sinner.”
A pause, then,“Do you need help?”
Alice wanted to say no, that she was strong enough to carry Prudence on her own, but she wasn’t sure if her soul could take it. The woman was beat up bad. Blood streaked down her naked legs.
“Yes,” she whispered. “And bring pants.”
A minute later, Parker jogged into the barn. Alice waved him down to her pen and then went inside to crouch beside Prudence. Sinners were bred tough. Many of them had suffered torture, assault, and much more, but never this bad. Never for this long. Prudence was older than Alice by half a decade. She was reaching her expiry date. Death was around the corner for all of them, but closer for the older ones. Some of them tried to run from Hell, but others, like Prudence, seemed to run toward it. They put their hand up for all the dangerous missions, often not coming back. Parker slowed to a stop next to Alice, took one look at the poor woman laying battered and broken on the floor, and then handed Alice the pants before turning his back and standing guard at the pen door.
“I took them from a guard,” he said, facing outward to give them privacy.
