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"Here, I forgot I brought this for you."
Trenton looked over his shoulder and smiled. "How'd you know I love cheese?" He took the pack of cheese slices and crackers that Ben held out to him.
"I didn't. It's one of my favorites too. I looked around the house and took what was easy to smuggle in for you. I wish I could do more."
"This helps more than you know. Usually, I'm too sore to notice the hunger, but I feel a lot better after I eat. When I get out of here, I'm going to drink a ton of water, then find a huge pitcher of lemonade and down it."
"Don't forget Faith's meatballs," Ben reminded him.
"I could never forget those. She learned to make them at a friend's house and won't share the recipe with me. I have no idea what she does to make them taste so good, but they're amazing." He allowed himself to get lost in memories for a moment, then shook his head. "I'll worry about food and drink once I'm out of here."
Ben nodded. "Hopefully, soon. They wanted to come in fast, but had to plan."
"It's why we are so good at what we do. We don't go in until we have a plan for every situation." He ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up. "Look freshly fucked?"
Ben frowned. "I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have let you—"
"Hey, I offered. It's okay. This whole situation is fucked up. Don't think about what we just did. You are the only reason I have hope I might live to see my next birthday. What just happened is part of keeping us both alive." He ate the cheese as he spoke, knowing time was limited. "Listen, in a perfect world this shit never happens, but this world is far from perfect. We do what we have to and deal with it. Do you know how many lives you're saving by doing what you did? Do you know what kind of a hero you are?"
"If I was any kind of hero I would have walked out and reported this place the first day I found out how big the operation was. I might not rape and beat people, but I'm still no better than anyone out there. I should have done more sooner." Ben shook his head. "Don't tell me different. We both know it's true."
"Listen, I don't know what your boss told you. You believed they were going to take the ring down. You had no way of knowing they were working with the traffickers. Now you know and you did the right thing."
"I don't know how you can't hate me."
"I hate the men who rape and beat me. I hate the men who make young girls cry. I don't hate someone who was trying to do the right thing but was misled with lies." Trenton shoved the last cracker into his mouth.
Ben filled a glass with water and handed it to him.
After drinking it down, Trenton looked up at him. "No signs of crumbs?"
"You're good." Ben nodded. "Do I look satisfied?"
"Not with that frown on your face. Play the role just a little while longer, then we'll both be out of here." He gripped Ben's arm. "Again, thank you for contacting them."
"You're welcome."
Letting Ben lead him back to the cage, Trenton felt more hope than he had since he'd been taken. He wasn't free yet, but he would be soon.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The sound echoed in the darkness, but Trenton knew exactly what it was. Muffled by a suppressor, he still knew the sound of a gunshot. Hope battled with fear as he wondered if the team had finally come for him or if it was something else. Maybe one of the hostages tried to escape from upstairs, or someone pissed off whoever led this place. It could be anything.
Chances were, it wasn't his team. They would take more than a day to plan for something this big. He closed his eyes, listening to the now deafening silence. Not even the kids were crying or making any noise. It was eerily quiet. He heard one of the guards cough from the direction of the table they sat at, but even they hadn't been around to check on the cages in hours.
Beside him, Ian slept. He'd been called upstairs for only a couple of hours earlier. When he'd come back down, he had bruises up and down his torso. He claimed he was fine, but Trenton was sure the guy had a few cracked ribs at the least. He kept his eye on him, making sure he was still breathing through the long nighttime hours.
Another shot rang out, then another. Trenton sat up, his body going on full alert. When he heard screams of warning from the guards outside, he knew to take action. He stood, his feet wobbly from the drugs they'd given him hours ago. "Ian, wake up. Everyone, get up. We have to get to the back wall." He bent and grabbed Ian's arm. "Got to get up."
"What? Why?" Ian asked sluggishly as another gunshot split the night air. "Shit." Ian sat up, then cursed as he grabbed his chest.
"Slow and easy to the back wall. Gather everyone and huddle together. Keep your heads down." Trenton spoke loud enough that everyone could hear him.
Outside the cages, the two night guards ran toward the outer door with their guns drawn. As long as their attention was on the door, they were safe in the cages.
"Huddle together, keep your heads down and covered if possible." Trenton gathered the men together at the back wall near the toilet. It was the only place that gave them even a little cover, and only from one side. If bullets started flying, it wouldn't be good for any of them.
"What's going on?" Hector asked as he curled nearly into a ball beside Trenton.
