Page 59 of Tear Me Down
“They sell marijuana. Of course, it’s not illegal anymore, but distribution is, and they don’t mind selling to teens. Plus, they own a couple of the major strip clubs in town and run gambling and fighting rings. As long as they don’t get into selling heavy shit, and stay away from Dust, we stay away from them.” He buries his nose in my hair and takes a deep breath in. “A couple of years ago, another MC tried to take them out, and it put a few civilians in the way. Ten people died, and I came after them. They… explained the situation, and we agreed that as long as they handled it, we’d stay out of each other’s way. We allow them to get guns from DJ, but we always get first go ‘round when he gets new shipments in. We’ve been fine. Until now.”
“Do you think Dust took her? From what you were saying, it doesn’t sound like they did.”
He shakes his head and pulls back just a little.
“No, I don’t think so. One of their guys may have bought from Dust, but this feels different.” He takes another deep breath in, and I run my hands up and down his shaky back.
“They just need your help, baby. Go save this woman, and then I'm sure all will be fine again.”
He grits his teeth and shakes his head in quick succession.
“There's no reason for them to keep you here.”
“I agree, but they’re on edge and don’t have the resources to get her back. So, we're just going to have to play nice. Carter will be here,” I add, trying to lighten my worry.
“Yeah, and that pisses me off too. Carter’s a terrible shot.” I giggle and he smirks barely.
“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Stay focused, I don’t want you getting hurt.” He leans down and gently kisses me, cupping my face in his strong hand and caressing my cheek softly.
“You know I'm going to worry.”
“I know, but I thought I would try.”
Chapter twenty-one
Damien
It only took Carter twenty minutes to get there, and it only took me five to get changed and loaded up with ammo, smoke grenades, and other gear after a few choice words with Carter. He and Ashia are to sit at the bar with his laptop and not move an inch. I want them close to the door and visible from the outside at all times. Whatever it takes to get this shit over with and get her out of there, I’ll do it. The MC has balls, but Viking and I are going to have some words and fists when I get back.
The drive to the two-story home is long and silent with clear tensions in the air. I don’t necessarily trust Grease, but I sure as hell respect him, and that’s what I’m going to have to hold onto for now. While his club may get into some questionable shit, he does also help the community with drives and safe haven projects for women who fall victim to domestic violence. It’s not as intricate as we are, but he helps the women hide until they are safe and get through their court dates, and for that alone, he’s earned some reverence.
Once we get close enough, I park about a half mile away in the tree line surrounding the gravel road and hike the rest of the way up to the house. Grease and I don't speak, and I’d rather we keep it that way. The stealthier we can do this, the better. Plus, I don’t need some sob story about his VP and his wife. A woman is in trouble, and that’s enough reason for me to be involved, but the extra information is nothing but annoying at this point. Once we approach the spot, I spend two minutes surveying the perimeter. A few abandoned cars, feed containers, newer looking crates that I’m assuming weren’t here before, and a couple of hay bales lay out on the property.
There’s about six men outside total, trekking around the house and staying in the same spot for about twenty seconds, then moving again. Much more intricate than I would think, especially if this is supposed to be some type of manufacturing location. However, my mind is starting to lean towards other conclusions. This is way too remote, and for this house to be so far away from society, where no one could possibly stumble upon it, there’s a lot more protection than necessary.
I unload the duffle from my shoulder and open it, looking over all of the components before I start assembling the thermal camera and drone.
“What’s all of that?” Grease whispers as he kneels beside me.
“Thermal imaging so I can get a good look inside. That’s a lot of coverage to be guarding one person or a small den.” Once the camera is set up, I pull out and configure the remote screen for the drone, making sure its targeting software is exact before I let it warm up. Using the space on the pad of my thumb, I hold it out to calculate the distance between us, the house, and the height I need. Once I'm confident in the coordinates, I input them and watch asthe drone quietly flies into the air, high above the trees, and makes its way over the house. During the men’s twenty-second rotation, they don’t notice the movement, and the fact that they’re so confident in their solidarity might actually help us. With the drone in place, I link the connection between the drone and the camera to see visuals inside the house pop onto the remote.
“I'm not going to lie, D, that’s some quality shit,” he mumbles again, actually impressed.
“Carter and I designed it,” I whisper back and study the feed, instantly getting a sick feeling in my stomach as I see the multiple red figures move on the screen. Some are clearly standing tall and walking around, while others are either hunched over in fetal positions or so still that I’m not sure the tech is working properly. “This isn’t Dust.”
“What do you mean?” He leans over to look at the same images I'm observing. Six girls, all confined in rooms individually. Three more standing bodies inside, clearly comfortable in the surroundings, one being a woman.
“It’s a fucking groom house,” I seethe, feeling my previous anger resurface. Why would they target Maria? Traffickers don’t normally dig into their captives’ personal lives. They may stalk their targets for a day or two once they’ve been chosen, but nothing that could potentially get them caught. It’s likely they didn’t know that she was the wife of an MC Vice President. Either that, or they did know, and chose to take her anyway. She’s a high-profile target in an area like ours, and it’s not like she was a random woman walking down the street. My guess is if they do know who she is, that they wanted her for a reason, and now I just have to find out what that reason is.
“Groom house?” Grease asks, having never heard the term, clearly.
“Trafficking. Before they sell off the girls, they train them to be submissive to whom they’re sold. This is either where they break them, or this is just a pit stop. My guess? It’s where they’re keeping them until they’re either sold on the internet or taken to auction.” I raise my hand to my earpiece as I put in for the drone to return to the same path as it went. “Carter, send Zeke with some men to pick up a van, Dani, and Lauren. We’ve got six from what I can count. Tell him to follow the GPS location of the charger, and we’ll signal when we’re on our way.”
“You got it, D,” Carter says into my earpiece.
“What’s the plan?” Grease asks, already reaching for his gun.
I pocket my pistol and pull out my knife, already eyeing him like his impulsive behavior is going to get us killed.
