Page 62 of When Sinners Rise
The one guy stationed a way off from the entrance looks at me as I approach and gets closer as I do.
“I’m Shaw Cortez. I need to see Reece. Abel sent me.”
He hits the door a couple of times and goes for his earpiece, and I watch the door fold inwards for me. Shadows and low music pull me down into the place, and I follow the stairs until I’m met by some dude wanting to lead me somewhere. I scan the second he leaves me by a bar, searching for Naja in all the faces and filth. She’s nowhere that I can see, and beforeReecegets to me or someone comes asking questions, I get up and mill through the fucking and dick-sucking going down around me.
The floor sticks to my boots as I move, and the sweet stench of pussy and perfume hangs heavy on my clothes with each next step. I’d like to think about fucking, but here, now, there’s only one thing consuming me, and it’s nothing to do with my dick. Faces flash in front of me, none of them the girl I’m looking for. Blonde hair, red. I keep moving, cutting through rooms and around people, and then I get to a door that won’t open.
Backing off it, I wait for someone to go through or for it to open. Luckily for me, it opens after a few minutes, and I hook a heel on it before it closes again. I’m through it just as quick and travelling dark corridors at pace this time with my gun pulled and ready for whoever’s gonna try stopping me. It reminds me of home after a while. Cages and closed-off rooms line the halls, and each one opened, or peered into, shows me some girl in some state I don’t want to process. And then, finally, I find her.
She backs up to the wall the second she sees me, mouth opening like she’s gonna scream.
My fingers go to my lips, and I look back along the corridor. “I need you to trust me, Naja. Be quiet.” I look around the outside of the cage, searching for keys. There aren’t any, which means I’m gonna need to blow this lock to get her out. “Okay. I’m gonna shoot this lock, and then we’re gonna run. You understand me?”
Dark, tired eyes look back at me from the ground, and she shifts her emaciated frame across the space. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“You wanna see Miri? She’s outside, waiting for you.”
“Miri? You’ve got Miri?”
I back up a step and aim. “Pretty sure she’s got me,” grumbles from me. “Stay back.” The gun fires, the lock explodes, and I yank the cage door and offer my hand down to her. “Get up. We’ve gotta move.” She doesn’t grab my hand, but it doesn’t stop her moving with me the second I set off back along corridors. Some guy comes around a corner as we’re hurrying. I shoot at his head without thought, knowing the quicker we are, the more hope we’ve got of doing this without a swarm of guys ending us.
Another guy must have heard the shot ‘cause he’s in front of me all of a sudden. Another shot, and another to his leg, and I crouch to look around the next hallway. Sure as shit, a ruck of probably trained men are coming out of it.
I look back where we’ve come from, knowing there’s no way out down there. “Fuck.”
“What can I do?” Naja says behind me.
“You feeling brave?”
“What?”
“Walk out there and pretend you escaped. I need the distraction.”
“What?”
“Just do it. You wanna see your sister? Do as you’re damn well told.”
She moves, and the second all the guys look at her barely covered ass, I’m up and shooting anything that moves. The barrel empties and all I’ve got left is my Cortez given front to help me out. It’s a blur of anger and pain. Knuckles meet my skull, and hands grapple and barge at me. Blood pours from one,or all of us. I just keep sweeping and hitting, picturing Dante coming at me so I can win at least one fight against him.
All I can really see in my periphery is someone’s hands on Naja, and sure as hell, that forces me to fight with everything I’ve got. I let my family down in the worst goddamn way a few days back. I went rogue and pissed on them. I’m not letting Miri down, too. We’re getting out of here alive.
CHAPTER TWENTY - FOUR
MIRI
The clock is ticking, getting closer and closer to the fifteen-minute limit Shaw set for me. My hands grip the steering wheel, and I look back for the hundredth time.
They have to get out. They have to. It’s the only thing that plays in my mind. And I realise I’m as worried for Shaw as I am for Naja. He’s risking it all with nothing on the table for him except clearing his conscience.
I tap the wheel, my eyes now fixed on the door. “Come on, come on.” My heart races and my hands start to shake.
When Shaw told me about this place, I was expecting something that looked less ordinary. Anyone could drive by, and most people wouldn’t have a clue what was going on inside. I’m not really sure what a snuff film is, but I’m glad. Although I’m nervous about what Naja might be like now after what she’s been through.
The door bursts open, and I fumble, twisting the key for the engine. Turning in my seat, I watch as I see them both, Shaw and Naja, running in my direction. A rush of relief hits me, and my heart starts to pound.
They made it.
But as I look back again, Naja’s fighting Shaw, pulling against him as they get closer to the car. I reach for the handle, spring the door open, and rush toward them. Naja’s wrestling with Shaw, squirming one way and the other to get out of his hold, and she even shoves her foot up against the car’s bumper to stop them from reaching it.
