Page 90 of Savage Desires
Willow helps the woman to her feet. Cutter and Shawn, having cleared the rest of the rooms, are waiting in the hallway for us.
"Why is there only one guard down here?" Willow asks no one in particular.
"T-they're all upstairs or at some kind of compound. Vlad's the only one they left here to watch us."
"What compound, Georgie?" Willow questions.
"I don't know. The man in the mask came today and argued with Madame. He was pissed about something. I've never heard him so mad. He drug Madame out by her arm when she refused to go with him."
"I would guess they're at the Russian's compound where Yuri lives. It's the safest place for them to hide out while their soldiers fight their battles for them," I say.
We get to the hallway with the cells and find Goose and Zeke pacing the hallway looking pissed as hell. I'm guessing it has something to do with the sounds of multiple crying women coming from behind the locked doors.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
WILLOW
Kisten unlocks the cell doors, but not a single woman tries to exit. It's not surprising, considering the consequences of doing that. Cutter stands outside one of the doors and tries to coax the woman inside out, but she doesn't budge. I assume she's new because she's in Lucy and Stacia's old cell and isn't following orders immediately.
"They won't trust that they're safe," I tell the men. "Go guard the stairs or something while Georgie and I talk to them."
I'm happy when no one argues with me. Kisten sends Tex and Zeke to the office to clear out any tech that would be useful and to look for a safe. Cutter parks himself between the cells and the hallway that leads to the shower room. He obviously doesn't trust leaving any part of the area unguarded. Kisten stays on the other side of the hallway. Not that I'm surprised. I didn't really expect him to let me out of his sight. He's probably worried I'll do something crazy.
It takes nearly twenty minutes to convince the women they are really being saved. There are new faces amongst the old. It makes me mad because they wasted no time replacing the ones they sent to the auction to be slaughtered. This is just more proof that we mean absolutely nothing but dollar signs to them.
"Okay, ladies, we'll go upstairs through the back. Two vans are waiting to take you somewhere safe. There are three women and a man who looks scary like the other guys helping, but he's a big softie. His name is Doc. If you have any injuries that need immediate attention, let him know, and he'll get you fixed up."
We lead the fifteen women up to the vans. Sissy immediately jumps into action. Her team moves like a well-oiled machine, helping the women into the vans. Doc notices one of the girls holding her side and wincing with every step. He slowly approaches her and talks softly, asking her if she's hurt.
She nods, and he reassures her he's a doctor and will ensure she gets the best medical care. Even though he looks every bit like the scary biker he is, he also has the kindest eyes and easily shows the women his softer side. She accepts his help into the van.
"Time to go, Georgie," I say when she doesn't move towards either van.
"I want to stay. I can help," she says shakily.
"You need to get to safety. Remember what I told you about keeping yourself safe? This is exactly the opportunity I was talking about. I want you to take it."
"Will I see you again?" she says tearfully.
I look at Kisten, and he nods.
"Yes, I'll come see you when everything is sorted. Now go," I say, gently pushing her towards the van Sissy is standing beside.
It takes less than five minutes for Sissy to load up the girls. She gives a little salute before driving away. I hope they make it to where they are going safely.
Tex and Zeke exit the building just as the taillights of the vans disappear into the night. They both have bulging duffle bags over their shoulders. "Got everything cleared out of the office. Safe was easy to crack. Had several jump drives and stacks of cash."
"Good. Put it in my SUV. There's a hidden compartment in back that's fireproof, so it'll be safe there for now," Kisten says, tossing Zeke the keys.
We're heading back to the warehouse to wait for Gunner and T.J. to check-in. I'm trying not to worry because, admittedly, they had a bigger shitshow to walk into than we did, but I can't help it as the minutes stretch on. When we get back to the warehouse and still haven't heard from them, I'm low-key panicking for my friends.
"Maybe we should go check on them? They should've contacted us already, right?"
"Gunner or one of his guys would've contacted Hurley in the tech room if they needed more backup," Kisten says reasonably.
"I forgot about Hurley," I murmur.
"Just cut my heart out, why don't you?" Hurley's voice in my earpiece startles me. I forgot he's been listening this whole time.