Chapter 39
KNOX
Dominic and I had a separate radio line for communication so as not to intrude upon the fourteen other teams working on their missions at the same time.
My team and I had followed Ruslan and his men all the way to the Atlantic Basin. By the time we’d reached the basin, keeping a ten-minute gap behind them, they’d already disappeared from the dock.
The event had begun about an hour ago. The parking space for the event was full. I pressed my radio button to reach out to Dominic. “Dominic. Status?”
His voice immediately came over the line.
“In the auction. Neither Sloane nor the other girls have arrived yet. But two minor girls have already been auctioned off. The buyers are leaving the premises once they’ve won an auction.
So you might want to get in on them. Fuck, this place is making me feel sick. ”
“We’re going to get them all,” I promised. “Sloane and the other girls will be there soon. They’re probably making their way in. Let me know when Sloane reaches the stage.”
“Will do.”
I turned to the team of my detectives, with Brandon and Clark taking the lead on two separate teams. “Listen up, everyone. I have confirmation that the auction of minor girls is underway right fucking now. These fuckers have been going unchecked for who knows how long, taking young girls, ruining families of our city, and selling them off to fucking millionaires and billionaires who already prey on the government funds that we pay. We are going for every person at that auction. The buyers. The sellers. Do not let anyone fucking go. Is that fucking clear?”
Fifty of my cops yelled out loud, “Yes, sir.”
“Kill them only in self-defense. Otherwise, feel free to injure severely.”
Everyone nodded.
“There have to be nearly thirty young girls in my estimation. Our goal is to get every single girl out safely. The sellers wouldn’t have them on display once they’re sold.
They would get creative in hiding the girls.
Topple every box and barrel if you don’t find the girls.
I need three boats with two people in each, monitoring the waters.
Look through every private yacht. Two girls have already been sold.
So everyone, let’s get into position. Set up a check at the exit points and at the docking area.
Start making rounds in the boats. I need every single update as you capture the buyers and the girls. ”
We discussed the route to cover each exit and entry point, and every strategy to hold the criminals was laid out. In the next ten minutes, all of my men were stationed in their positions.
Not even five minutes passed before Brandon reached out. “Sir, we’ve got one high-profile billionaire in custody along with a young girl. I’m sending them out to our holding facility.”
“Good. Stay sharp. My target is Ruslan and his men. We’ll know as soon as their girls are up for bidding.”
It didn’t take more than twenty minutes, and two more buyers were caught before Dominic came over the line. “Ruslan’s first girl is on stage. Sloane should be out soon.”
Sloane had sent us pictures of every girl staying with her. We had memorized every single one of them. I signaled my team to start marching forward toward the back of the building, taking the lead.
I comm’ed Clark. “Clark, we’re moving to the rear exit of the building. My team and I will attack backstage. We’ll get all the sellers there. Keep a watch out for Ruslan, in case he tries to escape. Alert me immediately if that happens.”
“Yes, sir.”
A few minutes passed, and Dominic came over the line.
“Sloane is on the stage. I’ll win the bid for her.
She’s the last in the group. They take the women backstage once they’re sold.
The owners are handed their girls directly on their yachts or in their cars.
You’ll find Sloane inside within fifteen minutes, I think. ”
“Perfect. We’re going backstage.”
With a nod to my team, I arrived at the back entry. We got an easy entry as soon as I flashed my warrant to the guard at the exit door. However, the moment we entered the small lobby, ten dudes with semiautomatic guns came rushing at us.
Not wanting to alert the people inside, my team of twenty-five crashed into them with all their muscle and power, disarming them and putting them on the ground before they could fire a single shot. Quickly, I shot each one of them in the leg with my silencer gun and threw away their radios.
I turned to my team. “Three of you stay with them. I don’t want any of them alerting their bosses. If they move, shoot.” I said the last part out loud so the men on the ground could hear me loud and clear.
With that, we quickly moved forward, barging through the door that led to the backstage.
The fucking place was a paradox of opulence and destitution.
Men in suits sat on large, cushioned couches, sipping rich whiskey, while their lackeys dragged half-drugged, nearly naked women on and off the stage to the side.
To their backs were rows of cages filled with young girls, half naked and starving.
My target, Ruslan fucking Karpov, was right in front of me, in his fucking suit, laughing along with other dicks. Right at his feet, though, sat Sloane. Her eyes immediately met mine, and a spark of relief shone in them.
Clearly, Ruslan had picked his favorite toy.
They must’ve brought her back after the auction, and Ruslan didn’t seem ready to part with her.
Sloane gave me a slight nod, telling me she was ready whenever I was.
She had lost a considerable amount of weight.
Her body looked fragile, and her skin had lost all its pallor. They’d clearly starved her.
They’d given her a slinky little white dress, almost a sort of slip. Tara was going to lose it when she found out.
Nobody else noticed us for a few seconds, considering how busy the lackeys were in stuffing some women into empty whiskey barrels and dragging the kicking and screaming little girls toward the stage. But it only took one moment for one of them to notice us.
And then, all hell broke loose.
My entire team tore into the room like a tornado, slamming into the lackeys who tried to run through the other doors. Some picked up the crying girls, pulling them aside to safety, while the others let loose the trigger of their guns.
My eyes met Ruslan’s, and the fucker gave me a smirk before pulling out his gun and pointing it at Sloane.
He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up before walking backward to another exit door, pressing the barrel of the gun to her head. I hid my amusement from my face as Sloane winked at me and started acting, whimpering in fear and begging me to back off.
Doing my part to make my girl proud, I gritted my teeth in frustration as I slowly followed the fucker. He led me out of the building, away from the ruckus.
Good. I wanted the fucker dead, and I needed to be alone to claim self-defense.
“Sir, we’ve got the four girls you showed us the picture of. They were on their way to the docks, being transferred to a yacht.”
I didn’t respond, but messages and updates from my men kept playing over the radio. “Sir, all the buyers sitting in the auction have been arrested. None of them could run. Three were injured, sir.”
“Sir, two girls were retrieved from near the parking exit.”
“Stand back, Officer,” snarled Ruslan, jamming the barrel of his gun against Sloane’s head. “Or I will shoot her.”
I kept my gun pointed at him as I slowly followed him. The fucker was out to the side of the building, the glittering skylight of Manhattan shining behind him. On his far left, Lady Liberty stood tall, holding her torch, as waves of the Hudson River crashed along the side of the pier.
“Leave the girl alone, Ruslan. She's innocent.”
Sloane’s lips twitched at that, and I kept my face straight, refusing to smile, as I let him lead me to isolation.
“Sir, thirty-five girls are accounted for. We’re searching the perimeter of the area in case we missed any. All the men backstage, as well as the front of the stage, are under arrest and in the holding facility.”
“You hear that, Ruslan? Everybody is under arrest. Now, put the gun down and raise your hands above your head where I can see them.”
“Stop moving, or I'll shoot.”
I looked around the area and found the three of us completely out of anybody’s eyesight. So with a quick nod to him, I raised my hand up in defeat. “Alright,” I said, lowering the gun to the ground. “I’m putting the gun down.”
I met Sloane’s eyes, and then looked him dead in the eyes, grabbing all his attention. “I don’t need it anyway.”
With that, Sloane slammed her head back right into his nose, before grabbing Ruslan’s hand that held the gun and slamming her knee on his arm, cracking the bone into two pieces. His howl pierced the air but was quickly swallowed by the violent crash of the wave along the pier.
His hand lost the gun. Ruslan tried to pull out another gun from his suit pocket, but Sloane picked up the discarded gun and pulled the trigger. Once. Twice. Thrice. Fucking four times, right into his head.
I pressed the button of my radio and said, “Ruslan Karpov is dead. I have another one of the girls rescued. We’re making our way to the holding facility.”
I radioed Dominic. “Dominic, I’ve got Sloane. Ruslan is dead. Meet us at the holding facility. You can get Sloane to the HQ. I’ll be here to get everything sorted.”
The two of us made our way around the building to the small storage unit out back that we’d converted to our temporary holding facility. I clutched Ruslan’s arm and dragged his body behind me.
I turned to Sloane, who was walking sluggishly beside me. “You feeling okay?”
She gave me a small smile. “Yeah. Could be better.”
“They starve you?”
She shrugged. “Starved. Dehydrated. Beat up. And more.”
“You feel better after killing this asshole?”
She looked behind at him and shrugged. “I’ll feel better once I kill Maxim Orlov with my bare fucking hands. He”—she pointed at Ruslan—“just took the edge off.”