Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
It was closing in on four o’clock in the morning as Kevlar raced toward the shipyard Tex had confirmed Castillo would most likely use in Ensenada.
How he’d deduced that, Smiley had no idea.
But if Tex said this was where the women would probably be, he wouldn’t question him.
He supposed Ryleigh or Beth had traced payments Castillo had made to others or bribes he’d paid to the area.
“Gate’s shut,” Cookie called out, as Kevlar drove the Jeep they’d obtained from another one of Tex’s contacts, when they’d landed at the airport twenty minutes earlier.
Choosing Tex to come with them was one of the best decisions Smiley had ever made.
He might not be the best man if they had a foot chase, or if they had to spend days in the jungle, but the intel the man was able to obtain, and the connections he had, were better than any other asset they could claim at the moment.
“Kevlar!” Cookie yelled again. “Gate.”
“I see it,” he returned, not sounding concerned in the least.
He hit the gate at speed and all four men inside rocked forward, but otherwise didn’t blink at the fact they’d just obliterated the metal gate as they barreled their way into the shipyard.
There were no huge container ships here, as there’d been back in Riverton when they’d looked for Ellory and Yana.
This was essentially a private shipyard, used by people who wanted to stay under the radar from the governmental shipping rules.
But the government had to know what happened here. That goods moving through the gates weren’t exactly legal, but they likely looked the other way because of bribes. It disgusted Smiley, but it was a part of life, and wasn’t anything they hadn’t seen over and over in other countries.
There were 18-wheelers parked along one end of the huge dirt parking area, along with pickup trucks and at least a hundred passenger cars. Smiley had no idea where to start looking for Bree and the other women.
But of course, that’s why he’d chosen Tex.
“There. Go right, Kevlar. Toward the trucks. There are three on the end that have Perry Fried Chicken logos.”
The Jeep went up on two wheels briefly as Kevlar turned sharply in the direction Tex indicated.
It was eerie how deserted the shipyard was. No one came running to see what the commotion at the gate might have been. There weren’t any workers around this late. The silence made the hair on the back of Smiley’s neck stand up.
Kevlar brought the Jeep to an abrupt stop, dust swirling around the wheels as all four men leapt out of the vehicle.
“Tex, you and Cookie take that one, Smiley and I will check this one,” Kevlar ordered, pointing to the two trucks nearest the end of the row.
The doors to the trucks weren’t locked, which made Smiley’s hopes wither a little. If the women were inside, surely the doors would be secured.
Pulling out one of the pistols Tex had also arranged to be delivered when they’d landed in Mexico, Smiley held it at the ready as Kevlar grabbed the handle and nodded.
As soon as Smiley nodded back, Kevlar wrenched open the back door.
The stench that greeted them almost took Smiley to his knees.
The inside of the truck was lined from floor to ceiling with cages.
Some were empty, but there were quite a few with carcasses of dead chickens.
Excrement covered the cages, as well as every inch of the floor and even portions of the walls.
If this was how Perry Fried Chicken transported the birds they used to supply grocery stores, he was never eating chicken again. Ever.
Without hesitation, even with his eyes watering and his lungs screaming for fresh air, Smiley jumped into the back of the truck. He used a flashlight in one hand and held the pistol in the other as he made his way through the cargo area.
“Clear!” he called to Kevlar, then turned and quickly made his way back to the doors. He didn’t even want to think about Bree being in this truck.
By the time he jumped down, Cookie was emerging from the other truck, obviously not having found anything either. The four of them moved to the third truck, the last one with the Perry Fried Chicken logo on the side.
Bree had to be inside. She had to. Tex couldn’t be wrong about this, too many lives depended on it.
Tex and Kevlar opened the doors, and Cookie and Smiley made their way inside together. This one was much like the last truck he’d been in, the stench overwhelming, and the thought of chickens being transported in such filth and inhumane conditions making Smiley sick.
But that was nothing compared to what greeted him and Cookie when they made their way to the very back of the cargo area.
“Motherfucker.”
“Shit!”
Cages. Which wasn’t anything different from the rest of the truck…but these were bigger. Human-sized. They were side-by-side in the very back, out of sight of anyone who might open the door to give a cursory inspection of the truck’s cargo.
“They were here,” Cookie said, fury in his voice.
Smiley agreed—but more important in the moment was the large dark spot in front of one of the cages. His heart stopped beating in his chest as he pointed his flashlight at the floor. He knew blood when he saw it. He’d certainly seen enough of it in his lifetime.
Cookie knelt next to the bloodstain with his head dipped low.
The women had been here…but who’d been hurt. Julie? Fiona? Bree? None of the scenarios in Smiley’s head were good.
Suddenly, he needed out of that truck.
Smiley spun and hurried toward the door, jumping out and leaning over with his hands on his knees as he struggled to gain control over his rioting emotions.
He heard Cookie jump down and join him on the ground.
“Smiley, look,” he said, pointing with his flashlight at something lying in the dirt.
Turning to see what he’d found, Smiley crouched and reached for the object, picking up a crude-looking piece of plastic covered in material and…hair?
Adrenaline shot through him so fast and hard, Smiley felt light-headed.
“It’s not their blood!” he exclaimed with absolute conviction. “In the truck. It’s not theirs!”
“We don’t know that,” Cookie said.
“Look—this is Bree’s hair. I’d bet my life on it.
She used it to bind the material around the plastic to make a handle.
” His gaze went back to the truck, and he remembered seeing something, in one of the cages.
“The plastic came from those cages. One of the trays was missing a chunk near the back edge.”
If Smiley held the shank next to the tray, he knew it would fit perfectly.
“It’s not their blood,” he repeated. “They made a weapon. Used it on at least one of their captors. Probably waited until he opened their cage and attacked him. I’m guessing he didn’t even see it coming. Figured they were weak and scared. Fucker underestimated our women.”
“Okay, but where are they now?”
“I don’t know.” But Smiley couldn’t help but feel proud.
They had to be terrified, but they hadn’t given up.
From all the stories he’d heard from Cookie about Fiona, he wasn’t all that surprised.
He’d also seen firsthand Bree’s stubbornness when it came to staying under the radar and doing what she needed to do in order to remain safe.
And Julie had come a long way from the woman she’d been in that jungle in Mexico.
Smiley pocketed the shank the women had made—and used effectively, if the blood on the floor of the truck and on the plastic was any indication. It was tangible proof of the strength of the woman he loved.
He wasn’t losing Bree. Not if he could help it. He’d follow her to the ends of the Earth, and then fight the devil himself to bring her home. Together, they’d get through whatever difficulties she suffered from being kidnapped.
He had no illusions. By now, she’d most likely been violated in the worst way a woman could be violated.
He’d get her all the help she needed. And he’d make sure she understood that he loved her no matter what she’d been forced to do.
Bree Haynes was his match, and he’d be damned if someone took her away from him without a fight.
“You found blood in the truck?” Kevlar asked, sounding alarmed.
He’d completely forgotten Kevlar and Tex were standing nearby. They didn’t know about the cages. Hadn’t seen the blood.
“Yeah,” Cookie said grimly. “They were here. There are three cages in the back, big enough to hold the women. There’s also blood on the floor. Smiley doesn’t think it’s from any of the women, but we have no way of knowing.”
“If Smiley doesn’t think it’s theirs, it’s not,” Kevlar said firmly. “What now? Tex? What do you think?”
Tex frowned, and Smiley felt a black cloud move over him. Shit. If Tex was frowning, things were bad.
“I’m sure Castillo brought them here for transport.
He’s based in Ecuador, so he could be bringing them there, but there’s also no telling who he sold them to.
He could be shipping one, two, or even all three of them off to different places from here.
Ryleigh is trying to track money trails, but there are so many of them. Russia, India, China…North Korea even.”
“What are you saying? That they’re gone? That we can’t find them?” Cookie asked in a cold, hard tone.
“No. That this search just got bigger than I expected. We can start with his compound in Ecuador, but we also need to regroup. Call for more assistance. We can’t search every boat on the sea, we need the Coast Guard’s help, and the Mexican authorities.
We need to put the word out about the missing women, get as much assistance as we can from the countries Ryleigh has tracked Castillo’s money to. ”