Chapter 15 #3
Once Hawk was given the go-ahead, we eased out of the parking lot, and with Widow and Davies following close behind, we started toward the address Everleigh had given us.
After a thirty-minute drive, we arrived at the location.
Hawk didn’t want to take a chance on anyone seeing us, so he drove behind the abandoned building next door and waited for Widow to follow.
Once they’d both parked, we all got out and made final preparations to head over to the warehouse. Shotgun gave us all the once over before asking, “Everyone ready?”
“Yep,” Hawk answered confidently. “Just waitin’ on you.”
“Then, let’s do this.” Shotgun motioned his hand to the side of the building as he turned to Widow and ordered, “You and Davies cover us while we check things out inside.”
Widow nodded, then he and Davies kept a watchful eye as we started toward the rear entrance.
I was surprised to see that there wasn’t much to the place.
It was just an old, secluded warehouse with a lot that was overgrown with weeds and cluttered with litter.
It was a dump—not the kind of place you’d expect a man like Antonio DeLuca to own.
Anticipation coursed through me as we headed toward the old metal building, and I wasn’t the only one with an uneasy feeling.
Hawk looked just as worried as I was as he glanced over his shoulder to make sure Shotgun and I were close behind.
It was eerily quiet, and the building looked deserted, making me wonder if the two guards Menace warned us about were actually there.
Just in case, we remained as quiet as possible as we opened the door and headed inside.
Once we were through the door, we immediately spotted four large metal storage containers in the back of the room.
At first glance, I thought nothing of it.
You’d expect to find containers in a warehouse like this, but these weren’t your typical storage containers.
These had been manufactured with bars on the front.
We inched closer to get a better look, and bile rose to the back of my throat when I spotted old, stained mattresses nestled in the back corner of the containers.
I dropped my head in disgust as I muttered, “Oh, damn. This motherfucker…”
“I figured he was into some shit like this. There’s a lot of money to be made in trafficking, and this guy’s got a lot of it,” Shotgun grumbled.
Hawk sounded equally distraught as he snarled, “Sick fucks like him deserve a special place in hell.”
“Yes, they do.” I was trying to collect myself, but another wave of nausea hit me when I spotted a small teddy bear on one of the mattresses. I motioned my hand to it as I scowled, “He’s smuggling kids, too.”
“Don’t worry, brother. He’ll pay for this shit,” Shotgun sneered. “He will pay for all of it.”
“I’m gonna hold you to that.”
Shotgun gave me a nod, then motioned for us to follow as he proceeded to check out the rest of the warehouse. When we came up on the staircase, Shotgun turned to Hawk and whispered, “You two go check it out.”
Hawk nodded, then we both started up the steps. We hadn’t gotten far when the hairs on the back of my neck stood tall, letting me know we weren’t alone. Someone was watching us. I could feel their eyes on me, but I kept moving.
Nothing was going to stop me from getting to my daughter.
The old steel steps moaned with every step, making it impossible to hide the fact that we were getting closer to the top of the stairs. We were just a step away when the office door flew open, and we were greeted with the end of a double-barreled shotgun.
Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed the end of the gun, then rammed it into the guy’s chest. He was a decently sized guy, but the force of the hit was just enough to throw him off balance, causing him to lose his footing.
It was only for a brief second, but it gave Hawk the opportunity he needed to take a shot.
He pulled the trigger, and seconds later, his body dropped to the ground beneath the stairs.
There was movement inside the office, so Hawk gave me a nudge, warning me that there were more men inside. I didn’t care. I wanted to know if my daughter was in that room, so without bothering to seek cover, I took a step forward.
“Billy!” Hawk called out to me, urging me to wait for him.
It was too late. I was already in the office.
I took a quick look around the room, and my heart sank when I saw no sign of Kiersten.
Just a small desk, a few cabinets, and a worn-out sofa.
I let out a stream of curses, then turned to leave.
It was at that moment that gunfire erupted from behind the sofa.
Hawk and I both shot off several rounds, and in a blink, the coward in hiding was lying lifeless on the floor.
Hawk and I took another look around the office, making sure there were no other guards in hiding, but we found nothing—absolutely nothing. While I was relieved that the guards had been dealt with, I wasn’t happy that my daughter was still in DeLuca’s hold.
But we were coming for her.
This battle may have been over, but the war had just begun.
I would stop at nothing to save my daughter.