Chapter 18
We get to the stairs and I drop to a crouch, opening the bag to find all the toys Elijah so graciously gave us. Cea grabs has her Taurus out of the bag
“I’m never letting this bad boy leave my sight again.”
Women. I shake my head, reaching and grabbing a pistol similar to Cea’s but completely black. I make sure it’s locked and loaded then grab enough rounds for me and her to reload more than we should need to tonight.
I grab a few grenades, keeping two for myself before handing one over to my queen. A bright smile lights up her face, when she sees what I'm giving her. It’s the most beautiful sight and if handing her deadly weapons makes her this happy, I’d give her one everyday just to see her always smiling like that. There’s only one bullet-proof vest and I hand it to her, making sure I have everything strapped to me. After a minute of still holding the vest, I finally look up, once again being stared at like I’ve lost my mind.
“Take the damn vest and put it on,”
I insist, thrusting it into her hands.
Cea thrusts it back. “If anyone needs the damn vest, it’s the idiot who seems to have no damn common sense.”
My cock twitches again. Down boy. Work now, play later. I take a deep breath, reigning in my temper.
“Cea. Please put on the vest. It will make me feel better, which will allow me to focus on our job so we can get done faster,”
I plead, even pouting my lips, giving her the best puppy dog look I can muster.
She looks me over for a second, then finally gives in. “Fine, but only because I’m ready to get this shit over with.”
She takes the hoodie off, placing the vest on, then pulls the hoodie back over her.
“Thank you,” I sigh.
She grunts, then heads toward the stairs.
I’m right behind her as we make our way slowly down.
We get to the very bottom, our masks intact.
The room is full of rich sons of bitches who don’t deserve to breathe.
I can feel my inner monster getting restless.
It’s like he can smell the horrible people, can just imagine the horrendous acts they perform, especially if they’re here to purchase women.
He’s ready to cause chaos again and I’m here for it.
I see a bar to our right and drag Cea behind me, crouching low, hiding behind it.
We get close enough to the edge, so we can see the stage without also being spotted.
Our target sits a few feet from us and Cea looks ready to pounce.
The lights in the room go dark, a single spotlight centered in the middle, shining down on the host for the evening.
The older man has to be in his 50s.
His hair is completely gray, and he’s dressed like every other ass hat in this place.
He brings the microphone to his mouth and starts speaking.
“Welcome ladies and gentlemen.
We are so happy you could attend tonight.
Only the elite of the elite were invited and boy do we have some amazing surprises for you.
A ticket with a number has been placed in front of you.
If you see a possession you would like to claim, just raise that ticket to bid.
The highest bidder wins the prize and so forth.
We welcome you to relax, unwind, and enjoy yourselves tonight.
May the best bidders win.”
With that, the man exits the stage and music starts playing.
The first woman struts on stage in a tight, short dress her ass is hanging out of.
A tall brunette, I can see her green eyes shining from here.
Her hair is half up, half down and her makeup looks to be professionally done.
Instantly the host starts the bid, selling the woman at $10,000.
I watch in complete disgust.
Women after women come out, some blonde, some red headed.
All have their makeup done, wearing close to nothing.
Bids are up to $150,000, and I’d bet my last dollar they’ll eventually get higher.
They bring out one of the last girls and my heart stops.
A wave of nausea hits me as I take in the familiarity of this.
I think I’m going to be sick.
I can feel the saliva building in my mouth, the urge to throw up is strong, but me needing to finish this job is stronger.
Cea must know something is wrong, she starts rubbing soft circles on my back, asking if I’m okay.
I don’t know if she realizes what she’s doing, but I don’t have time to look too much into it either at the moment.
The girl on the stage is dressed in a red crop top and a mini skirt.
I don’t know if she’s stumbling from the red heels or because she’s nervous.
Her long, blonde hair falls past her waist.
The only difference in her makeup being the fresh tear stain tracks lacing her cheeks.
Her bright red lips tremble as I scan her from head to toe.
She has thick curves, her body shape reminding me of someone.
My gaze tracks her body, and it isn’t until I get to her ice blue eyes, that I realize who I’m thinking of.
She doesn’t look to be any older than sixteen or seventeen.
The monster in me is howling, ready to burn everything down.
I’m second guessing if bringing Cea was such a good idea.
She's about to see a version of me no one alive has ever seen.
The girl on stage trembles, light moans of torture leaving her lips.
When I look at her again, it feels like she's staring directly into my soul.
“What’s the plan?”
Cea whispers, studying the girl.
All I see is red. I’m about to unleash Hell. “Burn it all to the ground,” I growl.
I can feel Cea’s stare burning into me, but I give it no thought. I stand up, unleashing a grenade to the back corner on the other side of the room. It explodes on impact, the walls starting to tumble.
Screams fill my ears, and a sense of peace washes over me.
I rush into the fray, pulling out my gun, shooting every son of a bitch in sight starting with the man in charge.
Everyone trying to get around the tables to exit the building.
I glance back at Cea, watching as she elbows someone in the face, blood sprays everywhere before she's shooting the mans wife in the face. Drop. Dead.
She looks up and smirks at me. I don’t think I could fall more in love at this moment if I tried.
“Go block the front entrance. No one leaves alive,”
I shout over the noise.
She rushes to the front entrance, shooting a woman in a maroon, floor-length gown in the back of the head.
In the next moment, she slips a blade out of her pocket, bringing it around a man's throat, slicing it wide open.
Cea moves so steadily and gracefully.
She’s a natural, like she was made for this life.
Sadly, no one should have to be made for this life.
As soon as she gets to the front entrance, something slams into my jaw, whipping my head to the side.
Metallic liquid coats my mouth, some of it dripping off my lips.
I bring my thumb to my lip to wipe the blood away.
Anger paints my eyes as I look up at a man around my age startled when he sees the look on my face.
A smile breaks on my face as I begin laughing like a maniac.
It must freak the man out, because he starts backing up.
Turning around to run, but he doesn’t stand a chance.
Reaching forward, I catch him by the back of his collar, jerking him to me.
A wail leaves his throat and I waste no time taking his head between my hands and twisting as hard as I can.
I hear the snap in his neck, the break of his bones.
His life force gone, he goes slack in my arms as I drop him to the ground searching for my next target.
The whole room is in complete havoc, Cea steadily taking out body after body, coming off as a wrathful goddess.
I look to the stage to see the blonde backed against the stage wall.
Arms folded in front of her, tears streaking her face as her body shivers.
I take out a few more people as I make my way to the stage.
I see the host standing to the side, trying to hide behind the curtains.
His eyes meet mine, a snarl covering his face as he pulls up a Glock.
His hand goes to pull the trigger, as I aim my gun.
A part of me knows it’s too late. He was already prepared, this is probably my ending. Ryan, I will see you soon. I send up a silent prayer.
I prepare myself for the bullet that will soon pierce my chest, when the host stumbles, his mouth draped open, eyes wide.
Blood pooling at his chest.
He looks down at the wound then drops the gun and falls smack face to the floor.
I watch as he falls then look up to see Cea standing there in all her glory.
I look out to the main floor to see no survivors.
Bodies are piled everywhere.
There’s movement in the corner, a man trying to sneak out the building unnoticed.
Cea catches onto what I’m looking at and rips the grenade out of her pocket, pulling the tag, throwing it directly next to the man.
It explodes, taking him out, along with the building.
The front wall crashes down, bricks crumbling.
The whole building begins to shake and I look over to see the young girl still frozen and trembling.
I make my way to her, Cea coming up right next to me.
I bend down, eye level with the girl. “What’s your name?”
I ask as gently as I can. She looks from me to Cea and back.
“We don’t have time for this,”
Cea whispers to me. “The building is going to come down any minute.”
I nod my head and return my attention. “My name is Blaze, and this is Cea. We’re here to help,”
I say gently. “Can you tell me your name so we can get you out of here?”
She looks hesitant at first, finally relenting, she speaks up. “Ariah, my name's Ariah,”
she says quietly, her lips trembling.
“Okay Ariah, are you okay with us helping you get out of here?”
She nods her head and I look at Cea, nodding my head giving her the confirmation to move.
We head behind the curtain toward the back entrance, entering a room, mirrors line one side of the walls, tables placed next to them, makeup and hair products spread out everywhere. Skimpy outfits hang on a rack placed against the wall by the back door. We move deep into the room.
Cea gasps from behind me, Ariah whimpering again.
Son of a bitch.
The side wall, hidden away from both entrances, is lined with three cages. There has to be at least thirty women, ten shoved into each one. They’re all huddled together, makeup smeared all over their faces, their once styled hair now in a mess as if they’ve been running their hands through them.
Some stand in corners, their arms folded in front of them, as if they’re trying to protect themselves. A few are crouched together on the floor, holding one another for comfort. The smell of urine hits my nose. I really am going to blow this shit hole to the ground. I would love to go bring those pieces of shit to life and kill them all over again, this time more slowly, more agonizing.
“Where are the goddamn keys?”
I growl. I hear shuffling around behind me, as I dart my eyes around trying to find them.
“Here! I found them! They were hanging on the wall by the door,”
Cea says, rushing to my side and thrusting the keys into my hands.
“Not very bright are they,”
I mouth off hurrying to the door, three sets of keys in my hands. I try the first two, then finally hear the beautiful sound of a click after I slide the third key into the hole. I rush the women out of the cage, moving on to the second then the third. Cea is already leading them to the back entrance where, as promised, Elijah's vans are waiting. Coming out of the building, I set my eyes on the man himself, standing in the middle.
I march up to him as Cea and a few of the other guys load the women into the waiting vehicles, handing them all blankets and water.
“What are you doing here?”
I ask, my eyes tracking the movements.
“Elijah!”
Ariah screams behind me before jumping into his arms.
He picks her up as she swings her legs around him, holding on for dear life. Elijah snatches a blanket from one of his men, instantly covering Ariah’s body. He swings an arm around her, using his free hand to rub through her hair in a caress. “Shh…shhh…you’re okay now. I got you.”
“I didn’t realize you knew any of the women or should I say girls,”
I questioned him.
“Not that I owe you an explanation, but her dad was my best friend. Her parents died a year ago, and she’s been under my care ever since.”
“Not doing too good of a job are you?”
He moves his hand to my throat, shocking the hell out of me. “Don’t question what you don’t fucking understand,”
he growls. I shove his hand off and he takes a step back. He commands his men to get the women to the shelters he has set up for them and starts heading toward his black Lexus SUV.
Cea comes to stand next to me, watching as he walks off. “What was that about?”
she asks, glancing at me.
“Who the fuck knows,”
I mumble in reply.
“I’ll be in touch,”
Elijah shouts, then he’s gone.
I turn to look at the building once more, half of it has collapsed, the back entrance still standing. I’ll fix that. I take the grenade out of my pocket, pulling the pin and throwing it. It explodes and I watch as the building collapses into flames.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here.”