28. Bishop
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
BISHOP
N one of this makes any sense.
Why would someone harvest organs and ship them when they almost certainly have lost their viability by now.
It can’t be about proving a point, because it’s not like they’re ever going to hit the market after being outside the body for at least twelve hours, but probably more.
I’ve had to Google some fucked-up things in the years since we formed the Syndicate, but how many hours can an organ be outside the body before transplant may take the cake.
Crew and I move through the shipping containers, but a lot of them are empty. Why would someone bother with a ship this size to transport so little?
“What are your thoughts on all this?” Crew asks.
“It’s a setup. I’m just not sure what exactly is being set up,” I admit. We have a team of the men Frost Industries sent over at every entrance to the docks in case Davenport was planning on storming the area and taking the shipment, but it’s been quiet. Almost too much so.
“Usually I’d wonder if it’s them trying to instill doubt in our minds, but I think we’re past that at this point,” Crew replies.
“And why would they set the docking time for while they knew Camilla would be at the funeral? It doesn’t benefit them if she’s not here, unless there’s another angle we’re not seeing.”
Crew nods as he raises his gun toward the next shipping container, while I use a set of bolt cutters to remove the lock. I pull the heavy metal open and sigh when we find it empty, just like the last four we’ve checked.
“This is pointless. There’s nothing here,” I growl.
Crew drops his gun to his side and pulls his phone from his pocket, likely checking for any updates from the others. “Wyatt and Ace are working on where the ship originated, but without any paperwork, it’s slow going.”
“How the hell did it even get out of the port without papers?”
He raises a brow at me. “Like cargo ships haven’t been used for decades to smuggle things in and out of cities without being detected. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
We continue moving through the rows of containers, occasionally catching sight of Kaos and Camilla a few over from us, and even though I’m jealous as hell that he gets to spend this time with her, he’s probably the most capable of protecting her if there’s any surprises to be found.
A small whimper catches my attention, and I pause in place, listening intently to locate the sound.
“What is it?” Crew asks.
I lift my hand to stop him from speaking and concentrate on pushing the other sounds from my mind. The water lapping at the edge of the ship. The commotion on the dock. The faint traffic noises from the nearby roads.
And then I hear it again.
I’m moving before I’ve even made a conscious decision to do so.
I lift the bolt cutters to the chains of the container I’m pretty sure the sound came from, and Crew curses behind me as he gets into position.
But nothing could prepare me for what we find when I swing the doors open.
At least ten women of various ages are piled inside the container, their eyes filled with terror as they huddle together, shielding themselves as best they can from the strangers that have found them.
“Fuck,” Crew murmurs behind me.
“I’m going to fucking kill them,” I growl under my breath when I notice the blood soaking the bottom of the container. “Call Storm. We need him and his team here, they’ll know what to do.”
He doesn’t respond, instead, he steps back away from me, putting some distance between him and the women.
I breathe out a steadying breath, forcing calm into my body despite the wild rage battering down on me. Rather than moving closer to the women, I drop into a crouch, hoping it will make me seem less threatening, but they all still look terrified. “You’re safe. I promise you’re safe. We’re going to take care of you.”
The lip of the woman closest to me wobbles as she buries her bruised face in her filthy knees. Her dark hair is matted around her shoulders, and one of her eyes is so swollen it’s closed over.
We may be the devil incarnate, but there’s a special kind of evil that can hurt women and children, and I’m making it our personal mission to kill every single one of them.