Chapter 24 Wraith #2
“I don’t remember much after that. We got in the van and the next thing I knew, I woke up in a dirty warehouse.”
“They drugged you with the punch, probably.”
Theo nods. “I figured. We were there for a couple of days, then they moved us tonight. A whole bunch of other kids showed up too, but some of them don’t speak English. I don’t know where they came from but one of them said ‘boat.’”
Rage builds inside me. This was a very organized and targeted operation. “Anything else you think I should know?”
“I don’t know what they had planned for us, but I did hear one of the guys talking about boats and shipments and getting the merchandise down to Bolivia or something like that. I don’t know what kind of merchandise they meant.”
I do, unfortunately. These kids were bound for Bolivia to be trafficked, likely in exchange for the drugs.
“Okay, well, you’re safe now. We’re going to get you all to a shelter and they’ll find your parents and go from there.”
Theo scoffs. “Oh, my mom probably doesn’t know I’m gone yet. She’s always high.” He shrugs. “But a ride home would be nice.”
“How old are you?”
“Fifteen.”
Oh, damn. He looks so much younger. “We’ll get you home. Come on.”
An hour later, we’ve found all the kids and have them huddled together for warmth. We’ve killed every guy on the property, including Mike Connelly, who Carnage found hiding in a storage container after he convinced Phil to admit where his brother was. There was no sign of Blackhawk though.
Carnage is covered in other people’s blood but he’s as happy as he can be. Shadow has the look of a man haunted by the past, and Stealth doesn’t look much better. I find Boone talking to the kids, assuring them that it’s all gonna be okay now.
Ghost and Phantom are inside the warehouse burning bodies, and the rest of us are just making sure we’ve covered all our bases.
“Where are we taking all these kids, boss?” Specter asks.
“We’re meeting a contact of mine from the Missing Minors unit at the MPD. She’ll take it from there. Tonight they’ll have food, warm clothes, and beds to sleep in. Tomorrow they’ll be seen by doctors and start the process of getting home.”
“They should give you a fucking key to the city for this,” Whisper says.
Shadow actually chuckles. “If only. I’m assured they are appreciative of our efforts. That will pay dividends for us later.”
I walk over to Boone and put my hand on his shoulder. “You good?”
His face lights up. “Thank you. All of you. You did what I set out to do. You saved these kids.”
“You did a lot of what got us here tonight.”
He glances around for a second before fixing his gaze on me. “Should I be freaked out that I’m not freaked out?”
“What do you mean?”
“I witnessed a lot of shit here tonight. I saw men get their brains blown out by people I was hanging out with earlier. I saw Carnage nearly tear a man’s head off his shoulders.” He shrugs. “I don’t know, seems like I should be scared or mortified or feel something other than…” He exhales slowly.
“Other than what?”
“Satisfaction maybe? Peace? I don’t know. It’s like all this angst that’s always inside me just went away. I’m not sure I could pull the trigger on someone, but I sure as hell liked seeing it happen.”
“I think it’s reasonable given the hell these guys put you through. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”
“Maybe not.” He nudges my arm with his. “Do you think Shadow would let me go out with you guys again? Just to test it.”
“Test what?”
“Whether my reaction, or lack of one, is specific to this situation or not. I want to know.”
“I seriously doubt it, but it’s his call.” I grab Boone’s wrist. “You can’t get involved with us. Pax won’t allow it.”
“Yeah, well, again, I’m an adult. I’m almost forty and I can do whatever I want. Besides, Pax doesn’t have to know.”
I give him a hard look. “If he stays with me—and fuck, I hope he does—he’s gonna know.”
Boone twists his lips. “Ooh, good point. Well, bridges crossed and all that.”
“Huh?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Keep up, man.”
His easygoing attitude is such a contrast to his brother’s it’s almost comical. “Let’s wrap this up so we can get you back to the house and Pax. He must be worried sick.”
“Oh, he is, but I needed this tonight. For once, something I did had a good outcome. I don’t want to think about what would’ve happened to those kids if we hadn’t intervened.”
“Best we don’t think about it.”
A couple of hours later, we enter Crestvale House as a group. Pax is in the rec room with an action movie playing, but he’s on his feet by the time Boone and I walk in, and his right arm is in a sling.
“What happened? Were you hurt?”
Pax stands between us, not answering and seemingly torn for a second before he launches himself into my arms and kisses me. My pulse races and my body heats with pure relief and affection.
Pax releases me to hug his brother with one arm. “I’m pissed at you.”
Boone nods. “I know, but you’d be so proud of what we did tonight. There must’ve been thirty kids, and we saved them all, Pax. We saved them.”
Pax’s expression softens. “That’s great, Boone. Really great. So it’s done?”
“The part we can control is done,” I say. “We’ll never eradicate it all, but we can disrupt it and we did. Boone was incredible tonight.”
Boone smiles, his face lit up like a kid’s on Christmas. “It felt good to do the right thing. What happened? Is it your shoulder?”
Pax nods. “Took a hit and got in a major fight. Torn rotator cuff.”
“Shit, man,” Boone says. “How bad is that?”
“Very.” Pax glances at me. “I’ll need surgery, but I’m gonna do what I can to get to the playoffs. Coach is gonna tell the media that it’s a concussion and I’ll be out for a couple of weeks.”
“That’s terrible, babe.”
Pax looks at me and scrunches his nose. “No, not babe. Anything but babe.”
I laugh. “Okay then, elskling min.”
“That’s sexy, whatever you just said.”
Boone laughs. “On that note…” Glancing over his shoulder, he eyes Shadow. “I’m tired. I’m sure I’m gonna sleep well tonight. See you guys in the morning?”
Pax nods as his eyes settle on mine. “Do you have to meet with the team or anything?”
“No, we already debriefed. I just need a shower and a cuddle with the finest man in hockey.”
“That can be arranged.” He smiles, stepping closer. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Taking care of Boone. Listening and believing him. Everything you did. I have a feeling this experience changed his life for the better.”
“I’m glad. He’s a good guy at the end of the day.”
“He is.” Pax slides his arm around my waist. “So are you, Wraith.”
“As long as you think so, that’s good enough for me.”