Chapter 38 #2
“Go fucking Wildcats,” Sami cheered in the comms, boosting morale.
My ears rang from the cacophony of the cheers in return, bringing a smile to my face.
My heart was starting to pound, the familiar adrenaline coursing through my blood.
The memories of my past circled through my mind, the injustice and violence against women burning my body and tightening my muscles.
The blood in my veins pumped with violence, the feeling of that dark vengeance preparing my body to fight.
Hugh’s voice filled my ear. “Shadow Panther, Crimson Tiger, your targets are somewhere in the middle of the fourth aisle. Two cars are visible in the drone camera.”
The four of us looked at each other. We were near aisle two.
I met Sami’s eyes. “We need to reach them without getting noticed. The aisle is about five hundred yards. They’ll start shooting if they notice us.
Let’s get under these containers and corner them from close range.
You and Sophie approach the middle of the aisle from the right.
Mark and I will take the left. And let’s shoot first, ask questions later. ”
Sami nodded. “Except for Maxim. We need to save him for Sloane.”
“Yes, except for him. We bring him in alive. And don’t accidentally kill Greg. He’s Knox’s informant.”
Sami rolled her eyes. “He’s a fucking criminal. If he gets in my way, he’s dead.”
I tried not to smile. “Can’t argue with that.”
The four of us bumped our fists and separated.
Mark and I turned left and slowly made our way to aisle three.
Three levels of massive, colorful containers raised high above us.
The lull of the water softly crashing against the dock and the low hum of the machinery working in the large ship beyond hid the sound of our footsteps.
The two of us crawled under the container on the left side of where their cars were parked. I could see the footsteps of several men around the cars.
“There are at least twelve men,” Mark said, leaning a little farther ahead of me, trying to look at their positions. Mark was a former military member who is now working for Hugh. He was a large, six-foot dude, clearly trained in combat.
Sami’s voice rang in my ear. “In position.”
That was when I heard a shrill scream, and my eyes met Mark’s in understanding. I quickly spoke into the headset, “I heard a woman's scream. There’s at least one captive inside the container. Probably more. And we’re in position.”
I met Mark’s eyes and, at his nod, said, “Wildcats team. Operation Burning Man is on in three…two…one.”
The moment I finished speaking, a loud gunshot rang in my ears.
Fucking Sami. She probably sat right under the edge of the containers to get the first shot in.
Loud shouts rang out as retaliatory gunshots were fired into the air.
Mark and I sprang into action and crawled out from under our container.
Some guys without any guns had started to run away from Sami and Sophie’s onslaught, but we quickly blocked their way.
With a quick round of shots in their heads, they were down. The loud ringing of our shots had some of the men turning around from where they were pointing their guns at Sami and Sophie.
Raising our guns and taking aim, Mark and I ran, shooting at several men. Most of them hid behind their cars, popping out to shoot at us. Before long, we had closed in on them, Mark jumping over the car and starting to discard their guns.
Sami did the same from the other side and started fighting with her fist. In the kerfuffle, one of the goons shot Hugh’s drone, blasting off pieces of metal and glass debris all over us.
We were dealing with ten men outside, none of who was Maxim. The fucker clearly wasn’t the kind of leader who protected his people. He was a weasel, hiding behind his troops, sacrificing them for his benefit.
Since Sami and Mark were dealing with the men outside, Sophie and I met each other’s eyes, and with a nod, we made our way into the open container.
A few junk metal panels were lying along the side of the opening.
I quickly grabbed two of them and handed one to Sophie.
I showed her how I placed it in front of me as a shield, in case some fucker decided to shoot at us.
Sophie replicated my move. Taking the lead, I stepped inside.
My jaw dropped at the sight in front of me.
The container wasn’t just one fucking enclosed space.
Inside, the entire space was converted into a mini warehouse.
It was as wide as two containers and about as long as six containers.
The entire area was lined with cages. Horror and rage struck my chest like a poisoned arrow.
I turned to Sophie and met her shocked eyes. “Let’s hurry and try to find the girls. Something tells me that we’ll find Maxim and the rest of the goons with them.”
Sophie and I ran along the length of the container, winding around the cages, banging open the doors along one side. Clearly, they were shipping off far more women from this port than the ones they planned to sell at the auction.
The auction was just a fucking distraction. This was the main show.
Fuck.
All the cages were empty. Not a single person was in the area. As we walked farther down the aisle, a metal door loomed in front of us. My eyes met Sophie’s, and she took position against the wall as I kicked it down. Immediately, two men came upon us.
We didn’t waste any time. With two precise shots, both of them were dead on the spot. Another door loomed ahead of us, and I realized we were crossing one container after the other as we moved farther along. How much fucking space did these fuckers have?
Loud yelling came from behind the door, followed by shrill screaming and whimpers of women. Sophie and I looked at each other in understanding. While she got her gun ready, I grabbed my axe in one hand and the shield in the other, before kicking the door down.
The moment it slammed down on the floor, a bullet lodged itself into the metal panel I clutched in front of my chest. In the next second, my axe flew out of my hand, lodging itself in the head of the guy coming at me. Chaos ensued as several men charged at us.
Four men with revolvers stood guard in front of at least thirty women, while about ten men came barreling at us from every way. From the corner of my eye, I saw Maxim smirking and making way to the door at the back of the container, along with two of his men.
This would’ve been a great time for some backup.
“You okay, Sophie? Ready to kill some fuckers?”
The little hint of doubt that was entering Sophie vanished as she rolled her shoulder. “Fuck yeah.”
With that, we pulled our guns and started shooting.
The space was lined with large boxes and barrels, thankfully allowing us to hide behind them.
Two men came at me simultaneously, stupidly without their guns.
I slammed my foot into one of their knees, shattering it, while slamming the blade of my knife into the eye of another, blood spraying out of his socket, and soaking my hand.