Impatiently.
Every man on my crew wants nothing more than to be inside, kicking these motherfuckers’ asses. We all burn with the desire to right the wrongs they created. We will do what is best for the mission, though, and set aside our needs to shed blood in the name of justice.
My training kicks in, and I slow my breathing, calming my craving to fuck something up. Through my ear piece, I can hear commotion from both Ice and Coal.
My boys and I do our best not to get antsy, but sometimes, it is harder to sit and wait than being in the thick of the fight.
Just when I’m starting to worry, the garage door opens, and Big Jim and Skid carry crates filled with women out one by one.
Some of the girls cry out in panic, begging to be set free, while others are so drugged they lie there, unmoving, drool sliding down their chins. A few of the girls are so thin they look emaciated. My guess is they are the ones who have been held hostage the longest. And all of them have bruising or some kind of injury. I even see a few women with blood caked down their legs, and I have this sick feeling in my stomach it’s not from their monthly period. One girl’s arm is bent down at an unnatural angle, lying limply next to her body. Thank God she is one of the unresponsive ones. We don’t need her screaming from pain as her cage is jostled around.
I’m enraged at the sight of the broken women, but I don’t have time to dwell on it. If we are going to get them all to safety, I have to keep my men moving.
It will be faster to transport the women out of here if we leave them in their cages—well, that’s what I console my guilt with as they plead to be let out. The truth is, in the planning of this mission, we had to make the hard decision to leave the women in the cages because we couldn’t risk them freaking out on us as we try to rescue them. If they so much as bit us or scratched us and broke skin, we might be susceptible to a disease that could be transferred through blood or saliva. It might sound cold, but the facts are that these women were forced to serve men and were stuck with needles. I might not like it, but I understood the logic.
Taking the cages one by one, we fill the vans. Then the drivers get the girls safely out of the area as fast as possible while I exit the garage to grab the last van.
Backing the van up to the garage door, I find Coal standing with a gun pointed to Sandoval’s head. I come to a screeching stop, and Coal opens the vehicle’s back door then shoves Sandoval in as he follows. Big Jim climbs in behind them and immediately restrains our captive with zip ties.
Other than a few Spanish mutterings, Sandoval is far too settled for my liking. He is a cocky bastard, but he is way too comfortable for a man who is sure to die in a matter of hours. It makes my gut churn, which is not a good sign. Unfortunately, I won’t be part of his death.
I climb out and round the van, letting Skid take over driving. I’m ready to clean up with my team, meaning we are going to set the building to blow.
I hope Sandoval will still be alive when I catch up with Ice. I even grabbed one of the extra Tasers we keep in the office for our strippers if they need it. I want the satisfaction of putting it to his nuts and frying them before Coal finishes him off.
Going to the last vehicle left, I grab my explosives. The bombs will have the building crumble with as little damage to the surrounding buildings as possible. There will still be casualties to some businesses in the area, but that is what they make insurance for. At least, that is how I see it.
My guys are heading out in front of me, everyone making their way back inside the hotel through a janitor’s service room, when we hear a car pull up. I press into our communication link, wondering if I missed a warning. Was the path not clear for Skid to drive out? My men and I are ready to set the detonators and close this mission down.
“Keep moving,” I command to my guys as I turn to look behind us.
About eight feet away from me is the door that leads to the hotel’s employee entrance that Jinx is the last to go through. At a cursory glance, I don’t see anything, just the small, empty hotel parking lot and the concrete wall surrounding it, which gives nowhere to hide.