“Hey, Larson, we want some of her, too,” one man called out, as he and another guy walked through the thicket. Roland recognized them as the two men who’d been encouraging the first guy to rape the girl.
“What the hell!” one of the men said when he saw their comrade on the ground, a bullet between the eyes. They quickly pulled out their guns and glanced around.
“Drop your guns,” Roland ordered, emerging from behind a thick bush.
Both men took aim to fire at him. But before they released a single shot, he took out one and Lennox took out the other. He glanced at her and winked, impressed by her skill and very glad they’d both placed the silencers on their guns.
Lennox had pulled the girl into her arms, trying to calm her down…which made Roland really glad he’d brought her along. Because the girl was still screaming. Although Lennox was assuring the girl that she was safe now, she wouldn’t settle. Then he heard the girl say, “My sister is in there with them.”
Sister? Damn. Roland could just imagine what the parents were going through, missing two daughters.
He quickly went through the pockets of the three dead men. They had various forms of ID in their wallets, same photo with different names. They also had plenty of cash.
Checking their cell phones, he noted the same phone numbers on both of their phones and took note of them. Calls had been placed to, as well as received from, the numbers less than an hour ago. Were they expecting others to show up?
Glancing over at Lennox, he said, “Stay here and take care of her. If someone else shows up, take cover somewhere until I return.”
“If anyone else shows up, they’ll be sorry. Because I will protect her,” Lennox said, wrapping her arms more firmly around the girl. She had stopped screaming, but was still sobbing hysterically.
From the fierce set of Lennox’s chin and the angry look in her eyes, Roland believed her. He nodded and then quickly moved toward the cabin.
• • •
When Roland reached the building, he discovered two men hanging around near one of the vans, smoking cigarettes. They didn’t have a clue that three of their pals had been taken out.
“The girl is no longer screaming,” one of the men said, grinning. “Larson must have gagged her.”
The other man laughed. “Probably had to, with Potts and Bennie taking turns with her, too. That should teach her to shut up when she’s told.”
“Maybe we should join them,” the other man suggested. “Gang bangs can be fun.”
“You go ahead, if you want. I have my eyes on that pretty little redhead with the green eyes. I don’t give a damn what Sally said, I plan to take her before the night is over. And just so you know, I ain’t sharing.”
Sick bastards, Roland thought. Knowing he had to create a diversion to get the others out, he pulled a dart gun off his belt and aimed, shooting both men in the neck where the drug would have the most effect. In less than a minute, they had crumpled to the ground. He moved past them, knowing they would be out for at least a couple of hours.
By his calculations, that left only three others to deal with--two men and a woman inside the cabin. He had to be careful--he didn’t want to injure any of the girls. But he couldn’t rescue them until he’d taken care of those three.
Crouching down low, he made his way around the cabin to see if there was another way inside.
LENNOX SAW THE HEADLIGHTSof a vehicle approaching down the road. Those arriving would know their plans had been compromised when they spotted the SUV.
She glanced down at the young girl she’d finally gotten to stop crying. The girl said her name was Callie. Lennox and the child had moved away from the bodies, since the sight of them made Callie even more upset. When she’d finally calmed down, Callie had told Lennox that she was twelve. Her sister, Paula, was two years younger. They had been playing in the park that morning when two men had grabbed them.
“Listen, Callie. Some more bad men are coming.” When the girl began trembling again, Lennox added, “I’m going to need your help if you want us to rescue your sister.”
Fighting back tears, Callie asked in a soft voice, “How?”
“We’re going to go to a place where we can watch them to make sure they don’t join the others. But more than anything, I need you to be quiet. As quiet as a mouse, okay?”
The young girl who was holding onto Lennox’s arm for dear life, nodded. “Okay. Just please get Paula, so we can go home.”
Lennox smiled, then pushed a lock of Callie’s hair back from her face. She was braveand Lennox was fiercely glad that she and Roland had arrived in time to save her.
Taking Callie’s hand, they darted out from where they’d been hiding and moved to an area where they’d have a better view. From behind the bushes, they watched as two men got out of a van when they reached the SUV that was blocking their path. They circled around it, their guns raised. Now more than ever, she was glad she’d convinced Roland not to leave her there.
One man pulled out his cell phone as if to make a call and then discovered he couldn’t get a connection. He placed the phone back in his pocket and began scanning the area with a flashlight. Lennox pulled Callie down on the ground with her when the light flashed in their direction.
Then she heard one man say to the other, “Let’s circle around and find whoever was in this SUV.”