by Laura Acton
Blaze laughed quietly and replied, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep him in line. Damn, I wish there had been audio to hear what Blondie said. Are there any cameras which will give us Mike’s and Anastasia’s location?”
Winds checked all the feeds. “Damn. No cameras in the secret passageways, but I found the guys getting into the elevator with Savelievich and several guards.”
“Must be heading to the auction floor. Switch to the fifth and scan the area. Check if Makar’s map is even close to accurate,” Blaze directed.
After scanning the hallway and foyer cameras, Winds switched to the interiors of the private rooms. “Yeah fairly accurate, but the foyer is much larger than Makar’s drawing portrays and there is a shitload of guards. Seven of the twelve rooms are occupied. Which means they will be in one of the remaining five.” He provided Ripsaw details on the five rooms in which Mason and Blondie might end up.
Cherry Club – Third Floor – Children’s Room
Needing their wits to rescue the children and come out of this alive, neither Mike nor Anastasia could afford to be drugged, so they went docilely with Vadim and Ivan through the hidden corridor. After being pushed into another room with the kids, the guards closed and locked the door.
Anastasia stopped two strides in with a new appendage stuck to her leg. The littlest girl Dan saved clung to her and would not let go. With a soft smile, she spoke to her in Russian, “Don’t be afraid we will protect you.”
The girl glanced over at the man who spoke her language as her eyes teared up. “I wanna go home. I want my mommy.”
Stunned, Mike turned and gaped at Anastasia. The little girl spoke English. She was not from here … her accent sounded Canadian.
Anastasia pried her arms from her thigh, crouched, and asked, “Little one, what is your name?”
The frightened, green-eyed girl said, “Elsa.”
“How long have you been here, Elsa?” Anastasia gently touched Elsa’s arm and rubbed her cold little arm lightly.
“Three days.” Tears ran down, and Elsa wiped them.
“How did you get here?” Anastasia glanced at Mike who appeared to be checking on the other children.
Elsa stammered out, “Daddy went to buy soda. My brother and me were swimming at the beach. A wave knocked us over, and I couldn’t find him. A man said he would help me. He brought me here. I want my daddy and mommy. It’s scary here. Can I go home?”
Anastasia picked up Elsa, hugging her tight. “Yes, but you have to be very quiet for now. Can you do that for me?”
Elsa nodded. Anastasia set her down and turned to Mike.
Mike said, “Fifteen children in all. The oldest boy, Misha, has been here the longest, about four months. This is all the kids in the club at the moment. I told him to pass the word to the others to clothe themselves in whatever they possess, which isn’t much by the looks of things.”
Peering down at Elsa, with a motherly smile Anastasia instructed. “Go dress, sweet one. Then you can come back to me.”
“Wear my swimsuit?” Elsa’s sad eyes gazed at Anastasia.
“Better than what you are wearing. Go now, and you can return to me little one.” Anastasia gave her a smile and slight tilt of her head to the other children.
Elsa scurried to the other kids who were putting on pieces of clothing. She dug into the pile of rags to find her swimsuit. After pulling on the one-piece suit, Elsa ran back and clung to the lady’s leg again.
Anastasia stroked the tiny girl’s hair to soothe her.
“Now we wait for Blaze and Winds.” Mike paced like a caged animal. Being here dredged up a slew of memories he buried long ago. To maintain control, he began to plot their path out of here with fifteen kids. Protecting them all would be difficult, but Mike knew they would do their best to rescue every last one of these children from this place.
Cherry Club – Elevator & Fifth Floor Foyer
After Mason and Dan entered the elevator, Panin and three of the guards squeezed in making it a tight fit. They observed as Panin withdrew a chain from under his shirt which held a key at the end. He inserted the key in the control panel and turned it before pressing five on the number pad.
“Why the security?” Dan questioned to tamp down on the anxiety creeping in from being in a confined space.
Panin shifted his heavy-set body to face Maks. “My clientele prefers anonymity, and I take precautions. Plus, with expensive merchandise, one must take all sorts of theft prevention measures. I remodeled this building extensively to ensure this is the only way to reach the sales floor.” He left the chain and key hanging on the outside of his clothing as he bragged, “No one goes up or down without an escort from me. I hold the only key.”
Nodding, Dan inquired, “Can I inspect the merchandise before I bid? I don’t buy unseen.” With only three bodyguards, Dan knew he and Mason could handle all four and hoped they might grab the girls before the bidding started. Having to break into the display room Makar described to Blaze, would be one more hurdle to surmount if they did not win this auction.
The elevator pinged and the doors opened as Panin said, “They will be on display, but to maintain purity no one is allowed to examine them physically.” Panin held out his hand and said, “After you.”
Mason and Dan stepped out of the lift into a huge foyer and Dan’s plans of taking out three guards died on the vine. How the hell are we getting out of this? Dan scanned the expansive lobby containing at least a dozen guards. This room was decorated as gaudily as the main club. Plush red carpet, squished under Dan’s step as he moved forward several paces.
As he scanned, Dan noted the gold lamé fabric draping the wood-paneled walls. A crystal chandelier hung over five tables with various foods and beverages. He found no exits in this reception area. Turning his eyes his survey was interrupted by Panin.
“Before I escort you to your room, perhaps you would care for some refreshment. All the finest quality I can assure you.”
The foul taste of his upchucked dinner still lingering, Dan cringed. “No thanks. Stomach’s still upset from the salmon.”
Mason continued to study exit options, finding only the elevator. Two curved hallways led from this area, and several doors dotted the interior as Makar’s drawing indicated. At each portal, two armed guards stood. Tactically speaking, with over two dozen hostiles, odds of leaving here unscathed hovered near impossible. Although the thick, Corinthian columns spaced every ten feet on the outer walls and enormous ceramic potted plants offered some cover, the expanse from the far hall to the only exit would be a no-man’s land with no cover to protect them from the dozen or so guards in the foyer.
His attention was drawn to Blondie. The kid still didn’t appear all that steady on his feet. He inched closer as Panin went to a table along the wall. They shared a glance, both understanding the only way to leave here successfully would be to win the auction.
Panin strolled over to the silver tray, set off on a little table near the dumbwaiter concealed behind golden drapes. His back turned to Maks he allowed a smile to break out. Tonight will be exceedingly profitable. He decided to follow through with his original plan as his eyes landed on the vial. He picked up two empty glasses and turned to Maks. “I have the perfect thing to clear your palette. A house specialty made to my exacting standards.”
He turned back around, as he continued speaking, “I visited Romania and was introduced to Visinata a few years ago. It is made with sour cherries, sugar, and vodka.” As he set down the glasses, his hand swept up the vial, covertly opening it. Having done his research, well, having Grigori do it for him, he found out from the Barracuda bartender Maks substituted his vodka for water. Which meant to him, the man was cautious like him about being drugged.
Picking up the bottle, Panin turned slightly, positioning himself so Maks could watch him decant the alcohol into each glass. Returning to the cocky man, Panin held out one glass to him. “Visinata is very flavorful and sweet.”
“Again, no thank yo
u.” Dan put up his hands to refuse. Not wearing gloves yet, he didn’t want to leave fingerprints on anything.
Panin’s beady eyes narrowed. “Do not offend me again. A man offers you a drink you take it.”
Not seeing any other option, pissing off Panin now would be stupid, Dan reached out for the pale red liqueur. “Thanks.”
Mason grabbed the tumbler before Blondie’s hand touched it and growled in French, “He only drinks what I pour him.”
Chuckling, Panin said, “I understand why you keep your heathen. He is protective. Though, not necessary. This isn’t drugged. As you saw, I poured both from the same bottle.” Raising his glass, he said, “To the beginning of a successful business relationship.” He downed the entire shot, then eyed Maks, maintaining his false smile, as he hoped the unmeasured drizzle of poison was close to the five-milliliter dose and wouldn’t kill the dog too quickly.
Dan took the beverage from Mason. He did not want to drink this, but with the firepower around them, he could not take the chance of offending Panin. They were too close to rescuing the girls. “To success. May I obtain what I desire, and you get what you deserve.”
He tipped his head back and poured the cherry-infused vodka into his mouth without touching his lips to the rim and swallowed the shot. It burned his raw throat going down, but at least the sweet aftertaste removed all traces of bile. Dan coughed twice. “Interesting flavor.” He held on to the glassware needing to find a way to wipe it clean of his and Mason’s prints.
Grinning, Panin slipped the vial into his pocket. “I will show you to your private room. Each buyer’s identity is protected, hence all the security at the doors. You will never meet another buyer, and they will not meet you. That is a confidentiality service I provide my clients. Follow me please.”
Dan followed, grabbing a napkin off the table as he went by it. He quickly wiped down the glass and then allowed it to drop to the floor. There was a soft thud as it landed on the lush carpet and Dan was thankful it did not attract attention from Panin or any of the guards.
As Mason followed Blondie, he continued scanning the area wondering how Ripsaw would reach them without a key to the elevator, but then he smirked. Ripsaw is a master at locks. That won’t be a problem for him. Hopefully, Winds hacked the cameras and pinpointed our location so Ripsaw will have a direct path to us should the shit hit the fan.
They were shown to the last room at the end of the far hallway. The hall did not circle all the way around as Dan thought it might. He made a mental note, they had only one path out and the longest possible route.
Cherry Club – Second Floor – Panin’s Office
After Winds finished giving Ripsaw an update, Blaze checked the time. “Start the software Dom provided. The funds must be available in the special account before Savelievich starts the damned auction.”
“On it,” Winds said as he plugged in the hardware he brought. Dom had given it to him and explained how to infect Panin’s system with the virus. Once initiated, the code would automatically locate Panin’s financial assets and transfer them into an account Dom set up for Blondie to use for the auction. After Panin verified the delivery of funds to his account after the sale, the money would be dispersed again into several other accounts.
Dom’s virus would bounce the assets between many financial institutions before landing in the coffers of non-profit foundations which worked to better the lives of children. Each deposit would be accompanied by an email from anonymous donors thanking them for their work.
At the end of everything, Savelievich would be penniless; not a single asset would be left in his name. The bot was also designed to collect information regarding all accounts which deposited monies into Savelievich’s and send the details to Interpol’s human trafficking division with an anonymous tip that they should check all owners because they might be involved in the slave trade. Lastly, Dom’s programming would destroy all data on Panin’s computer.
Once Winds launched Dom’s bug, he checked back on the video. “Ripsaw, they are going down the north hallway and into the last room. Panin and six guards are with them. There are guards on every door. Stealth is not gonna be an option for you. Tying channel two into Panin’s frequency. Switch over and monitor their communications so you can alert us if anything changes.”
Blaze directed. “Hold unless you hear activity and need to assist. Give Blondie and Mason a chance to locate Dom’s daughters and win the auction. According to Natia, the girls should be in the center room of the sale area but it is pitch black so we don’t have a visual of them.”
Winds added, “Nor do we have a fix on Skyboy, Lioness, or the lost lambs. We’re going to have to do a room by room search.”
Ripsaw snorted at the code names Winds used for Mike and Anastasia. He was staying out of this one. “Roger. Holding and switching channels now.” Ripsaw shifted his body in the cramped space. He was smaller, but this was still a tight fit. Damned glad I’m not claustrophobic.
Off the comms, Blaze chuckled and said, “Doubt Mike is going to like being called Skyboy, but Lioness fits Anastasia.”
“We never did settle on call signs for them. I’ll just tell Mike we suck at naming. He is a pilot and his eyes are the color of the sky, got anything better?”
Blaze shook his head. “I’ll leave that one to you to explain. Kill the cameras and wipe the security video,” Blaze instructed as he went back to the concealed entrance.
After rapidly doing as Blaze ordered, Winds unplugged the hardware and returned the items to his pack before zipping it closed. He stood, slung the backpack on his back, and grinned. “Done. Dom’s program is still running, but funds are starting to transfer. Ready to go find Skyboy and Lioness?”
Holding back a chuckle, Blaze said, “Let’s go.” Needing to get a feel for the weapon, he unsheathed the Rhys Lynx knife and adjusted his grip to counterbalance its unfamiliar weight. He wished for his trusted combat knife as he prepared to open the secret door.
Grasping the skeletonized knife handle, Winds prepared to enter and take point. Going in blind to track down Mike, Anastasia, and those children amped up his adrenaline.
Acts of Kindness
32
May 29
Cherry Club – Third Floor – Children’s Room
Mike gathered the children together and explained they would be leaving soon and taken someplace safe to be reunited with their families. He needed them to do exactly as told to remain safe. Mike noted most of the kids were at least clothed halfway decently now except for the oldest, a blond, blue-eyed boy named Misha.
He had seen sixteen-year-old Misha make sure all the little ones dressed in the few available clothes. However, Misha was only wearing a skimpy pair of underwear which appeared too small for him. The boy was tall for his age but very thin … distinctly underfed; more so than the other children. Observing Misha tending to the younger kids made Mike wondered if Misha gave what little food he received to them.
Anastasia hobbled over to Mike with Elsa still attached to her leg. “Are they all prepared to move when we need to?”
“Almost.” Going to Misha, Mike gently took the lad’s arm and pulled him to the far side of the room away from everyone else.
Confused and wary, Misha went willingly. Why am I being separated from the rest? He wanted to ask, but fear of being beaten stopped him. When he first arrived here, the guards pummeled him whenever he asked a question or fought back when men did vile, painful things to him. Misha promptly learned to keep his mouth shut and comply with whatever they expected.
Mike turned his back to the group and began to strip off his clothes.
Oh no! Going home was a lie. This man is going to use me in the same way. Misha’s eyes widened with dread of the pain which would come, but he glanced at the frightened younger kids and swallowed hard. Maybe this is the price for us getting out of here.
Misha’s lower lip quivered and his voice shook as he bravely stated in Russian, “I’ll do whatever you want
me to do, but please don’t touch the little ones. They’ve been hurt enough already.” Misha reached down to remove his ill-fitting scrap of cloth as shame burned inside at the thought of everyone watching him submit to a debasing, vile act.
In the process of pulling down his slacks, Mike froze. Ah shit! I didn’t mean to scare the kid. I should’ve explained first. Rapidly, Mike said, “No, Misha. I won’t ever hurt you … any of you. I’m so sorry I frightened you. What you are wearing does not cover you adequately. I am only striping to give you something to wear to provide you a bit of modesty. Alright?”
Giving a tiny nod in acknowledgment, Misha stood stock still as he tried to comprehend the kindness shown to him by this man. Is he really giving me his clothing? Tears of gratitude filled his eyes.
Mike took off his black pants and his boxers and gave the underwear to the boy before hastily pulling his pants back on. He removed his undershirt and handed it over too. After Mike put his light blue button-down shirt back on, he didn’t bother to button up since Blaze and Winds would be bringing his gear, and he would need to take it off again anyway.
Smiling, Misha dressed in a hurry in the oversized clothes. He grasped the briefs with one hand to keep them up because they were too large for his skinny frame. Misha’s voice was full of appreciation as he wiped the tears from his eyes. “Thank you.”
Anastasia covertly observed the transaction and a smile grew. When Mike and Misha returned to the group, she kissed Mike’s cheek. “What a beautiful gesture.”
Mike whispered, “I had an excellent teacher in compassion. An honorable man who knew precisely what to do in this type of situation. I only wish I possessed something to secure the boxers for him, so they don’t fall off.”
One of the girls ripped off a piece of dangling string from the tattered shirt she wore and handed it to Misha as she smiled at him. The young girl said, “Here use this. Thanks for always taking care of me and all of us.”
