And definitely no women. Wherever Antigua kept them was definitely out of sight. No wonder Natalie's feet were bloody when I found her. Who knew how long she must have run throughout this labyrinth to finally escape to the outside.
I clenched my fists at the thought of her in that place. She already was so different from when I first found her in that truck. No longer scared shitless and ready to die. But that same strength and determination in her never wavered.
We're close, my love. Your revenge is about to be carried out.
Eddie walked through for several minutes, escorted by the two guards. The camera bobbed steadily with his footsteps. It seemed like he was heading toward the very back of the complex.
"You mapping this out?" Liam asked one of the investigators.
"Yes, sir," he replied, not looking up from his laptop. "We're syncing up the camera footage with the satellite data right now."
I didn't understand all of the surveillance technology they were using, but the more we knew about the complex before going in, the better off we would be.
"Check out this layout, Sol."
Liam handed me another device which looked like a small tablet. It showed a blueprint of the entire complex, complete with a moving dot heading toward the east end that could only be Eddie.
"Pretty nifty spy shit," I observed.
Liam grinned. "Let's start moving. He's going to run into Antigua soon. We gotta be ready to back him up."
The van started up and started driving slowly as I continued to watch Eddie's camera footage. He stopped in front of two doors that looked completely out of place in an industrial warehouse.
The doors were made of a dark, polished wood that was intricately carved with animals like tigers, herons, and dragons. It looked expensive and gaudy against the plain warehouse wall.
One of the guards grabbed the heavy iron handles and pulled the doors open. On the other side laid out a scene that looked plucked from some eighties gangster movie.
Fur pelts of various exotic animals lined the floor. Dead tigers, lions, bears, and leopards looked up at me with snarling jaws and glassy eyes.
The walls were covered with an assortment of silk tapestries with no particular theme. Some looked hundreds of years old and like priceless museum items, others had rich colors and looked brand new.
Ivory statues, carvings, and more taxidermied animals stared at us from the edges of the room. All of which were undoubtedly endangered, exorbitantly expensive and highly illegal.
But the worst sight was the obscenely fat man sitting in the middle of the room on a hideously ornate dais. Gold and platinum rings glittered on each of his sausage fingers which gripped the armrests of his matching gold throne.
He was balding but that didn't stop him from growing curly, greasy hair down past his shoulders. A silky kimono type of robe with gold thread and a porn star mustache completed his look.
What made me want to punch the screen in front of me though, were the two naked girls sitting on either side of his chair. They were painfully thin and not even the caked-on makeup could hide the bruises on their limbs or the stoned, sedated look in their eyes.
To think that was once my Natalie set my blood aflame and broke my heart.
My hand floated to the grip of my gun and I curled my fingers around the cool, comforting metal as I looked at Antigua, the richest drug lord in all of northern California and the most vile human being on the planet.
Right then I knew I couldn't make his death quick and merciful. He would suffer just as he made Natalie and those other girls suffered.
And I would let her joyfully listen to every agonizing sound he made as life left his body.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
SOLOMON
I didn't know it was possible to feel such pure, roiling hate for someone.
Liam's hand clapping down on my shoulder was the only thing that made me realize I was shaking in pure rage.
"Keep it together buddy," he said. "I know how it feels but you gotta keep a calm, level head so we all get out of this alive."
He was right. And he was the only one I really could listen to that had any experience with this kind of situation. When he lost his head and ran in to rescue Hazel years ago, he got shot several times and nearly died himself.
My eyes remained glued to the computer screen, to the fat disgusting fuck who would die at my hands and no one else's.
He looked at Eddie with pure contempt as if he were a lesser being.
"Who the fuck is this?" he demanded with a mouth full of saliva.
"Delivery guy. He says we gave him bad product, boss," said one of the henchmen.
Antigua blinked but his expression didn't otherwise change.
"So he's a filthy fucking liar. Just fucking kill him."
No!
Panic shot through me as I heard the tell-tale click-clack sounds of weapons being cocked.
"Hang on!" Eddie's voice demanded. "I only said that so these two dumb fucks would let me inside to see you, Don Antigua. Please." The camera lowered as Eddie knelt to his knees and I was face to face with the roaring head of a jaguar pelt on the ground.
"Allow me to pay my respects, Don Antigua. It truly is an honor."
No shots came and I allowed myself to relax just slightly. Liam nudged me then pulled open the van door.
"We're a hundred yards behind their back door. Let's move. According to the satellite image, we can come right up to the back door of Antigua's throne room or whatever the fuck that is."
I nodded as I pulled my gun from my holster and made sure my kevlar vest was secure. Grabbing a small earpiece and shoving it in my ear so I could still hear Eddie, I followed the cops out and we stalked upon the building.
"Tell me why you wanted to see me," I heard Antigua's voice directly next to my brain and it made me shudder with discomfort. His voice was syrupy. The man definitely wasn't immune to flattery.
"I'm through with my old boss and my old crew. I want to work for you, someone great, admirable and profitable." Eddie's voice replied and I felt a tiny pinprick in my chest.
What the fuck, Eddie?
He had to be lying, right? That wasn't part of the script we agreed on. He had to be just pulling shit out of his ass to stall for time.
You know we're listening, Eddie. You know I trust you with my life. I hope you're still being trustworthy now. You know the consequences if you're not.
We moved in like silent, stalking predators until the back door was clearly in sight. I brought twenty of my best people and they were all spread throughout the formation. I wasn't sure how many cops we had but Liam assured me he had the very best with us.
"Why would I hire you?" Antigua asked.
"Well, I got past these two bozos with just some pretty words and a pat-down. If it were me at your front gate, I'd do a much more thorough investigation. Maybe some waterboarding. Some brass knuckles to the gut and the face for good measure."
"I like the way you think." I could hear the smile in Antigua's voice. It was beyond creepy, just plain evil. "Pain is a wonderful motivational tool."
My vision turned red as my blood boiled like lava under my skin. Every cell in my body wanted to show this man pain. So much pain.
I yanked the earpiece out of my ear.
"Liam," I whispered. "What the fuck are we waiting for?"
"Just hold on a second." He paused before speaking again into his microphone that went out to all units.
"Satellite surveillances confirms the only innocent bystanders in range are the two women next to Antigua. Still, watch your fire, folks. We don't know where the other women are being held. Proceed with Sol at the head."
My feet carried me right up to the back door before he even finished speaking. I stayed low behind the tall grass and took out the two guards with my silenced pistol before the even knew what hit them.
Two of my guys dragged their bodies out of the way while one of the cops took careful aim at the door lock and fired.
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With a quick signal to ensure we were ready, he held open the door and we poured in like a swarm of angry wasps.
We ran through the room knocking over tapestries and statues as we fanned out to either side, forming a perimeter around the walls of the room. Directly behind Antigua's stupid throne was a wide, four poster bed covered in more illegal pelts of endangered animals. I didn't even want to think of the atrocities he did in that bed.
I didn't see which side fired first but the first shot that rang out made the girls scream and cover their heads.
"Take cover! Get out of this room!" I yelled at them but Antigua grabbed them both with surprising speed. He held them against his body as he began to duck and run behind his chair.
Only scum like him would use naked, innocent women as shields.
He was too fat and the girls were way too thin to cover him adequately so I took careful aim and fired.
With a loud, choking gasp he fell forward with blood squirting out of the back of his soft, fleshy thigh.
"Run!" I shouted again to the women. "We're here to help you. Tell the others!"
And then to Antigua, groaning and writhing in pain as the blood pooled around him, "I'm just getting started with you, motherfucker."
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
NATALIE
The call came surprisingly early.
Ari, Netta and I had just finished breakfast. I made blueberry pancakes in an attempt to keep Ari in good spirits but she could see the tension and worry in our faces, no matter how much we tried to smile and be reassuring.
"When will Daddy be back?" she demanded.
"Soon," I said, my gut feeling like I swallowed a cement brick.
"Where did he go?"
"He's working sweetheart," I said, smoothing my hand over her bedhead hair sticking up all over the place.
"Why does he have to work so much? I miss him."
"I miss him too," I said in a low voice, then took a deep breath and lowered myself to her eye level. "He's doing a very important job though."
"He is?" her eyes widened.
I nodded. "He's making the world a safer place for you, me, Netta, all of us. You should be proud of him."
He's making a safer world for your unborn, freshly conceived sibling as well.
Ari grinned. "I'll tell him when he comes home!"
"He'll love that," I told her warmly. He really would.
Stop. Don't think about him like he's gone already.
Netta had been quiet since we arrived at the safe house, which was unusual for her. I could tell she was just as worried as me.
"He's done dangerous missions before," she whispered when Ari was out of earshot. "He'll be alright. He always comes back."
But the uncertainty on her face was as clear as day.
She didn't know for certain but she must have heard rumors. Antigua was just as bad as they claimed, if not worse.
He was no ordinary enemy. And Solomon, the love of my life, did not walk into any ordinary warzone.
I rubbed a hand across my belly, unable to get the passion and intimacy of last night out of my mind. I could still feel him on my skin and in the breath from my lungs.
Nothing physically felt different in my body. It was too soon to tell, of course. A baby probably hadn't even been conceived yet. Sperm could live in the body for up to seven days if I remembered high school sex ed correctly. I didn't even know what point I was at in my cycle, or if I was even fertile anymore.
Still, I rubbed my belly as if it were a lamp that held a magical genie. I wished for a living manifestation of Sol. I didn't even know if we successfully made a child but I already saw him as a boy in my mind. He had my blue eyes and Sol's dark hair and swarthy skin. His strong build and signature smirk of course.
A name hadn't come to me yet. But even if my body hadn't made him yet, my mind was already eager to meet him.
A sudden ringing sound made me jump.
Netta and I looked at each other knowingly. It was the landline.
A simple cordless phone sat in a cradle on the kitchen counter and lit up with UNKNOWN NUMBER across the screen.
My heart soared. It had to be him.
"Get it. I'll distract the kid," Netta said, scurrying off to join Ari in front of the TV with her cartoons.
I picked up the phone and stepped into the bedroom as I hit the answer button with a trembling finger and my heart in my throat.
"Hello?" My voice was weak, uncertain.
"Hey, beautiful."
"Oh my God!"
I crumpled to the floor with the relief pouring over me so hard and fast that my head spun. Solomon’s voice on the phone was the sweetest sound I heard in years. He sounded like he was right next to me and I desperately wished he was.
"Are you okay? Did you do it?"
"Our forces overwhelmed them and none of the girls were hurt. We're getting them out. Everything is going to be okay."
"I'm so glad to hear that! You have no idea." I grinned from ear to ear, so stupidly happy to hear his voice. "And Antigua?"
"I'm glad you asked, babe." The cocky smirk came through in his voice like I could feel it directly on my skin. “He’s dying to talk to you.”
A scuffling sound crackled across the phone receiver and I suddenly heard the low, whimpering moans of a man in serious pain.
"Hello?" I said.
"Ugh, you motherfuckers will pay!" came the familiar, saliva-laden voice that haunted my nightmares. "I'll kill you all for this."
BANG!
"Ahhh, fuck!"
I could only guess that Sol shot some non-lethal part of Antigua's body that kept him alive but in terrible pain.
Speaking loudly and clearly into the phone, I said what I always wanted to say.
"How does it feel?" I asked. "To experience excruciating pain at the enjoyment of others?"
"Fuck you, bitch! I'll cut your clit and your tits off for this!"
"Oh no," I replied. "Your disgusting hands will never touch me again. The last thing you'll feel is my husband's gun shooting your pathetic balls off."
Another BANG! rang out followed by a deafening scream in my ear. Farther away I heard Sol's voice say, "Where you're going, you don't need kneecaps anyway."
Antigua's big game talk quickly turned to blubbering, pleading and crying.
"Please, I'll pay you... whatever you want," he whimpered.
"You know I almost regret asking my husband to kill you," I said. "A better sentence would be life in prison being raped daily. But for some reason, I don't think even inmates would want to fuck you."
"I'm sorry..."
"That's a fucking laugh! I can only imagine how much you profited daily from selling my body. Are you sorry about Leah too?"
I was yelling into the phone at that point and hoped Netta had covered Ari's ears. If Antigua said any words in response, they were unintelligible from the groans and whimpers of pain.
"She was so smart and kind. She could have done so much good in this world. But you had no idea of that. All you saw was a profitable body to hand around to your customers like a fucking crack pipe."
"I'm so sorry... please."
"Solomon, you there?" I asked.
"Right here, babe."
"I'm done talking to this piece of shit. Do what you need to do."
"Yes, ma'am. And hey, listen."
"Yeah?"
"I love you, Natalie. So fucking much. I can't wait to come home to you and our family." The emotion was thick in his voice. Shouts and commotion rang out in the background and what sounded like more gunshots.
“Sol, are you sure you’re safe?” I asked. “Please be careful and get home to me in one piece.”
“I will, babe, I promise. We have control here. I’ll be home to you before the sun goes down.”
“Okay.” I unclenched my fists, looking at the marks my nails made from digging into my palms. “I love you too. So fucking much.”
Thanks to him, my love and my protector,
I finally took my first steps in letting go of the hatred and pain I held onto for so long.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
SOLOMON
It was the perfect moment for a cigarette.
I set my phone down on the floor next to Antigua's fat, swollen face. His jowls trembled as he struggled to stay conscious and cling to life while my boot pressed into his fleshy, bloody back.
Natalie was still on the line as I turned on the speakerphone. She wanted to listen to this poor excuse for a man take his final agonizing breaths and I wouldn't let her miss the opportunity.
He wheezed and spat and tried to form words but he was fading fast. All around us, his men were being subdued and taken away in handcuffs by cops.
This day was victorious for all sides. The law caught an evil, dangerous man that had been wanted for years. He no longer had a monopoly, so small-time crooks like me could have more freedom in their own business.
And my Natalie got to listen to her torturer die a slow, painful death.
While Antigua's men were placed under arrest, my people searched the compound for the hidden girls. Time stretched on and it made me wonder with a sickening feeling what kind of conditions they lived in, to be hidden so far out of sight.
I brought the cigarette to my lips and lit it as I ground my heel into Antigua's kidney. Out of the corner of my eye, Eddie approached me as I took my first drag.
"That was fantastic, boss," he said with a nervous smile, his skin coated in a thin sheen of sweat. "I wasn't sure how this plan would turn out but it couldn't have gone more perfectly. I should never have doubted you."
I said nothing in reply. Instead, I simply exhaled smoke in his direction as I looked at him with a cold, hard expression. He knew what was on my mind. What I wanted to know.
His smile faded.
He pulled his hands from his pockets and held his open, bare palms out to me.
"Boss, I'm loyal to you with my life. You know that. I was trying to buy my time and stroke that fat bastard's ego. I would slit my own throat before I ever betrayed you."
Down and Dirty: A Single Dad Bad Boy Romance (Small Town Bad Boys Book 3) Page 13
